March 10 - Bali, Batik and Family (Part Two)

Our next stop was a batik factory. Batik is an Indonesian technique of using wax-resist dyeing to print designs on cloth.  Wax is applied to cloth in patterns and the cloth is then soaked in a dye color.  The wax prevents the area of cloth on which it’s applied from being dyed.  The wax is then removed in boiling water.  A new pattern of wax is applied and the process is repeated in a different color until a full design of many colors has been created. We saw the technique from start to finish from the artist sketching the original design to the cloth being woven to the dyeing process.  Afterwards we went into the shop and bought a few things.

The man on the left is sketching the design to be put on some cloth

A template of colors for the yeing process

Ladies preparing cloth for the next stage after some design has already been added

A weaver who can hand weave one meter of cloth in an eight hour period

We took a lunch break next.  Sherif took us to a lovely restaurant that he described as one in between local and tourist so we wouldn’t get “Bali Belly.”  I had my first ever Indonesian meal, seafood nasi goreng, which is an Indonesian fried rice dish.  It was very tasty and the setting was lovely next to a large koi pond.

These are of the restaurant which was all constructed of bamboo

Our last stop was a family compound and this was probably the most interesting one of the day. I think the compound we stopped at belonged to a family of friends of Sherif. It was definitely not on the local tour bus route.  From the outside there was a stone and concrete wall surrounding the place.  The entrance was a low gate, low so that as one enters one has to show respect.  On the wall next to the gate there is a plaque showing the name of the village, the community within the village and the number of male, female, and then total number living within the place.  This count is for census purposes so the census takers don’t have to come in.

When we entered through the gate it was like passing through a time portal into a time long past. The structures within are made of stone with thatch roofs.  The ground is cobbled stone.  Evidently every family compound is laid out in the same way and it has to do with feng shui.  In the northeast corner there is always the family temple with its individual shrines on one side and on the other side the abode of the patriarch and matriarch of the family. The senior family members live close to the temple to be closer to their gods since their time in this life is coming to an end.  The couple sleep in separate twin beds because the time will come when they will no longer be together when one passes on.  Next to the senior house is another in which the younger members live.  In the center of the compound is a structure used for ceremonial things or important visitors.  On the right side near the gate was the kitchen building which had no modern appliances whatsoever.  There was an oven made of stone and clay which burned charcoal.  While there were electric lines coming into the compound there were no electric appliances to be seen.  (Perhaps there are some in the private quarters of the family but we didn’t see them.) Food is obviously bought every day.  On the wall of a storage building behind the kitchen there were bunches of rice stalks hanging to let the rice kernels dry.  The patriarch does wood-working and there was a structure which looked like his workshop.   There was a well, but Sherif told us the family had a city water supply of some kind.

The compound from the entry gate

The building in the center is where special occasion things are held

Sone of the shrines next to the family temple

The seniors' sleeping quarters

These next four are all of the kitchen building.  Imagine cooking in here.

After we had walked around we sat on the steps of one of the buildings with the matriarch.  I asked Sherif if I was allowed to inquire about the lady’s age.  He told me that unlike in western culture where women can get skittish about being asked, in Balinese culture it’s a sign of respect because the elderly are treasured for their wisdom. (Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?) He asked the lady and she told us she’s 75 years old. We asked then if we could have our picture taken with her and she seemed delighted to do that.  We took our leave then.  It was an eye-opening experience for me to see people living as these people do in the 21st century. I think it would be a valuable experience for people in our western societies to see places like this compound and life in Bali and Dili, Timor-Leste to have a greater appreciation for all the things we have and take for granted.

We tried to visit a coffee plantation to see how kopi luwak is harvested.  Kopi luwak is known as the “Holy Grail” of coffee. It’s made from coffee beans that have been partially digested and then defecated by the Asian palm civet.  That apparently gives the coffee a distinctive flavor (I can only imagine!).  The coffee can sell for as much as $1,000 a kilo.  Unfortunately (or maybe not) the two places had already closed for the Nyepi celebration.  It was time to head back to the ship then because traffic was expected to be bad due to road closures for parades.  We got back actually at a good time because shortly after we reboarded the skies opened.  Our poor cruise director.  Every time he plans for a party on the open deck around the pool it rains.

Since we had a big lunch, we went pretty late to the Club where sushi is available in the evening.  It tasted great but I’m totally inept with chopsticks and they had to bring me a fork after I managed to plop a roll on the floor. I’ll try again next time.

It was a really interesting day during which I learned a lot.  It gave me a lot to think about too. On the Seabourn web page there is a quote from Ibn Battuta, a 14th century Arab traveler, explorer and scholar.  He said “Traveling – it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.”  How true.