What a trip part II
Although Indonesia is the world’s most populous Islamic country, all of the main religions of the world have been grafted onto its traditional religions. A series of Hindu kings ruled much of the islands from central Java during the 5th through 9th centuries. Around the 15th century, Moslem religion came to Indonesia, and the Hindu-Javanese sovereigns and their followers escaped to Bali. Bali is now a traditional Hindu-Buddhist island, which incorporates indigenous traditions and beliefs into its culture and religion.
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, going back 5000 years, but Hindus believe that their religion is without beginning or end and is a continuous process even preceding the existence of our earth and the many other worlds beyond. It is called Sanantana Dharma or the Eternal Religion. Some call it a fellowship of religions from its liberal absorption of the faiths of others. It has few dos and don’ts and offers different spiritual paths to different types of people. There is great freedom of worship, tolerance and poetry. People say that the Balinese people have reached self-content and that when asked what heaven is like, they would say, just like Bali, without the worries of mundane life.
The island of Bali is famous for its green forests, rich flora, rice fields, sandy beaches, volcanic mountains and Bali-Hindu culture. The coastal area where we visited is primarily Bali-Hindu, with many deities and festivals. The soul of the Balinese is in their religion; and their art, music, dance and theater are performed mostly to appease and please the gods and goddesses. We had arrived for Kuningan, a day of prosperity marking the end of Galungan, Bali’s most significant ritual when good defeats evil. On this day, Balinese celebrate with colorful festivals at their temples. However, there are always anniversary celebrations going on at one temple or another throughout the year.
On Saturday, I took pictures of the Alam Jiwa hotel grounds and adjoining rice fields, savoring the beauty and peace of the surroundings. We watched farmers planting rice and heard them shooing birds away. However, ducks are herded into the rice fields each day to fertilize the crop and then returned to the hotel grounds in the evening. I envy their growing season of 12 months of the year and four successive rice crops. Statues of gods and goddesses were adorned each morning with offerings of fresh flowers and fruit. Since the climate is always warm and balmy, the hotel rooms are open to the outside air. There was open space between the walls and the ceiling, and lattice-woven rattan covered windows and shaded the bath. After breakfast on the terrace, Zane read to Zee from a book of Balinese fables, which he seemed to really enjoy!
Following our visit to the Monkey Forest and shopping in Ubud, we returned to the hotel for an afternoon nap, drawing mosquito netting around our beds. When I awoke, it was dusk and I could hear the amplified voices from a nearby temple of a monk praying in his native tongue alternating with another monk chanting to the beat of drums. The frangipani-scented breeze wafted through the room, joined by the smell of incense coils, which are placed on hotel terraces each evening. I lay still for a long, long time savoring the sacred sounds and smells and thinking that I must be in heaven.
We were fortunate that our driver, Wayan, was available during the weekend to show us more of the island and tell us about the local culture. He offered to take us to a local festival that evening, and he and his wife arrived to dress us in appropriate clothing for admission to the temple. The event was similar to an American community festival with lots of good things to eat and entertainment. Vanessa and Zane bought Teletubbies masks to greet trick or treaters at their apartment building on Halloween. Bali’s most famous spectacle is the Kecak dance, and girls are trained in traditional dancing from the time they are very small. We joined the community in watching a performance by girls of all ages in full costume and makeup.
On Sunday, Wayan picked us up at the hotel for a tour of other areas of Bali, beginning with a drive through terraced rice paddies and small villages. There are temples at every residence, every office building, every location in the community, and then the large, ornate community temples where people gather. Women carry offerings on their heads to the temple, and almost everyone is in colorful traditional dress. We saw many artisan shops throughout the beautiful countryside, and the village of Kintamani gave a view of the active Mount Batur volcano. Lake Batur is the largest lake in Bali and the panoramic vistas are spectacular.
Our last destination before going to the airport was the tourist area of Kuta, where the terrorist bombings took place in October of 2002 and again on October 1, 2005. Wayan explained how devastating and offensive these acts of violence were to a people who honor peace and love. A drive by the nightclub sites was sobering with memorial wreaths laid for those who were killed and a banner calling for no more violence, not for any reason. Just a few blocks away are beautiful beaches where a Hindu procession passed among the sunbathers and surfers. And across the street, the Hard Rock Café extolled a fitting quote for a land which affirms the law of karma: “And in the end, the love we take is equal to the love we make.”
We returned to Jakarta that evening and the next night made our way back to the airport. As we passed the flower stalls and bajajs (neighborhood taxis), I tried not to focus on leaving my dear ones. But as Zee gave me a final smile and I hugged Vanessa goodbye, the tears flowed. It was truly a magnificent two and a half weeks with everlasting memories.
This year has been incredible, and I’m beginning to believe that life begins at 60!
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