Seriously, dude, it’s not just a surfer’s paradise?

Let’s be clear: before today we hadn’t really seen any part of Bali except the southern beaches, which were developed mainly by foreigners that came here strictly to surf. Which is great if you have no interest in the actual culture or history of the island (and many don’t) and just want warm water and waves. But we were intrigued as we headed off this morning (after yoga) for a day trip to Ubud - the cultural center of Bali. Here’s some things we learned that you may or may not know:

• Bali is the only predominately Hindu island of Indonesia (roughly 70% of Indonesians are Muslim)
• This is because Bali was deemed a “safe haven” for the Hindus (Hindi?) as part of a deal which ended the warring between the various religions in Indonesia some 1000 years ago, so all the Indonesian Hindus that could manage to do so, moved to Bali
• Only the top 2 castes could actually afford to move to Bali, which helps explain the great , local focus on art and culture, as this was the main past time of the highest castes
• Balinese Hinduism is distinct from Indian Hinduism and has developed on it’s own for at least a thousand years, combining some elements of Buddhism and Animism
• It’s estimated that about 30% of the islanders’ income (and a similar proportion of the local women’s time) is spent on preparing for and participating in religious ceremonies and/or rituals

So, yes, some of us may feel like selfish jerks when we see all these people taking time out from their day (a LOT of time out) every day to thank relatives, friends, gods, ancestors, etc. for what they have. Others of us might just say things like, “whoa, cool temple.” I was admittedly a bit of both today. Our trip to Ubud was great but very short. We basically ran through the sacred monkey forest (personally, I see very little sacred about screaming, dirty monkeys that try to steal things, but I’m sure that’s my under-developed, western sense of spirituality talking), which was beautiful, lush and blissfully shaded from the Bali sun.

We tried to visit a famous healer but she was “out buying spices” and “may or may not return today.” We wandered through the huge market and decided it was too hot to barter (and thus to buy). After a quick bite at a fantastic café, it was basically time to leave. Thanks to Maureen (who encouraged us to stay a few more days and make sure to get OFF the beaches and into the middle of the island), we’ll be going back to Ubud for 4 days later this week. So we took all the hurrying in stride. We can do it all next week.

On the way back we hit rush hour on Bali. Who knew? Scooter chaos ensued. This video doesn’t even begin to capture the thousands of scooters on the road (claiming BOTH sides of it, although they were all going in one direction – away from the tourist beaches they had been working on all day). With driving like this, thank god these folk believe in reincarnation.



(Finally a note: I haven’t figured out yet how to individually reply to your comments, or I would. I read them all and am very grateful for them. Thanks for sending them and please do keep them coming!)