Day02 290907 ~ Its cultural day for us; we set out early to sample finer points of the local unique Balinese culture. First up is the Barong Kris dance ~ play represents the eternal fight between good & evil spirit…

The Barong, a badass mythological creature (no pun intended) ~ essentially represents the good spirit, pitted against Rangda, an evil mythological monster (the part I’m trying to play… now if only I can get into my Rangda costume…)

Shrine at the back of the theater… not sure if I’m standing on the correct side; I’ve got plenty of room for another here ~ ^symbolical^

Drop-bys at a souvenir shop (woodcarving & sculting specialty) or two…

Passed plains of sawah padis…

We journeyed up north to the Kintamani highlands

~ to enjoy a scenic lunch overlooking the still volcanic?? Mt. Batur & Lake Batur. The highest point in Bali, Mt. Agung (3,142m) is visible to the east.

On the way down, more interestingly sculptured sawah padis spotted

Photo snapping break is also an excuse for another shopping stop. Bargain hunting becomes effortless when you have expert hagglers as your buddies. When shopping at bargain outlets always go for 1/2 $$ at the least; if you’re good enough you’ll get by paying only 1/3… & get lots of pitiful bankrut expressions from the traders…

Getting swarmed by a crowd of prospective young & old entrepreneurs

Our Bali bus arrives in Ubud…

With its art market, museums & galleries it’s arguably the cultural center of Bali

One of the most reputable restaurants in the whole of Bali. Bebek Bengil ~ literally translates to dirty duck. It’s a crime to have come to Ubud & not dine here…

A chic eatery in the middle of a sawah padi??

The house specialty…. I’ve never been a fan of duck dish, but this it the BEST EVER I’ve tasted.

Most of the islands’ 3.4 million population are of the Hindu faith (93%), the elements of religious influence is evident in every aspects of the Balinese way of life. We visited Pura Goa Gajah next; one of the more famous temple in central Bali.

Men in sarong = when in Roman, do as the Romans do

Sat in for another cultural fiesta before dinner. This time it’s the Kecak Sanghyang dance ~ which portrays the Ramayana stories from the Hindu epic.

A truly captivating unique dance capped with a dramatic closing scene of fire dancing

Unfortunately my trusty old W810i went out flat before the show ended.