As our ship cruised toward our berth, the port of Benoa, Bali is the scene of frenetic
activity. Ships, pleasure craft, jet skis, tugs, commercial boats,
local tour skiffs and para gliders all vying for space on the crowded waterways.
Off in the distance loomed large volcanoes and a huge statue that can be seem in
some of the photos.
Bali is a small island with a predominately Hindu population of 4.0 million, is
surrounded by about 248,000,000 Indonesians, who are predominately Muslim.
Bali is one of 34 provinces which makes up Indonesia.
Derived from Indian traditions, the Hindu practised in Bali is much more relaxed
with a moderate approach to the caste system, which is only a factor in religious
rituals. There are no untouchable, members of different castes can have any job,
can be poor or wealthy and can intermarry without a problem.
Indonesia is the largest archipelago on earth: encompassing 18,000 islands and
sharing land borders with 3 countries: Malaysia, Timor-Leste and Papa New
Guinea.
Visitors must be cognoscente of certain no-no's, like pointing the soles of your
feet as people, or touching anyone with your left hand, as it is traditionally used for
toilet activities. Crossing your arms in front or placing your hands on your hips
while talking is regarded as aggressive also.
Bali has moved to limit population growth through financial incentives, such as
giving the first two children free schooling and each one after that costs $5.00 per
month for schooling. Their medical system costs $6.00 per month per family
member.
We experienced graft in real time today. Stopped by a police roadblock, our
driver slipped a few bucks into the cop's hand along with his driver's licence to
avoid a long, exhaustive personal and vehicular inspection, .
Presto, we were waved through! Seriously...…
Crazy traffic mixture
Greeting by locals at Port

Motor cycles used for family transportation
Note child perched precariously on Mom's hip!
Civet cat, source of world's most expensive coffee. Made from excreted coffee beans
Lush rice fields
Mount Agung, erupted in 1963 killing about 1900
Examples of terracing to utilize land well
Wedding decorations
All Hindu homes have at least one shrine attached to the house.
Torrential rain swamped the area as our day ended. Water up to foot deep!
Fearless motor cycles operators
Heavy rain
Final sailby on March 17, 3:00 PM, as we leave Bali
Howdy
ReplyDeleteJim is back after a month’s absence. I had trouble letting google comment on the blog. I am in. Fabulous stories and pictures!
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