Category Archives: Bali

7th March picture of the day…

07 Sunday Mar 2021

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Well, that was a week I’m not unhappy to see the back of! Hopefully this next one will be rather calmer and more productive, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to anyway so I’m going to remain positive and optimistic whilst taking one day at a time.

I’m not going to bore you with a blog about the minutiae of life as there would be plenty of minutiae to bore you with! Instead, I’m going to go to the picture of the day, which has been chosen from some of the few slides I had time to scan today. It’s the end of an album, so you won’t be seeing any more like it for a while as its partner and next in the series is further down in the queue.

I took this shot in the town of Ubud on the isle of Bali, Indonesia in December 1994.

One of the many cultural delights of the island is going to see some of the variety of Balinese dance performances that you can witness at hotels, temples or theatres. This particular location is the Ubud Palace which provides an excellent backdrop for the dancers. It’s also right in the centre of town, which makes it very easy to get to. The dances vary from solo to mass performances, all of which are accompanied by a live Gamelan orchestra. The movements of the dancers are extremely stylized and choreographed, plus – they take years to learn. Many Western tourists don’t appreciate the art or understand the messages the dances convey and just enjoy the spectacle – which is OK as it helps fund these dance troupes and keep the traditions alive. I’ve always been impressed with the way the Balinese have managed to (mostly) make foreign tourism work for them without it subsuming their unique culture. I’ve many more pictures to add from Indonesia but the next batch will be from a country that’s culturally very different but that has some stunning scenery. Personally (out of the two) I know whose food I’d prefer, but I won’t knock some of the American national parks!

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

11th January picture of the day…

11 Monday Jan 2021

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Well, the weather forecast was spot-on today. It’ll rain it said – and rain it did – all day. Only not in any entertaining way. None of that heavy showers or hailstones sort of stuff, just drizzle. And then more drizzle, broken up by differing levels of drizzle, just to break up the monotony! Even so, I managed to sally forth and get my daily exercise. I even called in at our local supermarket to get some shopping and a get-well card for a friend. Fortunately, I didn’t need much – which is just as well as there were large gaps on the shelves, especially when it came to fresh fruit and veg. I can’t think why…

I’ll resist (for now) getting into a polemic about Brexit. I’ll save that for later in the month. Instead, I’ll leave this here..

‘Welcome to the Brexit, sir’: Drivers have sandwiches confiscated at Dutch border | The Independent

When I wasn’t out walking and getting wet I was immersed in something other than rain. Slide-scanning. I’ve been keen to get a tranche finished and this latest collection has provided the picture of the day. This shot is one of a series I took at a cremation ceremony and procession in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia on the 2nd November 1998.

Balinese cremations ceremonies are colourful and exhuberant affairs, especially if the deceased or their family was wealthy as this man’s was. These five different towers were built on the side of one of the main roads in the very centre of Ubud. On the day of the cremation they’re carried by dozens of men each. But not in any sombre procession. They’re twirled and jigged around in order to ensure evil spirits are confused. Hundreds (if not thousands) of people line the streets to see the funeral procession go by. Even the local fire-brigade joined in to spray water over the guys carrying these towers in an effort to keep them cool. The atmosphere is more like a party than a funeral. It’s completely different to the Western traditions. Once the procession reaches the funeral grounds the corpse of the deceased is loaded into one of the effigies and the whole lot is burned.

Over this next week I’ll add the pictures to my Zenfolio website just as soon as I’ve edited them, so you’ll get to see what I mean.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

10th January picture of the day…

10 Sunday Jan 2021

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After the glorious winter’s day we had on Saturday, today was very much an anti-climax and back to the usual routine of low cloud and mists accompanied by drizzle that slowly eroded the remaining snow, leaving the ground sodden and muddy. Hardly great for walking but I forced myself to go out and complete my full seven days of exercise even if I did come back somewhat bedraggled! At least it gave me a sense of achievement – as did having added another huge tranche of old travel slides to my ’round the world’ gallery. Rather than give you a link to the gallery, here’s a link to the first of the new pictures. You can find your way from there.

I’ve plodded on throughout the day scanning more. It’s a time-consuming, mechanical process yet I’m slowly but surely coming to the end. The bright spot is that I get to see pictures of times and places I’d forgotten about, so it can brighten up a dull day, despite the repetitive nature of the task. Even so, I’ll be glad when it’s finished and I can concentrate on the future and new pictures rather than the old.

