Nora Aban, MD
Jo Libarnes
Bram Eindhoven
Jo Libarnes
Bram Eindhoven
Teddy Namia
Athena Custodio
Athena Custodio
Dian Wijayanti, our Language Instructor
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Friday, April 07, 2006
Bali.....My First Stop (Ubud and Nearby)
Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)
The mysterious Goa Gajah (elephant cave) is one of the oldest relics on Bali. The exact time of origin is uncertain, but archeologists estimate the cave to have been built around year 1022 AD. This was long before Majapahit entered the island, and also hundreds of years before the first Europeans set foot here. The site is a mix of Hindu- and Buddhist symbols, among them the cave in an artistically carved cliff, a bathing place with fountains, a statue of the Buddhist goddess Hariti, other Buddha figures and a pool. Read More:(Source:http://www.balitours.net/bali/goagajah/)
Photos by: Jo Libarnes
(Photo taken by: Bram Eindhoven)
Ubud Traditional Market (Pasar)
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Bali Ceremonies and Events (Ogoh Ogoh)
OGOH-OGOH (March 29, 2006)
Denpasar Town Square
Photos taken by: Jo Libarnes
The day before Nyepi Day (Balinese New Year) is called Tawur Kesanga and the day when exorcisms are carried out at the main village crossroads which is where the demons supposedly meet. This is when many Ogoh-Ogoh are carried through the town in a carnival like atmosphere. Since they represent the evil spirits, they all look frighteningly ugly with fangs and bulging eyes. (www.villasemena.com)
March 30, 2006. Today is Nyepi day, Balinese New Year. The whole island is at rest. People stay quietly indoors; no business except for Rumah Sakit (hospitals) maybe, no cooking, no loud sound and voices. The roads are empty of sepeda motor (motorcycles) and mobils (cars). From what I read, Balinese do this to convince the evil spirits that the island is inhabited. I can only hear the chirping of birds and the sound of a lizard or “toko” in the Philippines.
The eve of Nyepi (March 29) was different. There were Ogoh Ogohs parading in different areas …traditional music and loud noises and some dancing accompany each Ogoh Ogoh.
Wednesday, around five in the afternoon from VSO office, I pedaled through small streets of central Denpasar. My Ibu Kost told me that the center of Ogoh Ogoh would be held in the town square, which they call “Puputan”. Thanks to Dian of VSO who mentioned this word to me before I left VSO Office that day. I only passed Puputan once; that was Monday afternoon coming from a Chinese warung in a street named after a fruit, where my Ibu Kost treated us to an early dinner. That afternoon, I joined my host family in their Balinese ceremony in a beach located at the eastern part of Denpasar. I did not know exactly how to go to Puputan, but the other Dian, my language teacher, once told me that it’s somewhere at the back of Tiara Dewata Supermarket.
Just after crossing the big square in Renon coming from VSO office, I saw several “gerobak kaki lima” (food carts) going in same direction. “These carts will go to where they can do good business and earn. This can be where Ogoh Ogoh will be held,” I said to myself. I decided to follow the last food cart and candidly asked to confirm what is in mind “Pak, Mau kemana”. The Bapak answered ke “Puputan”. I asked him again “Masih jauh? (Still far?)”, he replied “masih”, and then he went on.
I saw “K” grosir stopped for a while and bought “Aqua.” Here, bottled water is generally called as “aqua” a brand name of bottled water. Just like one of those old days in my town in the Philippines, all brands of toothpaste is called “Colgate.”
I almost lost the kaki lima. I could not see him anymore from K Grosir. I thought he already turned somewhere. I biked (counter flowed) and reached a corner. I slowly turned right and saw the cart about 100 meters away from me. I entered a narrow two-way street with adults and children busy preparing their Ogoh Ogohs. I took some pictures of their Ogoh Ogohs, and some children in their costumes, heavily “gelled” spike colored hair, who just loved to be photographed.
