ALL IS NOT LOST

Our intrepid group of experienced travelers ventured into somewhat unknown territory this morning with a pilgrimage visit to a rural village Hindu temple complex where we participated in a water purification ritual.

We began, however, with a visit to a restaurant in our guide Manik's hometown where we sampled the speciality roast suckling pig before wandering through a nearby market.  This is much more familiar territory for most of us - and, as always, a great photo opportunity.  This time around, Lee focused on flower vendors and women putting together the small bamboo offering baskets placed on the ground daily seemingly everywhere on the entire island.

Something else caught his eye as well: a series of huge decorated bamboo poles lined up along both sides of the town's main drag, placed there as part of an annual local celebration.  The effect was magical - as the following album of images amply illustrates.

Some Holiday Bamboo Poles 

Then it was on to the Balinese Hindu temple.  Talk about "remote"!  Pura Tirta Sudamala dates back to the fourteenth century ar least and is well known and highly regarded by nearby residents.  Today, for instance, a number of local women were gathered at the temple to put together decorations to be utilized in a major annual celebration scheduled for early May.  The not-easily-reached location of the temple complex has kept it off any visiting tourist roster; that may change.  But for now, at least, that remoteness resulted in a much more "authentic" experience than might otherwise have been the case.

And what an experience it was!  Having changed into sarongs belted with a ritual scarf, we first stepped gingerly into the river while the local priest led us in a set of ritual prayers.  Then we (literally) plunged headlong into the river itself before proceeding to douse ourselves, one by one, in a set of waterfalls springing out of the hillside above.  After drying off, we concluded the ceremony in the main temple courtyard before the sacred altar as another priest led us in the same set of ritual prayers.

Purification at Pura Tirta Sudamala Temple

After all was said and done, we talked with the priest for awhile.  The entire experience was undertaken in the presence of others for whom this ritual represented a familiar undertaking.  No one seemed at all perplexed or offended by our participation.  Indeed the famed ready "Balinese smile" was everywhere apparent.

Eventually we climbed the lengthy set of stone stairs back to our waiting vans and wandered off to lunch - which, in and of itself, proved memorable (especially the banana split sundae for desert and the lovely water garden setting just at the side of our dining pavilion.