I’m looking forward to a bit more variety this week and the opportunity to escape the confines of the Calder Valley as part of a commission, even though I won’t be going far. Let’s see what happens. I’d like to have a day out with the camera but the weather forecast isn’t looking promising so I expect to be housebound for most of the week – but taking a break from scanning slides. I let my eBay account run out of goodies to sell at Christmas, so it’s time to resurrect that to start disposing of more surplus slides and assorted railway memorabilia which has the bonus of freeing up cupboard space as well as making some money. Watch this space…

OK, on to the picture of the day. I took this in Lovina, Bali, Indonesia at the end of October 1998. Bali is famous for its dancers and their exotic and colourful costumes. Visiting a temple of an evening to watch some of these performances is always a fascinating experience. The routines are highly stylized and the dancers are accompanied by Gamelan music from a live band, so they’re real theatrical performances Here’s a young man performing the Baris (warrior) dance.

I’ll be adding this and many other pictures from Bali to my Zenfolio website tomorrow until the end of the week when I should have the album finished.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

5th October picture of the day…

05 Monday Oct 2020

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It’s been a long day and I’m knackered, so I’m saying little tonight. I’m going to let the picture speak for itself. I spent Christmas and New Year 2011-12 in Bali, Indonesia, looking up an old friend (and meeting some new ones). I first went to Bali in 1992 and I’ve been back many times since as the beautiful island and its people have grown on me. The fact it’s also a photographers delight and has some fantastic food has absolutely nothing to do with it – honest!

I took this picture on the 7th January 2012. I was walking from where I was staying into Ubud and was overtaken by this couple on a scooter. Luckily, I had the long lens on my camera, which was slung over my shoulder, so I had time to grab the shot. The woman on the back is balancing roast suckling pig atop her head in traditional Balinese style as her husband weaves his way around the local roads on his scooter. Both are dressed in traditional attire, which suggests they’re on the way to a religious ceremony somewhere. The Balinese aren’t great fans of walking more than a couple of hundred metres so transport like this is de rigeur. They would often spot me when I was walking into town and ask me where I was going. My reply often caused bemusement – “jalan jalan” (walking, in Bahasa Indonesian). Why would anyone walk? – especially in the tropical sun? Mad dogs and Englishmen and all that…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Bali reflections

09 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Religion, Travel

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I’m on my penultimate day in Bali before moving on to Java and beginning my trek all the way back up to Bangkok. This is the first time I’ve been back to the island in 5 years. A sobering thought is that I first came here as a solo overland backpacker way back in 1992, 25 years ago! Part of me wished that I’d brought my old diaries with me, but as they’re not digitised, they’re too valuable to risk. This trip has made me resolve to remedy that – as well as concentrate getting the hundreds of slides from the trip scanned. I left the UK in October 1991 and didn’t return until a year later. I spent five months in Indonesia, island-hopping from Sumatra to East Timor via local buses and ferries. In these days of cheap flights (and more onerous visa restrictions) it’s a feat no-one attempts anymore. I came back & repeated the trip as far as Flores with my late partner, Lynn in 1998 but we also came to Bali a couple of times on holidays. Those experiences have given me the perspective to see how much Bali has changed in a quarter of a century.

Admittedly, this isn’t the same island-ranging trip as before as my primary reason for visiting was to come and see Alison, an old Australian friend whom Lynn and I first met in India in 1998 and who now lives here. Alison accompanied the pair of us on chunks of our 18 month trip around the world onwards from that point, sharing many of our adventures. So, most of my time here has been spent in the Ubud area where Alison has a home and business, Mingle Cafe. To say the place has changed since 1992 is an understatement. It’s grown hugely as money, tourists and expats have flooded in. Traffic is a bit of a nightmare too. Roads that used to be reasonably quiet have become sclerotic with parked cars & scooters. Suicidal tourists on scooters don’t help. Some of them insist on driving down one-way streets or weave in and out of traffic as if it really matters that they get somewhere a couple of minutes quicker (this is Bali, for God’s sake, they taught the Spanish the meaning of ‘Manyana’!)

Some of the places I had fond memories of have gone, others remain. Sadly one of my favourite restaurants serving authentic Balinese veggie dishes has disappeared since 2012, There’s a few new eyesores in Ubud (especially on Monkey Forest road, where there’s some monstrous but half abandoned buildings), but there’s also some attractive additions as traditional buildings have been expanded in a tasteful and respectful manner. That said, there does seem to have been a bit of a ‘building boom’ that’s outstripped demand. I passed quite a few shops & showrooms that have been built speculatively, without any thought to location or commercial need. Most (but not all) of the building is ribbon development. It’s filled up the spaces along the roads but the rice paddies behind largely remain intact as I saw for myself when I flew in from Thailand.

