Eastern Culture -Western Culture Ponderings

Our long day and a half of plane travel home was much better than expected. Kudos go to some really nice and helpful Delta employees, who made our trip one plane leg shorter and got our luggage found and returned to us.
I got up this morning and appreciated my US hair dryer that had some actual heat and some power behind the blow. The power isn't the same in Bali - so the heat and blowing power aren't and will never be the same. Which gently reminds me AGAIN that Eastern and Western Cultures will never be the same - and not because of the type of electrical power that is available-- It is JUST different and that is what makes traveling so educational and mind expanding.  You have to adjust. (read this article from a fellow expat teacher, Amanda Roberts in China)
Even though McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut seem to be working hard to convert the eastern cultures into 'western consumers' some of those changes are not good for all countries. Bali wasn't (and maybe 'isn't') ready to handle all the non-biodegradable trash that consumers produce. Bali is a breathtakingly beautiful and lush country. The beaches have either black or white sands, the water is clear and the surf is great except for the trash.  Trash is a big problem in Bali - but they don't see it as a problem -yet. They are just a generation or two from throwing their banana leaf plates and coconut bowls on the ground where they came from.   In 1953 we started educating our consumers with "Keep America Beautiful"/"Don't be a Litterbug" and I betcha you remember the Crying Indian Ad in 1971. We are attempting to deal with our Western consumerism.
Remember Bali is a Eastern culture which is DIFFERENT not right or wrong just different. Their community and religion is their way of life, they look out and care for each other which makes driving on their roads possible - you have to see it to believe it (notice I didn't say 'understand' it). They spend their time and energy differently. This link is a concise list comparing our differences and might help the next time you visit a Eastern culture.  When we travel we need to remember to accept and adapt not criticize and attempt to change.
Sometimes I think I like the Eastern values a little more than Western values. Western values seem so 'tiring' to me whereas the Eastern values seem more 'calm' - Maybe it is my age.  Don't get me wrong - I am very appreciative at how easy life is for me in the good old USA. I realize I am so lucky to have been raised and educated here but sort of wish some of the Eastern values had been emphasized more in my life and education. I am pretty sure my wonderful and wacky neighborhood has some of that Eastern calm/caring feel about it. Again, I am so blessed in that I got to visit a beautiful and spiritual place like Bali and I get to live in a beautiful part of the United States.
I still have more photos and more info to put up for Bali - but in my jet lagged brain wouldn't let me get past my 'ponderings'. Visit Bali quick before it gets too Westernized and make sure you stay at the Floating Leaf Eco-Retreat before it gets too popular. It just got mentioned as a 'must do' by Tree Top Yoga International and by USA Today as the "Healthiest Destinations for a Culinary Getaway'.  Awards can be like a two edged knife - like our little island's award for "America's Favorite Beach Town" BUT will it make it more crowded and not so quaint? Let's hope both our island and Floating Leaf survive and prosper in our new popularity.

Amanda Roberts' article

Cultural Differences link

Bali Holiday Decorations

We have been told that there are a lot of holidays in Bali and so many village sacred obligations that the retreat likes to hire workers from a various  villages so that when they have to be absent for  village activities they will still have enough staff.  Another noticeable thing is how they "dress" their temples. EVERY home and business have them. Many of the private temples are the size of a house. Streams have a temple, rice paddies have them, even large road intersections have them.

There are two small ones here - one for the family and one for the business. They generally have a checkered cloth wrapping around them - meaning balanced. The wrapping has just been changed for today's holiday - it is a pretty solid gold color. Today's is the beginning of Galungan which celebrates the victory of good over evil and the return of the ancestors. They decorate the temples so that the gods will return and reside in them.

Day 9 Bali

Lots of healthy eating for breakfast and lunch - lots of green and other things I don't recognize - so it must be healthy, right? Most of it really did taste good. Amazing! Quiet morning with meditation, swimming and a facial. After lunch we all piled into the van for a two hour ride to Tanulot. Tanulot is a famous temple on the beach. After walking around and taking the requisit number of photos we had an ok dinner (nothing like our healthy and extremely yummy Floating Leaf fare) and watched the sunset.

