Balinese Rice Rice and rice cultivation are at the very heart of Balinese culture.
In Bali, rice is synonymous with food. The word nasi (rice) also means “meal” in Bahasa Indonesia, the lingua franca of the region.
But, rice is so much more than that: it is an integral part of the Balinese culture.
This little Indonesian island has been inhabited by Southeast Asian Austronesian people since at least 2000 BCE. From around the 1st century CE., the development of Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian, Chinese, and Hindu traditions. By 900 CE, Bali was an independent region with a distinct dialect, and Buddhism and Sivaism (Shaivism or Śaivism – a branch of Hinduism revering Shiva) were practiced side by side.
It was also around this time that the people developed subak, a complex cooperative irrigation system which incorporates traditional ecologically-sustainable land management under the authority of the priests in the water temples. UNESCO-listed since 2012, subak“reflects the philosophical concept of Tri Hita Karana,” which translates as “three causes to prosperity” or “three causes of well-being”. The three elements are: harmony among people with communal cooperation and compassion; harmony with God, expressed through rituals and offerings; and harmony with the environment, practiced by way of sustainability, conservation, and balance.
In practice, under subak, the forests which protect the water supply are themselves protected, and temples of varying importance and size mark the source or the passage of water as it flows through a managed system of canals, tunnels, and weirs, to water and irrigate the terraced subak lands. There are about 1,200 water collectives – each with between 50 and 400 farmers – managing the water supply that grows the rice – rice that is seen as the gift of God.
There is another remarkable facet to rice cultivation on Bali that struck me on our recent visit: on any given day, you can see rice at different stages of maturity. According to my 1999 edition of the Bali & Lombok Lonely Planet, there is a legend behind Bali’s continuous rice production:
A long time ago, a group of Balinese farmers promised the gods that they would sacrifice a pig if the harvest was good. They had a good season, and the rice was bountiful, but they could find no pigs. They thought they would have to sacrifice a child instead, until one resourceful farmer came up with a solution: they had promised the sacrifice after the harvest. If new rice was always growing, the harvest would never be finished, and the time for the sacrifice would never come.
To this day, Balinese farmers plant a new field before harvesting the ripening one.
Early into our January visit, we organised to go on a 25 kilometre bicycle ride through the rice fields and villages. Anyone who knows me knows that this is quiet adventurous: I have injured myself in bicycle accidents multiple times across three continents. But, the tour company promised that most of the ride would be downhill, and that the pace would be leisurely.
Our driver picked us up punctually at 7.30am and drove us the two winding hours up hill to the lookout – appropriately named Penelokan, “Place to Look” – where we stopped to admire the view over Gunung Batur before collecting our bicycle guide, and setting off through the rural villages and the many fields of rice.
Mount Batur from Penelokan Penelokan literally means “Place to Look” or viewpoint, and it is a popular place to stop and admire Gunung Batur – the still-active volcano – and its surrounding countryside.
“Follow the Brown Brick Road” We started our downhill ride through a very tidy village near Bayung Gede in Bangli Regency. The equatorial January rains had washed everything – including the sky – clean.
Dwarapala Like every temple and almost every home in Bali, the entrance to the village is guarded by a pair of Dvarapala or gate guardians.
The Golden Silk Orb Weaver Before long, we are in true rural countryside. Our guide Devi stopped at a barn to show us the golden silk orb-weaver spiders (Nephila).
Hindu Family Shrine Balinese Hindu family compounds include an area set aside for shrines devoted to their ancestors. I was allowed to take pictures from the gate, but not to enter.
The Path Ahead Dirt tracks wind through the elephant grass and the jackfruit, banana, and papaya trees.
Mother Hen Our next stop was at a demonstration farm, where we admired the chickens, …
Balinese Cows … the gentle-faced Balinese cows, …
Papaya … and the tall fruiting trees.
Offering House We stopped at a typical family compound in Gianyar Regency …
Carving Tourist Trinkets … where a Balinese couple was sitting carving trinkets for sale in Ubud.
