A Tale of Four Cities

The Islands of South East Asia

The Morning Ritual

Photo credits - kcl_seattle

This morning ritual begins with the Balinese women rising well before dawn to prepare for ngejot. It is considered extremely impolite to eat before the ritual, so people will abstain from eating until the ritual is finished. The preparation begins at the same time the morning meal is prepared, and similarly as well – by boiling water and cooking rice.

The Balinese believes that “ngejot” will keep a harmonious relationship between the world of the humans and the world of the Gods, and as such it is a ritual that you would always see every morning in the houses of local Balinese. The ritual is prepared in the kitchen, a sacred place according to Balinese tradition, as well as the various tools used to prepare the ritual offerings.

Photo credits - StrudelMonkey

Once the rice is cooked, it is then time to assemble the “nasi jotan” which will be used as prayer offerings. Using banana palm leaves cut into small squares, the rice is placed accordingly and on top of a traditional holy bamboo tray known as “kumarang”. Additional decoration are placed on top of these rice offering as a way to appease the Gods.

A Balinese lady will then prepare herself for the ritual – she must put on a “kamben”, a traditional Balinese sarong, worn with a “santeng” that is tied around their waist at the beginning of the ritual. The prayer offerings are to be palced around various points of the kitchen and areas of the house as an offering to the God, a way of saying thank you for keeping the harmony intact.

The ritual gives one an insight into the local culture of Bali, a place where religious mysticism abounds, and the magical often comes alive. The Balinese believes that a proper “ngejot” will help the kitchen become a source of protection, and will help repel negative energies or attacks from the world of the spirits.

6 Uniquely Indonesian Festivals

Indonesia is often referred to as the sleeping giant of Southeast Asia, and rightly so. With more than 18,000 islands in its archipelago, there is an amazing diversity of what to see and do while on holiday here.

Modernization has seen development (some would say over-development) wash over Jakarta, while Bali’s tourism continues to enjoy a gradual revival after the horrible 2002 bombing. There is also the mountains of Bromo and the mythical Borobudur for those looking for an off-the-beaten path attractions, as well as more than 6,000 inhabited islands.

Not surprisingly, Indonesia boasts various festivals that are unique to their culture, reflecting the assorted races and traditions in different parts of the archipelago. You’ll find this diversity in the following list of 6 Uniquely Indonesian Festivals, ranging from celebrations of art, batik, to dances and ceremonies. If possible, you’ll do well to catch any one of these festivals during your visit to Indonesia!

Tuping Karnaval and Mount Krakatau. Photo credit - canonian_eos and flydime.

Krakatoa Festival

An annual festival held in Lampung, the Krakatoa Festival is held to celebrate the volcanic island by the same name, Krakatoa. This famed volcano erupted violently as far back as 1927, some of which has resulted in newer smaller islands, named Anak Krakatoa (Child of Krakatoa).

During the festival, one can enjoy various performances such as the Tuping Karnaval (Lampung Mask Carnival), elephant procession as well as assorted dance performances from Lampung and its surrounding townships. The finale of the event is a trip to the volcanic island itself, still active but sleeping dormant for the time being!

Bali Art Festival. Photo credit - saylow's and simon.monk.

Bali Art Festival

One of the largest annual celebration of art and culture in Indonesia, the Bali Art Festival is always, always crowded. It is a full month of daily performances, arts exhibitions and other related cultural activities during which the whole of Bali comes along to present its offering of dance, music and beauty.

This famed celebration offers various performances such as forgotten village dances, trances from remote parts of Bali, food, offerings and handicrafts, as well as new creations from Denpasar’s dance schools and contemporary choreography from national and international artists.

Solo Batik Festival. Photo credit - sarasha and Aming Sutanto.

Solo Batik Carnival

From a long time ago, the tradition of Batik has always had very strong roots in Solo. This central Java town has even taken Batik as its icon and identity, an apt portrayal of a town known for its royal beauty and calm demeanor. The Solo Batik Carnival was held to reinforce this tradition, and further promote Batik in international and national scale.

The event is a combination of ceremonies, fashion shows and carnival, all of which using Batik as a constant theme throughout. There will also be a bazaar offering various Batiks and souvenirs unique to Solo for your perusal.

Solo International Ethnic Music Festival

Another recent offering in Solo is the Solo International Ethnic Music (SIEM) Festival, which focuses on performances and celebration of ethnic music. The event is a unique platform for collaboration between ethnic and modern music, local and international artists. The long list of performers includes artists from all over the archipelago, such as Minang, Riau, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Papua, Kalimantan, and even foreign imports from Japan, Australia, India, New Zealand and many others.

The gamelan, and Yogyakarta's Sekaten. Photo credit - Jungle_Boy and protectglasgow.

Gerebeg Mulud

In Javanese, gerebeg means a crowd of people and mulud refers to one of the month in the Javanese calendar. This event, also known as Sekaten, is to celebrate the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. It is a day-long procession which sees two of the sacred gamelan (a Javanese musical instrument) transported towards the Mesjid Agung (Holy Mosque).

