Located in South East Asia, the mystical island of Bali is only one of 18,110 islands making the world’s largest archipelago – Indonesia. I have had the wonderful privilege of visiting this exotic island twice – this second trip was made with my husband of twenty years.

We arrived in Denpasar taking a hurried taxi ride to south Kuta Beach where we stayed at the Bali Hai Resort & Spa. The horrendous traffic of rushing motorcycles was left far behind as we arrived at our deluxe ground floor suite overlooking the lush tropical hotel gardens.

Balinese Traditions

We chose to splurge on a deluxe room to experience the traditional outdoor Balinese bathroom – now, I truly believe one has not lived until they have showered amongst tropical foliage underneath turquoise skies – it is an experience not to be missed.

Upon our arrival at the hotel we had noticed (how could we not) a huge 20-foot dragon like creature in the breezeway of the hotel. We learned he was called an ogoh-ogoh but soon we came to know him as simply as ‘Bob.’

We saw several other ogoh-ogohs throughout Kuta but Bob was definitely amongst the scariest. We were told these paper-mache giants came from classic Bali folklore and are re-constructed into larger than life full color monsters with huge fangs, bulging eyes and very wild hair.

These fantastic monsters symbolize any evil spirits on the island that must be gotten rid of in order to maintain peace & harmony. We left Bob to diligently watch over our hotel.

On our fourth evening at the resort, we returned from a leisurely dinner and found a letter from hotel management explaining that in two day’s time was the Balinese New Year and that Nyepi (the Day of Silence) would be in effect.

It stated we must remain at the hotel and that all stores & restaurants on the island would be closed. Of course, basic provisions would be made available to all hotel guests. There would be no traffic, no visible lights, no noise, and no love-making. Everyone on Bali was to remain silent and in their own homes.

This prohibition would last for 24 hours. Hard to imagine that all the hustle and bustle of Kuta – which never seems to end – could just disappear. The darkness and silence of the island was to fool any lurking demons into thinking no one was home and so they simply would not come to the island.

We were not at all prepared but kindly respected the wishes of the hotel and readily became excited to be participating in such an important event in Balinese culture. The Balinese are a very religious society who practice a modern form of Hinduism. They express their beliefs daily through providing offerings (known as banten) of rice, fruit, and flowers placed on the ground in small woven bamboo baskets completed with a stick of burning incense – all to appease their gods.

Throughout the day on the eve of Nyepi, known as Hari Pengerukan, the streets of Kuta became full of giant ogoh-ogohs. Surreal in a way, yet very appealing with their colorfulness and sheer size drawing us in.

Traditionally, the male Balinese youth are the makers of these giants and were proudly about displaying their hard work. The planning and construction starts one to two months prior to Nyepi Day and entails many late nights.

The ogoh-ogohs are constructed on intricately woven wire and bamboo frames covered with paper and cloth. They are painted and decorated in amazingly bright colors – all to ward away the evil spirits.

Each ogoh-ogoh is rumored to cost between 2 and 6 million rupiah (approx $400 CAD or $355 USD) which is fund-raised in local communities. This is a staggering amount of money to any typical Balinese family as the average monthly wage is a disheartening $56 CAD or $50 USD.

Back at our hotel, the ceremony began just before dusk with the blessing of Bob. Holy water was sprinkled and a prayer said, then the music commenced.

A strange combination of cymbals, gongs and drums – a loud clattering seemingly lacking any rhythm – once again, to scare away any evil demons. With somewhat of a struggle, the men finally lifted Bob onto their shoulders and made way towards the gardens of the hotel.

Due to the heavy nature of the beast, Bob’s weight shifted easily causing many near accidents. They rounded the pool area when someone lost hold and Bob went half tumbling into the pool.

Processioners quickly jumped into the water to keep Bob from drowning – in fact, they did such a good job that Bob never even touched the water. The haunting music continued as Bob made his way to the ocean.

The final ritual must be performed at sea and at dusk they arrived on the white sandy beach where Bob was to meet his end. Once more Bob received what was to be his final blessing before being set ablaze.

