Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 31 of 58

Ary - a Balinese Dancer Unmasked

February 07, 2010

Learning Moment: Bali, Indonesia

We spent the morning relaxing in our villa. Private pools are, for me, one of the best reasons to come here. Bali is one of the few places on earth where a normal human can afford a villa with a private pool. And, with the humidity, you want to swim every day.

So, we ate a late breakfast, swam in the pool, and did some reading.

In the afternoon, we headed to ARMA - the Agung Rai Museum. There we viewed the art collection, ate dinner (nasi goreng, with a glass of arak), and had an almost private viewing of a legong dance.

There were six audience members in a small hall for a full gamelan and dance troupe. It was like hosting a show in your living room. Before the show, I happened to meet Ary, the dancer pictured above. It was the first time I have seen a Balinese dancer out of costume. We talked a bit and she let me take her photo.

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 30 of 58

Balinese Dance at Puri Saren Agung, Ubud

February 06, 2010

Learning Moment: Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

You know how they say "You can't go back"?

And, you know how it is mostly true?

Well, doesn't it make it that much sweeter when you can go back?

That's what I'm finding on this trip.

We had a great time revisiting Chennai. And we had a great time revisiting Singapore.

Today, we landed in Bali. It's roughly our 10th visit to Bali. We always worry that it's changed while we were gone.

Bali is one of those places that just feels different. It's a combination of incense, humidity, ocean breeze, grace, humor, and authenticity.

Well, as soon as we landed, I knew that we were back.

And I mean back, as in, back in the arms of a friend.

It just felt right.

Tonight we went to Puri Saren Agung to watch the Legong Dance.

It was stunning, as usual. The gamelan was invigorating, the dancers were spectacular, the audience was appreciative, the night air was sultry.

It was, in a word, Bali.

We had an excellent dinner at Cinta and returned to our room.

The plan for the rest of the week? Lather, rinse, repeat...

Revenge of Lego Glenn

Want to see yourself as a Lego character?

No?

Want to see me as a Lego character?

No? 

Well, too bad...

Lego Glenn is here.

He's a got a big-ass book in his hand and he's not afraid to use it!

You can make your own mini-lego-me here.

Dance of the Legong

As I mentioned, I've been scanning some of my favorite images from the past.
A disproportionate amount of these images are from Bali.
No surprise there... It's one of my favorite places on earth.

If I haven't mentioned the Dance of the Legong, it's only because my vocabulary isn't equiped enough to do the dance justice.
I hope the photo above will suffice, even though I know it won't.
At best it could whet your appetite to buy a ticket on the next plan to Denpasar, where you'd grab a taxi to Ubud and sit in on the evening dance at the Puri Saren Agung.

If you're anything like me, just the sound of those words will set you on a path that will drop you at the feet of the gods and goddesses of Bali.

If words aren't enough, you can find my images of Bali here.

If not.... well...