May 23, 2011 -- Bali

DATE: Monday, May 23, 2011

LOCATION: Ubud, Bali

AUTHOR: Alan Winkler

We left the Tjampuhan Hotel and traveled through the Northwest country side of Bali to Penestanan, an artist school. The school is located in a royal temple. The front of the school was occupied by artists and galleries of paintings. The paintings were done in traditional, primitive, modern and abstract styles. The school is free to any student. It is supported by the government. In the rear of the school there were other temple sites.



Artist at work.



We then traveled to Pura Tanah Lot, a temple constructed in the 9^th century. As its name suggests, the temple is situated at the meeting-point of land (tanah) and sea (lot).The temple looks like an island sitting in the Indonesian Ocean. It should be noted that this temple is the most visited and photographed temple in Bali. At the entrance to the temple and on the walk toward the ocean, there are many shops with plenty of bargains.



Tanah Lot Temple



After taking many photos, we got back on the bus and proceeded to a family compound where a wedding was being celebrated. Along the way, we saw vast groups of ducks and were told that their eggs are used in ceremonies. We arrived at the family compound after the actual wedding ceremony, but in time to meet the bride and groom and see all the decorations and offerings. The compound was decorated in yellow and white, colors considered holy. Mounds of fruit stacked in the traditional offering style lined the wall of one of the buildings and the family temple was also decorated. We met the bride and groom, who were both 28 years old, and  dressed in beautiful traditional wedding clothes. Both looked very attractive. Some of our group toured the kitchen.



The wedding couple with offerings.



Lunch was a short distance away at the Nature Restaurant and Spas -- excellent food and scenery. We ate at tables in an open-air, sheltered area.

We then proceeded to the Mengwi Temple, a royal family temple established in 1740 and surrounded by a moat. Its towers represent the mountains, which are the residence of the gods. The temple is located on an axis connecting the mountains with the sea and is thought to ensure the harmonious circulation of water from the mountains of Bali to the rice fields, then to the sea, and back to the mountains.



Mengwi Temple



That evening, back in Ubud, Mary Jane showed us to a section of seats and tables behind Starbucks where we saw a dance performance. We then returned to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.