Bali, Indonesia Land of the Gods

Bali, Ind ia L d of the Go

By Robin Dohrn-Simpson

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know it for the first time. ~ T.S. Elliot

Travel is much more than a physical act. It is spiritual. It is cultural. It offers a metamorphosis to those with open eyes and open minds. That is what Bali was for my husband and me on our first trip there in the early 80s.

Bali changed my life. Bali, the Land of the Gods, is a spiritual island and you cannot help but absorb the energy of peace here. I have never seen such beautiful people living a beautiful and truthful existence. Happy and content with what they have. Joyful every day.

Spiritual

It becomes quickly apparent to visitors that a deep and ubiquitous vein of spirituality runs through the island. The Balinese people practice a distinct form of Hinduism. It incorporates animism and ancestor worship. Parades through neighborhoods that end at an ancient temple occur practically on a daily basis. Some small, some large. There are over 20,000 temples on the island. Beautiful Balinese women in the parades balance large platters of food and flowers on their heads as they sway down a street en route to a temple. Cement statues of gods are dressed in black and white checkered cloth to symbolize the philosophy of the balance of harmony found throughout Bali.

Worshippers honor the gods on a daily basis. One custom is to make regular offerings to the gods. A typical offering might be a small banana leaf with a dollop of rice, pretty flower petals, and a stick of incense burning.

The host at our losmen, a Balinese guesthouse, left an offering every night at our doorstep entreating the gods to protect us. Every car dashboard has an offering, as does every storefront and home. Our host had a motorcycle accident and later

realized he had not invoked the god of protection while motorcycling.

Art is Life

Bali is culturally rich in art. It is omnipresent in every aspect of Balinese life. Artists are skilled woodcarvings, painters, musicians, flower arrangers, dancers, and weavers. Every home has an ornate entrance most carved from wood or stone. Every temple is a work of art.

Landscape

Even the landscape is art. Vivid green terraced rice

fields sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight. Distant vistas capture your eyes and beckon you to where sarong-clad women bent over weeding their rice paddies. Men work the fields with their water buffaloes. Three volcanoes dot the island.

Surf

As a native-California surfer, my husband knows all the best surf spots in the world. One of them is Uluwatu with its cliff face dropping into the ocean. To get to the water surfers must climb down the cliff and be very cautious of the tides. This worldfamous surf spot offers five different breaks for a variety of surfing levels. For those watching from the top, there is a viewing platform bustling with

activity. Would you like a massage? A soda? How about a trinket? Lunch?

Bali is my favorite place because, to me, it is magical. The beauty of the people, the purity of their spiritual beliefs, the immense greenery of the perfectly terraced hillsides dotted with banana trees, and the pure joy of the Balinese people drew me in and showed me how I could live my life. I have not been the same since that first trip to Bali. Oh, yes, I have returned a few times, and it just keeps getting better.

Monkeys

The Ubud Monkey Forest is a sanctuary for the long-tailed macaque. These monkeys are very clever and know that you will have peanuts with you when you come to visit them. Don’t make the mistake I made and arrive without nuts. They a very serious about receiving their snacks and will not take no for an answer. I learned that the hard way when one jumped on my back looking for what he thought was my secret stash of nuts.