Halloween Party in Bali??

Yes, a Halloween Party in Bali!A Fundraiser, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bali Ubud, toward buying an ambulance for a local fee-free birthing clinic.

Yes, that’s Tandy “in the pink”. What’s my costume? “A clinging vine” – a long green knitted (of course!) vine braided into my almost-waist-length hair, then looped and pinned around my head and shoulders. I had fun trying out a variety of flower and leaf patterns – roses, sunflowers, trumpet flowers, sort-of-poppy, oak leaf, and more. Oh, in case you’re wondering, that is not a large-ego sized TANDY in red-and-white in front of me. It’s a Tango cookie tin – just happened to be perfectly positioned for the photo!

Who is with me? Well, Daisy from Java is in the Kabuki makeup taking money. She’s our current Treasurer. And sitting beside me is Reki of Lady Bamboo Villa – hence the bamboo leaves in her hair!
Who attended? A WIDE variety - from Bali, from other parts of Indonesia, from Singapore, Australia, India, Germany, France, USA, Canada, and more. Some who live in Bali, some who live part-time in Bali, and some who were just in Bali for vacation!
More costumes and party-ers:

New building with 4 guest rooms at Bhanuswari

Mid-August, there was a Balinese Hindu ceremony to bless a new building with 4 guest rooms under construction at Bhanuswari.

The head priest and 2 assistants - Nyoman's mother is farthest from the camera.

And here is the view that guests in the 2nd floor rooms will have! You see additional offerings for the ceremony in the foreground. And on the right-hand side, there is construction for another villa.

How are Ogoh-Ogoh constructed?

The Young Men's Association in each village (desa) or neighborhood (banjar) use inspiration from the Balinese Hindu gods and goddesses for their designs.

Construction starts with a frame of wood, bamboo or rattan, and wire mesh.

(1) Here you can see "balls" being used to provide rounded buttocks and belly.

(2) Once the torso shape is established, layers of newspaper are applied.






(3) Then a base coat of paint, and the hands and feet are attached.




Examples of some of the final products...

(1) This one has the woven "balls" inside.



(2) This is the witch Rangda - shown above with newspaper applied.


And a close-up of her face and her foot.

















(3) And this pair were the ones with a base coat of paint above.

Bali's own New Year - Nyepi

Bali’s Nyepi Day - March 7, 2008, marked the Balinese New Year. The exact date of Nyepi varies slightly each year, as it is based on a Lunar calendar - usually near Easter.

On the day before, each village display Ogoh-Ogoh. These are papier-mache "statues" created by the Young Men's Association in each village (desa) or neighborhood (banjar). They are mounted on bamboo platforms. In the late afternoon, you’ll hear firecrackers and small cannons made from bamboo. And around sunset, there is an island wide parade of Ogoh-Ogoh to transform negative energy and drive off the evil spirits.

Nyepi Day itself is a Day of Silence. Having driven off the evil spirits, everyone must now stay quiet for 24 hours (sunrise 7th to sunrise 8th), so that the spirits will think everyone has gone, and there is no one left in Bali for them to bother for the next year - or at least, that's the explanation for children and tourists.

Businesses are closed, except for hotels. No cars, buses, or motorcycles will be on the roads. And Bali is the only place I know of where the government shuts down the airport for meditation & introspection! Balinese stay in their family compounds, dedicating an entire day to introspection and cleansing - intelectual, emotional, and physical. The entire island becomes quiet. There are no cars, no tv's or loud radios, no lamps or fires and no airplanes overhead.

Nusa Dua and Ubud

If you have only been in the Nusa Dua area (beach and 5 star resorts and shops), and if you have enough time, come up to Ubud (pronounced "oo-bood"). How much time is enough? Well, it takes about 1 hour each way by car. What would you see that's different from Nusa Dua? Terraced rice paddies (a healing, relaxing green), hills & trees, Balinese villages.

Different villages specialize in different arts - jewelry (gold & silver), wood carving, paintings (at least 7 different styles in 7 different villages), batik & ikat fabric making, basket weaving, carving & painting masks used in traditional dance and religious performances - and much, much more.

