Bali
Now that we've joined our tour group, we are spending more time than we like on a bus. As we drive around the island, our guide, Supy, gives a running commentary about all things Bali. Some of the things he's told us sound a little strange. We've checked a few of his facts using Lonely Planet, our only available resource, and what he says pretty much checks out.
Supy told us quite a bit about local ceremonies and customs, including the tooth-filing ceremony. This is a coming-of-age rite where the local priest files off the points of a kid's canine teeth. This happens when girls are about 11 or 12, and for boys about the time their voices change. Why? Those pointy teeth look evil, like a wild animal or demon.
Men here have great interest in gambling on cock fights. Supy said that men have real affection for their roosters, and that they "massage their rooster" three times a day. Hmmmmmm... Massage the rooster= choke the chicken? I didn't feel that I knew him well enough to ask, so I can't say for sure, but it sounds pretty suspicious, you have to admit.
On our ride today to the north of Bali, Supy bought a durian fruit for us to try. The durian is supposedly a metaphor for Asia, stinky on the outside, but still sweet inside. I can vouch for the stink. Unfortunately, it tastes exactly like it smells.
That said, we've done some interesting things. We had an opportunity to make our own batik fabric. It was a humbling experience. Our best efforts put us in the "slow" group. The women who do this for a living are incredible, but, alas, we are not. We also visited a fine art batik place where the fabrics should be framed, they are simply amazing. We chose not to spend our money there since the fabrics were way out of our league. We did go on a batik-buying frenzy at the Denpasar discount fabric shops. Stuff there is about $2.25 a meter. At home, comparable fabric is close to $10.00 a yard. Exhausting!!! Exciting!!!!!
The tour has made a few stops that bored us silly. High-end silver jewelry and pearls are beautiful, but we weren't interested. We're hoping that there aren't too many more stops like those. We've been with the group for a few days. So far, we haven't gotten into trouble because Gail's friend John gave her a fine bit of advice, "Be a sheep" when on a tour. Baaaaaaa. It works. We're not the troublemakers.
We are staying at beautiful, high-end resorts. Because of that, we have not been around the "real" Bali quite so much. Tomorrow we head to Ubud, the cultural center of the country. Although we'll still be staying on plush ground, there will be a lot of opportunities to spend time walking around town and doing things on our own. I'll fill you in on what we find. Can't wait!
Now that we've joined our tour group, we are spending more time than we like on a bus. As we drive around the island, our guide, Supy, gives a running commentary about all things Bali. Some of the things he's told us sound a little strange. We've checked a few of his facts using Lonely Planet, our only available resource, and what he says pretty much checks out.
Supy told us quite a bit about local ceremonies and customs, including the tooth-filing ceremony. This is a coming-of-age rite where the local priest files off the points of a kid's canine teeth. This happens when girls are about 11 or 12, and for boys about the time their voices change. Why? Those pointy teeth look evil, like a wild animal or demon.
Men here have great interest in gambling on cock fights. Supy said that men have real affection for their roosters, and that they "massage their rooster" three times a day. Hmmmmmm... Massage the rooster= choke the chicken? I didn't feel that I knew him well enough to ask, so I can't say for sure, but it sounds pretty suspicious, you have to admit.
On our ride today to the north of Bali, Supy bought a durian fruit for us to try. The durian is supposedly a metaphor for Asia, stinky on the outside, but still sweet inside. I can vouch for the stink. Unfortunately, it tastes exactly like it smells.
That said, we've done some interesting things. We had an opportunity to make our own batik fabric. It was a humbling experience. Our best efforts put us in the "slow" group. The women who do this for a living are incredible, but, alas, we are not. We also visited a fine art batik place where the fabrics should be framed, they are simply amazing. We chose not to spend our money there since the fabrics were way out of our league. We did go on a batik-buying frenzy at the Denpasar discount fabric shops. Stuff there is about $2.25 a meter. At home, comparable fabric is close to $10.00 a yard. Exhausting!!! Exciting!!!!!
The tour has made a few stops that bored us silly. High-end silver jewelry and pearls are beautiful, but we weren't interested. We're hoping that there aren't too many more stops like those. We've been with the group for a few days. So far, we haven't gotten into trouble because Gail's friend John gave her a fine bit of advice, "Be a sheep" when on a tour. Baaaaaaa. It works. We're not the troublemakers.
We are staying at beautiful, high-end resorts. Because of that, we have not been around the "real" Bali quite so much. Tomorrow we head to Ubud, the cultural center of the country. Although we'll still be staying on plush ground, there will be a lot of opportunities to spend time walking around town and doing things on our own. I'll fill you in on what we find. Can't wait!
I dont know if you're getting your money's worth out of Supy. When you get to know him better, ask him about AMPALLANG, the Indonesian art of penis piercing. I am not making this up; it occupied way too much space in Magellan's log, and Wikipedia covers it pretty well (with pictures). I knew I should have come along!
ReplyDeleteIs Supy's last name Sales? Is he accompanied by two big dogs, one white and one black?
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, durian fruit is about the only thing Andrew Zimmern from "Bizarre Food" won't eat. I've seen him try it twice, only to spit it out both times.
For some reason, my comment complimenting your first post never showed up at your blog. Hope this one does.
Gene
Hey Linda,
ReplyDeleteI see your off on your travels again, good for you, I love reading your travel blogs. Can't believe you left Roger behind, he sounds very interested in the penis piercing... maybe another time Roger.
Anyway I hope the trip goes well and I will send Roger an e-mail with some info about Laos, Thailand and Cambodia soon.
Peter