THE ESSENCE OF BALI

We just got back from three weeks on our belated honeymoon in Bali, Indonesia. Bali is a fascinating island full of natural beauty, art, great food, and friendly people (basically the opposite of China). We stayed at some of the most interesting hotels we've ever been to, and were overwhelmed by the amount of great art being produced there. If it wasn't for the crazy traffic I'd say it was a perfect place. The pictures above capture a bit of the feeling of the place. 

THE OCEANS OF BALI

It was sure nice being near the ocean again in Bali. We explored all over the island, staying in the costal towns of Seminyak, Uluwatu, Candidasa, and Amed. I think Amed, shown in the last photo, was our favorite. It was remote, had great snorkeling, and was amazingly beautiful. If it wasn't for a nasty case of "Bali belly" we would have stayed there much longer.

BAMBU INDA RESORT UBUD, BALI

Bambu Inda near Ubud, Bali is perhaps the most interesting resort I've ever stayed at. It was created over many years by Canadian jewelry designer John Hardy. He originally started collecting old Javanese wood houses and scattering them around his property to house guests who would come to visit. Each house was painstakingly disassembled and labeled before being shipped and reassembled at their current location. Each is unique, though they all share a rustic simplicity. They are decorated very minimally with antique wood furniture. The bathrooms tend to blur the line between inside and outside with open air showers and earthen walls (like the one shown above). Water is also an important design element. The first house we stayed in, called the Udang House, is built over a shrimp pond and features a glass floor illuminated by blue lights that allows you see down into the water. The second house, called the Kolam House, is built on a koi pond and features four large rocks rising out of the water that lead you to the front door. It has a large open air shower where you can see stars while showering at night. In total there are eleven unique houses on the property, along with 2 bamboo long houses and a very cool "natural" swimming pool complete with rope swing. It is simply amazing what you can do with a refined aesthetic and boatloads of cash.     

HAVING MY FORTUNE READ BY KETUT LIYER

Ketut Liyer has enjoyed a decent degree of fame thanks to a little book by Elizabeth Gilbert called "Eat, Pray, Love". In the book, Ketut tells Gilbert that she will be married twice and will loose all her money. Of course both these predictions prove true. Though I read the book, it was not what led me to Ketut's house. Rather, my favorite painting in a nearby museum was painted by Ketut (he is multi-talented) and I went to his house to see his paintings. There was one painting at his house that I liked, and I was told by his son that it was $20,0000. A quick google search later and I understood the inflated price. I didn't buy it, but did spend $25 for a reading. Other than incorrectly being told I was impatient, the reading was overwhelmingly positive. Ketut said I would be married only once, have two children, would live to be 100, would be successful and rich, and would have a career in either writing, publishing, business, computers, or as a hair dresser. I was skeptical at first, but how could a complete stranger know about my passion for hair?

MONKEY FOREST UBUD, BALI

The Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali is a place where you can look at old temples while being surrounded by crab eating macaque monkeys. The monkeys are extremely used to humans and are known to exploit the weaknesses of naive tourists. They will take food out of your pockets and try to grab your backpack. They left me alone as I think they sensed I was trying harder than most to capture their "true selves" with my camera. Here are some of my favorites.  

COCKFIGHTING IN BALI

One day while out exploring in Bali, I came across hundreds of scooters parked on the side of the road and people crowded underneath a big blue tarp. After a closer investigation I stumbled upon an Indonesian pastime: cockfighting. Though it might seem cruel to some, I was intrigued by it. Cockfighting roosters are among some of the best cared for animals on the island. They are raised on special diets and are over a year old before they fight (chickens go to the slaughterhouse after about two months). The fights themselves last only a few minutes, as the roosters have large blades tied to their feet. Immediately after the fight, the losing rooster is butchered and cooked. I was told the meat is delicious, though I never tried it. The fights I saw were for sport, and men bet on average around $5  each match. Cockfighting is also done for ceremonial/religious reasons here in Bali. It is not uncommon for men to get seriously injured for getting too close at a match and indadvertedly catching a flying blade.    It was for this reason that the locals seemed worried by my decision to use my fast 35mm prime lens to document the matches.

MEET BATUAN ARTIST MD TUBUH

I saw my first Batuan style painting (named after the small village in Bali that produces them) in 2006. It was hanging in the office of my then boss. I was fascinated by the colors and the amount of detail on the canvas. It was that painting that first gave me the idea to collect art from my travels around the world. So I was super excited seven years later to visit the town of Batuan and hopefully add one to my collection. 

Unfortunately I was not the first to appreciate the beauty of these paintings. Their popularity with collectors has made them rather expensive, but even worse, has kind of corrupted the whole art scene of the town. The worst offender by far was the Batuan Art Museum. I thought the museum would be a good place to start investigating this type of art. My plan was to walk around the museum and write down the names of artists I liked, and then see if anyone could point me to their homes. I visited the museum three times, and each time someone from the museum would walk around with me and would tell me that if I liked a certain painting that they would personally take me to see the artist. Though that might sound unusual, this is how friendly most people in Bali are. The only problem is that the museum served as a front for a nearby private gallery owned by a wealthy man named Dewa Gede Gautama. I was taken to his private gallery twice when I asked different people at the museum where certain artists lived. It was clear to me after my second visit that Gautama resented my desire to buy art directly from the artists that make it. It wasn't until my third visit to the museum that I discovered that it was a private institution and that Gautama owned it!

Even though it was frustrating, I stuck with the search and eventually stumbled upon the home of painter MD Tubuh. He is an older artist with a gentle disposition. It was that easy going personality that led him to become a popular teacher of the current generation of painters. I was fortunate to buy the bottom painting from him, though I really like the one above it too. The paintings take about eight months to complete, and start with a rough pencil outline that is then made permanent with ink applied by bamboo pen. Lastly, color is added. Nothing is rushed. Artists always wait for inspiration before touching the canvas. Because of the time involved in creating them, there is a very real concern that this art form will die out in the near future. Coincidentally, the paintings are also famous for featuring a way of life that is also in danger of dying out as island life begins to look more and more like Western life.

One other interesting fact: The inland towns of Ubud and Batuan originally began to produce art as a way to attract tourists that were coming to Bali to enjoy the beach. This beautiful art was born out of a desire to bring visitors inland and hopeful make a few bucks in the process. 

THE POOLS OF BALI

These are a couple of our favorite pools from Bali. From top to bottom:  1. Umah  Watu Villas, Seminyak  2. Temple Lodge, Uluwatu  3. Bambu Inda, Ubud  4. Umah Gran, Ubud.