Old School Bali

Before we leave Bali behind for the shiny pristinity that is Singapore I wanted to share a little bit about the older side of the island that we found so enchanting.

Tradionally these ladies would be topless.

One thing that stood out immediatey about Bali was the focus on family and community. All of the classic houses are built as little compounds carefully aligned with the cardinal directions and intended for habitation by multiple generations.

Most of them are built on a long established layout and are intricately detailed.

Another piece of Bali that is impossible to miss is the abundance of offerings. In practically every home and business, little woven baskets of flowers are put out four or five times a day to honor gods and ancestors alike.

With multiple offerings a day, those suckers can really build up.

They appear on doorsteps, statues, and altars everywhere you look and we often saw little toddling bambinas working with their moms and grandmothers to craft the vibrant little bouquets.

This lady was awesome- she used her toes as much as her hands when she was weaving the tiny baskets.

I know I've already talked about the temples that cover the island but I mean come on-

look at how amazing these things are!

And as a bonus you get to see this ferocious lion wearing a traditional skirt/diaper.

Other sights we encountered frequently were arrays of cool masks,

baskets housing individual roosters,

and egg covered cacti. Ok. This may have been the only egg covered cactus we saw. Whatever.

Historically on Bali, turtles are symbols of good fortune and fertility. The same is true with phalluses. So what's better than a turtle or a phallus.

Why a turtle with a phallus for a head of course.

This poor guy must have terrible aquadynamics.

I really enjoyed all the older parts of the island. It was easy to forget the constant conflict that's happening every day there between the traditional ways of life and the fast paced modernization/tourist trade.

One local land owner spelled out his thoughts on the issue out quite literally. Rock on sir.

Comments

[satsumabug]

Those photos are completely amazing!! Thank you for sharing yet another slice of Bali with us. It's quite the opposite from where we are now (Iceland)! :)