Downward Dog The family dog decides we are no threat and has a stretch as we enter the compound.
Family Patriarch The compound contains separate buildings for the family elders, each of the sons and their wives, and the older children/grandchildren.
Family Patriarch
Matriarch in her Kitchen The compound also contains separate kitchens for each of the families, as well as work areas, and of course, the family shrine.
Hindu Temple: Pisang Kaja Desa Taru We made a brief stop outside a temple …
Rice Paddies … before riding off the village pavement and onto the rutted, muddy tracks between the rice paddies.
Man in the Rice Paddies It was an opportunity to get up close …
Man in the Rice Paddies … to watch the arduous job of transplanting …
Transplanting Rice … rice seedlings into the larger rice field.
Rice Harvest Further down the mountainside, we came across fields of mature rice, and villagers in the process of harvesting it.
Sorting Rice Older women were sorting the the rice from the chaff.
Old Woman Sorting Rice
Tilling the Rice Fields We continued through craft villages, and ended up at an elephant sanctuary (more about those places some other time). While in the stands for the elephant performance, I looked behind us to see men tilling fields; the shrines between the paddies watched over their work.
We had a enjoyable morning: we got an appreciable insight into rural Balinese life; it was – as promised – a pleasant mostly downhill ride; and I didn’t fall off my bicycle!
As we ate our lunch, we had a much better understanding of the cycle of work that had gone into the rice in our nasi goreng.
We said our thanks to Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice.
[…] before about the lush rice terraces with their UNESCO-listed system of water-management (see: A Ride through the Rice Fields and The Many Greens of the Rice Fields); I’ve posted about the food (see: Gado-Gado and […]ReplyCancel
Jeffrey Pine and a Numbered Sign The Woodland Trail is a delightful 1 1/2 mile (2.4 km) interpretive circuit trail in the San Bernardino National Forest, Big Bear Lake, California.(iPhone6)
The rugged San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California are known for their outdoor activities: mountain biking, rock climbing, horse riding…
These days, I’m usually happy with a gentle hike.
Only two hours out of Los Angeles – but a world away – the charming year-round resort city of Big Bear Lake sits high in the San Bernardinos. There are hiking and biking tracks radiating in all directions around the seven-mile long (11.3 km) eponymous lake.
It was early summer – hot and dry – when we stayed there; ideal walking weather. Unfortunately, I was not-long off crutches after breaking my knee, and for the first several days had to satisfy myself with moderate strolls around town. Towards the end of the week, though, my husband and I grabbed our walking sticks and challenged ourselves to the short, but very steep, Castle Rock Trail.
As short as it was, that popular hike had me exhausted and sufficiently sore that I was happy to search out something really gentle for our last day. The next morning, before driving back to the LAX Airport in Los Angeles for our flight out of the area, we treated ourselves to the shortest and easiest hike in the area: the 1 1/2 mile (2.4 km) interpretive Woodland Trail on the north side of the lake in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Join us for an easy ramble in the woods.
Woodland Trail The Woodland Trail sets off at a gentle climb …
Western Juniper (Juniperus Occidentalis) … through the junipers which stretch high overhead.
Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja) The arid soil is home to Indian paintbrush …
Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox Divaricata) … and clumps of phlox.
California Black Oak (Quercus Kellogg) Overhead, the leaves of the California black oak shine in the sun.
California Black Oak (Quercus Kellogg) New leaves on the California black oak come through fuzzy and red.
“Water, Water, Everywhere?” An underground water source keeps thickets of willows alive during seasons of low rainfall. (iPhone)
Desert Primrose (Oenothera deltoides) Everywhere we look, there are delicate wildflowers in the dry earth.
Wildflowers
White Blossoms
Wildflowers
Prickly Pear and Pine Cones
Ignatius Rocks Piles of granite rocks on the ridge provide homes for lizards and snakes.
