We were surprised to see money being invested in relevant infrastructure – the airport is brand new, there’s a new highway connecting to Nusa Dua and some humongous statues in the main roundabouts – ok, not so relevant but impressive nevertheless! Balinese people love statues, depicting their gods and guardians, if not colorfully dressed, then majestically big.
As soon as we landed and started our journey towards Ubud, our driver told us that they were “having Kuningan” in a couple of days. We wanted to know more but didn’t quite grasp its importance so we left it at that. But next day everyone kept on mentioning it, plus the whole island was drilled with decorated bamboo poles locally called “penjor”, with curving upper ends to resemble the tail of the barong and Mount Agung. By this time we thought it was better to google it.
As soon as we landed and started our journey towards Ubud, our driver told us that they were “having Kuningan” in a couple of days. We wanted to know more but didn’t quite grasp its importance so we left it at that. But next day everyone kept on mentioning it, plus the whole island was drilled with decorated bamboo poles locally called “penjor”, with curving upper ends to resemble the tail of the barong and Mount Agung. By this time we thought it was better to google it.
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| Besakih Temple with penjor |
Every year the spirits of ancestors come to earth to visit their former homes and relatives – Galungan. On the tenth day they return to heaven and this is Kuningan – Balinese Hindus go to the temples with their best garments and thoroughly washed and decorated motorbikes, bringing offerings to their gods, to thank them for being kind to them.
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| Pura Uluwatu - prayers and offerings | House entrance: guardian and offerings |
Offerings control their lives. They do it several times a day, taking them to the temples, courtyards, fields, streets, etc. They take time to prepare and differ in size and content, also according to one’s profession.
As we discovered the island we saw more and more flags in front of people’s houses (some could cover a table for 100 diners). At first we thought “oh, crazy Europeans living on Bali” but soon realised that these were put up by Balinese football fans – the world cup was starting in less than 2 weeks. If the sizes of the flags reflect their passion, then FIFA (and betting platforms!) has found its playground. Not to mention the sellers of German, Brazilian and Spanish flags. They all knew Portugal but for a technical reason – the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo. Except for some flags in the Bukhit Peninsula, the red / green combination was hard to track down.
Apart from watching football the only sport-related activity we could notice on Bali was kite-running (!).
Pemuteran and Amed gave us some good underwater memories, since the diving and snorkeling here were top-notch. When we stayed more than 2 days in one place we felt like we already knew the people (and they knew us), except that it was just a feeling. In fact, I had trouble distinguishing them, but that’s a mere detail. Sidemen's landscape amazed us for its rice fields.
Pemuteran and Amed gave us some good underwater memories, since the diving and snorkeling here were top-notch. When we stayed more than 2 days in one place we felt like we already knew the people (and they knew us), except that it was just a feeling. In fact, I had trouble distinguishing them, but that’s a mere detail. Sidemen's landscape amazed us for its rice fields.
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| Sidemen |
We didn’t quite like the one-day experience in Canggu for its touristy frenzy and dirty beaches but the last days on the rocky and rough Bukhit Peninsula made us forget about it. We joined the surfers and enjoyed a low-key relaxation (away from the waves though).
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| Bingin Beach, Bukhit Peninsula |
We also had some communication and cultural hick-ups: our waiter in the Pemuteran resort was sorry because he had a special offer one night and our transport “dealer” in Amed liked to close deals with open pants (no photo, sorry).
But we have to praise our drivers. They were movie maniacs, football (and betting) lovers, gold watch bearers, but never careless or crazy, with one tiny exception.
Food was simple and cheap everywhere, with variations between restaurants and street shacks. Suckling pig and duck are traditional dishes but I had many vegetarian options with rice, noodles and veggies – fried, curried or wok-stirred. Spiciness makes it heaven on earth!
But we have to praise our drivers. They were movie maniacs, football (and betting) lovers, gold watch bearers, but never careless or crazy, with one tiny exception.
Food was simple and cheap everywhere, with variations between restaurants and street shacks. Suckling pig and duck are traditional dishes but I had many vegetarian options with rice, noodles and veggies – fried, curried or wok-stirred. Spiciness makes it heaven on earth!