Day 8 Bali

We had a quick stop at the local batik factory then back in the vans for a 3 hr ride. It really wasn't that far in distance, it is just narrow roads and lots of traffic. Another water temple was on our schedule for today but it was farther away and  located  in the center of Bali. It was a much higher  elevation with great views of the terraced rice fields. Temple was built in the 20's but destroyed by the volcano- obviously rebuilt later.

Next stop was the botanical gardens - both the rose garden and orchid garden were out of season. It is hard to believe they the flowers can't bloom all year round because it is so warm here. In the orchid house there were more tags identifying the orchids than the actual flowers. 

Cat poop coffee- yep it is real. Long story short- Dutch forbid the Balinese from drinking coffee so they" found " the undigested coffee bean in the poop of the Luwak ( sort of a cat/fox like animal), clean them up and roasted them. They found that it actually tasted better than regular undigested coffee. Supposedly it goes for 50 dollars a cup - 1000 dollars a pound in the states.

Day 7 Bali

We had a day trip to the Water Palace and Puta's great- great grandfathers house. Driver was really informative and told us about the current  government system (democracy 5 yr term total 10) and the educational system (required till end of middle school). Bali was a monarchy for a long period of history. Later they became a Dutch Colony for a while then the Japanese occupied Bali during WWII. They became a democracy in the late 40's.

Water palace was built and rebuilt many times due to volcanos, earthquakes and the Japanese taking any metal to make weapons with. The various pools were fed by a cold spring which is considered holy. Most of us donned our bathing suits and took a "polar plunge" which felt really refreshing in the hot weather. Yummy box lunch then back onto the bus.

Puta's ancestral family summer home was also built and rebuilt many times. It was originally built at that location because it was equal distance from the volcano and the ocean and was considered a holy spot. The original "king" was a renaissance man in that he seemed to be talented in a variety of areas. He even kept wild animals on the grounds such as elephants, tigers and giraffes - (now there are  only deer, swans, goats and chickens) 

We stopped at the beach that Darrel has been surfing in the mornings. We found lots of coral and enjoyed a few drinks. 

Bali Day 6

Really yummy breakfast- a cross between hash browns and au gratin potatoes but better. This eating healthy might not be so bad. But Willie's is still whispering to me in my dreams.

We all piled in the vans and went to the Bali Bird Park - very hot but interesting. Next was the wood carvers. Most villages seem to have a theme. One village works with glass another works with stone - this one centered around wood and wood carvers. Afterwards we had a late lunch at their beautiful outdoor restaurant. 

Another van ride to a temple at a "holy" spring where we went thru their water purification ceremony. The Balinese seem to be truly spiritual people where they incorporate their beliefs into every day for the good of their soul and not just for luck or show. We all stripped down to just a sarong, went into the spring and followed the steps they preform to make our offerings (the flowers we created the other day) and prayers. Trying to exit the park, we were not given a choice and were forced to travel thru the "Souvenier Gauntlet". Home again for banana daiquiris and watching the full moon rise.

Side note- roads are very narrow which usually does nt matter because the large majority of traffic are motorbikes, bicycles, and feet. It gets interesting when cars and trucks are added to the seemingly unorganized system.  We went through a town overlooking some spectacular rice terraces (yes even prettier  than the famous ones I saw in China). It was obviously a tourist attraction which made passing by some of the tourist buses quite a challenge. Inches to spare with side mirrors pulled in. 

Sorry dead camera battery so not many photos today.

Day 5 Bali

Tough life .... Maria and I got a massage and Margie got a facial. But we actually  did something constructive - we learned how to make the Balinese flower offerings.

You see these little hand made trays everywhere, in the street, in front of stores, temples and homes. Some just have flowers, but others have things in them like cigarettes, food or small amounts of money.

We went back to Ubud for a little more shopping, dinner and a Balinese dance performance. Dinner was ok - play was another thing. Explanation.... I have my own personal "Letterman List" It used to contain 3 but after yesterday it quickly leaped to 4. 

