Malik Watkins's Bloglines

Again, this morning…the adhan sounds off…however, this time I am up packing for the next stop.  The cultural immersion of have experienced in Tulungagung has been provided some self-awareness that I will pull upon for many years to come.  After the adhan, I feel the urge to hear a bit of music…of which I have not listened to since being gone.  However, nothing is really matching the moment…until I stumble upon some Sade….and R. Carlos Nakai….Nakai is an expert on indigenous types of music…and well, if you understand Sade…then you can understand this moment…somewhat missing this place already…at the same time I am in learning mode…forward I go….

I am told that Bali is called the Island of the Gods.  When I first heard this I was looking out the window at this mountain…thinking about the relationship between Gods and Mountains.  Then it was said that it is referred to as that because everything and everyone has a God to represent it.  I was now shifting from an Islamic culture to one based on Hinduism.  Exciting…to say the least….inspiring the inquiring mind….

Landing in Bali, outside of the weather 🙂 , one of the first things that jumps out at you is the unique nature of the amazing statues

Of course, there are plenty of scooters!

These are common sights all over the Island of Bali:

All over this island, you tend to see a lot of these spread out.  These are offerings made each day….

Much of the architecture/statues reflect one of the God’s or associated beliefs in Hinduism….

And, many of the homes, public areas, and temples will have a statue of a god placed in front of it.  You will also find structures that represent the beliefs of ancestors/family members.  This allows for respect to be given to a particular god on location without having to travel to a distant area.  The elephant represents: Lord Ganesha…Hindu symbolism, rituals, and meanings are extremely extensive and deep…thus, I won’t go into that here…if you want a primer…then check out one of the primary texts.

While I am being immersed in the cultures associated with multiple religions, I’m not going to dig down into each of them to explore their efficacy.  This is strictly educational.  However, I will post some extensive pictures of the temples….those are definitely worth seeing.

These last several days have left me full!!!!  So, admittedly I am looking forward to some down time…ok…down time in Bali…Back up fool….don’t hate 🙂 laughing…

the pool is exceptional, I might add…

The statues on the side of the engravings on the wall are meant to protect the water bearers overlooking the pool….I enjoyed their company indeed…This beautiful hand engraving sat next to the door and was part of the view during morning coffee….exceptionally skilled artisans….

The same can be said about the skill needed to construct the doors.  Ok…and admission…I have scars all over the top of my head because of misjudging the height of the entrance…you would think that after all these years of being this tall…I would have that figured out…I grew frustrated after a bit, because my head was bleeding….and all noted up….other than that…my Dr. would be proud…stress and blood pressure down… 🙂

ok….a friend of mine back in college…his nickname was “Chill”…I’m gonna borrow his nickname for a few days…you can call me Malik in a few days…for now…just call me “Chill”  🙂  later….

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