View over Big Bear The ridge also allows views over the lake and city of Big Bear Lake to the Big Bear Mountain ski runs behind, and through to the grey, bare top of Southern California’s highest peak: Mt. San Gorgonia (11,499 ft; 3515 m) behind. Nicknamed “Old Grayback” for it’s bald appearance, San Gorgonia has an alpine climate too harsh for trees to grow.
Moss on the Trees In the few shadier spots, moss and lichens thrive.
“Twisted Living and Dead” Junipers can grow together over time, with dead trunks being surrounded by living trees.
“Wildlife Tree” Dead trees are an important habitat for many birds and animals.
Lupins on the Verge After finishing our walk, we drove along North Shore Drive towards the Bear Valley Dam, stopping to admire the lupins growing wild along the roadsides.
Yellow Broom on the Verge We stopped again, on CA 330 to admire the foliage at the side of the road.
Yellow Broom The broom smells glorious! Unfortunately, Scotch, Spanish,and French broom are introduced invasive plants that actually contribute to California’s fire risk.
Yellow Broom They are beautiful, though – and tougher than they look.
San Bernardino Mountains We enjoyed one last view back over the San Bernardino Mountains before descending the mountain into the smoggy lowlands and following the highways back to Los Angeles.
It was a most enjoyable and interesting short walk – and a nice way to spend a bit of time before re-entering the madness that is Los Angeles International Airport.
My name is Kim Ferguson and I am the marketing and media coordinator for Big Bear Visitor Bureau. I would love to get a copy of your photo “Sweet Broom on the Verge” to use for a blog that I am doing for Spring in Big Bear.We would give you photo credit on the website.My phone number is 909-866-6190 x 230ReplyCancel
Toilet Shelter on the Mongolian Steppes It was a make-shift construction of rough planks around a hole that wasn’t half deep enough … but it was welcome! (Phone6)
It is hard to know what to say about a day on which one of the high points is a rough-hewn three-sided toilet shelter. For most of our bumpy drive across the Mongolian steppes, we made do with rocks to squat behind. Cross-country travel in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted – or for those who are weak of bladder!
Truth be told, that toilet shelter wasn’t all it was cracked up to be: the open side faced the road, and the pit within it really was not deep enough… But, I love the picture it presents against the sweeping plains.
It was my second day of bumping across the vast Mongolian landscape in a Russian UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) four-wheel-drive vehicle organised by Within the Frame and local guides G and Segi. According to Google Maps, the day’s drive from Kharkhorin to Tariat is about 280 kilometres; that they estimate a travel time of four and a half hours gives you some indication of the state of the roads!
Add to that, the fact that Air China still had no idea where my bag might be and I was wearing bits of borrowed clothing, and you get some of the bedraggled picture. Lets just say, I arrived at the end of the day like James Bond’s martini: well shaken.
Sheep on the Roadway UAZs may be well suited to navigating Mongolia’s roads, but they don’t afford the passengers much of an outlook on the surrounds. I amused myself on the long drives by trying to capture small snatches of views through the front windscreen as we rattled and bumped along. (iPhone6)
Steppes and Highway The first part of our day was on paved ‘highway’. The plains and the skies go on forever… (iPhone6)
Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius Monachus) Huge vultures were thick on the ground at our first stop. They didn’t let me get very close before flying off – this photo is heavily cropped.
Mongolian Ibex Canyon Statue I had to make do with a statue of a male Mongolian Ibex – we never saw a real one.
Tsetserleg We were travelling with our own cook, which meant our meal-stops were anywhere we pitched the meal-tent. This was a mixed blessing: it meant we had great meals, but we didn’t stop in most of the towns we passed along our way, and only saw them from the UAZ windows as we skirted by.
A Nomad’s Ger in the Steppes We made an afternoon stop at a nomad’s camp …
Inside the Ger … and were invited in for dried yogurt.
Dried Yogurt Tasting a bit like hardened tofu, the dried yogurt pieces were strung up around the inside of the ger.
