Asia Mega Tour II - Touring In The Rain

We only have a few days with daughter #1 and it is important...no I mean REALLY IMPORTANT...that she get the full on Wife and de-I travel experience. So we had a full day driving around to visit various sites and photo ops scheduled. The fact that it was pouring rain virtually the entire day was not to be an impediment to the activities. The child can just deal with the soaking wet shoes. Woman up child!

We started our day climbing up the steep, steep...did I mention steep road out of the villa and into the mountains to the south of us. You really can't get anywhere else in Bali from where we are without traversing these mountains unless you are going along the coast somewhere. Along the way we stopped and visited a traditional bamboo crafting operation. Bamboo is used for all kinds of building products including tough screens that can be rolled up or let down to keep rain from blowing in the large open spaces that define most Bali home from the elegant to the most elemental.

Then it was on to the lookout for a vista of Lakes Tamblingan and Lake Buyan

(Imagine a vista here because it was completely socked in with clouds)

Next stop the temple (Ha, thought you were escaping temples did you!) Pura Ulun Danau on Lake Bratan where we leisurely sloshed around with a few other soggy, brave tourists from around the world

The Temple

 Fellow Brave Soggy Tourists from elsewhere in Indonesia

If you see devotional statues to frogs perhaps that is a warning about the nature of the climate

More of the temple

As this is right on a lake and many of the sub-temples jut out into the water, there is a thriving business of renting boats or hiring a boat and driver...none of which were happening today.

More of the temple

While in our current world the inveterate posing inanely for pictures and selfies in front of scenic places has become an epidemic, the ancient Hindus absolutely forbid the practice. So naturally at a temple like this you have to be careful of Garuda, giant eagle mount of Lord Vishnu, who patrols those breaking the ancient practice.

Fortunately Wife was able to knock down #1 just before she was snatched away.

Passing many, many villages with decorations up for the holiday period from Gulungan through Kuningan roughly 10 days later

Now off to the spectacular waterfall of Munduk for a walk through the forest...the perfect rainy day activity.

We passed many types of trees being cultivated including coffee, cacoa, guava, jackfruit, durian, etc.

Cacoa Pods

 We arrive at the falls after much climbing and crossing of streams

"We are having so much fun 😑

Mandatory waterfall videos

Mandatory moving water art shots

We ended up our day by doing some shopping at a local mall type place called Krisna so #1 could get things for her family. While waiting for her, there was a section of higher end things (relative) with a whole staff that was bored out of their minds. They saw my camera and insisted that we do some pictures. 

I don't feel manipulated one bit and am happily sponsoring all five for visas (urk)

And of course we have to have the selfie at the Krisna Happy Park

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

SPECIAL EVENT

The Ogoh-Ogoh of Bali

If you are familiar with the Zozobra event in Santa Fe NM where they build a large wooden statue for everyone to put their bad energy into and burn it to take all those bad energies away, you will understand the principle of the Ogoh-Ogoh, paper-mache effigies, primarily demons, based on Hindu religious stories, which serves the same purpose. We received some contradictory information on when they are burned but they are burned. In order to bring this custom up to date, the Signs of the World staff have come up with 'modern demons and stories.

Demon Redemption

Demon has channeled its energy to helping the good force of power line repair

Parable of the Bad Girl Getting All The Attention

Good versus Evil in the Race to be first on Black Friday

The Demon Force of Multi-Tasking

Build your own Ogah-Ogah and exorcise you demons