Sita is the central female character
like these
Bali has two active volcanos, Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur. This is Gunung Batur
the Elephant Cave is a sacred place so you have to wear proper attire
the monkey depicts Varana the warrior who comes to the rescue
The famous Kecak, or Apedance, was introduced by a German, Walter Spies around 1930
at the Sanur beach it is pretty quiet, it is crisis in Asia
and they are off on their way to the temple
this lady carries a large and heavy load
the women carry offer gifts to the temple
the entrance to Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave
In February 1998 we spent a short holiday on the beautiful island of
Bali.
The locals had to endure extra hardship because of the drastic devaluation of the
rupiah, that had earlier that year forced president
Suharto to step down.
We took a guided tour to learn
more about the intricately irrigated terrassed ricefields and, be it from a safe distance, admire the smoldering volcano
Gunung Batur that would erupt again in 2000.
Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave, near Ubud is famous for the combination of
Hindu and Buddhist art. The sanctuary dates from the 9th century and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
Since
its introduction in the 1930's the
Kecak is hugely popular and each evening this ape dance, based on the Hindu
Ramayana epic,
is performed by groups all over Bali.
In Ubud we were lucky to run into an
Odalan procession where villagers celebrated
the founding of a local temple.
And yes, we also relaxed at the warm beaches near Sanur.
our guide explains the old, well developed system of irrigating the terrassed rice paddies
you will see many Hindu temples along the road
a typical irrigated ricefield
local fishermen try to to catch a meal for the day
we are lucky, near Ubud an Odalan procession is about to be started