Stunning Olive all dressed up Last term at Pelangi School in Ubud, Olive joined the Balinese dance classes, which culminated in a performance at the school graduation ceremony yesterday. The girls had to arrive quite early before school to get dressed up which included bright make-up, hair extensions with flowers and the outfit. The costumes are so colourful …
The Real Turtle Island
We had planned to go to Sanur for a day at the beach, but as it was overcast we decided to go a little further south to Serangan Island where there was a Turtle Conservation and Education Centre. A giant turtle is there to greet you. As we arrived a volunteer came to meet us …
Singapore Visa Run
We had always planned to do a side trip to Singapore while living in Bali, and previously we have just been on tempting transient visits. Because it is so close and cheap to travel there, it is the country of choice for those needing to renew their Indonesian visa. For us Singapore was not just a visa run, we wanted …
A Supply Trip To Perth
We arrived in Bali over four months ago with a 60 day tourist visa. That meant we had to leave the country before we could stay any longer. On day 60 we headed back to Perth on our pre-arranged trip. It was not only a chance to renew our visa, but after two months in Bali we …
All Dressed Up for a Temple Ceremony
Kadek, one of the staff at the T-House, invited us to join the local villagers for a ceremony last weekend. It was a ceremony for Kalangan, which is the final day of Galungan, a Balinese holiday celebrating the victory of dharma over adharma, and the time when the ancestral spirits visit the Earth. The day before our …
Singapore Photos from 2014
What a wonderful time we had in Singapore. Here are our photo highlights. At the Lsot Wonder water playground. From the Wood's trip to Singapore in 2014Sentosa IslandLooking up to the cloud forest in the dome at Gardens by the Bay. Taken in Singapore in May 2014.Freaky FamilySplashGiraffe spotto
Balinese Traditional Games
Olive has leant some traditional Balinese games from the teachers and friends at school which we thought would be interesting to record and share. The descriptions and images below are by Olive. Bekel To play this game you need a rubber ball, or any small bouncy ball, and 5 or more small pieces, such as stones …
All Quiet for Nyepi
Selamat Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Suci 1936 Saka(Happy Nyepi Day, Holy Saka New Year 1936) Most of you probably didn't know that the Balinese follow several different calendars, and for one of these their new year started on March 31 this year. This calendar is based on the phases of the moon and is approximately …
Foods We Miss
Living in Bali we missed a few foods from home Moving to a new country certainly does provide the opportunity to sample a huge array of different foods, but there are still some things that our western palates find hard to give up, even if it is only for a short time. I have to admit …
Ogoh Ogoh Parade
The day before Nyepi (the day of silence), the Balinese celebrate their New Year. Each village (Banjar) have been building Ogoh-Ogoh for the last couple of months. See our previous post showing the Ogoh-Ogoh statues from the villages around here. These Ogoh-Ogohs are carried through the streets for the Ngrupuk parade, culminating in the ritual burning of them …