Bali-days 2

"...and then the lightning flashed and the thunder roared"
Don't Pay The Ferryman, Chris de Burgh

At 4am we were woken by the thunderstorm - to be expected if you visit the island during the wet season apparently.

Decided to make inroads into the sightseeing today, beginning with the Barong Dance, a story-telling dance of the fight between good and evil - with a couple of comic asides thrown in by the performers.  The dance blends myth and history into one reality.  The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerrings must be presented.

On the way to our second destination the traffic just stops.  The driver explains the local Hindu community have a procession to the local temple for their service and to make offerings.  It's a colourful parade of multicoloured flags and parasols with enormous baskets of offerings being carried on the shoulders/heads of the faithful.  Some are walking, others in groups in the backs of small trucks and pickups.  An unexpected bonus as it gives a more realistic picture for me of the real Bali beneath the tourist attractions.  That said, our next stop is GWK Cultural Park, with its enormous statues of Vishnu and another 150m high statue still under construction - the current one is a mere 23m high!  As we were leaving we were approached by a couple of locals doing a "survey" - then the pitch started for a Timeshare... They are very good at it but we excuse ourselves and wander off, seen it all before.

We finish our day sightseeing with a visit to Uluwatu, a temple on the 250 foot  cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean.  We were warned about the monkeys grabbing anything that looked interesting - sunglasses, cameras etc.  We thought we were well prepared, then K found them showing an unhealthy interest in her sandals, which had shiny "stones" set in them.  Then this strong wind suddenly surges down the hill and the skies look quite threatening, dark clouds gathering so we head back to the taxi in time to miss the rain.

Still feeling the effects of the jet lag - not to mention the heat and humidity - so by about 3pm we are ready to get back, K has a massage booked for 5pm, I have an appointment with my bed.