Day Trip to Eastern Bali

Tuesday was my first time venturing out of the Ubud area during daylight.  Nicole Lawrence and her husband Paul organized a full trip for us to places where hardly any other tourists were – Nicole’s specialty.

First, we stopped at the Pelangi workshop in the village of Sidemen to see how the traditional single Ikat weaving is done. It’s quite the process – from the design to the tying and dying of threads and then to the spinning and weaving.  The results are fabulous!

This traditional village was higher up than Ubud and endless trucks filled with volcanic sand were making their way down through it – but it was too cloudy for us to see the volcano from where we were.

We then had muffins and relaxed by a small river at the foot of a mountain where some of the locals were taking their bath.  It was explained that the Balinese don’t have the sense of privacy that most westerners have.  This is part of why it’s so natural for them to welcome tourists into their country, ceremonies, homes, etc.

After a bit more driving, part of our group had a dip at Candidasa beach in the Indian ocean.  This was followed by a delicious lunch on the breezy terrace of Lezat Restaurant.  Great food, lovely breeze.

We then visited the walled village of Teganan,with its Bali Aga people and preserved ways of living and worshiping – ways that predate the arrival of Hinduism and Buddhism to the island. To live there, we were told, they can only marry within the village. I unfortunately missed a lot of the stories that were shared as I made my way around taking things in at my own rhythm and with my camera.  I enjoyed my time though.  The craftsmen here are known for their palm leaf drawings (with several artist tables lined up all up the main street) and double ikat weaving.  I’m not sure why the roosters are coloured with food dye…. one artist said it was just for fun.  Maybe it’s part of their marketing – keeps the tourists near their tables taking pictures…  Walking around, taking pictures, I wondered if the villagers ever got tired of being photographed – like animals in a zoo.  There are several reasons I am not a people photographer, and this is one of them…  Having said that, I have certainly been guilty of being in photo safari mode in Bali.

Nicole was so grateful to find out that Wayan Muditadnana, a delightful man in his 80s whose work has been sought by collectors all around the world, was still around. She’d had such pleasant visits with him in the past few decades.  From his level of energy and enthusiasm, I imagine he’ll be around for quite a long time more.  His lontar writing is legendary and he’s passed this on to his children – his daughter has been recognized by the government as the best in the country.  His customers over the past decades include museum curators, travel book writers, foreign presidents, etc – all recorded in his very detailed bookkeeping that he was so happy to share with us.  He told us stories that Nicole translated and showed us one of his handcrafted treasures from which he read and  for which he refused a $40,000 offer.  He will be passing it down to his children.  He also played some traditional music for us – the songs he is hired to play at tooth filing ceremonies and cremations.  Much to the dismay of one of our participants, he had already chewed some stimulating yet teeth-staining betel, so he wouldn’t be having any for another hour.  His little kit seemed intriguing and some wanted to know what it was all about.

Of course we also saw a lot through the windows of our mini-bus while driving around throughout the day. I had fun playing with my camera until the heat and traffic fumes became too much for my fellow passengers.  No worries – I kept composing shots in my mind – so much to see!

It was a lovely day, and by the time we returned to our village with the full moon large and bright over the horizon, I opted to stay home while most of the others went out for dinner. I was still quite full and almost ready for bed… after a bit of blogging of course.