Wolfgang's photos

Canang sari is offered to the God everyday as a form of grateful and thanking for the peace which is already given to the world. The philosophy of the offering is to sacrifice our self because it requires time and energy to prepare the offerings. Adii making sixty pieces of this sacrifice offerings every day and I tried to help her doing this. At the same time I fixed one, Adii fixed 22 of this holy pieces.

Beautiful Penjor are erected to symbolize the dominance of good (dharma) over evil (adharma) as well as to offer thanks to the gods. In addition, penjor show devotion to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his manifestation as Hyang Giri Pati (the God of the mountain). The curved part of the penjor thus symbolizes Mount Agung, the highest mountain in Bali that is considered the home of the gods.

As I set all new photos which I captured from Bali this time a portrait picture of Rita should not be missed. Rita - her full name Ritadeliana - sometimes I call her Ritong which is a Balinese belittlement she likes to be called.

Taman Ayun literally translates as ‘beautiful garden’ and is generally regarded as one of the most attractive temples of Bali. The Taman Ayun temple is situated in a beautiful park with trees and ponds, near the village of Mengwi not far away from my homestay on Bali in Sembung.

Schoolgirls dressed in the costume of Sekar Jepun (flower costume) ready for their performance dance in front of politic officers opening an temple complex in the province Mengwi on Bali. Balinese dancing is obligated to learn for all pupils in Balinese schools.

Another photo from the family of my hosts in the village of Sembung, about which I have already reported many times. Son Mayun was introduced to the Hindu community last June exactly 105 days after his birth at Tiga Bulanan festival. The photo was taken during a temple festival in the small village temple of Sembung in the province of Mengwi on Bali and was put into the forum in the presence of mother and child.

An 11 years old school girl named Gek Shanti is dancing a Legong performance at the Puputan ceremony in Denspasar down town. Gek Shanti learns dancing since she went to primary school. The Puputan festival is an annualy memory for the horrific Dutch intervasion at the year 1906.

Along a side road from the mountain Batukaru to Bedugul the landscape and its paddyfield view is an amazing experience. This local paddies are planted in this place look typically of the high relative size plant if it is compared with other pre-eminent paddy planted by most farmers in Bali.

Before the temple festival in Sembung, the place of my friends an my homestay in Bali. The festival was held by a member of the village community in Mengwi Province, Bali. Mayang has been introducing me to Balinese culture for over ten years. In her honor I dedicate this posting.

By contrast, a term or a name that is now known as “pandawa beach”. It is a white sandy beach with a length of approximately 1 km which is flanked by two pieces small cape on the left and right as a barrier.

Pandawa Beach, locally referred to as 'Pantai Pandawa', is a great addition to Bali's collection of gorgeous beaches, located on Bali's southern Bukit Peninsula Nusa Dua. Most local visitors enjoy being at the beachside but seldom in the water due unpredictable flows makes bathing in the sea quite hazardous.

Already when they're young, learning the traditional Balinese music is common in Balinese society. Gunggus, the son of my friend Mayang, is playing Gamelan music nearly every day.

On January 30, 2018, I passed the currently active volcano Gunung Agung and got to see him well without his often covered cloud field in the morning. He seems to rest, but that does not mean he could bring the next outbreak every moment. The eruption clouds rise up to 2,000 meters in the sky, but rumors about an inflation could not be confirmed so far. The volcano continues for a while, then it sleeps again and all of a sudden the situation can change completely, spitting fire and burning lava. We all hope very much, he spares the beloved inhabitants on Bali this time.

Goa Lawah also known as bat cave is very important to the Balinese Hindu community and one of Bali’s most important temples. It's like Tanah Lot or Pura Besakih one of Bali's key nine directional temples and serves particularly as a guardian against dark spirits from the ocean. According to some tales, the cave has a pathway up to Besakih temple in the north at the foot of Mount Agung.

A big danger are the "lahars." It's an Indonesian word, and it means a stream of mud that develops when the fluffy materials from the volcanic eruption get mixed with rainwater. There's a lot of rain on Bali.. These lahars flow down through riverbeds and valleys and carry huge pieces of rock and debris with them. They can tear down bridges and houses and can even cover entire villages. That's the second big danger from the Agung volcano. The photo is a current documentation nearby the village of Padang Bai.

The dancing girl I posted in her traditional dress of Sekar Jepun and two years before with the mask of god Vishnu. Adii learned dancing in school since she was six years old. Portrait captured in the Basangbe Adventure Park in Tabanan on Bali.

It seems the grandson knows exactly where to go for. Captured during the temple inauguration in Sembung.

The daughter of my Balinese friend dances the Sekar Jepun dance at a temple inauguration and promotion in the village of Sembung on Bali. Gek Adii, the dancer learned the dance in her school, where learning the Balinese dances is a compulsory subject for students from the primary school classes.