The best of Bali

More from Kuta Beach, Bali...

We have managed to get out and see a bit of Bali, which has been so far one of the most interesting places we have visited. On Wednesday we hired John, a guide who works for our hotel, to take us to Ubud. Ubud is a mountain town which is where most of the Balinese crafts originate. We had thought about renting a motorcycle and trying to go ourselves, but after chatting with an American who lives here for months at a time, decided against it. He said that the Police earn very little in straight wages, and make up the rest by stopping tourists and giving bogus tickets payable on the spot. We would save $$ by hiring a driver. After about 10 minutes on the road, we realized what a good choice this was. The driving rules are unidentifiable! It was hard for us to figure out who had the right of way - and there really aren't any street signs. John was a kick anyway, and we had a great day.

We visited the Monkey Temple in Ubud and watched as the monkeys insisted people give up ALL their bananas - no matter where they were hidden! These monkeys know about pockets, purses, and bags, and aren't shy about taking a look. We tried to catch a 'Funniest Home Video' as one lady refused to give her banana to a rather large male monkey - he pulled at her dress as she ran away, and we were hoping to catch him getting even friskier, but she efficiently batted him away as she hollared. Hilarious! I would have had a pocketful myself if I hadn't heard of these little fellas from Jay and Lisa. Wish I could have seen the one on Jay's head!

The following day we went with John again to see the volcano Batur and the Mother Temple. We brought a friend with us that we met on the beach - Matt from Australia. We had another great day, but a little more interesting. On the way to the Mother Temple which is on the volcano, we were stopped by two women in the road for a mandatory 'blessing' to proceed to the temple. This consisted of wet rice stuck to our forehead, a hibiscus flower tucked behind our ear, an offering set on the dashboard and a couple to take to the temple. These offerings are everywhere. It's a daily ritual for the Balinese. The offerings are little square dishes made of dried leaves filled with red and yellow flowers, shredded lime rinds (I think) and biscuits or mini sandwiches with a burning stick of insence. They are usually set on a shrine, in a front entry way, or next to a large tree. The women prepare them and put them out every morning, offering them to the Gods to keep them happy, and sprinkling water around them to dampen the evil spirits. Even though we were required to pay for the blessing forced upon us in the middle of the road, we were alright with it - maybe this would keep the volcano spirits from getting angry while we were there!

We had to pay two more times to get to the temple - one time to the Police so that they would let us pass and another time to enter the temple. We rented sarongs and started walking to the Mother Temple, followed by young men calling themselves Temple Guardians. They said we were required to pay them to be guided through the temple, even though John had just told us we didn't. They got more and more angry when we refused, and as we got closer they became rather threatening. I had the same angry yet helpless feeling that I had when we were trying to leave the Solomons. Not much we could do. It was a relief and an irritant when our guide turned to all smiles and hospitality after we agreed to pay him. It ended up being a good experience regardless. He showed us the sequence with which to put the red and yellow flowers in our hair as we sat cross-legged in the temple, and the priest had us sip holy water 3 times. Very interesting and peaceful afterall.

Michael has contracted a bit of Bali Belly in the last 2 days, so we have been taking it easy and soaking up some sun. We have had a great time watching the World Cup with the young guys who work here at the hotel, and with others from all over the world. We may have gotten out and seen more of the island if it weren't for the World Cup, but the experience of watching a world-gathering sport with people we've met has been priceless.

We find ourselves constantly surveying where we should go and what we should see, and whether we've seen enough of any one place. Sometimes it gets tiring, and we are happy to just sit and chat with those around us. We can't see everything, and rather than regret what we can't see, we just plan where we would go when we return.

'Most of my treasured memories of travel are recollections of sitting.' -Robert Thomas Allen

MH - The quote is very fitting for the two of us here in Bali. We did a lot of sitting and reflecting on our trip and the meaning each days adventure brings. We have learned a little bit more about what goes on in the mind of a traveler.