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my travel blog
In between paid works and life enjoyment, I've covered some events, festivals, and dives. Have a look at my last adventures through these blog posts.
April 21, 2021
At last, one by one, we laid on the bed and had our tooth filled. There were 14 of us, and I was, by far, the older. First, one prays. Then, lays down and gets a piece of sugarcane to bite. Then, the filers proceed, in increments. We can check our appearance and ask for more (which I did) or leave it as it is.
April 21, 2021
Jewelry is fake, though it still shines on pictures. For the girls, it all seemed outstanding and they were enthusiastic. Make up artists were quite mediocre. I guess they were also cheap. Contrary to Westerners, they weren't trying to hide defects or beautify faces. The idea, as much as I could understand, was to print some sort of mask over their faces - totally disregarding shapes and characters.
March 22, 2020
Tulamben has great potential for blackwater diving, though it hasn’t yet been conveniently explored. Ocean floor drops deep very quickly and there is the Lombok straight current bringing many critters into these waters, which surface at night.
March 22, 2020
Tulamben as a dive destination Tulamben is a small village, located in the Northeast coast of Bali (Indonesia), 95 km away from Ngurah Rai airport. Your […]
November 25, 2019
On the opposite side, the gambelan orchestra played in a different way than I was used to listen: it was, somehow, hypnotic. Sometimes, slow and quiet, and then speeding up to a frantic loud rhythm. Soon I realised there was, at least, a man and a woman in trance, dancing, and I found myself a shooting position.
August 10, 2019
On an effort to attract tourists to Tulamben, there was the Festival Pesona Tulamben, (9-10) August 2019, with a few activities like the jukung boat race: […]
July 21, 2019
They are becoming quite touristic, with a fee that must be payed on the main access road and increasing prices on accommodation and food. On the other hand, the trails are clean (and clearly identified) and there are options for different levels of stamina. With a little research you can even avoid most hiking (if, like me, you are carrying heavy equipment, or are just lazy) and access the most interesting points by motorbike.
June 9, 2019
In fact, cock fighting is a “multi-million dollar business”, with events happening periodically in every small villages, daily in the major cities, and yearly on Balinese Hindu ceremonies. Business man bet hundreds of dollars in each fight and roosters are bread in every corner, sometimes illegally imported from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
March 19, 2019
There is incense and flower, and often food, smell; there are the colourful parasols, flags and penjors; the ladies’ kebayas and sarongs; the gambelan music sound, the bells and mantras, the crowd and the children chatting, the women dancing, the numerous offerings… There will be people eating outside (some temples inside, as well), smoking… It not just part of life – it is life!
January 8, 2019
People go up the stairs and wait for their turn on the external yard. Once the previous prayer is finished, people leave and give room for the new comers. There is not much to see apart from each others, and three giant offerings: two elaborate sculptures made from pork skin, fat, meat, and internal organs, and one made of different fruits.
October 25, 2018
Odalan is a temple anniversary, according to the lunar Balinese calendar (210 days). On this occasion, there are 3 day festivities, including praying ceremonies, processions, when deities are paraded from one temple to another, and dancing on the temple’s courtyards.
April 6, 2015
As with everything that is Hindu related, this celebration seeks balance: in this case, a purification from all the noxious spiritual human practices, committed throughout the year. These ones are portrayed as demons, made of bamboo, styrofoam and paper, on ephemeral figures which can reach a few metres in hight. Some can be quite elaborate, with exquisite design and engineering, vibrant colours and fancy led lights.
