We had four daytrips while we were in Bali.  The first was a trip to Denpasar and Kuta Beach, the second to a cremation and Jimbaran Beach, the third to the sacred Batur temple, and the fourth to Candidasa.

#1 : Denpasar & Kuta Beach

    We left very early (8:00!) on Saturday, May 26 to begin a very long day.  Our first stop was to a Gong Foundry.  This was an especially neat stop for those of us from Bowling Green State University, as this is the Gong Foundry where the gamelan ensemble instruments of the BGSU ensemble originated.  We saw how the different instruments of the ensemble were made.  The part of the process which I found most interesting was that of tuning the keys and their resonators.  The resonators (made out of either bamboo or PVC pipe) are held by the tuner, who must have perfect pitch.  The tuner then blows across the top of the resonator (think pop bottle style) and moves the key across it.  If the sounds match, then the key is done.  If not, then the tuner sands the resonator down until they match. 

    Our second stop was to STSI, the conservatory in Denpasar.  We had a tour of the gamelan museum at the conservatory.  Inside the museum are many different types of gamelan ensembles from all over Bali, as well as some from other parts of Indonesia.  After our tour through the museum, we were invited to watch a demonstration on gamelan music performance and dancing, and how they connect.  We also were invited onto the stage, where we learned the fundamentals of kecak, the vocal form of gamelan.

    Our final stop of the day was to Kuta Beach, which is on the Indian Ocean just north of the Denpasar Airport.  Kuta Beach is a highly visited area for tourists, mostly those from Australia.  The beach is beautiful and famous for its fabulous surfing conditions.  There were many aggressive vendors on the beach selling things like soda, kains (wrap-around skirts that many Balinese men and women wear), chopsticks (even though these are not used in Indonesia), and wooden sculptures.  There was also a Hard Rock Cafe, many internet cafes, and LOTS of Australian tourists. 

#2 : the cremation & Jimbaran Beach

    Our second daytrip was the next day.  First we went to a cremation.  The cremation was for a high priestess, a member of the Brahamana caste, the highest caste in Bali, and was therefore quite elaborate.  90% of Balinese people are Hindu, and are cremated in a cremation ceremony after death.  The ceremony began when the priestess's body was taken up to the top of a tower, after which all in attendance (a few hundred) followed in a procession down the street for about a mile.  When we reached our final destination, she was taken down from the tower and placed, along with many, many offerings, into a bull-shaped sarcophagus, and everything, including the tower, was burned. 

    After the cremation, we went to a place where there were many kites flying.  The Balinese people take a lot of pride in their kites.  Some kites can be up to two bus lengths long!  They are pretty amazing!  There is a Balinese International Kite Festival each year, and, although there are many beautiful kites from all over the world, Bali always "shows up" the other nations by having huge and elaborate kites. 

    Our final stop of the day was at Jimbaran Beach.  Jimbaran is on the south side of the airport, and, therefore, just south of Kuta Beach.  It was completely different from Kuta, though.  Our evening at Jimbaran was like a dream or a movie, it was so perfect!  First we walked along the beach (still on the Indian Ocean) and swam.  When our dinner was ready up at the Cafe Roma, we went up to our tables, which were on the beach (on the sand), and ate the most wonderful fresh fish/shrimp/calamari/clams/etc. I had ever had.  We drank young coconut milk out of young coconuts with straws (the coconuts are still green when in their "young" state, and the milk is clear and has a water-like consistency) as we watched the sunset.  Soon after sundown, a strolling band came by, so we listened to them and danced on the beach.  It was a truly amazing evening. 

#3 : the Batur temple

    The trip to the Batur temple was only a half-day trip.  We left at 8:00 in the morning and drove up to the temple at Mt. Batur, the second largest volcano on Bali.   On our way north, we stopped at a coffee plantation, where they grow coffee by shade technique.  This was interesting to me as I have worked in coffee shops for three years, and have learned about this method specifically. 

    When we arrived at the temple, many vendors surrounded our bus with the same types of goods that others had Kuta.  We went past them into the temple, which was across the street.  When we got into the temple, the view of Mt. Batur was utterly amazing.  In front of us lay a landscape of valleys, a huge lake, and a 6000-ft. tall volcano.  It was beautiful.

#4 : Candidasa

    This trip was actually a three day trip.  I don't know too much about it, as I came down with some yucky sicknesses at the beginning of the trip, and it lasted until we were back in Ubud.  I'll relate as much as I can, though.

    On the way to Candidasa, we stopped in Klungkung.  We visited a temple and a market there.  The temple was interesting because the ceilings were painted with many small pictures depicting the punishments of wrong-doers in the afterlife.  It was pretty graphic, too.  When we were at the market we were asked many times about our marital statuses, where we were from, how long we'd been in Bali, and why we were there.  Again, there were vendors all around our bus. 

    Our next stop was at Tenganan, a very charming walled city.  Tenganan is one of four villages left in the world that still makes double ikat weavings, a technique that takes five to seven years to complete.  We saw the weaving process, visited with a musician (he invited me to play a tingklik duet with him), and saw their pink chickens and water buffalo roaming around.

    We then proceeded to the Ghandi Ashram in Candidasa.  This is where we lived for two days.  It was really beautiful.  We lived about twenty feet from the ocean.  The idea of the Ashram is to live the way that Ghandi did, including non-violence and self-sufficiency. 

     We took a daytrip while we were at the Ashram up to Amed.  On this day I was feeling terrible and I was debating on whether or not to go.  Luckily, my friends decided for me that I would go.  We took little tiny buses up to Amed, which is north of Candidasa on northern part of the eastern coast (see "map" section), to a hotel.  We had some lunch (soda for me & my yucky belly), rented some snorkeling equipment from the hotel's stash, and headed out to the beach.  I had never snorkeled before, and I was excited to do so in a coral reef!  It ended up being amazing.  (I wish I'd invested in an underwater camera...)  I felt great the whole time I was in the water.  What an unforgettable experience!  (I thanked my friends A LOT for encouraging me to come!)