Bali Hindu Temples & Rituals

The "Split Gate" which is famous throughout Bali .... for the main entrance into the temple.



Right next to the above black family temple, is another large family temple as seen in the photo below.






A young woman waves her hand in a circular motion, through the smoke of the incense stick, in front of a small temple.



Hindu priests make their daily offerings and prayers within the black family temple.




A group of women visit their family temple to make their offerings and then to pray.



Larger than life statues of the mystical creatures that roam the island... located within a small family temple.

Is this going to be.....

One of those days?

"Why?" a family's eternal question

Disabilities do not discriminate. Anyone, anywhere, anytime can fall prey to a handicapping condition.



The troubling question of "Why? .... What did we do in another life to cause this?" haunts the family of a disabled child in Bali.




Even those children, living on this virtual tropical island paradise can be born with autism.



YPAC, a local NGO here in Bali, has been addressing the needs of disabled children for over 20 years.



Very basic facility, run by a dynamic woman whose passion in life is to help disabled student become productive members of society.



The classrooms are modest, with extremely hard working teachers.



YPAC provides these disabled children with a place to stay, three meals a day, daily life skills oriented academic instruction, as well as job training and job placement.



Several of the children were affected by Cerebral Palsy.



This young man, although deal, is a budding painter! This impressionist type work of art, caught my eye and I bought it!



Working with these children brought me instantly back to my Special Education teaching role in Rialto Unified. The learning disabilities exhibited by these children mirror those in California: limited ability to remember what was taught, inattentiveness, eye-hand coordination difficulties, the whole spectrum of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic processing disorders, and on and on and on...



While working with a Special Education students in California, I too have frequently asked the question.... "Why? Why this disability? Why this child?" I do not profess to know the answer to the "Why?" question....

All I can say is..... There but for the grace of God.... go I.

Part I: Tales of a traveling rodent

"My wheel is gone! My wheel is gone!"
Cried the furry little rodent.



Rubbing the sleep from its black beady eyes
The bewildered little rodent looked around and cried even louder
"My cage is gone too! My cage is gone too!"
But no one heard the cry of the lost little rodent.
No one other than the perplexed little rodent itself.

For days, weeks, even months
This hard working, conscientious little rodent
Happily ran in a wheel.



That was its job, to run in a wheel.
Every day running, running, running
Strangely enough, reflected the little rodent,
All that running and yet...
I never really go anywhere.



Now on a tropical paradise
Thousands of miles from home
With no wheel and no cage....
The little rodent raced daily to the sea
Sat on the sand and pondered..
"Is there purpose without a wheel?"
"Is there happiness outside the cage?"

The tropical sun rose.
the tropical sun set.
Many times.
The little rodent gazed out at the sea,
And thought about the wheel.



The little rodent's cries of
"What shall I do without a wheel?"
Went unanswered...
Lost to the gentle island breeze.



"I must find a wheel!" Shouted the little rodent.
"I must do something!"

So the little rodent went on a short journey.
A small journey to feel like it was "doing" something.
"I can not just sit!" Mused the little rodent.
"I must do something!"

Part II: Tales of a traveling rodent

For one whole day the little rodent roamed in a new wheel
Even though a tourist wheel .... at least it was "doing" something!
As it...


Feasted at the volcano's feet.


Was entertained by brightly colored masks.


Shopped for jewelry, batiks and wood carvings.


Chatted with sacred monkeys.


Witnessed fire walking.

But when the small journey was over
The little rodent again felt lost...
Without a wheel.
It continued to think about its wheel.
And the purpose the wheel gave it.

The island's high heat and overpowering humidity
Bore down on the little rodent
As it lost all ambition.




Until ..... one day
As it sat on the beach,
Its tiny black eyes
Spotted moving specks on the sea!
"Why haven't I seen them before?" queried the little rodent.
This phenomenon is exciting and something to learn about.
"I've spotted a whole new world!" exclaimed the little rodent.
I've found my new cage!"



Before long, the little rodent
Became quite content to just sit
And watch the specks as they
Darted in, out, over and under the waves!

With a sense of enlightenment
The little rodent realized
"I've found my new wheel too!"
No more running, running, running....
Just sit, stare and enjoy the surf show!

"Maybe ... one day" thought the little rodent
"I too can be a surf dude! And catch the big one!"




Soon however, the little rodent's
Old work ethic kicked into gear.
"A water wheel?" it questioned.
"What's up with a water wheel?"
"How productive is a wheel that surfs the water.... dude?"

Rethinking its plan
The little rodent thought
"I can't swim!"



"Where's the purpose in a water wheel,
If I don't even like water!"

A new wheel of fortune down the drain... the little rodent decided.
But not for long ...

"Why not do what I most enjoy?" the little rodent shouted with joy!



"Surely there are special rodents on this island I can help!"

Bali .... I arrived!

4.7 magnitude earthquake send off at LAX....
20 hours on board China Airlines
Now I am in Bali!



My jet lag is history
Have begun meeting the locals.



Staying in fun funky hotels.



Hoping Ma Nature doesn't surprise me
With a volcanic eruption while here!

A hint of sweet incense....

Sleepily the Indian Ocean awakes
to the touch of the rising sun.
Embracing the still morning air
Hints of sweet incense.



At every house
Business
Intersection....
Holy Hindu temples
Guide and protect.



Daily offerings are made.
Daily blessings are bestowed.



Small as a single cement pillar,
Large as a family courtyard.
Simple as a small cement chair,
Elaborate as thatch roofed wooden huts.



Smiling stone mythological faces
Transcend the past into the future.
All the while observing
As daily offerings of
Food, flowers and incense
Are offered to...
The gods.
The ancestors.



Daily rituals of Balinese life.
Sacred rituals to live by.

Traveling on "the edge!" ..... of the knife?

What fascinating, unique adventures await me in Bali and Thailand this summer.....




Little did I know when I agreed to go on a secret weekend escapade with a group of Thai monks a couple years ago, that I'd literally go under the knife, in a sacred invisible scarring ceremony..... done to protect me "from the dangerous!"

Pack wax or not pack wax?

Will the mustache wax work in Bali?



The school year is rapidly coming to a close and I'm getting ready for another action packed summer vacation filled with exciting new adventures in Asia! For a month I'll roam the "island of the gods"......






snorkeling in the cool blue green pristine waters of the Pacific....



sniffing the sulfur of the red hot molten lava erupting from the volcanos,




listening to the faint sound of bells, coming from a distant Hindu temple,




gorging on exotic, brightly colored delicious tropical fruit .......






I'm also looking forward to linking up with a very large orphanage in eastern Bali where I will teach conversational English to the children staying there.....





And then....

I'll leave Bali and fly off to northern Thailand where I'll live in a tree house and take care of baby elephants! I'm going to be staying in an elephant sanctuary. My first couple of days will be spent in "elephant safety" classes .... after which I'll get to feed the little elephants, go to the river and give them baths ..... and .... well I have a feeling there will be a good amount of elephant poop scooping!



My mornings will be spent on elephant care duty and my afternoons will be spent teaching English to the workers and their children who live at the elephant sanctuary where I'll be staying. The sanctuary is a family owned organization, started 20 years ago in a beautiful mountain valley. The park currently has about 70 elephants.



Baby elephants are so cute! Maybe I can adopt one and bring it back to Redlands!