The drums continued to beat as the crowds grew and the flames of Bob reached up to touch the night sky. Setting fire to the ogoh-ogoh (poor Bob) is done to finally destroy any evil spirits once and for all – well, at least until the next Balinese New Year comes along.

On Nyepi Day, we remained at the hotel – the restaurant was open until the early evening when everyone was encouraged to return to their rooms and draw their curtains closed so no light would escape. What to do in a hotel room in paradise? Read a book? Quietly watch television?

Well, no one would certainly know if I took advantage of our outdoor bath and took a long shower under the beautiful sparkling stars, would they?

Apparently not as the next day the island of Bali was alive and well – hustle and bustle included.

About the author:

This week Traveling Tales welcomes freelance travel writer Connie Motz who makes her home in Genelle, B.C. Canada. See more of her work on her website at www.vacations.pro.

Connie Motz photos:
1: Our destination, Kuta Beach.
2: The ogoh-ogoh known as “Bob”.
3: Kuta prior to Nyepi.

With 17,504 islands in the Indonesian archipelago, island hopping is a must.  Our choice of day trips from Jakarta, the country’s capital, was to the island of Bali, which can be done in a day, although most travellers dally for at least a few. From traffic-clogged Jakarta situated on Indonesia’s largest island of Java, a short flight brings us to Bali’s tranquil setting of cream-coloured sands, swaying palms and luminescent green terraced rice fields.

Our first sojourn is into the island’s interior jungle to the Four Seasons Sayan Resort & Spa for ultra-pampering, while we seek out the essence of the culture. In the nearby town of Ubud the spirituality of the gentle Balinese people resonates from the public temples and small alters that grace every home. The Balinese practice a form of Hinduism, worshipping many of the same gods as India’s Hindus, but with their own supreme god – Sanghyang Widi.  However, animistic beliefs of continuous encounters with spirits take front stage in their daily lives. Benign Balinese gods exist in high places such as the sky and mountains, the evil entities abound in the earth and sea, with humans in the middle realm who must balance these forces with daily offerings of flowers, sweets and rice.

A focal point of Ubud is the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Ancient temples dot this sizeable park and Balinese Macaques (a.k.a. long-tailed Macaques) are everywhere – they swing from tree branches, sit with splayed legs while munching chunks of coconut supplied by park attendants, or a banana treat from visitors who purchase a bunch at the entry gate. Beyond the Sanctuary we walk along winding dirt roads that lead to craft villages, each with their own specialty; from batik cloth, wood carving and paintings, to sliver jewellery.

From the dense central jungle we move outward to where the turquoise sea laps the soft sand beach of the Four Seasons Resort and Spa at Jimbaran Bay. The resort’s special evening performance of classical dancers beguiles us with intricate eye and hand movements to the sound of ancient percussion instruments.

Several kilometre from the resort is the rockin’ beach town of Kuta, where we rub elbows with surfer dudes and sun-baked bikini-clad travellers while milling about kitschy shops, and relaxing in funky cafes.  We frivolously bide our time until sunset. As old Sol begins its descent, local families spread picnic suppers on blankets, tourists perch on rented lawn chairs and snack/souvenir vendors capitalize on the ever burgeoning crowd. The fiery ball slips behind the horizon leaving spectacular splashes of ruby reds, goldenrod yellows, and autumnal orange across a darkened sky.

Leaving behind the serenity and the natural beauty of the island, we concur – as far as earthly paradises go, Bali has no parallel.

Photo by Rick Butler

Transportation:

• Air Asia flies from Jakarta to Bali 7 times daily; flight-time approximately 1 hr 40 min.
• Or Jakarta to Bali by train/ferry or bus/ferry – if you have more time.

About the Author:
Irene Butler is an award winning travel writer and author of “Trekking the Globe with Mostly Gentle Footsteps.” Her articles have appeared in national and international magazines, newspapers and E-zines. She and her photographer husband Rick explore the world for six months of every year. www.globaltrekkers.ca