Indonesia day 3 – Ubud, Bali

We are having some difficulty on deciding upon an itinerary for our visit to Indonesia. We had originally planned on spending at least six weeks here and visiting three of the islands – Bali, Lombok and Java. The restrictions imposed by a 30-day visa have made this look rather ambitious, but what to cut out? In the meantime, there is plenty to occupy us in and around Ubud. There is a rice paddy walk just north of the village and we discover that this is where the urban sprawl stretching around the capital, Denpesar to the south, peters out and the real countryside begins. A paved street off the main street gently climbs up into the hills above Ubud and the lush, green of the terraced rice paddies. And how beautiful it is! The walk meanders through the paddies which are in varying stages of cultivation, some lying fallow under water, some bursting with green shoots, others harvested and waiting ploughing and replanting. There is lots of activity as farmers maintain the sophisticated irrigation system and tend the fields. Most of the cultivation is done manually including the ploughing, harvesting (with scythes) and threshing and winnowing. Occasionally, a ‘Japanese cow’ (Balinese for mechanized plough) can be seen in the fields, but that seems to be a rare beast. Large numbers of ducks congregate around the paddies foraging for food in the murky waters. The walk takes along narrow paths that run alongside the paddies and the edge of irrigation channels passing several artists’ and silversmiths’ workshops which sit rather incongruously in amongst the rice fields. Although it’s hard to imagine anyone, even tourists, stopping to buy one of the huge pieces of art on display and then attempting to carry it across the rice paddies back to Ubud several kilometers away!  

This evening we go to our second dance performance, this time in the grounds of Ubud Palace, the home of the local royal family. Tonight’s performance is a series of Legong dances supported by a gamelan orchestra. The orchestra is seated on either side of the stage and is composed almost exclusively of percussion instruments: drums, gongs, xylophones. All the musicians are in identical traditional dress of sarong, green jacket and head scarf. The performance begins with Kebyar Ding instrumental; a fast and furious rendition from the orchestra. This is followed by six dances (The welcome dance; warrior dance, Kraton dance; Taruna Jaya dance; the Bumblebee dance and; Topeng Tua Mask dance) performed in the usual Balinese style by dancers in beautifully elaborate costumes.  

The Welcome dance (Panyembrahma) symbolizes the joyful reception of the gods who attend a temple festival. It is performed by a group of young girls making identical movements. At the end of the dance the dancers throw flowers towards the audience as a gesture of welcome and blessing.
Baris/Warrior dance is a traditional dance glorifying the manhood of the triumphant Balinese warrior.  
Legong Kraton dance is a classical dance which is performed by three female dancers and depicts the story of King Lasem’s desire for the unwilling Princess Langke Sari.
Taruna Jaya dance expresses the changing moods characteristic of the transitional period experienced by any youth in Balinese life.
Oleg Tambulilingan/Bumblebee dance is representative of the traditional Balinese love story. It symbolizes the courtship ritual of two young Balinese.
Topeng Tua Mask dance has a variable number of characters depending on the story depicted. In this case the character of an old man, the Topeng Tua is portrayed.