Today we are on the southern section of Bali and my excursion was called “Discover Bali” and my second excursion was a cultural show that included a fire dance.
This is the description of the “Discover Bali” excursion from the Shore Excursion handout. “Drive to Tohpati Village (approx.30min). Visit to see the batik artistry (approx.30min). Drive to Barong Dance (approx.30min). Watch the performance (approx.45min). Drive to Singapadu Village (approx. 15min). Visit Balinese House Compound (approx.30min). Drive to Singapadu Temple (Pura Puseh) (approx.10min). Visit (approx.20min). Drive to Bali Bird Park (approx. 15min). Visit (approx. 1hr). Drive back to the port (approx.45min).”
The drive around the area was as interesting as the stops. There were little shops all over and each would have certain items for sale. I saw shops for Pilates, grass(lawn), wood furniture, pottery, rock slabs, dirt, all sorts of fruit, very colorful drinks in 5 gallon buckets, all sorts of food and much more. There were lots and lots of motorcycles on the roads. Temples and shires with their offerings were everywhere. Telephone/electric wires were also everywhere.
Many of the statues in the shrines are ‘dressed’ in black in white checked fabric. The black & white checks symbolize balance. The guide gave us some examples of balance:
- black & white
- positive & negative
- plus & minus
- right & wrong
- ying & yang
- left & right
- good &. bad
- push & pull
One of the villages we past thru is known for it’s stone carvings- there were many, many different figures but the one that surprised me was that they had Moai. Now that I’ve been in Rapi Nui (Easter Island) I seem to find Moai everywhere- or maybe it’s because we’re in the islands that gave rise to the ocean travelers that ended up in Rapi Nui.
On the first excursion, we stopped at the Bali Bird Park, a Batik factory, a Dance performance, a Balinese House compound and a temple that dates back to the 15th century and is still operational. The bird park had a komodo dragon- they are much scarier in the wild.
On the second excursion we stopped at a silver shop (where I a purchased a plain silver necklace) and the Bali Bird park(again) where we had dinner and watched the cultural show and fire dance.
