Balinese Dance

Balinese dance and music are part of the cultural heritage in Bali.  Many of the dances are rooted in the Hindu religion and the ancient stories.  While in Bali, we were able to attend three different performances.

The first was the Barong Dance performed by the Semara Kanti troupe, with music accompaniment on the gamelan instruments. I didn’t completely follow the story line, but was surprised by the violence depicted.

The second performance we witnessed was the Kecak Fire and Trance Dance performed by the Padangtegal Kaja troupe.  One of the unique aspects of the kecak dance is that the gamelan instruments are not used.  Instead a choir of one hundred men provides the music behind the dance. Near the end of this performance, a fire it lit in the middle of the performance area (a little scary) and a dancer made up like a horse walks through the fire and kicks the coals.

The last performance was my favorite, the Legong Dance performed by the Bina Remaja Troupe. The costumes and make up of the performers were very elaborate.

All of the performances were very interesting.

12 Months to the Double Nickel

January is the time many people make resolutions to make changes.  It’s easy to make the list, hard to keep with it.  I’m at the age where I need to make some lifestyle changes to make sure I keep getting older!  I’ve been reading Zen Habits with interest.  The author has been making changes in his life, one a month, and writing about it.  I want to do something similar this year – nothing drastic, just some common sense healthy changes, one at a time.

This month I’m trying to be more consistent about exercising.  Walking outside can be a challenge in Hokkaido in winter, but I’m taking some tips from Karen at walktalk.  The Chicago area is getting some Hokkaido-like snow and colder than Hokkaido temperatures and Karen is staying motivated and dedicated to her walking routine.  I’m reading, learning, and trying to follow her example.

Stitching Pears

I was able to put in the last two rows of stitching on this pear.   I think I have five of the 12 pears stitched.  When I have all 12 stitched, I’ll decide how to finish finish all of them.

Eating (and Drinking) in Bali

Breakfast was included in both of our hotel packages.  In Ubud, we had fresh fruit every morning, and the hotel staff would make eggs or a banana pancake to order.  I love watermelon (which is very expensive in Japan) so that is what I ate every morning.  At the hotel in Sanur, there was a full buffet breakfast.

 

The museums offered a drink or a drink and dessert as part of the admission price. It was nice to take a break.

 

We really liked the Warung Palau Kelapa restaurant near the Neko Art Museum.

 

On our all day trip around the island, we had a buffet lunch.  The food was so-so, but the view of the volcano was very nice.

 

Ted had a duck dinner one evening.

  Seafood pizza was very good and very inexpensive. We ate it several times.

 

Ted had Australian beefsteak a couple of times. Cheap in Bali but expensive in Japan.

 

We ate well on this trip.

 

And in case you are wondering, Ted approved of the local beer, Bintang.

 

 

Work in Progress Wednesday - the Dragon is Back

One of my New Year’s Resolution projects this year is the Moon Dragon.  To keep myself accountable and working, I’m going to try to post each week about my big projects.

This week I’ve been working on couching the outlines and dividers for the wing patches.

 

Check back next Wednesday to see if I can keep this up.