I lost the kaki lima again. I just went through this two-way road and reached a “T” junction. Guided with my intuition, I turned left and got to a bigger street where I saw a “dark blue Bemo”. I just followed the Bemo and saw the other side of Tiara Dewata. I remembered that the street beside Tiara is one way, and going opposite my destination. There is no other shortest way to go Puputan except to use the street at the back of Tiara. I stopped in a while to confirm what is in mind. I asked a man if the street where I am is the way to “Puputan” and answered “ya, dekat, jalan terus” which means “Yes, near, go straight!” Finally, after two minutes, I found the town square. I parked my bicycle near a big tree, locked it and went inside the square.
This is what I like in discovering places and getting lost along the way. You are forced to use your common sense, imagination and discover something new.
The square was slowly getting packed with people and peddlers of all kinds (food, balloons, pirated CDs and bags). There were also tourists around (Caucasians). I reached the monument on the other side of the square looking for the “giant chess board” that Dian of IALF told me. However, I was not able to find it.
My curiosity brought me to my exact destination, near the “Kantor Walikota Denpasar” (Office of the Mayor Denpasar). The office is in one of the corners of the junction with a roundabout and a monument at the center. I saw people lined up sitting on the edge of sidewalks; video camera strategically set-up in the other corner by a foreigner; police managing the traffic. This is where Ogoh ogoh coming from two directions will take place.
I find myself seated beside two junior high school students. One is named Tika and the other girl, ma’af (sorry) I forgot her name! They thought I was “orang Indonesia”. Then I said no I am “orang Filipina”. All the basic questions in my level one Bahasa Indonesia lessons were asked like “where do you live? Where do you work? Where is your family? How many are you in the family? Are you already married? How much is your salary? What is your money in the Philippines? How far is The Philippines from Bali? I had a good practice of my Bahasa Indonesia with the two girls. They got my cell phone number and invited me to eat in the warung of her Ibu at the 4th Floor of Robinsons, beside the Christian Church.
The Ogoh Ogoh started around 7 pm. The first three Ogoh Ogohs passed in front of us. The streets suddenly become packed with people. A woman in front of me said that someone’s hand was in her bag, “copet”..pick pocketer’s hand maybe. “Sedikit berbahaya”, a Florenise woman said to me. The woman left the place with her companion due to the incident.
Until eight in the evening, I stayed and watched 20 or more Ogoh Ogohs. Sometimes I was in the middle of the street with the rest of the photographers, sometimes I was at the back where all you can see are the heads of people standing and missed good shots.
Big and small Ogoh ogohs were securely mounted in bamboo platform and carried by several men (10 or more persons depending on the size). Each Ogoh ogoh is accompanied by a gamelan or a sound system. Ogoh ogohs look like monsters. They have ugly and scary faces, big, bulging eyes, very long nails, big stomach, big teeth, long hair, and big buts. There are some with three bodies with two legs; two giants fighting with each other; a giant crushing someone to death, mummies look-a-like. There were also smaller ones carried by very cute kids, including sponge bob. One unique Ogoh ogoh was a bear-breasted ugly bald woman with long nails sitting in a blue toilet bowl holding a dipper.
I took pictures of Ogoh Ogohs until my two sets of battery got empty. I left the area about 8:15 pm, and walked to the other side of the park to get my bike. There were few motorcycles and cars on the streets. After five minutes, I was home.
I thought McDonalds was still open to fill my empty stomach, but the mall near my homestay closed early. Just saw few sellers of nasi jinggu Muslim (Jinggu is a snack wrapped in banana leaves. Inside it is a little of everything: rice, slices/strips of chicken meat, vegetables, noodles) along Jl Sudirman and a kaki lima (food cart) few meters away from my home stay. I settled for the kaki lima: rice, newly fried tempe and fried egg, few slices of cucumber and cabbage with sambal in “bungkos” or “balot” in Tagalog (wrapped in a wax paper).
I stayed in my room the whole day of Nyepi. I watched one DVD (listen to the audio using earphones) in the morning and started writing this journal. Food was not a problem. My Ibu Kost prepared food for us before sunrise. I also have bread and water in my room and four small Kit Kat wafers.