During the night there will be a street-side market in the north side of town to add to the revelries, a great spot to try various Javanese and Yogyakartan foods and hunt for souvenirs.

Papua Festival. Photo credit - jurvetson.

Lembah Baliem Festival

This uniquely Papuan festival traces its root in the belief held by the various local tribe that war is not only a conflict of power and interest, but also a symbol of fertility and prosperity. Since 20 years ago however, the local government has enforced peace between the warring tribes to prevent long-lasting vengeance and loss of life. So instead, the Lembah Baliem Festival was held to replace the war between the tribes.

As you can guess, the main event is the mock-war between the local tribes. Imagine more than 20 different tribes each with 30 to 50 people clad in traditional clothing, spears, bow and arrows and parang! There are also other performances and attractions, such as local traditional games, dance performances, as well as a cookout showcasing the local cuisine.

Vacationing to Indonesia? You may want to check out our other Indonesian-related content, such as the Thermal Hot Pools in Bandung, Seminyak Shopping Guide and Sunset in Tanah Lot, Bali.

Tanah Lot - Temple in the Ocean

The setting sun paints a mixture of magenta and orange against the dark blue sky. As the tide rises, the spectacular sight of the sacred Tanah Lot Temple takes you in and mesmerizes you. But then, a stray tourist passes by, blocking your line of sight. Not long after, a small children accidentally bumps into you.

The magic is gone, and as you look around it’s easy to see why. Tanah Lot has become a victim of its own popularity. Throngs of tourists crowd the place during sunset, its secret whispers no longer closed to the rest of the world.

The iconic Temple in the Sea. Photo credit - Bram & Vera.

In 1998, when I first visited the temple, I could still see it from the road side, before I entered the parking area. Cars and visitors were plenty but not packed, you can still park next to the seashore. But now, the area has been commercialized and developed. Hotels were built to fulfill market demand, and every visitor and car has to pay for entrance.

From the parking lot to the temple, lines of handicraft sellers formed orderly on both sides of the pedestal. Numerous tourists inched their way towards the temple, stopping occasionally to buy various goods and souvenirs. Finally, we reached the beach between the temple and the mainland. Hundreds of people are packed there, but you make do and enjoy the mesmerizing view as much as you can.

A low-lying beach separates the temple and the cliff. Photo credit - night86mare (top) and rief (bottom).

Tanah Lot means Land in the Middle of the Sea. Located in the coast of West Bali, it is one of the sacred temples of Bali which were made to give protection to the island. It was built in the 16th century by Dang Hyang Nirartha, a priest from Java during his travels through south-west coast of Bali. He spent the night on a small island near the main land, and felt a holy atmosphere there. The next morning, he asked the local fisherman to build a temple to worship the God of the Sea on that rock.

Sunset over the Tanah Lot Temple. Photo credit - Hanoian.

The sunset is a popular time to visit, so be warned that the tourist crush can be quite severe. Despite all this however, Tanah Lot remains one of the must-see attractions of Bali.

My suggestion? Splurge a little and enjoy a fine dining experience as you take in the mesmerizing sunset. That way you won’t have to jostle for a spot with the other sight-seers. Stay back later through the sunset, or maybe even come in the wee hours of the morning to catch the rising sun.

Tweaks and Twitter-rific @UnearthingAsia

Hello again! First off, a very big thank you for the people to the right of this screen. Yes, you! Thank you so much for having joined us! As you can see, there has been tweaks and changes in the site layout. The recent week has been a steep learning curve in the art of social media and web promotion, and I’m trying my best to make this site better, so every comment counts – do comment!

This week, my personal highlights to share with you starts with this tale of Riverland Relaxation – which reminds me a lot of my past New Zealand trip. There is a certain charm to traveling in a campervan, you’re free to tweak as much of your itinerary as possible! There is also this list of savory delights you’ll find in India, and the fashionistas’ guide to shopping in Seminyak, Bali’s little cousin.

Outside UnearthingAsia, I’m delighted to have found some like-minded travel-cum-tech geek, Jeff, who hosted his own travel blog on Have Pack. Jeff shares with you tips and tricks for the independent traveler, and I’m hoping to do some guest-posting and vice-versa on his site. We’ll see how that goes.

Bargains to Unearth at Seminyak Fashion Street

Los Angeles has the Rodeo Drive, New York has Madison Avenue and Milan has Via Montenopoleone. When it comes to shopping in Bali however, there is only one place for fashionable trendsetting locals who knows not to judge a book by its cover – Seminyak.

If you can get past the gaping holes in the sidewalk, and there really is no alternative, you can unearth some fashionable treasures along this street.

Many of the designers sell their wares for much higher prices in fashionable cities around the world. In between, along the disabled footpaths, you may also find some rough diamonds that may just be the perfect gift you’ve been looking for that special someone. All part of the fun and games here in Seminyak.

Here are but a taste of the few highlights you can find along Seminyak: