Day Six in Bali - Ariawan's Compound

Initially our plan was to take a cooking class at Casa Luna today but because this morning's offer did not include a market tour, something Laura and I were eager to see, we opted to take tomorrow's class before leaving Ubud for Canggu. Therefore we were left with an entirely free morning.

We started the day with a bit of breakfast at the hotel's water garden with Toni and her newly arrived boyfriend Braden. After eating our fill we headed to the Sacred Monkey Forest with is a section of jungle surrounded by Ubud that is home to a couple of temples and a population of over six hundred macaques. Laura opted not to join us as she was tired and her knee was giving her a bit of trouble but I don't mind being a third wheel.

The three of us arrived at the forest, purchased a few bunches of bananas to tempt the locals and proceeded down the path. Toni decided that the best way to get the attention of the resident primates was to loudly sample a banana while vociferously expounding its deliciousness in the hope that jealousy would bring them into view. Her efforts proved entirely unnecessary because as we came around the first bend in the path we found no less than a half dozen macaques awaiting our arrival.











Due to the large number of visitors these monkeys have no fear of people and we eager to get to the bananas. Braden sat on the retaining wall and immediately had two perched on his shoulders but Toni, who didn't lower herself to the level of the monkeys, discovered that her additional height was no asset in protecting her fruit. Instead, the hairy little thieves grabbed onto her shorts and climbed her body to reach the bananas that she was taunted them with as we entered their forest.







We explored the various paths leading to the different temples and the small shrines scattered throughout the forest while meeting countless natives. The descended from the trees, out of the bushes, climbed up steep slopes and seemingly crawled out of every conceivable hiding place.





After a particularly brave group stole the remaining bananas the monkeys quickly lost interest in us and we were allowed to proceed through their territory unmolested. We arrived at the main temple and explored for a little bit before exiting the forest through the southernmost gate into the village on the other side. Here I decided to leave Toni and Braden to their exploring and I headed back to the hotel.

When I arrived back at ARMA dripping with sweat I decided to take a quick shower and then to see if I could visit the clinic and shelter for the Bali Animal Welfare Association, BAWA. A few days ago I passed their office not far from the Monkey Forest and picked up some literature after leaving a small donation and was invited to see the rest of their facilities. BAWA was start about a year and a half ago by an expat now living in Ubud who was distressed by the conditions that the island's companion animals live in. Because in just about all of Indonesia, and southeast Asia in general, people regularly eat dogs the way they are treated is not especially good. The vast majority are allowed to run the streets and return home only when they're hungry where they may or may not be fed. The idea of sterilizing animals is not one familiar to Bali's residents as it is expensive and most people have more pressing concerns. Just to give you an idea, the average wage for a relatively well-paid hospitality worker is about $25-50 per month and there are many people who don't earn nearly as much as that. Here the cost to neuter an adult male dog is about $10 and to spay an adult female dog is about $20 meaning that it might take a month's salary or more to pay for the sterilization of you dog.

What BAWA does is they run a veterinary clinic for those people who can afford to pay for the care of their animals though it is not equipped for most surgeries beyond the routine. This helps to offset the cost of their free clinic treating emergencies and the animals of the people who cannot afford to pay. The paid clinic also supports a free spay/neuter program that BAWA runs and they have already had to learn to be careful because people constantly try to take advantage of their services even when they can afford to pay.

The group also captures and rehabilitates stay animals as well as those who have been abused. One of the most common problems dogs have here is skin related, scabies and demodectic mange are widely seen throughout the dog population as well as a whole host of parasites. Their adoption program seems quite successful as the public relations woman who showed me around their facilities said they adopted out eleven puppies the day previous leaving them with only two ready for homes. There were many other puppies in their care but skin problems and kennel cough needed to be addressed before they would be allowed to leave. I was told that they desex all adult dogs, of which they had about eight available, but because the puppies are more sensitive they pick them up when they reach about six to eight months of age and neuter them then.

I was also show the area where they keep their cats. Apparently when the group started the number of cats brought to them was significantly less than what they are seeing now. With the near-constant heat and humidity I expect that it is breeding season just about constantly in Indonesia so they cat population must be growing significantly.

The last part of my tour was an explanation of BAWA's education/community awareness program. They work closely with the schools to education children about compassion, care and bonding with animals. I think that, abuse aside, a lot of the problems that exist in Bali's pet population stems from a lack of education about things like basic care, nutrition, and maintenance. People seem to feel affection for their animals, generally speaking, but don't understand the expense in time and money required to property provide for their companions. I think the situation is similar but different to what we've been through in the United States over the past twenty to thirty years.






After my tour I was taken back to the hotel where I got cleaned up a bit before Laura and I were picked up by Ari who took us to lunch. The food at Indus was fantastic and although it was pouring rain Laura and I were nice and dry on their covered patio looking out from the hillside where the restaurant is situated over the jungle. Our only negative experience originated in the woman at the next table who complained loudly about the wine, she didn't care for it and thought they were trying to pass off a long-open bottle on her. Now, I know it's a nice restaurant but can you really reasonably expect wine to keep well in a very hot very humid climate? Anywho, they finally shut her up and Laura and I were able to enjoy our meals.


From the restaurant Ari drove us to his family's compound in a village just outside of Ubud whose craft is the building of temples. The population is about 600 people who live in twenty-seven compounds. Although Ari's father is the leader of the village they have one of the smaller compounds. It is a walled collection of buildings that include Ari's parents house, his house, his elder brother's house, his younger brother's house, a communal house, the kitchen, the family shrine and the family altar. There is also a large open area in the back where they can erect temporary shelter in case these is a ceremony (i.e. marriage, funeral, etc.) in which the entire village participates. While there we met Ari's mother, wife, sister-in-law, nephew and his son who had just woken from a nap. It was a lot of fun being shown around and getting a glimpse into the Balinese family life.









When we left Ari's home he took us to a painter's collective where we were able to see a number of artists in various stages of their craft. They also had an enormous gallery that was easy to get lost in as Laura and I did a little bit. There were many schools of painting represented from the traditional Balinese to watercolors to the abstract.



We then went back to the hotel to relax, have dinner and pack so that we could get to bed early. Tomorrow we have a cooking class in the morning and we're meeting early so that we can go to the market!

Day Five in Bali - Tenganan Village

Today's main activity was a trip to Tenganan village in the eastern part of the island. It was considered rather remote until recently and is populated by a rather insular community. By the standard in Bali the residents of Tenganan are considered wealthy but a little context is required to fully understand. Generally speaking, most of the land in and around the villages of Bali are considered property of the village. In order to have property one has certain obligations to the community and they are expected to help out in all ceremonies, both communal and personal in nature. It is possible for a village to sanction and ultimately remove from the community any antisocial elements but because village is composed of multigenerational family compounds such steps are uncommon.

So, getting back to Tenganan, the village's wealth come primarily from their vast holdings which produce prolifically and who proceeds are divided amongst the community. Ari told us the legend about how they came to have so much land. During the reign of the first king of Bali he had a white stallion that was his pride and joy and one day it went missing. Frustrated, the king offered a reward to anyone who found his horse, dead or alive. Whomever found the animal would be granted the land around which it was discovered. The clever ancestor of the Tenganan people found the horse already dead so he skinned the horse and wore the carcass and then walked the area that now comprise the present-day holdings of the Tenganan leaving the horse's scent behind him. He then went to the kind and presented the king with his discovery, telling him that he followed the horse for a long time before it collapsed and died. When the king followed the horse's scent to verify the land claimed he found it where the man had left it and thus granted it to him. That is how the people of Tenganan came to have such vast holdings.

Despite their financial largess the people have decided to preserve the traditional appearance of their village and any new structures or renovations must be in keeping with the rest of the village's appearance. However, we were told that many of the residents have more remote country houses outside the village that are modern and sprawling. Within the village most men show off their wealth in the form of roosters that the use for fighting despite the fact that cockfighting was made illegal for recreational purposes in 1981. In front of many homes are a number of woven cages in which the prized roosters are displayed. Not only is this a conspicuous showing of wealth but it helps to keep the birds from being easily startles during their illicit competitions. Each morning the prize fighters are bathed and pampered by their owners.