The night was dark. Every house in Bali refrained from turning on their lights/fluorescent bulbs. Windows were closed and covered with something to keep the room dark. I had a very short whispering conversations with Ibu. The younger daughters of Ibu busied themselves with their cell phones. The eldest daughter was at the back of the house sitting in the dark. The Muslim mosque nearby was also in silence. I usually hear the prayers coming from the mosque every 7:30 in the evening.
I went to bed around 8:30 pm. The night of silence passed and a new day came.
Thanks God it’s Friday!
Denpasar Town Square
Photos taken by: Jo Libarnes
The day before Nyepi Day (Balinese New Year) is called Tawur Kesanga and the day when exorcisms are carried out at the main village crossroads which is where the demons supposedly meet. This is when many Ogoh-Ogoh are carried through the town in a carnival like atmosphere. Since they represent the evil spirits, they all look frighteningly ugly with fangs and bulging eyes. (www.villasemena.com)
March 30, 2006. Today is Nyepi day, Balinese New Year. The whole island is at rest. People stay quietly indoors; no business except for Rumah Sakit (hospitals) maybe, no cooking, no loud sound and voices. The roads are empty of sepeda motor (motorcycles) and mobils (cars). From what I read, Balinese do this to convince the evil spirits that the island is inhabited. I can only hear the chirping of birds and the sound of a lizard or “toko” in the Philippines.
The eve of Nyepi (March 29) was different. There were Ogoh Ogohs parading in different areas …traditional music and loud noises and some dancing accompany each Ogoh Ogoh.
Wednesday, around five in the afternoon from VSO office, I pedaled through small streets of central Denpasar. My Ibu Kost told me that the center of Ogoh Ogoh would be held in the town square, which they call “Puputan”. Thanks to Dian of VSO who mentioned this word to me before I left VSO Office that day. I only passed Puputan once; that was Monday afternoon coming from a Chinese warung in a street named after a fruit, where my Ibu Kost treated us to an early dinner. That afternoon, I joined my host family in their Balinese ceremony in a beach located at the eastern part of Denpasar. I did not know exactly how to go to Puputan, but the other Dian, my language teacher, once told me that it’s somewhere at the back of Tiara Dewata Supermarket.
Just after crossing the big square in Renon coming from VSO office, I saw several “gerobak kaki lima” (food carts) going in same direction. “These carts will go to where they can do good business and earn. This can be where Ogoh Ogoh will be held,” I said to myself. I decided to follow the last food cart and candidly asked to confirm what is in mind “Pak, Mau kemana”. The Bapak answered ke “Puputan”. I asked him again “Masih jauh? (Still far?)”, he replied “masih”, and then he went on.
I saw “K” grosir stopped for a while and bought “Aqua.” Here, bottled water is generally called as “aqua” a brand name of bottled water. Just like one of those old days in my town in the Philippines, all brands of toothpaste is called “Colgate.”
I almost lost the kaki lima. I could not see him anymore from K Grosir. I thought he already turned somewhere. I biked (counter flowed) and reached a corner. I slowly turned right and saw the cart about 100 meters away from me. I entered a narrow two-way street with adults and children busy preparing their Ogoh Ogohs. I took some pictures of their Ogoh Ogohs, and some children in their costumes, heavily “gelled” spike colored hair, who just loved to be photographed.
I lost the kaki lima again. I just went through this two-way road and reached a “T” junction. Guided with my intuition, I turned left and got to a bigger street where I saw a “dark blue Bemo”. I just followed the Bemo and saw the other side of Tiara Dewata. I remembered that the street beside Tiara is one way, and going opposite my destination. There is no other shortest way to go Puputan except to use the street at the back of Tiara. I stopped in a while to confirm what is in mind. I asked a man if the street where I am is the way to “Puputan” and answered “ya, dekat, jalan terus” which means “Yes, near, go straight!” Finally, after two minutes, I found the town square. I parked my bicycle near a big tree, locked it and went inside the square.
