Bali - Dancing and Dolphins

One of the things I love about going somewhere new are the sounds - sounds that you don’t hear at home.  And it is the sounds of Indonesia that stand out in my mind – from the call to prayer five times a day on Java, to the buzz of the motorbikes, to the call of the pedal cab operators.  But it was the music in Bali that I remember most.  From the music at the festivals to the street performances to the beats pounding out of the night clubs in Kuta, music seemed to surround Bali.  We were lucky to get to go to two Balinese dance performances – one at night and then one during the day.  Both were absolutely amazing – a stunning visual representation of Hindu mythology and story. 

The entire performance was vocal - no instruments were used.  It was astounding.  The performance lasted for over an hour and the combination of the sounds and the fire was absolutely riveting.

After the amazing performance the night before, we were off to a completely different performance the next morning.  Visually stunning and auditorily entrancing.

Winding our way through the rice terraces of Bali, we stopped off at temples and waterfalls.  The sun barely came out, but the temperature remained nice and warm.  Absolutely fantastic. 

Our destination was the town of Lovina - home of black sands and amazing dolphin and snorkelling oppourtunities.  The morning started at 5:00am so that we could get into our outrigger and watch the sun come up over the island.  We then spent two hours following a pod of dolphins through the bay as they fed. 

Back into town for some breakfast, then back out in the outriggers for some snorkelling.  The water was so clear, and the coral and fish were amazing!

Up next - it's off to Lombok!

Bali - Temples and Monkeys

I was so excited to go to Bali.  It’s been on the list forever – even before I read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  And after being on the island, I can see why it appealed.  Everywhere you look, it feels spiritual – from the daily offerings that are left in front of businesses three times a day, to the festivals that occur monthly and yearly.  We stopped off at one on the spur of the moment on our way to Kuta.  We were in Kuta one night to pick up more people on our tour, and then we were off to Ubud – where Elizabeth Gilbert based herself in Eat Pray Love. This entry is going to be mostly pictures with explainations - as pictures are worth more than words.

On the Ferry.  Luckily we never lost sight of the shore, so the panic was kept to a minimum.

While waiting for the ferry to head over to Bali, the locals dive for change thrown from the ferry.

Fishing boats.

The Welcome to Bali - spreading across the road.  The carving detail was astounding.

A sculpture made of fruit - an offering to the gods at a village temple festival that we stopped off at on our way to Kuta.

The entrance to the temple - we were not allowed in because none of us were properly attired.  We didn't have sarongs!

Offerings being brought to the temple.

 

Balinese Music Performance at the festival.

Sunset at Kuta Beach

Tanah Lot Temple

The temple is accessible from land by foot when the tide goes out.  But you have to watch for sea snakes.

Offerings.  The incense smells fantastic.

The Monkey forest in Ubud.  The monkeys are quite fat and agressive if they think you have food for them.

Glo almost got snatched by a monkey just after I took this picture.

Monkey and Baby.



Stay tuned for more from Bali!  Dancing and dolphins!