The People of Bali

The Beautiful People of Bali 

My Balanese Princesses!

Bali Family Home

Many People in Bali live in Family Compounds.

1. Family Temple.The house temple called Sanggah or Merajan, is the place to worship the ancestor and the Hyang Guru.

2. Sleeping Pavilion.This building usually a large eight-post structure on a high base. A terrace usually attached for receiving guests at family ceremony.

3. West PavilionThe west pavilion or Bale dauh, is the workhouse of the compound. Serving the variety of purposes, from gathering place to sleeping quarters

4. Ceremonial Pavilion The east pavilion, or bale dangin is the ceremonial pavilion. The place is where the life rites and death rituals occur.

5. Sakenam The guest pavilion for relatives and children varies in size and number according to the needs.

6. Granary Or the lumbung or jineng is the storage area for rice.

7. Kitchen Or paon is in the south because of the association with Brahma (the god of fire) whose place in the south.

8. Protective Wall Or aling-aling, most behind the gates to deflect the malign influences.

The Balanese house looks inward - the outside is simply a high wall.  Inside there is a separate small building for each family activity -  one for cooking, one for washing and the toilet, and separate buildings for each bedroom.  The living and dining areas are usually an outside open veranda.  

Outside each compound are gate shrines with offerings.

Rice Cultivation has shaped the the social landscape.  

 Irrigated rice fields. Ocean in the background.

Terraced rice fields trip down hillsides like steps for a giant, in shades of gold, brown and green, green and more green!

Even in Bali you will find the Golden Arches!

 Open Water Sewer System

 I could not believe how much STUFF these people can pack onto a motorcycle!

Pregnant lady on board... No helmet.

They do everything by hand here. You rarely will see workers using machines in the villages.

This is an image of the Garuda Bird, Indonesia's National Symbol. The Garuda is a mythical creature rooted in Hinduism. It is a fascinating story behind the Garuda.  To read more about the Garuda Bird, go to: http://goarchi.com/archo/mag/garuda.html

Kuta Beach

Kuta, located in southern Bali, was a sleepy fishing village half a century ago, but it has slowly expanded since the 1960s after its long sandy beach was discovered by travellers from Asia and wandering surfers from nearby Australia.  Today, Kuta is a crowded hubbub of tourism known for it's great surfing, shopping, and hotels on every corner.

 Kuta is where the waves are if you like to go surfing!

Having a wide range of shopping options, you can choose anything from high end boutiques and big box stores to alley open air market places where you can bargain and name your price.  Chad enjoys the bargaining processes so we spent a lot of time talking with street vendors.

 Just try making a call on this phone! haha!

 They do not use an X in Bahasa so Taxi is spelled Taksi.

Some interesting buildings along the way

 Crazy overloaded truck!  See how cars drive everywhere... one on the shoulder another straddling the white dotted line.