Bratan Lake and the Rice Terraces Today

I had a restless night. I think I was worried about spending a whole long day on an excursion that would trap me in the oppressive heat without any escape to water or air-conditioning. Gahhhhhhhh!!

The notion was giving me nightmares! I even went so far as to ask the old boy if we should just cancel our attendance on the excursion. Thankfully, he said ... "We paid for it ... let's just go!". And, I will remain ever grateful for his nudge to persevere through my angst!

There were just four of us, plus our W&A rep on the tour today. And, generally, we have gone in a small van, but today we had a 15 person bus! So, we had ample room to stretch out ... one person to a seat! That may not seem really important because the island of Bali is only 19kms high and 117kms wide ... but due to traffic ... it takes over an hour to go 20kms (if you are lucky and there are no delays!). So, having a seat to yourself is divine!!

Our first stop was scheduled to be in the Central Mountain region at the Royal Temple, but ... on route ... our guide asked if we wanted to stop at the Batik Factory. Am I ever glad he suggested it!!

We learned about the painstaking hand drawing and application of wax and dying process that go into these beautiful batiks! And, of course, we had a chance to buy some of the goods. We came away with a bag full of goodies ... including a nice pink cotton sarong that I would need to wear at the Royal Temple! And ... I got a gorgeous silk teal one. The old boy got a fabulous shirt that looks terrific on him ... and ... the owner tossed in a scarf, for free, that I was also admiring!! I love bringing home souvenirs like this ... things you can use!

After our purchases were made, we got back in the bus and made the long hike up towards the mountains. Our guide shared all kinds of local information about Bali ... it's culture, religion and history. I won't bore you with all the details, but it was interesting to hear how the Hindu religion in Bali is more monolithic than the Hindu religion in India. He indicated that the Balinese believe in one God ... and ... the energy of that Divine light can be held and reflected by numerous other deities.

He talked about how the main premise in the Hindu religion is to "do no harm" and to propagate good. The idea is to escape Samsara (which is the battle between good and evil) and arrive at Nirvana. His name was Farid and he was Muslim ... and ... he spoke with such sincerity, respect and honor about the beliefs of the Balinese people.

The Pura Taman Ayun Temple goes back to 1627! It is surrounded by a pond (moat) that is filled with lotus and lily flowers. We also learned that that there are four kinds of temples and pagodas with as many as 11 tiers!! Each tier represents a caste of people working the way up from the lowest caste to the highest.

We also learned that Bali is highly patriarchal. The children's names reflect their birth order ... i.e. first to forth all have a preface which tells people if they are first, second, third or fourth. If there are more children, there is a additional name that means "start over" added to the preface. Girls are not included in any inheritance and the first born boy must stay and take care of his parents. The other children may move away.

After that, we enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch at Gong Dewata! It is next door to the rice terraces that have been named a Unesco Heritage Site. Our walk amongst the terraces was absolutely magical and majestic! Everything is done by hand ... except they have one machine. A plow that is pulled by two cows.

We also learned that the terraces may be owned by different people. And, cooperation between the owners becomes essential because at first, the rice needs to be soaking in water. However, after a couple of weeks, the rice needs to dry out. It takes 2.5 to 3 months for each crop to mature. So, they must orchestrate the seeding/planting in order for the water to run from one terrace onto the other in the appropriate timing!

The literature about the area said that it is often misty ... and ... that was our experience! Although thunder was threatening something more ... we never got wet! And, the best part about 1,000 meters above sea level was that it was COOLER!! In fact, it was actually quite comfortable.

After our wandering through the Jatiluwih rice terraces, we headed off to see Bratan Lake and the temple that is part of that area. There is actually a Buddist Temple on site. Farid pointed out the swastika on the face of the temple. The origin of the word swastika is ... peace and life. The arms of it point left. I had no idea that Hitler had taken that symbol and inverted it ... and then ... turned it into a symbol of war and death. I have included a photo of this.

There is also a Floating temple. ... Pura Ulun Danau Bratan Temple on the shore line. The impeccable landscaping was really a sight to behold. I don't have enough room to put all the pictures I took, but I included a couple of them.

As we were heading home, Farid asked if we had heard about the coffee that is made from 'cat' poop. Some said yes and some said no. Apparently, an animal that looks much like a badger/mongoose/possum (which the locals say looks like a cat) was said to have eaten the red coffee beans but couldn't digest the bean ... so ... pooped it out.

The farmers in the area collected to excrement ... cleaned the coffee pods and then broke them open to capture the beans. This "cat-poo-chino" (as it is affectionately termed) is less in caffeine but great in taste. So, we stopped to have a cup of it! Yes. We actually did. And, it tasted just fine!

It took us over 90 minutes to get back to the hotel ... the traffic was chaotic. I actually had to close my eyes because I found it to be so distressing. The old boy, on the other hand, was fascinated by the way the motor bikes and vehicles worked it all out on the fly. Another drive said the traffic "flowed like water". It was a very apt metaphor, indeed.

We arrived home safe and sound ... and ... were extremely grateful we did choose to risk the heat! It was a fabulous excursion!! But now, we are ready for sleep.

Sending warmest hugs across the ocean,
❤️ k&j ❤️Okumaya devam et