Bali, Indonesia…white sand beaches, clear blue water lapping the shore, mountainous backdrops…not the Bali we visited today. Our Bali was incredibly crowded, with serious amounts of traffic, dirt and poverty. It was a far cry from what we expected, but it had much to offer.
Bali is land of many, many temples. It is said to have as many as 50,000, and after our visit here I believe it! In addition to the historical and community temples, there are individual temples at every place of business, every Hindu home, along important roadways, along sidewalks…they are literally everywhere. The temples are a reflection of Bali’s number one religion, Balinese Hinduism. Balinese Hinduism follows traditional Hindu philosophy and incorporates the traditional Balinese belief that objects, places and creatures all have a distinct spiritual essence. There are many gods in Balinese Hinduism, and homage is paid to them throughout the city in the forms of huge monuments. Our first stop of the day was to the Cultural Park, which is beautifully situated in the middle of the city, offers a tremendous amount of history and is home to a number of these monuments.
The main feature of the park is the Garuda Wisner Kencana statue, one of the world’s largest and highest monumental statues. It is made of copper and brass and stands 400′ tall, has a wingspan of 210′ and weighs in at a whopping 900 tons. It sits atop a large convention center-type building and can be seen from miles out at sea.
Following our visit to the park we stopped by one of the most famous beaches in the area, Pandawa Beach. It is surrounded by steep cliffs. Carved into the side of one are six statues with alters, a statue for one of each of the five sons of the Hindu god, Pandu, and one of his wife.
The afternoon was spent at a bird sanctuary, followed by a traditional Balinese dinner and ceremonial performance and fire dance. The variety and color of birds was amazing, and the performances were impressive. The costumes were incredibly detailed and vibrant, and the fire dance was the most unique we’ve ever seen!
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