Batiking in the rice fields Bali – 2009/2010p

An after school cultural excursions

After returning to school in Aug ’08, after a 4 month long service leave, —-  a month in Bali, and Nepal and two months in Laos,  the students I was teaching at the time, a class 7 and 8 (13 and 14 year olds) noticed I was a little distracted and after a wee slide show of inspiring sights and delights from South and East Asia, I was talked into taking a small group over to Bali for a cultural 3 week excursion the next year.

Despite the many incursions into Balinese life from major religions and colonial powers and now tourism, the resilient Balinese have retained their strong spiritual and cultural life, particularly in places like Ubud,   ——     is this one of the reasons tourists flock to countries like Bali, looking for something lost in our own society in our race to become prosperous, successful and thoroughly modernised.

Those old royal capitals like Luang Prabang  in Laos, and Kathmandu and Bhaktapur  in Nepal manage to retain a flavour despite the onslaught of modern tourism, something we’re all a little guilty of.

Three weeks of early morning strolls in the verdant terraced rice fields , and the days were delightfully filled with   —— Wayan turning up after our dawn stroll in the rice fields with

Wonderful artistically decorated  breakfasts

Batiking under the artistic guidance of Nyoman, like many an Ubudian artisan, incredibly talented and a very capable and encouraging teacher. Images of nature and the Gods flowed from the Tjantings and magically appeared after a patient build up of wax and dyes. No hurry to finish needing to be emphasised to the students and so the days filled with bike rides amongst the rice harvests and the many other activities of the Balinese lifestyle.

Cooking classes or just sometimes eating and resting

Cycling between the villages, stopping occasionally to work with farmers harvesting rice,  ——     not being too sure really, whether we were a help or a hinderance

Watching artisans sculpt, dancers dance and many an evening the sound of gamelan drifting through the streets.

Soaking under hot waterfalls after spending 3 days climbing to the summit and into the crater of Gunung Rinjani on Lombok.

Reflecting on both outings, two groups over consecutive years, and dialoguing with many families who go there for holidays and only encounter the Balinese very superficially, it was a wonderful glimpse into how our lives could be, a balance of art, craft, work, and ceremony all woven together with love for the task and an easy acknowledgement of the spiritual world.