What hasn’t changed is the Balinese people. They’re still as friendly and welcoming as ever, and their unique culture survives, seemingly unscathed. I’ve always thought the Balinese were object lessons in how to hang on to your culture despite mass tourism – even with the latest human waves to hit the island (first the Russians, now the Chinese). Religious ceremonies and practices that have endured for centuries are still part of daily life here – even if some have been updated to reflect the modern age. I took part in one example shortly after arriving. Tumpak Landep is the day to pay homage to metal heirlooms (such as old daggers handed down through the generations). Nowadays its expanded to include blessing everyday items such as cars and scooters! Nonetheless, it’s taken seriously, families don their traditional clothing as always for such occasions and the blessings are performed. I can’t help but admire the Balinese for this. Their religion still has such a big part to play in their everyday lives that we in the West can’t really imagine it unless we experience it.  Here’s a selection of pictures from Tumpak Landep;

DG264167. Blessing offerings for Tumpak Landep. Bali. Indonesia. 4.2.17.JPG

Blessing and sprinkling holy water on offerings and family heirlooms.

 

DG264162. Girl placing blessings on a scooter during . Tumpak Lendep. Ubud. Bali. Indonesia. 4.2.17.JPG

A young girl places offerings that have been blessed and sprinkled with holy water onto one of the family’s scooters.

I’ll be sad to leave as I’ve always loved Bali. Plus, it’s been a joy to catch up with Alison and it’s been an interesting time being part of an expatriate community intertwined with the local Balinese music scene (something I rarely experience on my travels). I’m determined that won’t be another five years before I return.

Next, I move on to Java, somewhere I’ve not been back to since 1998. I’m starting the trip in a city I’ve never experienced before – Surabaya, so that should be fun…

A morning at the market

08 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Bali, Food, Indonesia, Travel

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I love old-fashioned markets. Whilst they’re on the decline across the UK as more folk shop in supermarkets, they’re still very part and parcel of everyday life here in Bali. They’re a photographers’ delight due to the shadows and light, riot of colours and variety of people and produce. Yesterday morning I popped down to one near where I’m staying.

Pejeng market is typical of the type. It’s a ramshackle rectangular area just off the main road, tucked in behind a row of shops. There’s a multitude of small stalls selling a dazzling array of fresh fruit and veg, some of which I recognise – others not. There was the distinctive salak (snakeskin fruit), huge papayas, bananas of all shapes, sizes and curvatures (Brexit voters beware), oranges, passion fruits, apples, soursop, dragonfruit and more – making up every colour of the rainbow. Some of the vegetables were even more mysterious. It’s easy to identify potatoes, lettuces, green beans and tomatoes as they’re universal, but Bali grows some root vegetables I’ve never been able to put a name to. It’s not just fruit and veg you get in these places either, they’re just like a supermarket (OK, admittedly they don’t have the same hygiene standards, but they’re not as boring either!). At Pejeng you can also buy clothes, toiletries, flowers, ready made offerings to the Gods – and even get breakfast. Every morning, local woman will arrive carrying their makeshift stalls on their heads before setting up shop to sell delicious home cooked food to passers by. Others use scooters with a large metal & glass cabinet bolted to the back to sell skewers of chicken or pork cooked on the charcoal burners. The melange of smells from the stalls is fabulous. Many Westerners look askance at the standards of hygiene so baulk at trying the food – which is a great shame as they’re often missing out on unique dishes they’ll never see on a restaurant menu.

I love spending a few hours people-watching at these markets. The vast majority of the stalls are run by women and they make up the majority of the shoppers too so the places are always full of laughter and chatter. No-one’s upset at the sight of a Westerner with a camera, exactly the opposite. I ended up getting into several conversations as I looked at what was on sale or asked about what stuff I didn’t recognise. At one shop, a woman asked me to get a picture of her with her grandson, then send her a copy. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige. Here’s a few shots from that morning. If you want to see the full selection, head to this page on my website.

dg264374-in-the-local-market-pejeng-ubud-bali-indonesia-7-2-17

One of the butchers stalls. The hygiene standards, lack of refrigeration and the ever-present flies would make most Westerners blanche, but everyone else takes it in their stride.

dg264380-fruit-and-veg-in-the-local-market-pejeng-ubud-bali-indonesia-7-2-17

Most of the fruit and veg in the market would never make it into a European supermarket as it isn’t perfectly shaped, it has blemished skin or it isn’t uniform in size. But it has something far more important: Taste!

dg264443-buying-salak-fruit-at-the-local-market-pejeng-ubud-bali-indonesia-7-2-17

A young woman buys Salak fruit (Salacca zalacca) from a stallholder. These distinctive fruits are only found in Indonesia and Malaysia.

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A woman prepares a breakfast package for a customer. Each morning this lady will carry her makeshift stall with all the prepared food on her head. It’s a common sight right across Indonesia. I often buy food from ladies like this as it’s home-made, often unique, but always delicious!