The expatriate community in Bali is a world unto itself. Recently an Australian expatriate attempted to pay for purchases at a Kuta supermarket with candy. This isnt quite as crazy as it sounds. There is a widely accepted practice in Indonesia that substitutes for small change the ‘gift’ of candy. Well this Aussie simply tried [...]
I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday about Kasi, this site, and her initial comment was something like, “You know your posts are heavy with information but light on feelings and personal experience…”
My first response was simply, “Well I have never been to Bali… but simply been fascinated by its culture and music, [...]
Recently three specimens of the pygmy tarsier, a nocturnal creature the size of a small mouse, with an uncanny resemblance to the Furby electronic toy and having the appearance of a big-eyed gremlin, were trapped and tracked on Mount Rorekatimbo in Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi on an expedition to the region by [...]
Balinese names are both a simple and complex affair. The names Wayan and Made are very common. The following lists the Balinese conventions adhered to for names as determined by birth order:
First Born
Second
Third
Fourth
Male
Wayan
Made
Nyoman
Ketut
Putu
Kadek
Komang
Gede
Female
Wayan
Made
Nyoman
Ketut
Putu
Kadek
Komang
Iluh
Nengah
The 5th born begins the cycle over again. Names also depend on caste. The castes are Brahmana, Ksatria, Wesia, Sudra. Something like [...]
Most of Bali’s archaeological sites have been marred by graffiti; there are drawings and names etched into some of its most precious ruins.
A recent exhibit, this past September, in Denpasar highlighted not simply the problem of vandalism but the lack of attention archaeology receives in Bali. The archaeological displays were set up in the basement [...]
There is an immense amount of information on the web about Bali. And an even larger amount on related topics, such as, for example, gamelan orchestras, or the Legong, a Balinese dance. A great many of the websites on Bali have to do with travel and tourist information. The island is legendary of course as [...]
The climate of Bali is tropical; it is but 8 degrees south of the equator. Year round the temperatures average 31 degrees Celsius; that’s about 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Dry Season is between May and September and the Wet Season between October and April. Rainfall is usually greatest between December and February. Overcast skies and rain [...]
Settling on a name for this site was an interesting detour into the byways of Indonesia. I don’t speak Malay, or Balinese, and trying to find something in words that expressed my feeling for this place was an exploration. A friend of mine suggested ‘terima bali’ as a translation of gratitude; and ‘thank-you Bali’ seemed [...]
It was India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on a visit to the island back in 1951 as an official guest, that first used the expression ‘the morning of the world’ to describe Bali. Still in the midst of volcanic upheavals, just as the entire archipelago has been since its creation, the island’s lush vegetation [...]