Off on my bike to explore the outlying villages…and this time the Arma museum of Arts, a private collection of ‘splendid’ (curator quote) paintings in fantastic buildings outside the town. I haven’t yet tired of the Balinese art, from the traditional to the modern.
The older styles tell mythologies and Hindu histories, the middle period from the 1920s onwards with western influences begins to reflect reality, and the contemporary work is a revelation about the way many Indonesians feel about the commercialisation of their country!
The elaborate wood doors which decorate every temple and house (the well off ones, anyway, home-wise) were being replaced, and I was summoned to have a lesson! The tourists who flock to Ubud are here for the yoga and the ‘spirit’ festival, not the museum, so I have been greeted with alacrity by the staff each time! The craftsman spent ages persuading me I could do it, and would not ruin his work, and eventually, as you can see from the pics, I got the hang of it, and have now contributed to a temple door in Ubud.
Lunch time and a much much needed swim-cycling back up the hills in the heat is a killer! This afternoon my legs failed me, and I took the 3pm free shuttle from here to the town, where I spent a pleasant hour trawling the spas and salons before ‘plucking’ up the courage to have my upper lip waxed-at a delightful spa run by ‘unisex’ staff (i.e. I couldn’t’ tell) but they did a very good job!! (and at less than £1, cheaper than England!!)
Walking back through the villages at sunset is wonderful, as you can see from the pics. The workers in the rice fields continue until it gets too dark to see, but the dying light on the water of the levels is amazing. The villagers have got to know me now, as I stopped to take a photo, one came out from the house they were building and invited me in so I could see the panoramic view from the back, out of simple kindness as far as I could tell, the family were proud of the position of their new home, keen to tell me how it was being built in their spare time-brick built houses are a major sign of wealth in the villages.
And the locals along my route ‘home’ are not even trying to rip me off (at least I think not!)- I stopped at the fruit cart for some dragon fruit (see pic) and as it only comes in a kilo, I have a lot to get through- but at 50p, it hardly matters if I end up leaving some-the monkeys love them, and so do I!
The town is full, and many venues setting up for the bands, music and dancing for the spirit festival. I’ve seen the programme, it seems stunning similar to English festivals to me; the list reads like Latitude or others of that ilk-I may give it a miss and go to the fire dancing at the temple instead, but will see how the fancy takes me…………..the Bali spirit has entered my soul in terms of simply not worrying (at least too much!!)
The older styles tell mythologies and Hindu histories, the middle period from the 1920s onwards with western influences begins to reflect reality, and the contemporary work is a revelation about the way many Indonesians feel about the commercialisation of their country!
The elaborate wood doors which decorate every temple and house (the well off ones, anyway, home-wise) were being replaced, and I was summoned to have a lesson! The tourists who flock to Ubud are here for the yoga and the ‘spirit’ festival, not the museum, so I have been greeted with alacrity by the staff each time! The craftsman spent ages persuading me I could do it, and would not ruin his work, and eventually, as you can see from the pics, I got the hang of it, and have now contributed to a temple door in Ubud.
 |
| Wood carving lesson |
Walking back through the villages at sunset is wonderful, as you can see from the pics. The workers in the rice fields continue until it gets too dark to see, but the dying light on the water of the levels is amazing. The villagers have got to know me now, as I stopped to take a photo, one came out from the house they were building and invited me in so I could see the panoramic view from the back, out of simple kindness as far as I could tell, the family were proud of the position of their new home, keen to tell me how it was being built in their spare time-brick built houses are a major sign of wealth in the villages.
And the locals along my route ‘home’ are not even trying to rip me off (at least I think not!)- I stopped at the fruit cart for some dragon fruit (see pic) and as it only comes in a kilo, I have a lot to get through- but at 50p, it hardly matters if I end up leaving some-the monkeys love them, and so do I!
 |
| Dragon Fruit |
The town is full, and many venues setting up for the bands, music and dancing for the spirit festival. I’ve seen the programme, it seems stunning similar to English festivals to me; the list reads like Latitude or others of that ilk-I may give it a miss and go to the fire dancing at the temple instead, but will see how the fancy takes me…………..the Bali spirit has entered my soul in terms of simply not worrying (at least too much!!)
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