If the free afternoon includes evening, you could have dinner up here, too. Maybe try a Balinese specialty - bebek betutu (steamed spice duck - or you can get chicken prepared the same way), or grilled crispy duck. Or babi guling - roast pig.

If you want to stay near Nusa Dua, 2 favorite tourist sunset locations are the temple at Ulu Watu on the cliffs. And dinner at a fresh seafood restaurant at Jimbaran Bay; we've gone to "Aroma" several times. They usually offer at least 2 types of fish, shrimp / prawns, sometimes lobsters. And a choice of cooking methods and chili-spice levels. We usually go for grilled.

There's almost always a music (gamelan) or dance performance somewhere. While there are no major Balinese Hindu ceremonies Dec 10-15, there may be a village celebrating the "birthday" of its temple.

Anniversary at Panorama Hotel Bali

1 Year after Nyoman Suweta took over as Managing Director of Panorama Hotel in Ubud, Bali,

he threw a party for the staff to celebrate.

There were awards for "The Best of the Best" in 3 categories.

The Best of the Best Departments: Food & Beverage - Product - accepted by Chef Ketut

The Best of the Best HEAD of Department: Winner Kadek Suwalo

The Best of the Best Employees: Winner Wayan Suarjana Putra

And there were Balinese dancers in costume.

Young girls in the traditional Welcome dance,

with offerings and flower petals.

Slightly older dancers with folding Fans.

A truly bizarre game where female staff members picked up worms (or benign snakes?) and stuffed them into beer bottles.

The bottle with the most worms won.

Cooking Lesson

A guest who is currently living in Seoul, Korea decided to take his first-ever cooking class while staying at Bhanuswari Resort & Spa.

Here, he demonstrates how to roll and fold a banana leaf around a filling of spiced fish. The package is then steamed for about 20 minutes.

While eating the results, he said that it was all delicious, and that he plans to cook Balinese cuisine for his friends when he returns. Lucky friends!

Friendly Neighbors Take Culture Classes at Bhanuswari Resort & Spa

Just up the hill from Bhanuswari Resort & Spa, a Dutch couple built a villa. (See it at http://balirelax.blogspot.com/2006/10/new-neighbors-near-bhanuswari-resort.html) A couple of weeks ago, a brother brought his 3 girls for their first trip to Bali.

Though they stayed at their own villa, they took advantage of nearby Bhanuswari Resort & Spa for many of their meals and activities. Since they were only staying for 6 days, they didn't want to hire a cook. And a short walk (less than 5 minutes) brought them to Bhanuswari's 3-4 star meals, at 2-3 star prices (May is still "low" season).




With no swimming pool at their villa, they were still able to swim - by joining the "Swim Club" at Bhanuswari. For a small daily fee, they could use the salt-water pool, a pool towel, and get a juice or soft drink.
And when they got tired of shopping in nearby Ubud (or maybe it was Peter who got tired, rather than his teenage daughters!), they took a wood-carving class in the resort's lobby.







A few simple tools...


Attention to details...





And completed dolphins!

Statues added at Villa

The landscaping near the Spa has grown in nicely, thanks to the rainy season.
A recent shopping trip brought a new statue.
Placed in the niche by a villa's front door (yes, double-doors secured by a padlock – very common in Bali).
Genesha is regarded by the Balinese as the god of knowledge and justice. The Indian Hindu also know him as the “remover of obstacles.”
Just inside the front door, Saraswati now resides in a larger niche in the living room.
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and the arts.
Her escorts are swans. On her special day in Bali, books are offered for blessing by her.

Family Rice Field Trekking

Bhanuswari Resort & Spa has offered walking / trekking through the surrounding rice fields since its inception.
You get to meet farmers and see how the irrigation system works. The Balinese “subak” have operated for hundreds of years.
Crossing from one property to another is where some of the Trekking part of the excursion comes into play.
Good balance helps when crossing a bridge of 2 bamboo poles!
A rest break at a balé.
Looks like they’re having fun!

Tired of walking? Climb a coconut tree
Even big sister takes a turn. (Climbing a regular vertical tree takes an entirely different technique!)
Back to the beginning – the driveway into Bhanuswari Resort & Spa, with adjoining rice paddies.