Bali & Southeast Asia
Travel Blog

Reflections on my travels to exotic Southeast Asian destinations.

Talk about stonecarving! Sunday, February 26, 2006, 10:43 PM The fantastic stone-carved cave entrance of Goa Gadjah, the Elephant Cave, a 12th Century monument.   |  permalink Temples and Offerings in Bali Saturday, February 25, 2006, 06:42 AM Traditional Balinese painting Your tour of Bali will inevitably include something amazing, because the Balinese find so many reasons to celebrate life. Bali Baroque There are literally thousands upon thousands of temples in Bali, giving the island its unusual and particular baroque Balinese character. There are family or house temples, village temples, regional and state temples, royal temples. A Balinese temple can be one or two shrines or many shrines, and a single shrine can be large and imposing decorated with stone and wood and palm leaf carvings, or a small stone alter with a jungle backdrop. OFFERINGS Large or small, simple or ornate, a temple or shrine provides a sacred place for the Balinese to place their offerings. The Balinese believe they live in the most beautiful place on earth, and when they die and go to heaven, heaven will look just like Bali. They also believe that unseen gods, ancestors and demons inhabit Bali. To keep the balance and maintain harmony and beauty, the Balinese have developed an elaborate traditon of offering making which involves thanking the higher benevolent spirits with gifts, and placating the mischievious demons who may become upset and disturb the Bali balance. Offerings are made and carried by women, and are indeed an art form, falling into the category of “perishable arts.” They come in all sizes, shapes and colors and may be simple … a bit of rice, cookie, and flower on a small palm leaf tray…or elaborate mounds of multi-colored rice cakes, fruits and flowers, some sculpted into strange and beautiful scenes or designs depending on the ritual.   |  permalink The mundane made beautiful in Bali Saturday, February 25, 2006, 06:29 AM Do Not Disturb masks on guestroom doors at the Bali Hyatt Hotel in Sanur Village.   |  permalink More Bali carvings Thursday, February 23, 2006, 11:00 AM I can't resist, especially old woodcarvings. This face could be a real antique, or what the Balinese call an "antique yesterday." Antique yesterdays are beautiful and affordable. Every trip I take, I look for the perfect AY to add to my collection.   |  permalink bali for the artist Wednesday, February 22, 2006, 04:25 PM If you are an artist, and treasure the beautiful and unusual, you will love Bali. Almost everything on this tiny island is carved, painted, batiked, adorned. The tops of family temples called Merus peer over stone-carved walls creating a familiar Balinese etching along both sides of a country road. Stacks of pink and lime rice cake offerings are carried on the heads of Balinese women in traditional temple dress. A profusion of color, of painted kites, woodcarvings, puppets, masks, sarongs in royal colors and delicate palm leaf decorations adorn the sides of roads and appear in such abundance that you begin to go crazy with the excessiveness of beauty. Here is a stone carving from my favorite village temple in the village of Batuan.   |  permalink Back