Little offerings everywhere

Everywhere you go in Bali, you come across little offerings to the gods. They are called canang sari and are offered three times a day. It is basically a ritual of giving back what has been given to you by the gods. So, it is not unusual to see some bacon and egg among the flowers in the morning. On the bus, the offering on the dashboard had crackers in it most days along with the flowers and grass. They are in front of the shops, the restaurants, outside every home, in each individual temple, on the vendor's carts, on fenceposts, gates, statues, in cars, at the beach, in the driveway, little offerings of gratitude everywhere. The little baskets are usually made of palm fronds or banana leaves, stuff like that, and when you go to the beach, you see hundreds of them washed up. Recycled, as it were.





The offering is a giving back and gratitude for the richness of life. When I was in the bank one morning, a woman came in with a tray filled with the little offerings, some holy water and incense and put one in front of each teller's station. Oh, and by the way, I just have to say that the women are the ones who do this. If it were up to the men, well I'm sure we all know this tradition would have been lost a long time ago . . . just saying.
Harmony and balance seem to be in the forefront of the Bali way of life. Even their homes are arranged purposefully, the kitchen in the south, the temple in the northeast, adult bedrooms in the north, younger people in the west, etc. Suppi was  continuously telling us about the spirits in all objects and elements of life. Good spirits reside in the mountains, monsters in the sea. Even in cooking, I notice the sweet, sour, salty and bitter complementing each other.




Some scenes from the bus

a warung - basically food on the go. most Balinese eat 2 meals out and these places are everywhere

typical temple in a family compound - you can tell by the black roof

Hard to see but these are Absolut vodka bottles filled with gasoline are little impromptu gas stations. They are everywhere. Good thing their houses aren't made of wood.

These are fighting cocks. You see these cages everywhere. Sometimes the chickens are dyed colors like these are. It is disgusting and should be illegal but apparently is done everywhere. Naturally, it is the men who participate - not the women.

Suppi gave us the full drama-filled stories and the meanings behind the whos and whats and whys of the characters in these sculptures but this post is already way too long, right?

Getting the meeting house in Ubud ready for a meeting with the prince

So, the trip home was a grueling 30+ hours and I won't bore you with the details. (and yes, it was totally worth it) Suffice to say, hurray for drugs! Yay! We were delayed in Bali because we had to wait for the King of Indonesia's plane to take off and we were delayed in Hong Kong because the pilot hit his head or some such. I breezed thru Customs at JFK and no way in the world I would have made my connection through to Portland if a young man by the name of Edgar Reyes had not taken my cart and started running through the airport with me in hot pursuit. Shout out, Edgar!! I got to the gate as the door was closing and they let me on. Home to Maine and here is what it looks like at my house.

The End

My affirmation for Thursday was "I travel safely wherever I go. I always meet loving, helpful people on my journey."  :)