Tenganan is in insular community, many villagers can't speak the native Balinese, they speak their own unique dialect that is unrecognizable outsiders. Women who marry someone from outside of the village is not permitted to stay and men who marry outside the village may stay but may not be included in the village's wealth. Because of the relatively strict prohibitions few marry outside their village. Until five years ago no motorized vehicles were permitted within the community and those who wanted them had to store them outside of the village, this restriction was also applied to the omnipresent motorbikes that are so popular throughout Bali.

Artistically speaking, Tenganan is known mostly for their woven baskets which are not only beautiful but very functional and used in daily life. The other art form for which the village is renown is their textiles. So prized are they that they sell for thousands of dollars in a country where the average monthly wage for someone working in the hospitality industry is $25-50 per month making them the equivalent of even a decade's worth of income!

After our visit to the village we returned to a couple establishments to do some additional shopping before heading back to the resort. Today was one of the hottest days we've had since coming to Bali and the humidity was truly unbelievable so we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool where across the field a number of men work working hard to maintain the rice paddy. We then enjoyed a nice dinner at the resort's Thai restaurant. Bellies full, we turned on a DVD that we bought in Hong Kong and got ready to go to bed. All of the activity and the heat is taking its toll and we're getting tired. I think we're both looking forward to our last day couple days in Canggu where our schedule is completely open so we can relax and enjoy some of the world-class spa services.

Day Four in Bali - Three Temples

Today's adventures started at 10am so we had a relaxing morning. Ari picked us up and we headed north to Bali's volcanic area and on the way we stopped at three temples.

The first temple we stopped at was the Elephant Cave, known locally as Pura Goa Gajah. Discovered in the early 20th century by a Dutch archeologist, a elephant shaped naturally occuring rock formation was the foundation about which this temple was built. It is surrounded by running water with seven fountains that pour water into a pool set in the ground and used in holy ceremonies. The holy cave has extensive carving in the stone around it and you enter through the mouth. Unfortunately the little jungle valley where the temple resides is extremely humid and we were soon dripping with sweat as we explored the grounds.






Our second stop was at Pura Gunung Kawi into which we descended on what seemed like a many hundreds of steps. It was the site where the first Balinese king was interred before final burial and the old temple area is distinct from the newer temple and is obvious by its rough and weathered stonework. Along the path down was a man plowing his rice paddy with two cows, an apparent rarity in these days of advanced technology, and two women were working hard to remove all the wild rice from their fields. Given the high humidity you can't help but admire their commitment.




















The final temple, Pura Tirta Empul, was one dedicated to the Hindu god of water as it is not only a temple but the site of a natural spring. Worshippers come here and pray at each of the spouts emptying water from the springs into the lower pool and then allow the water to run over their head and it is reputed to cleanse you of your ailments. This was, to me, the most interesting of the temples today because it was the only in active use at the pools and in the rest of the temple complex.











After leaving the temple we headed to one of the volcanos to have lunch overlooking the volcano and the surrounding valley. You can see where the last eruption in the 1990s took its toll. Nevertheless there are houses throughout the valley because apparently the lake on the northeast side is teaming with fish. It was a nice change in weather as the humidity was significantly less that at lower elevations and there was a nice breeze so Laura and I felt more than a little refreshed.



From lunch we headed back to Ubud and stopped on the way at a spice plantation where they grow coffee, vanilla, pepper, chilies, palms, and innumerable fruits. We were brought a tray of beverages that included coffee, hot cocoa, ginseng tea, lemongrass tea, and one other that I can't remember as I didn't care for it. Laura was in heaven with access to all the fresh culinary components but unfortunately we were low on cash and they weren't equipped to take credit cards so we spent what we had between us and departed for our hotel.


After returning Laura befriended a woman who is also staying at our resort. Apparently Toni, Laura's new friend, has been here for almost a week but has kept herself in seclusion until her boyfriend arrives so that they can discover the wonders of Bali together. While this is a laudable thing to do I don't think that I would spend my vacation trying to keep myself from experiencing anything for half of the trip. Anywho, we ended up having dinner at one of the resort's many restaurant together and spent a nice evening chatting until the mosquitos drove us into our respective rooms and we called it quits for today.