Oh, glorious vacation! To cure my post-holiday rut, I'm looking through the vibrant photos of the past two weeks while the aromatic scent of (our version of) Pork Rendang simmers in the crock pot. A few days ago we were sweaty and sunburned, drinking tropical fruit juice and not thinking about a thing, and now we're in our Qingdao apartment wearing long sleeves, making grocery lists heavily centered on Indonesian dishes, and preparing to go back to work. All good things must come to an end.
We had a two week holiday for Chinese New Year, and we escaped frigid Qingdao to tropical Bali. As with our trip to Vietnam last CNY, the difference in atmosphere upon arrival was dramatic - colors everywhere, relaxed smiles, less stares, vibrant greens, oranges and magentas of plants.
I must admit, I didn't know much about the culture before we went. I didn't realize the island has its own special religious spirit, different from the rest of Indonesia (which is mostly Muslim). In Bali, many of the natives practice a religious amalgamation of Hinduism, Animism, Buddhism, and ancestor worship. They believe in praying and offering to both good and evil spirits. Every day, you can see beautiful, colorful offerings left on the ground, on the stove, on the sidewalk, everywhere, which are left to appease the demons. These offerings may be made multiple times a day, and might include flowers, rice, and incense.
The most special thing we were able to witness on this trip was a real Balinese Cremation Ceremony for a local priest. We just happened to be staying at a guesthouse outside Ubud during the time of this rare ceremony, and our host family invited us to partake in his celebration of life. We arrived early to have snacks and tea with the family, then watched as the body was placed into a giant wooden bull. We then processed with the band and throngs of people to a nearby park, where the body (and bull) was ceremoniously burned. It was an incredible thing to experience, and we felt so grateful to our host family for allowing us to witness such a special moment. It's hard to explain what it was like to watch. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
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| This bull was constructed to hold the body, which will be inserted before burning. |
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| On the left you can see the wrapped body, as it's elevated to be put inside the bull. |
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| The bull has been cut open so the body can be placed inside. |
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| The body finally drops from the burning bull into a metal container to collect the ashes, which will be scattered in a nearby river later that evening. |
Before we experienced this special ceremony, we started our trip with some relaxing. Our first stop in Bali was with some friends in a beachside cottage in the south of the island, near Uluwatu, close to the beach where part of 'Eat Pray Love' was filmed. Besides my minor fear of the neighborhood monkeys, it was super relaxing, and nice to spend time with friends.
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| Spot the mischievous monkeys! |
Our next journey was to central Bali, near Ubud, where we stayed in a beautiful Balinese wooden house with a bathroom I was ready to live in forever. Rice paddies, flowers, the sound of frogs and crickets singing you to sleep... what more could one want?? We hiked slowly through the village, then along a ridgeline into Ubud, which is such a vibrant city. We saw countless "temples" on our walk, which I later found out were just peoples' homes. Many homes there have huge courtyards filled with statues of Hindu gods, alters, and passageways - very grand, and stunningly beautiful. Moss and all kinds of tropical greenery grows into and around carved stone, blurring the line between nature- and man-made.
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| View from our front porch, where we had our morning coffee and breakfast. |
Finally, we were off to North Bali, where we stayed in a remote cottage surrounded by rice terraces about 30 minutes away from Lovina Beach. We spent our days exploring and swimming in waterfalls, relaxing at home, swimming at the local pool, and eating a lot of dragonfruit.
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| Our Airbnb! |
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| Clove tree |
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| Did you know that this is what cacao looks like?! Chocolate is made from drying the brown pods inside these slimy white fruits. The fruit was delicious, so sweet and tart! I had no idea that's what cacao was... |
On our last day in Bali, we had an entire day to explore, as our flight didn't leave until 1:30 am the next morning. We hired a driver to take his time exploring the island on a slow drive down towards the airport. First stop was the largest Buddhist temple on the island, which again incorporated elements of Hinduism. Next Brian took a dip in the Banjar hotsprings (I was too hot to go in, naturally), and we cooled off in the mountains of Munduk for one of the best meals (and freshest, coolest air) of the trip.
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| We stopped for a coffee tasting at the Munduk Moding Plantation. |
Oh, did I mention the food yet?! I say this about every trip, but Bali has some of the most delicious food ever! Full of spices, each bite you take is so flavorful you have to close your eyes and savor it. Spice-y, but SPICY too. Food highlights of the trip included a grilled seafood dinner on Jimbaran beach at sunset (thanks, Indah!),
Warung Pulau Kelapa in Ubud where we had Beef Rendang, Chicken Sate with the most delectable sauces, fresh greens from their organic garden, and homemade coconut and lime ice cream, Warung Murah in Legian (so good we had to go back for our last meal!) where they pile your plate high with a buffet of savory, melt-in-your-mouth meats, fish, and spicy veggies with sauces. Actually, there were more food highlights, but it's hard to keep track of them all. And I was too busy eating to take many photos of the food, oops!
Get thee to an Indonesian restaurant!
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| Jimbaran Beach sunset, where we had our grilled seafood dinner with Indah and Megan |
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| One of many incredible meals in Ubud |
I went to Bali knowing very little about it, and left totally captivated by its beauty, spirit, and warmth. Another magical place that I feel so, so fortunate to have visited. Signing off now to taste our version of pork Rendang... one more little taste of Bali.
