* Our friends and their families in Tuban, Seminyak and Pacung.
* The Cokorda's Palace near Pura Taman Ayun and the Monkey Forest about 8 Km east of Tabanan or about 15 Km north and east of Kuta.
* Some rice fields and a remarkable 'swamp plough' called a rice tiller
* A cat, a strange dog, melon carving and a sunset at Sammi and Sussi's on Legian Beach.
* Pura Rambut Siwi, perhaps one of the loneliest temples in Bali, way out on the west coast shore where beach caves are washed by the Indian Ocean.
These are an odd assortment of things we want to remember from our 2005 holiday but which just don't seem to fit into the big pictures.
OUR FRIENDS, THEIR FAMILIES AND ASSORTED OTHER THINGS.
Three generations. Made, his mother and daughter Wayan.
At the little family warung with Mrs Made.
Proud father.
With Daughter-in-law.
Maternal grandmother with one of several grand daughters.
The eyes get you every time.
This grand daughter will drive some young
men mad in the years ahead.
Andrew supervises the distribution of hair thingies.
Oleh oleh - gifts for friends. Its just like Christmas and it doesn't matter what age you are either.
Three Bali flowers.
An magnificent, open plan ground floor with lots of old-growth teak and carved columns.
The swimming pool with an island in the shape of Bali showing all of the main 'directional temples' - - and the view from the master kitchen across the gardens to a carved wall.
A collection of museum-quality model ships from all eras.
The maternal family lives in the kampong in Tabanan.
'What ARE you trying to do?' - - - - - 'Ah, you want to take my photograph! But of course. Am I beautiful?'
But of course you are beautiful.
A new weekender at the kampong. Dapple, a most unusual albino dachshund.
Parents and grandparents day at the Lollipop school in Seminyak. Quality at a cost.
AT PACUNG -
Babies, mothers, fathers and aunts.
Grandfathers and brothers and sisters all like Chups Chupa.
Grandfathers also like their collection of Recorders (flutes) from Oz,
but the bamboo flute is still the favourite.
Even family dogs like Chupa Chups.
PURA RAMBUT SIWI. Rambut Siwi is one of the more important Balinese temples after the nine 'directional temples'. It is one, and possibly the first, of the south coastal temples sited by the wandering priest from Java, Dang Hyang Niratha in the 15th century. The better known temples which were sited by this priest are at Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu.
It is only about a kilometre off the main road but it is not clearly signposted for the unknowing tourist and the temple buildings tends to be obscured by large frangipanni trees.
While the temple itself is spectacularly sited on the edge of a beach cliff, overlooking miles of sand that usually disappears into the sea mists, the most mysterious aspect is from the beach where the temple buildings are hidden behind the edge of the cliff and the shrines within the caves draw your attention.
The beach shrines and caves at Rambut Siwi are marked by sacred cairns at both the east and western ends.
Bales and shrines range along the base of the cliff, on top of which is the main temple. Few tourists explore this far but its not a hard climb up or down the steps.
Inside several caves at the base of the cliff there are shrines. In the cave shown in the right photo there is a small sacred, fresh water spring that empties into the sump above the blue dipper.
This is the shrine in one of the larger caves. The resident priest is often here to bless visitors.
COKORDA'S PALACE. Cokorda is the traditional title given to males of the ruling and warrior 'satria' (or satrya) caste.
Most tourists would be unaware of the caste system as there is no obvious show of caste as there is in India, where the caste system originated. Caste came to Bali via Java and the Majapahit Empire and the Hindu religion. Caste is an important feature of Balinese culture however, mainly as one would expect for those of the priestly and the ruling class. If it were not for the Dutch occupiers the caste system might well have died out. In their efforts to impose an orderly system un the dis-orderly Balinese society of the time, the Dutch found it easier to re-discover the caste system and to rule and administer the masses through the who Brahmana or priest class and the satria or rulers, who were really only puppets of the Dutch as the real rulers had first been either subjugated or eliminated.
The district of Tabanan, a little to the north east of Denpasar, Kuta, Sanur etc. was once a strong kingdom although, or perhaps because of being, constantly at war with its neighbours to the east, Badung (the southern districts) and Mengwi which was defeated and divided between Tabanan and Badung.
'Cokorda's Palace' (the 'King's Palace') is one of many but the one now commonly referred to is the old king of Mengwi's Palace, about a kilometre from Mengwi's magnificent water temple, Pura Taman Ayun, and about 2 kilometres short of the monkey forest. It has some spectacular carvings on the huge main entrance gate ('candi bentar') and the kul-kul ('warning drum tower') open to easy inspection on a corner near the market.
Cokorda's Palace 'kul kul' tower, with the vertical drum just visible in the top, and a detail of the deep stone carving at the closest corner just above the plinth.
The split gate or 'candi bentar' at the palace.
I guess the doors are just too heavy for every-day opening and closing as there is a much smaller gate at the end of the path to the left.
Part of the carved and gilded panel at the bottom left of the door (in the photo above) and the 'Boma' or guardian head over the door, ready to grab and devour any demons who might foolishly try to enter the palace.
RICE CULTIVATION. It must be true that all boys like to play with water. That would explain my fascination with rice paddies and reflections. These are on the side of the road between Pacung and Ubud.
An endless variety of green. I cannot understand long-time visitors to Bali who never leave the southern tourist enclaves and see the magnificence of the island's scenery.
Reflection of palm trees in padi. It might be honest labour but I think it must be back-breaking too.
One of the powered tillers that have almost totally displaced the water buffalo's and ploughs.
The machine 'walks' on the rectangular feet at the ends of the legs that have replaced the wheels.
The rapidly rotating cultivator is under the hood just in front of the worker's toes.
A CAT, MELON CARVING and A SUNSET ON LEGIAN BEACH.
Cats are cats; cool, calm and independent - even on Bali.
Carved and decorated melons at a Balihai Resort dinner.
Sunset on Legian Beach near Sammi and Sussi's bar.
Like more info about where to shop, eat, drink, stay in Bali?
What to see and where to go?
Click on this link to our Bali Forum Recommendations, but give it plenty of time to load as its in a very big file.
Like to go back and make another selection from our 2005 holiday pages?
Or this link to the index page of Filo's Bali site where you can select from over 40 items of interest?
Or to a table which will show you at a glance the distances between major towns in Bali and the time it might take you to drive from one place to another?
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