This is what I like in discovering places and getting lost along the way. You are forced to use your common sense, imagination and discover something new.
The square was slowly getting packed with people and peddlers of all kinds (food, balloons, pirated CDs and bags). There were also tourists around (Caucasians). I reached the monument on the other side of the square looking for the “giant chess board” that Dian of IALF told me. However, I was not able to find it.
My curiosity brought me to my exact destination, near the “Kantor Walikota Denpasar” (Office of the Mayor Denpasar). The office is in one of the corners of the junction with a roundabout and a monument at the center. I saw people lined up sitting on the edge of sidewalks; video camera strategically set-up in the other corner by a foreigner; police managing the traffic. This is where Ogoh ogoh coming from two directions will take place.
I find myself seated beside two junior high school students. One is named Tika and the other girl, ma’af (sorry) I forgot her name! They thought I was “orang Indonesia”. Then I said no I am “orang Filipina”. All the basic questions in my level one Bahasa Indonesia lessons were asked like “where do you live? Where do you work? Where is your family? How many are you in the family? Are you already married? How much is your salary? What is your money in the Philippines? How far is The Philippines from Bali? I had a good practice of my Bahasa Indonesia with the two girls. They got my cell phone number and invited me to eat in the warung of her Ibu at the 4th Floor of Robinsons, beside the Christian Church.
The Ogoh Ogoh started around 7 pm. The first three Ogoh Ogohs passed in front of us. The streets suddenly become packed with people. A woman in front of me said that someone’s hand was in her bag, “copet”..pick pocketer’s hand maybe. “Sedikit berbahaya”, a Florenise woman said to me. The woman left the place with her companion due to the incident.
Until eight in the evening, I stayed and watched 20 or more Ogoh Ogohs. Sometimes I was in the middle of the street with the rest of the photographers, sometimes I was at the back where all you can see are the heads of people standing and missed good shots.
Big and small Ogoh ogohs were securely mounted in bamboo platform and carried by several men (10 or more persons depending on the size). Each Ogoh ogoh is accompanied by a gamelan or a sound system. Ogoh ogohs look like monsters. They have ugly and scary faces, big, bulging eyes, very long nails, big stomach, big teeth, long hair, and big buts. There are some with three bodies with two legs; two giants fighting with each other; a giant crushing someone to death, mummies look-a-like. There were also smaller ones carried by very cute kids, including sponge bob. One unique Ogoh ogoh was a bear-breasted ugly bald woman with long nails sitting in a blue toilet bowl holding a dipper.
I took pictures of Ogoh Ogohs until my two sets of battery got empty. I left the area about 8:15 pm, and walked to the other side of the park to get my bike. There were few motorcycles and cars on the streets. After five minutes, I was home.
I thought McDonalds was still open to fill my empty stomach, but the mall near my homestay closed early. Just saw few sellers of nasi jinggu Muslim (Jinggu is a snack wrapped in banana leaves. Inside it is a little of everything: rice, slices/strips of chicken meat, vegetables, noodles) along Jl Sudirman and a kaki lima (food cart) few meters away from my home stay. I settled for the kaki lima: rice, newly fried tempe and fried egg, few slices of cucumber and cabbage with sambal in “bungkos” or “balot” in Tagalog (wrapped in a wax paper).
I stayed in my room the whole day of Nyepi. I watched one DVD (listen to the audio using earphones) in the morning and started writing this journal. Food was not a problem. My Ibu Kost prepared food for us before sunrise. I also have bread and water in my room and four small Kit Kat wafers.
The night was dark. Every house in Bali refrained from turning on their lights/fluorescent bulbs. Windows were closed and covered with something to keep the room dark. I had a very short whispering conversations with Ibu. The younger daughters of Ibu busied themselves with their cell phones. The eldest daughter was at the back of the house sitting in the dark. The Muslim mosque nearby was also in silence. I usually hear the prayers coming from the mosque every 7:30 in the evening.
I went to bed around 8:30 pm. The night of silence passed and a new day came.
Thanks God it’s Friday!
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