I saw the Balinese woman holding a small basket of incense in woven palm leaves filled with rice and flowers. She placed the basket by the porch of the bungalow where my husband and I lived.
Her basket of blessings was her daily offering, regardless of who lived in the bungalow. Balinese post offerings all around every day – in their homes, businesses, vehicles and roads. Once the sacrifice is made, it is ignored and stray dogs eat the rice.
But this was the first time I had received such a gift, and I was amazed at how beautiful the woven leaf baskets looked with the humble offerings people made to their gods. This was the first of many blessings I received in Bali.
Bali is a Hindu island in a predominantly Muslim country. It is an oasis of dance and art in a world where commerce is the ideal. In an era of religious warfare using automatic weapons, it is a shrine to temples and rituals. Even the name is musical. Bali – Visitors will be blessed just by being there.
This magical place is located on a small island in Indonesia. Its community-based culture works well, delighting over 3 million people on a land mass 87 x 50 miles (or 140 x 80 km) south of the equator.
Usually tourists will fly to Bali and land at the Capitol Denpasar. Most will leave the city immediately for the beaches, most of which will head to Kuta Beach on the southern coast.
Kuta has a bad reputation, mainly because of the overwhelming number of tourists. Of course, the terrorist attack on the “Sari” nightclub in 2002 left a bitter impression on the area.
In some ways, Kuta is a simple introduction to Indonesia. Almost everyone speaks market English, there are countless accommodations to choose from, recognizable food on the menu, and the shopping for batik, wood carvings and jewelry is great.
But after a few days of relaxation, we headed inland to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali. The Balinese come to see the mountains and not the sea, so Kuta is not very important to them, but Ubud is.
Ubud is surrounded by rice fields and is calm and peaceful, especially after the hawkers in Kuta. The best thing to do in Ubud is to walk. Any direction will take you to beautiful and interesting places. Plan to stay for a few days. No matter how much time you have, it may not feel like enough.
In Ubud, we discovered the soul of Bali.
