February 28, 2024 Bali, Indonesia Day 70 of 138 68 days to go

 Today it feels like we are really traveling in foreign lands. Looking outside it looks different, it smells different, and feels different. This is what it looks like from the ship.

This fisherman was way out in the ocean, aways away

 from the city. Notice no motor.

We went on our tour first to a market. The market will not have much open as this is a Hindu religious  holiday, sort of their New Year and most stalls will be closed. The market is 4 stories of small shops. The escalator we used was not working, so thank God we only did one floor. Not everyone on the tour could do more.

During our tour, we noticed something scurrying around looking for a free handout. You can see a rats below, this is just one of the many we saw. Us small town people are not used to this. I was really glad I had on my tennis shoes.

One of our friends went to use the toilet, and saw two of them, he also got pictures. Mike could not get out of there fast enough. This was the area around the market.

This is a city of 800,000 people. This is our first time to see people living in homes that show no recent renovation. Things look sad and in poor repair. The people though look clean, neat and happy. The tourist, unfortunately look hot, and shocked in the reality of life in big inner city Bali.

Next stop is a Hindu temple. Mike and John were given these sarongs to cover their knees. Women needed their shoulders and knees covered. The sarongs were available to anyone that needed coverage. The Temples are very well cared for. 

This gate was finished in 1960. The rest of the Temple was much older. 

The temple, and area around the temple were well cared for. This is a place they value, and is an important part of their life. Below was the area for the musical instruments. Music and dance are part of the worship.

This man photo bombed my picture. I thought I could remove him, but sadly I could not.

They have many traditional dances, and the costumes to go with each dance. Youngsters start learning the dances and music as early as 3 years old. Religion is an important part of their everyday life.

Everything in their art and temples deals with how they believe that they need to celebrate the head, body and earth of their God. Their belief is the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation.

There are many types of statues and religious signs everywhere you look.

Traffic is crazy. Most people ride motorcycle, whole families on one bike. Notice the woman riding side saddle. The person on back may be carrying something in her hands while the driver is weaving in and out of traffic, going between cars, I am impressed. These pictures show everyone wearing a helmet, but in reality there are many who are not wearing helmets, or the adults will have helmets, and the small children on the front or middle are without helmets.

Here is one example of a street vendor. I did not have time to see what he was selling, but the small cart is easy to move about and park.

There are multiple temples in every town and city. The main Temple is suppose to be the tallest, and it goes down from there depending on level of importance.

Below is pictures of inside the Temple. The people are dressed in white tops, notice the father and young boy with their white head covering. The people under the white canopy are attending a prayer service. The second picture shows a family who are putting an offering into the water. Notice the white and yellow decorations in the pictures. The white signifies purity, and the yellow holiness.

There are many people selling fans, batik sarongs, and wood items. In Bali it is ok and encouraged to barter for items. The people are aggressive. I had a picture of a woman with the fabric on her head, and showing fabric. It was beautiful and I did buy some before we left.

We had a Destination performance tonight. The music was traditional, very loud and shrill. It hurt my ears, so I spent the evening with my fingers in my ears, then I was able to enjoy it. The dancers performed traditional dances that are done in their temples on special days. Their costumes and make up were dramatic.