Kuningan 2012

outside my door, on my porch where the offerings are made each day, this is my Kuningan greeting

always astounding detail done with precision

it is the final stretch of the 10 day celebration.....and the ritual of creating offerings,together is in full
force.  Every minute is filled with a lot to create.... it's supposed to be another way of conveying your closeness with God.

The morning of Kuningan , Nyoman is blessing the motorcycles.  Motorcycles Are the most hazardous things in Balinese culture.  It is the family mini-van....and it is the rule not the exception that you see an Entire family seated on one, cruising down the roads.  I have seen with my own two eyes, children as young as around 8-10 driving one, with a younger  child on the back.    There is only one thing scarier in Bali; a foreigner on a motorbike.

Yes, this is Nyoman blessing the motorcycles her loved ones ride (she does also)  The motorcycles have their own Animate energy.

I wish they would adapt the use of helmets (+ blessings)

the day before, the employees are always gathering more Holy Water

the beauty and color of Bali is everywhere

/

Ina catching a bite/ they have no regular eating times/ and most often eat alone (It's the ONLY thing they do alone)

After  my breakfast (always papaya/ other tropical fruits if i want, vegetables with egg or rice,and black black Bali Kopi (no "f" sound in the language.... you can imagine them trying to say my name!), I dress in the traditional way for Pura (temple), and walk there (I am the ONLY one who walks.... the Balinese are on their motorbikes or in a car).  I have been to the Pura Dalem no less than 30 times (they also hold dance /theatre  in another part of it), and I never fail to notice something  that had previously gone unseen.

 Inside the Pura Dalem:  (every "building" is a "bale" without walls in Bali)  It's real outdoor living...... and that is one of the magical aspects of Bali. 

Yes, your eyes are not playing tricks.... this is a microwave on the dais of the temple (I do not think I would have seen this 10 years ago)  Modern Offering?

the children are always captivating

the lotus........as Balinese Hinduism is suffused with much Buddhism

the patina of moss ,always present in this climate

back home at Ina Inn

travelin' woman