So recently I got to climb on of the volcanic mountains in Bali call Mt Batur with some of my friends. We started early in the morning so that we could be at the top for the sunrise. It was a fairly easy hike but it was extremely beautiful. At the top there are still volcanic craters that emit hot steam so there is a small shop at the top of the mountain where you can buy banana sandwiches and hard boiled eggs that have been boiled in the mountains steam craters.
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| My friend Rasta and I at the top of Batur |
Also on top of the mountain were large groups of monkeys who, depending on the mood of the hikers, were being fed copious amounts of junk food, sleeping in the steam cracks and just living a good life as far as monkeys are concerned.
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| Pastry Monkey |
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| Ramen noodle monkey |
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| It felt cruel to be eating a banana sandwich and not give at least some the the monkeys |
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Chip crumb monkey (my personal favorite)
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Along with the mountain I also got to visit a village where they still stick to the ancient Balinese custom of not burying or cremating their dead. They kind of just leave them out in a certain area and cover them in a little bamboo tent. While a little bit more gruesome then the monkeys and hard boiled eggs of Mt. Batur it was still very interesting.
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| Entrance to the "burial" area |
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| Skulls of the villagers ancestors |
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| Newer bodies under the bamboo tents with all their offerings |
As for school, right now we are learning traditional balinese dance, the dance is called "Narii Baris" and we are practicing in large groups and performing for the culture teacher soon. Its pretty simple dance but it is mean to be do in a large group which makes it look more impressive. The teacher hasn't really told us much of the origins or the history but what I do know is the guys get to use big spear things during the performance so i'm excited for that.
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| Practice in the auditorium |
Well thats all for now, I'm going to be moving host families soon so my next update will be from a new location, closer to the center of Denpasar.
