Monkey See Monkey Does

We had a very busy first day in Denpasar Bali. It is very hot and Humid. Our location is 8 degrees South of the Equator. Bali is a Hindu island. It is filled with statues to the Hindu Gods and Goddesses but with a very Balinese twist. We started out our day by going to a history museum of Bali. It is located in an old palace comprising many small separate buildings. It wasn’t air conditioned. A major draw back!

We then found out that a very high cast woman was to be cremated today. We went to her family house that was previously a palace. In front of the palace complex was her funeral chariot. The body will be placed on the chariot and carried to the funeral pyre. The entire chariot will be consumed by the fire along with her body. The family invited us into the complex and we walked around observing the extended family. They had a large orchestra of approximately 35 men playing Balinese music. It was very moving.

From there we walked through the central food market. I hope none of the meals we eat have their ingredients purchase there. It wouldn’t pass inspection anywhere we go. Boy do they sell a lot of bananas!

From there we walked down a street selling textiles and materials. I purchased both a typical Indonesian Hat and a sarong. The locals liked me in them!

We then drove to the southern tip of Bali to a Hindu Temple situated high on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. It is an amazing site. There are signs everywhere warning of monkeys. They state you should remove your glasses and your hats for they will steal them. I should have believed the signs for a monkey tried to steal my pack carrying my wallet and camera. In trying to evade the little monster I slipped and cut my ankle. Nothing serious but everyone was concerned because of the difficulty of wounds healing in this humidity. We have some very good antiseptics with us and I am sure I will be ok. I will definitely believe the signs going forward.

We then went to one of the events I have really been looking forward to. It is a monkey dance called Kecak. Victor had been telling me about it. It was performed in an open air theater overlooking the Hindu Temple and the Ocean. It is quite a setting. It starts at sundown and ends in the dark. Dozens of men sing ancient songs of the Hindu Ramayama Legends. They sing the songs in sound that is very monkey like. They make lots of clicking sounds. There are also several dancers dressed up dancing to the story. It is very impressive. It was followed by a fire dance. I won’t describe the dance but suffice to say, it was exciting! I took lots of movie clips and hope to post them later after I combine them.

Here are two video clips.
Just click to watch.
Monkey Dance




Fire Dance


We then drove to an outdoor fish restaurant for dinner. It is on the beach. All the tables are on the sand. We selected our fish and shrimp from the tank and they were grilled to order, served family style. While the dinner was being prepared on a stage, more dances were being performed by dancers in costume. The beach extended in both directions with other outdoor restaurants. The food was good and sitting under the stars, hearing the surf in the background and watching the dancers made for quite a night.

Tomorrow we fly to the Island of Java for 4 days.