The next morning I woke up and took a photo of the view from the back of my room
which looked better with the flash off
and then I recorded my front door
and walked past the elephant structure with its daily offering
as I passed the monkeys
and made my way
past the orchid
to the reception area
where I met Agung Rai who was going to take me on a morning tour
and so he recorded me
and pointed out the rice fields to me
before we drove off to one of the neighboring villages where a girl was going to school.
as the road lay ahead with views
and these structures
as we headed off
with jungle-like growth by the side
and a stream below
along with rice fields
and many views
before we arrived at a temple for the community
and noticed these two girls walking off to school
with reflections in the rice field
as more children headed off to the school
and we saw a rice field that was in the process of having seeds germinate
with school children approaching
and the reflection being impressive
and so the kids
and the rice field
where I posed in front of the reflection
led me to pose with the school children
and then alone
and even in the rear view mirror
as we saw the ducks in the water who are part of the rice process (think fertilizer)
and there were still more reflections
with a local house
and reflection
and a man working on his rice by hand (as they do it here)
and then we were at the school
with this symbolism
and these grounds
not to mention the rules.
The children were cleaning the school yard
as I admired decorations
and language instruction
and the omnipresent Mickey and Minnie
as I peeked into the classroom
and noticed the blackboard
as these friends were getting ready for the day
as were these
even as the cleaning continued
with a student who was still waking up
as the scenes at the school
and the rice field opposite gave a good representation of life in the villages near Ubud
while the girls cleaned
and the man planted his rice seeds
and Agung watched the scene that was very familiar to him
even as the two girls carried out the brush they had gathered
and more cleaning happened
to the school grounds
as more kids arrived
and the photography continued
when a mother and her 3 kids arrived
and she posed with Agung
even as children walked across a path in the rice fields to school
even as the workers tended their areas
so that this was what the children would see as they approached the school
and I noted the hallways
as more children approached
more work went on in the fields
and this was the planting at the school
before I re-entered the school yard
and spent time with the children
and then went to watch the brush be put into the drain
before a final return to the school.
Next we went to the local temple
which was by the rice fields
and consisted of many inner structures
with offerings
some of which were carefully constructed
as I went up the stairs to enter one
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and see the offerings
after which I toured the other chambers
including myriad offerings
after which I posed
and saw some goddesses
and handed my camera to Agung who took photos of me before we prepared to leave the temple
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pausing to look out on the rice fields which benefit (or so the locals believe) from the presence of the temple
and more offerings
and artwork
and some unique offerings
leaving the grand structures
and this carved stone
and the throne-like structure
with its detailed mask
as I admired many of the stone carvings
and after a few more photos
including the television
and final structures
we drove on past a man in his rice field
and another
and then captured the rice fields
in their broader setting
as this man was planting his seeds
with egrets in the background
as we drove on to the next village where we entered a family compound and explored the many structures sparsely furnished
meeting a mother and child
as Agung took pictures of me exploring
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before we said farewell to the mother and child
and drove on to a place where the village women were taking their offerings to the temple.
We drove past scenery
and architecture
and came across a rice field ready for harvesting
and so I posed
and we observed the morning dew on the leaves. Somehow, we were trespassing a bit here as there was a conversation in Indonesian that seemed to result in using paying a few bills for the privilege of taking the photos.
We went on down the road
where I admired this woman walking with her wares on her head
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and the man bringing his wares
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and taking them
to his house
and then this woman carrying her things on her head.
Our next stop was at this banyan tree which was a gathering place for the village
and I captured a rooster of which there were many joining the dogs as guardians of the houses
not to mention many interesting structures
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including these protectors of the house
and many thing of beauty
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before returning to the banyan tree which, like the village, was a community of smaller parts
including the cock on the roof.
Moving on, things were carried on heads
as this man worked in his yard
and while traveling along
I took this picture of my sarong and my shoes
as we approached a rice field ready for harvest
and a local preparing to do so.
We also came to the village laundromat
and after this view
we passed some children drawing at their home
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and then an offering
by this waterfall
and at the top of the steps was this rice field
with this view going down
where I sat for photos
and then walked
to more photos
and then walked back
to see this fruit hanging in a tree
with these bags protecting the low hanging fruit from animals
and saw these coffee beans
as we looked out at a view
and then drove past these structures
were this cock was being prepared for a fight.
We continued on
and came to this house where the matriarch had prepared breakfast but before it could be served, she needed to leave out food (in many directions) for the animals to eat keeping them in harmony with nature.
Ahead were ducks on the road
as food was placed for the lower animals (insect) to share in the family breakfast
even as a neighbor approached
and we drove past this structure
and then stopped to see pineapples growing
as we stopped in a tiny village on a narrow street and I walked off
to explore
and see the fruit hanging
and then I sat on the front stoop of a house which caused the dog to bark in protest
and then we observed the ducks on the pond
as life in the village continued
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and after a last look at rice fields
we stopped at the Ubud Palace
where Agung posed
and then I did.
Back in town, structures were being created for the cremation that was about to happen
including this multi-tiered one
and the animal which would serve the first cremation
and then these structures for the second
and the bamboo that would be used to carry the structures
which were being completed
and this one. The structures were representative of the caste of the person who was being cremated.
Back at the hotel, I posed with Agung
and then headed to breakfast where this was the menu
and my fruit
croissants
with jellies,
my coffee
and omelet
topped off by watermelon juice.
Once home, I went through the arch to my room for a rest.
Soon it was time to return to town to see the cremation but began by noticing that they have Kumon here as well
and made my wall into town where one of the cremation structures was
and another
and so studied the structures
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and the crowds gathered to watch
as the parade began
led by this musical accompaniment
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with the second structure being pulled by a large number of men all of whom fit into the bamboo structure created for that purpose. Each cremated person was in their animal and each also had an additional structure like the tower. Together, these defined the caste and life of the person.
The carrying was lowered
and then restarted
and so on they went
with the crowd following
including banners
and women with flowers on their heads
as the people carrying the structure occasionally went in circles (so to cause the evil spirits to lose sight of the cremation)
and the women followed also in circular pattern
as this rod was brought out to raise the utility lines so as to avoid an electrical issue
and the parade continued
as the tower that needed a higher utility line came out. These structure used to be even higher (often up to 30 meters) before electric lines made it impossible to go to these heights.
as the assembled watched
and the procession continued
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and so I focused in
as photos of the deceased appeared
and the group prepared to lift once more
as the next body arrived
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complete with dancing women
and attachments to the structure where a holy man was
and its own music
as the motion continued
and needed to be recorded as movies
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until we arrived at the cemetery where the structures were studied and often climbed upon
as music played
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and structures continued
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with another of the deceased exposed
as groups did the relevant preparations (many of which were beyond my scope of understanding)
and the music played on
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to set the tone
and the secondary structures were put together
though the structures with bodies in them were separated
with the holy men climbing aboard to do further preparations (involving sprinkling of holy water, dealing with organs, ... )
and the structures were admired
before the first fire was set
and raged
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and smoke arose
from the fires.
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Stepping aside, I noticed these coconuts on the ground
together with this more traditional (for my way of life) tomb.
I noted what was left in one burnt structure
as the support structure was lying flat before being prepared
for incineration
after which I walked towards the center of town stopping to admire these stone cuttings
and ending at the Kafe at ARMA for lunch which began with a beer to deal with the heat
accompanied by nuts and eventually followed by a second.
Then I had this salad
and accompanying spring rolls.
Later, dinner was partly a repeat of food I had had earlier with beautiful cone of rice
and curry
followed by dessert
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