I feel I must start off sharing the ornaments in our villa. Balinese sculptures...Balinese carvings....Balinese glass? No ....... I think they knew I was staying here! Five of these fat ladies dotted around the villa- even one at the side of my bed!!
Now for the day. After a very poor night's sleep we were pleased that we hadn't to get up early for anything other than breakfast which was arriving at 9.15am. So our morning was spent leisurely around our villa pool and enjoying the occasional shade and feeling grateful for the clouds, shaded bale (day bed), pool and bottled water!
Our pick up arrived at 3.15 pm, with an apology from the driver about the lateness due to traffic. It would seem that traffic can be somewhat unpredictable here in Bali! We were heading to Uluwatu to view the amazing views, sunset, temple, watch the Kecak dance and dine out in Jimbaran (well known for seafood).
A quiet journey inside the car but nothing was quiet outside the car! Travelling this time on major roads at rush hour time (for hotel staff) the roads were the usual chaos- bikes and cars everywhere, less beeping but still the usual fight for lanes ( not that they use them anyway).
We stopped off at a viewing point of the sea. A popular place for surfers the area was littered with mopeds- we have realised that carrying anything on a moped is possible, so it would seem that the tourists follow suit with their boards. There weren't many surfers due to the low tide but it was picturesque just the same and we got our first sighting of mischievous monkeys on the beach!
After a brief stop we set off again to our destination for the evening. It was easy to see we had arrived when we saw the high volume of tourist cars queuing to pay in to the car park. Most tourists with guides tend to travel in the same type of vehicle so at the main tourist spots, you are most grateful to have your guide who either phones the driver and the car comes to you or knows exactly where the car is parked! It's all so well organised and there is very little hanging around or walking back to the car. The vehicles are unusual but perfect for tourists with their own air con at the back and high seats for viewing. There seems to be very few colours- white, dark purple (my favourite), light blue, silver or black. In fact, I haven't seen one red vehicle on the island!
Once we had paid and been dropped off, we were promptly provided with a sash to wear. This time as Chris had three quarter trousers and I had a dress below the knee, we didn't need a sarong, I was quite sad as the luxurious purple sarongs everyone was wearing looked nice! Anyway, guiding Chris through the uneven ground (the worst ground we had walked on) as he had removed his glasses due to the monkeys, we headed down the steps towards the viewing point. I felt slightly uneasy as many of the other guides had sticks in their hands for the monkeys but Arri didn't think it was necessary ( he's so laid back about everything even though he'd said he'd run if they came to us as he had once had his headgear snatched by a cheeky monkey!). Yes we passed a few monkeys but they didn't seem too bothered about us as some tourists had bought bags of food to feed them so they were more interested in them. I did have to warn Chris about their tails as I am certain he wouldn't have seen the tails (that's if he could even see the monkey!) without his glasses and standing on a monkey's tail might possibly have been a catastrophe. Arriving at the beautiful viewing point, the nerve wracking walk with the monkeys was worth it and you could see the famous Uluwatu Temple high upon the cliff edge.
Chris was given permission to put his glasses on briefly to admire the view and have our photograph taken. Arri was most alarmed when he took our photo as a monkey almost climbed up on to Chris- I thought he was winding me up when he started shooing it away but the photo proves it!! Had Arri not made the noise the glasses might now have been added to the many broken sunglasses I saw on the walk down.
Just to let you know- the monkeys are not what I would call cute! They are naughty, determined and clever!
After a walk around the temple, Arri was anxious that we needed to head to get our seats for the dance as he could see the spaces were being taken. Fifty minutes before the dance was due to begin seemed a little early but we trusted him to be right and as he paid for the tickets, we were just two of many who were waiting to view the performance. Approaching the tiered wooden seating area we knew he was right. The top row is the best apparently but we were pipped to the post to get the last seats by a family of Japanese. Not a problem- Arri ushered us towards the left end of the seating area and said we could the get good photos of the famous sunsets here too. And he was right (although we actually missed getting really good ones as we were watching the dance).
So the seating area was filling up fast and after about ten minutes all the seats (wooden benches with little legroom) were taken with tourists desperate to see the famous fire dance. However, that didn't matter, the ushers just continued to sit people on the floor on the stage, in other areas and basically wherever they could! Considering this dance had fire in it and the majority of us were seated on rickety old wooden benches, many on the stage itself and those that couldn't get a seat standing and blocking the exits, it could have been a disaster if things were to wrong! Hey ho- this is Bali and we already knew that Health & Safety was non-existent!
The performance opened with the priest (I think) making offerings to the gods and once the men were on stage, sprinkling them with holy water.
The Kecak & Fire dance is unique as unlike other Balinese performances, it's not accompanied by any musical instruments. Instead a chorus of about seventy men imitate the sounds of musical instruments with their voice to tell the story and provide sound effects. They are also a big part of the story and scenery as they form the trees, forests, magic circle, the villagers, buildings and much more. The name Kecak comes from the chattering cak-cak sounds of the men. The story is adapted from an ancient ritual ceremony that was originally held to purify a village during an epidemic. This abridged version consisted of four main scenes and a few main characters; Rama, Sita, Laksmana, Ravana and Anoman. The story is easily understood with the aid of the English overview tourists are given although it is easy to get the essence of the story without. As in the previous dance we saw, there were some slapstick scenes where members of the audience were picked on to go on stage and some close interaction between some of the characters and the audience. Another good reason to be there early and seated away from the stage- thank you Arri!
The climax of the performance is when a ring of fire is lit on stage to try to burn Anoman. With the fire surrounding him he promptly dances around and puts out the fire with his bare feet (as a character he has magic powers- as an actor/dancer he must have hardened feet). Once the ring of fire is out, the representation of him burning down the whole palace and village is created by a smaller fire and the chorus creating dramatic sounds and actions. Although we didn't get a photo of this part- Chris did manage to video it!!
(When we know how to upload a video back home- we will add it in!).
Another wow evening but I have to say we were both pleased when it had finished as the seating was most uncomfortable!
Joining the masses of people trying to exit, Arri had arranged a very close meeting point and we managed to reach the car safely. We had decided to skip the meal included on the trip and dine in the villa, making use of the hotel's fabulous service. After about an hours journey, the first part in a convoy of tourist cars, we arrived back 'home'.
It was time to say goodbye to Arri who had been a wonderful guide and had added to the memories of our holiday. He is always trying to improve his English and was pleased when we gave him our Rough Guide to Bali book and a little more for his excellent hosting skills. Should we ever return to Bali, it would be lovely to meet up with him again! He told me if I came back, I had to bring back a naughty student as he had enjoyed telling me about how mischievous he was when he was at school. Somehow- that doesn't surprise me!
So trips over and done with, the next few days we are on our own and have only a visit to Seminyak in the day planned. Other than that, choosing where to sit around the pool villa should be our most taxing decision! Oh and which cocktail to have also!!
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