 KATIE'S TOP 4 MOST UNPLEASANT  WAYS TO BE ENTERTAINED.

4  Some operas

3. Andrew Lloyd Weber plays

2. All  Chinese Opera

1. Balinese Dance and song?

Don't get me wrong I love to be entertained but the narrator was so loud and unmusical that it was actually painful to my ears. The musical instruments looked and sounded like pieces of a tin roof that were cut into xylophone tiles. A few drums and piccolo type instruments filled in the rest of the cacophony. What did I enjoy? Watching the piccolo's players cheeks - they puffed and wiggled. The costumes were creative. Either really fancy with lots of sparkly things or hilarious like the monkeys or the old female animal? characters. The main actors had extremely expressive and flexible fingers, hands, arms, toes, and eyes. And the best part was that it was over in 70 minutes.

Day 4 Bali

Rainy dawn but sunny and steamy by 8. Today we go to Ubud to see the Sacred Monkey Forest. They tell us not to wear any jewelry, glasses, or hats because of the aggressive monkeys. Well, they were aggressive -they went for anything shiny or sparkly including my newly painted shiny toes. One bit my foot -only a couple of scratches which I cleaned immediately with my antibacterial wipes. (Obviously today was NOT my day because earlier I think I had cracked a rib bending over the back car seat to get a seat belt. It is still sore but not hampering any so my quick trips  to the bathroom -All this healthy food they are feeding us is "cleansing" out my system.)

After the park we were dropped off at the " Clear Cafe". I sort of felt out of place with all the California dread locked kids and other healthy young backpackers. But the food  and frozen fruit drinks were great but probably TOO healthy for my preservative/additive/GMO/sugar filled body. I know I should start eating better at home, but 45 minutes cooking a healthy meal for one person seems so inefficient.  Oh well, maybe I will be more motivated once the "cleansing" is all finished.

We left the cafe for shopping. We carefully looked at the Ubud map and figured we could easily walk to the meeting place for dinner. So 4 do us set off for an afternoon of shopping - 10 minutes later Margie and I had lost Maria and Darrell, then we got lost (but we didn't know it yet). Ignorance turned out to be bliss. We found almost everything we were looking for, bargained well for foreigners, and found a foot massage place.  We continued walking but when we reached a statue we knew wasn't in the right direction - we found a nice taxi driver, bargained some more and got to the Bridges restaurant with 10 minutes to spare. After another excellent meal (with great presentation) our sweat soaked bodies climbed into the Floating Leaf van for our 30 min ride back. We both jumped into the pool and then played Candy Crush because the internet was down.

Bali Day 1

Facials, Food, pool and shopping. Sort of a nice way to start going thru the trials of jet lag. Most stuff here is outdoors ( including the showers and toilet ). Our facials had a nice view of the rice pattys when our eyes were open and we were not moaning with pleasure.

 Our bedroom is round with an outdoor bathroom attached. It took a couple of deep breaths to use it the first time. The closet is like a puzzle when both of us are trying to use the three doors at the same time. Definitely challenging to our jet lagged brains. PS the bedspread is one of the items I bought here.

The Trip To Bali........

Two Minor hiccups in our journey . We arrived at JAX airport to check in and get our boarding passes printed out - after a lot of typing the agent sent us away saying we needed a visa for Sydney before we could check in. But we are just passing thru Sydney ... We are not staying .....He says that we can purchase one online - thank god for iPads and free JAX free wifi. We call our travel agent to see if this is actually true. While they are checking it out we start the visa online process. It was only 10 dollars  - so we bought them and made note of the receipt. By the time we got back to the check in counter we had a different agent. She said we did NOT need to get them. It will be interesting to find out who is right.  We did NOT need them, but Maria and Darrell had to wait to get boarding passes and we didn't- was that worth the 10 bucks? Who knows ....

Second hiccup will be the "day pass" we bought for the sky club. The agent we bought it from said it would last thru ALL our stops even though we will be arriving in Sydney the 9th or 10th - we haven't figured it out. Will it ? Or won't it?  ..... Moot point ... No sky club in the international section.

36 hours later we are here...... 

Floating Leaf Eco Retreat