Bali 5k Weekend

This weekend’s adventure took me out of Java and down to the tropical island of Bali. What a world of difference there is, culturally speaking, between Javanese and Balinese life! First of all, the island of Bali is predominantly Hindu (over 90%) and the ways in which religious practice shapes every day life is rather obvious. Daily, locals bring offerings to the temples, flowers and some food tended to be the most common forms of offering. While speaking with an Indonesian friend in Bali, Hasan, I learned that the Balinese will often spend more of their income on constructing or maintaining a local temple than they will on their own housing. The role and function of the Hindu gods is foundational to Balinese life.

Our adventures on Saturday took us to a sacred Hindu place, Mt. Agung. One of Bali’s most impressive geographical sites, Mt. Agung is considered a sacred place among the Balinese. The views from this north Bali landmark were truly amazing. In the photos one can also see the neighboring Mt. Batur, an active volcano, boasting views just as impressive as Mt. Agung.

After experiencing the cool breeze of the mountainside, we traveled to Sangeh to visit a monkey forest. The forest is home to about 600 monkeys, belonging to various kingdoms within the forest. A local tour guide told us how the monkeys elect their chief leader. We saw one chief, a pregnant monkey, and a baby 2-week old monkey.

The last stop on Saturday afternoon was to Tanah Lot, another important site to Hindu culture. At Tanah Lot, Hindu temples sit on rocky cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. For tourists, Tanah Lot is a popular destination for sunsets. Yes, we went primarily for the sunset, but the temple structures had an appeal that no sunset could rival. The evening turned out to be a bit cloudy and the sun disappeared behind thick grayish-blue clouds before hitting the horizon. Perhaps I will return to Tanah Lot some day, waiting for a more magnificent natural wonder.

My 5k race on Sunday was the primary reason for spending the weekend in Bali to begin with. So, early Sunday morning Yvette and I made our way to the Four Seasons on Jimbaran Bay. We arrived in time to see the beginning of the triathalon and watched as nearly 300 athletes ran into the warm waters of Jimbaran Bay to begin the 2+ hour athletic spectacle. A bit later in the morning the 5k took runners through the narrow and uneven streets of Jimbaran, while the last 100 meters or so turned back onto Four Seasons property for a run through the sand to the finish line. Thanks to Yvette I have a photo of me coming down the home stretch in the sand! It was a great experience.

On the way back to our hotel after the race we walked along the beach then made our way through some of the street vendors selling oleh-oleh. Stopping to look around we found some items of interest at a particular stall. Before long, I was speaking Bahasa Indonesian to the vendors and I began to draw a crowd of locals (apparently captivated at my language skills – haha). We chatted in a mix of English and Bahasa for 15 minutes or so and by the end of our conversation I had been given an Indoensian name. Well, really a Balinese name, Candra Wayan. Candra translates as “moon” and means beautiful (the Balinese consider a full moon to be quite beautiful) and Wayan indicates that I am the first born in my family. Candra Wayan, I like the way it sounds.

Now it is back to another week of school in Yogya. It won’t be long, however, until Christian arrives in Indonesia and we make out way back to the magical island of Bali.