Maul Baulangi

We continue to sail west and the haze from the volcano is very evident. Fortunately for the moment flights are able to leave Bali. Providing the volcano doesn't continue to erupt we should be ok to get home. Today we are going to a village and then a market. I like visiting local markets. You get to see so much of the colour of a place. The ship is able to dock so we have a dry landing, no wet feet. We can see a long line of buses waiting to take us to the village. A number of officials have come on board to have breakfast and give the ship the necessary approval stamp.

The bus ride is a really interesting one, we leave the town and drive up into the hills nearby. I enjoy seeing the landscape and the people outside of the main towns. When we get there, there is a welcoming party and as in other places they are dressed in traditional costume. The men though are carrying a bow and arrows and a shield on their back which we've not seen before. The men and women dance singing but without any musical accompaniment, rings on the feet of the women create a jangle. When the first dancers finish some left and walked back up the hill. A little while later they return carrying a platform made with two logs and on top is a small boy. We're told when someone builds a new house the neighboring village will provide a log for the house and the chief of the village will be carried on this log to the village. The houses look small, but in fact they are four stories in height but each story is relatively small. Once they have finished the dance that celebrates the building of a new house we are invited to dance with the villagers. I join in but turns out to be harder than it looks and I have a sense that one of the older women join the circle to try and teach me what seems obvious to others.

This place area is well known for its weaving and this is the first opportunity we've had to view the cloth. Unfortunately for the villagers, I think the ceremony went on longer than they were anticipating and we had very little time to actually think about buying any. I'm sure there'll be other opportunities.

Back down the hill we hid for the market. Very typical of Asia. It's in a very large building that reminds me of an outdoor gymnasium. Along with fish, fruit and vegetables, didn't see any meat sold, there are also cheap plastic items and clothing that people in the area would need. It's hot and humid inside but not unpleasant.Read more