Postcards from Bali - So much to see!

May 18

3 min read

Ganesh - God of New Beginnings, Wisdom and Luck. Remove of Obstacles

To catch up on the last few days....

I've done quite a few of the tours that were available, so I've been a bit busy. And relaxing of course. This morning I am sitting in the hotel lobby by myself looking at the Benoa Sea. I've already had breakfast and have nothing planned until this afternoon. It's cloudy out right now but hopefully by the afternoon, the sun will come out. Headed to the beach to swim in the Indian Ocean! For now, I am relaxing. Listening to the soft music, hearing the motor scooters going by.

Going back to Saturday... We were headed to a waterfall, a woodcarving place and then heading to Benoa.

As I got on the bus, I noticed the daily offering sitting in the front window. Bali is so infused with tradition and culture and there are daily offerings everywhere. Every individual, each family, each business - they all do daily offerings. They consist of flowers, leaves, uncooked rice and I'm sure a variety of other things. Then a stick of incense is lit and put across the offering.

Tegenungan Waterfall was the first stop. It was beautiful. We did not get very close to it but we had a great view. There were tons of photo ops and beautiful scenery. There was a glass bottom bridge that went across the river for the villagers. I can't believe people actually walk across it! There is absolutely no way I would do it. Even if it didn't have a glass bottom!

I stood there listening to the waterfall and watching the water rush below. It was quiet when we arrived but quickly got busy.

Next up was the wood carving shop. This was actually a family's home. In Bali, families all live together and there are anywhere from 4 to 9 buildings. I've listed some below:

Family Temple - this is always located in the northeast corner for ancestral prayers.
Closed sleeping pavillion in the north for either newlyweds or the head of the family.
An open pavillion in the east for rituals
An open pavillion in the west for receiving guests or resting
A kitchen located in the south/southeast

What struck me most was how deeply spirituality and family life are woven into everyday routines here. An example:

We learned that when a baby is born, their placenta is buried.

In Bali, burying the placenta is a very sacred ritual. The Balinese Hindus believe the placenta is a living, invisible "younger sibling" and a guardian angel to the newborn.

The ritual involves many beliefs and steps:

Preparation: The placenta is washed in floral water, wrapped in a white cloth with spices, and sealed inside a coconut shell.
Burial Process: It is buried right outside the family home. The right side for a boy or the left side for a girl. Then the burial spot is covered with a stone and sometimes marked with a spiky plant.
Honor: The families treat the buried placenta as if it were still with the child. They frequently leave offerings and prayers alongside it during Hindu ceremonies

After we learned about the different buildings, we walked out back to the wood carving shop. We learned that the men all sit on an open pavillion in a row and do their woodworking. The things they create are amazing. Watching them, I noticed they use their feet as much as their hands. They will use their feet to hold the wood or turn the wood as they use their hands to chisel the wood. Then they had the shop where you could shop and purchase any items you wanted.

We left the woodworking shop and headed toward Benoa. On the way we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. All open air. Amazing food. Beautiful Balinese statues. One of the women was celebrating her birthday. The staff came out and sang happy birthday and presented her with a birthday cake. It was very kind.

Late in the afternoon we arrived at our hotel in Benoa. Wow! Definitely a resort and definitely not like our hotel in Ubud. The hotel we stayed in was across the street from the sea but we had access to the pool and restaurants that were there. It is all part of one resort. Sakala Resort.