Hi there. Arieh here.
Well, we went to Bali again. 4th time for Val; 3rd time for me. It was great once again. The people are so gentle, crime almost non-existent (except for mostly Australian drug smugglers getting caught) and the food is good (and getting better and more varied). During this trip, our friend, Glenda, joined us for the first two weeks and then our friend, Sue, joined us for the last two weeks (of which one week the two friends overlapped and we were 4 people). Because the two friends were allowed to come only on condition they obeyed directions, everything worked out well. :)
I think what is so nice about Bali is the people. 
Yes, we went cycling (Val was in the support van), snorkeling 4 times, walking in rice fields, etc. (in the heat), Val and Glenda took a couple of batik painting classes, 
and I even went to an art museum. However, it is the people that keep our interest and how they live. The Balinese seem quite content with their lives. They are mostly Hindu and the temples (thousands of them) play a big role in their lives. From early morning (when the morning offerings are put out at the entrance to their family compounds) to late evenings (when dance performances are held in various places), the temple (and religion) is very important. In fact, when there is a holiday (and there are many of them during the 210 day calendar), the Balinese do not go away; they prepare for and participate in the events at the temple and in the family/community compounds. We were told (not substantiated, but believable) that 35% of a family's income is spent on temple-related expenditures. This would include the little offerings put out each day in the morning and during the day, as well as the tall intricate baskets of fruit brought to the temples for major (and minor) holidays. And they always make sure there is enough for those who cannot provide for themselves.
Tourism has a big impact on the Balinese; it is a huge economic factor. However, as important as this is in their lives, it doesn't seem to have made the Balinese crazy, obnoxious or subservient. The handicrafts that are in abundance and sold in the larger tourist centres are done in the local villages or family compounds. This means that the artisans do not have to move to the "city" to make a living; they can stay where they are and keep the family (and the family land) together. There is also a lot of copying done. That's fine as it is all quite different from Western handicrafts; much more labour intensive. And the handicrafts change with the times--5 years ago when I carved a wooden mask, that particular style of mask was sold everywhere. Now, it was not sold at all. There are new styles to do and sell and they are. The dance depicted in the video is classical Balinese dance. It is taught quite extensively on the island starting to children of a very young age. Most of the performances are done for tourists. And yet, the teaching, the dancing, the ticket selling, all those steps help the Balinese ; and the dance tradition is preserved as a result. Here is a sample of some of the great dancing we saw during our visit. This particular group was an all-women's troupe (including the orchestra). Most often, the orchestra and some of the dancers are men. The two women sitting in the background playing the drums are actually the conductors. Expanding to full screen is NOT a good idea; try to see the eye and hand movements.The next video shows the women standing up and dancing.
Hi there. Arieh here. This post is about our time on Flores and Komodo islands.
We took an organized side trip from Bali to Flores for 4 days. The flight is about 1.5 hours and was quite beautiful flying across Lombok and some other little islands to get to Flores. Flores is a larger in area than Bali (longer and narrower) with much less population (300K compared to about 3 million people) and is the jumping off point to Komodo and Rinca islands. These islands are the only places on earth that you can find Komodo dragons in the wild and both islands are National parks and wildlife reserves. These islands (well, really the dragons) have recently been voted one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature. http://www.new7wonders.com/.
(There are new "man-made" Wonders as well as the "old" 7 "man-made" Wonders).
After arriving on a Monday afternoon, we (Val, Sue and I) went for a quick tour of some natural caves (Batu Cermin) and then up to our hotel (Golo Hilltop: www.golohilltop.com). Here is the view from our hotel.
The next day we embarked on a 2-day trip on a boat designed for 7-10 passengers. There were two cabins on deck with room for 4 single sleepers. Everyone else sleeps on mats on the deck or on the roof above the cabins. It turned out that sleeping on the roof would have been much better as it was quite stuffy (even with the windows open) in the cabins.
Notwithstanding that minor inconvenience, the trip was great. Mostly sunny or dry skies, very little rain when it mattered (and this was rainy season) and fairly smooth ride. The food was cooked on board and delicious, albeit quite a make-shift kitchen (not something you would want to inspect too closely). The food was quite different than Bali with different spices and very tasty fried bananas as a treat. The islands we passed were quite green (again, because of the rainy season). However, many of them were uninhabited due to a lack of fresh water except for rain. Some had fishing villages only (no roads or electricity) and some of those villagers had to take their children to the local school by boat. This school would be located on another island perhaps a kilometre or two away!
The islands of Komodo and Rinca are quite small. The village of Komodo has built its house on stilts to protect themselves from the dragons. The Komodo dragons eat anything and anyone. This includes their own young. The young, after being hatched, scurry up into trees to avoid being eaten. As they get older, the dragons are not able to climb as they once could and hence the stilts for houses. The dragons have no natural predators and their bite can be quite serious (if they don't rip you apart). It is somewhat poisonous, although not as fast-acting as a venomous snake bite. Simple disinfecting and going to a hospital for antibiotics will do the trick and get you on the path to healthiness. However, as I said, they could rip you apart just as well. These dragons can be quite docile looking, yet they are fast-moving when they want to be for short distances. Val was actually moved off a path up to a gazebo because a young lady ran by her with a Komodo in pursuit. Neither Val nor the young lady were damaged.
Again, the people on Flores and the boat were very nice. English on the boat was limited but we coped and we all had a good time. Our tour organizer (don't forget--this tour was for the 3 of us only) was a former nun who left that "job" in Rome because there wasn't any time for her to visit family back in Flores. She decided that this was not for her; now she runs and tour company and speaks very good Italian. .Video of the Komodo dragons in the wild.
