A few more Balinese tidbits

Before I forget what everything was, here are a few of my pics...

Barong Balinese Dancers
(They put on a special stage production just for our group.)

School's out! The children had a big exam coming the next day.

We dropped in on this cottage (literally) industry. They are making clay roofing tiles. No electricity. They hand-crank the press, trim the tiles by hand, and bake them in an oven that burns coconut husks. The children are always nearby.

The Monkey Forest.
There are hundreds of them. Since they are revered, they live like kings. They would have grabbed things out of our hands if they thought it was food

The view of the Tanah Lot Temple from our first hotel.
Tanah and Lot: one means land, the other sea.

Suksama Bali

The Balinese are hard working and have their own Balinese Hindu religion. Karma is in everything they do. If they didn't have "good luck" today, they believe they will have it tomorrow. Integrity is central in all they do. They are kind, gentle, and respectful. So respectful, in fact, that they have
many ways to say "Thank you." Most I can't remember, but to place the hands together (like you're praying), give a slight bow, and say "suksama" is not only to say thanks but to honor and respect the person as well.

Thirty-six hours! That's how long it takes to travel to Bali. It's a little more coming back, but we got to break it up for a day in Singapore.

I'm safely back from Bali. It was an amazing experience. I hadn't thought about it before I left since we were staying in 5-star hotels, but Bali is actually a Third World country. Even so, I saw no homeless, drunk, or otherwise vagrant people.

Our first morning in Bali, we took in 18 holes of golf. Well, at least we rented a cart and I got to drive all over the course. And yes, they do drive on the left. Others in our group heard about our golf cart excursion and did the same thing the next day.

The golf course is the only place I'd dare drive in Bali, since the painted lanes are really only suggestions. There are millions of scooters and motorbikes. All small. A liter of gas gets them around for a month. All of them are on the road at once. It's like a choreographed stampede. And the foreigners can't hear the music or learn the steps. They have very few accidents. though.

Don't drink the water.

And don't eat the fruit unless you peel it yourself.

More later...

Suksama and good night Bali.

(That's Melda in action at the golf course.)