Something to Declare

Post No. 5: If it’s Sunday, this must be Seminyak.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Yesterday (Saturday) we left Ubud for Seminyak, a beach resort town located on the southern tip of Bali. Our stay was geared to avoid being on Bali during Nyepi on March 22. Nyepi is the Balinese Day of Silence. It’s a Hindu holiday, celebrated every year on Isakawarsa (the Saka New Year). During Nyepi, everyone (even non-Hindus) are required to maintain silence, to avoid eating, lighting fires, working, engaging in entertainment, or traveling.

We left Ubud by bus, with a stop at a place where they make Batik, the characteristic Balinese fabric, by hand.

We were inspired to do some local shopping. Stef bought a dress, and I bought a white shirt with batik hemming. Also purchased an udeng (pronounced “Oo-dong”), which is the characteristic Balinese men’s headdress. The Balinese udeng is not just a fashion accessory, we are told, but rather an expression of the concentration of the mind, with the right side higher than the left, to show the priority of Good over Evil.

Very becoming, no? The udeng should go well with the shirt and the souvenir sarong they gave us in Ubud. Not sure what would be an appropriate occasion to wear this back home (Passover, anyone?).

On the way to Seminyak, passed the ubiquitous, enormous monuments to the various gods.

This morning, we took the bus to a tour of a Balinese village. The traffic came to a standstill to allow a procession to the ocean, in preparation for the upcoming Nyepi.

Eventually we arrived in Umabian village, a traditional Balinese compound, surrounded by rice fields.

We visited a local market,

and stopped at the Puri Taman Sari resort, where we had a delicious lunch served on banana leaves crafted into bowls.

Tomorrow we’re off to Yogyakarta on the island of Java!