East Asia

Culture

Bali is renowned for its unique temples that echo those in Cambodia but are generally on a smaller scale.  The small ones are very numerous.  One of the largest is set in extensive gardens and is adjacent to a royal palace in the Badung Regency.

Pura Taman Ayun Temple - 15 km North of Denpasar

This one was not terribly exciting on the day we visited, the main action being preparing little baskets for offerings, but at Tirta Empul Temple the following day there was a lot more colour and movement.

Tirta Empul Temple (Tirta Empul means Holy Spring in Balinese) is near the town of Tampaksiring. Here Balinese go to for ritual purification. The temple pond is fed by a spring, which delivers holy or amritha water. The occasional enthusiastic westerner gets in and gets purified too, even if they are not Hindu and have no idea what is going on.  It's like a Hindu lining up to receive the Eucharist in a Christian Church.  Some people assume it's OK for a westerner to join in with anything. 

In 1973 Brenda fell foul of the local dress rules one of the temples, despite having earlier returned to the cabin to put on a shirt after her bikini had been judged to be excessively revealing by someone on the boat. This seemed odd when venturing into a climate in which as little as possible seemed to be the most comfortable and sensible mode of dress.  As it turned out the shirt was superfluous and so was the bikini top.  The Balinese culture is accepting of bare breasts.  It's bare thighs that offend, presumably due to their sexual connotations.  Thighs should remain covered in public and particularly in a temple.  This was the first time that either of us had experienced a dramatically different culture or our unwitting propensity to offend. 

But nowadays skimpy beachwear and bare legs are everywhere in the tourist areas, so I suppose the locals have to look the other way.  I certainly found some of the tattoos remarkable.

Tirta Empul Temple (Puru Tirtha Empul) dedicated to Vishnu - pretty wet in or out.
The Villa on the hill overlooking the temple with the cool bridge was built for President Sukarno's visit in 1954
It's currently used as accommodation for important guests of the Government.

As I have said, in 1973 Bali looked like a paradise.  But I have since discovered that there is a royal family, descended from the Majapahit Empire that, despite having no constitutional role in the Indonesian version of democracy, still holds sway.  In 1965 the Hindu caste system was violently reinforced, as described below, so the caste system has continued to keep everyone in their place to this very day.