Nomadic Mongolian Patriarch
Pouring Out Homemade Vodka Inside the richly decorated ger, we sample fermented mare’s milk, and buy a litre of homemade vodka poured into a water bottle. That plastic bottle got misplaced in one of the UAZs. Days later, one of our group took a large swig, thinking it was her water. Her choking gasp could be heard for miles!
Milk and the Foal Back outside on the windy steppes, the nomad couple go back to their chores of milking the mares and moving their young.
Young Foal The young horses are tied to a ground rope where they can feed.
Vultures on the Steppes Once again, we come across cinereous vultures; once again they fly off as anyone nears them.
Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius Monachus)
View from the Truck Into the Larch Forest Too soon, we are back in our four-wheel drives. (iPhone6)
Chuluut River Gorge Our next stop was at the beautiful Chuluut Gorge, …
Chuluut River Gorge … about 50 kilometres short of our day’s destination.
UAZs in Chuluut Gorge The autumn-yellow of the larch trees provides a colourful backdrop for our UAZs.
Autumn Larch Trees Larch trees are the dominant species in Mongolia’s remaining boreal forest.
Larch Tree Trunk
Autumn Larch Cones Although they are conifers, …
Wind in the Larch Trees … larches are deciduous: in autumn their needles yellow, then fall off.
Chuluut River Gorge
View from the Truck – Rain Our break at the Gorge over, we drove out of the forest and into the rain… (iPhone6)
When vultures and outhouses are the high-points of your day, you know it has been challenging.
But, our cook Yagaanaa produced another terrific meal – including tiramisu for desert!
That, and a glass of scotch, and I was ready for the next day –
Mongolia is on my short list of places to visit, and fish. Taimen, Amur trout and lenok fly fishing is supposed to be incredible. Plus, wonderful scenery to capture with a camera. Too bad you didn’t get a chance to visit with the locals in their villages. Learned a new word – cinereous. The vultures look huge, but what sustains them? The whole landscape looks sparse in terms of scavenging opportunities. I would love to have a hi-res copy of your Chuluut River Gorge photo (the first one) for my desktop.ReplyCancel
Hi Selim – so nice to hear from you! A copy of the file you asked for is winging its way to your mailbox as we speak; I hope its the one you wanted.
The vultures seem to travel in packs: I suspect there is plenty of food from the herds of sheep and cashmere goats, as well as indigenous herbivores. The birds seemed very healthy!!
[…] the long hours in the vehicle from Kharkhorin (see: From Kharkhorin to Tariat), I was happy to explore the soggy lake foreshore upon our arrival late in the afternoon, and again […]ReplyCancel
[…] said it before: Cross-country travel in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted – or for those who are&nbs… The Russian UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) four-wheel-drive vehicles that […]ReplyCancel
[…] About 30% of Mongolians are nomadic or semi-nomadic, spending at least their summers in their portable ger housing close to their animals’ grazing lands, and living much as they have for hundreds of years. The herds live off the land, and the nomads live off the milk, meat and skins of their livestock. Fermented mare’s milk – airag – is popular, and milking the horses is one of the many daily activities (see: From Kharkhorin To Tariat). […]ReplyCancel
Lucerne’s Octagonal Water Tower Halfway across the Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) – originally built over the Reuss River in Lucerne in 1333 – you’ll see the 13th century Water Tower(Wasserturm). Together, that is some ancient wood and brick!
Lucerne has history.
Of course, every place has a history.
But – as is the case across Europe – so much of Lucerne’s history is still present in the wood, the stones, and the brickwork of the Old City.
Lucerne also has scenery: sitting on Lake Lucerne where the Reuss runs into it, and surrounded by mountains – including Rigi and Pilatus – Lucerne is in a picture-postcard location.
The area has been dominated by Germanic people since the fall of the Roman Empire early in the 6th century; the Benedictine Monastery of St. Leodegar was founded there around 750, and the rest of the community grew alongside it, gaining independence as a city around 1178.
Today, as the biggest town in Central Switzerland, Lucerne is the urban centre for economics, transportation, culture, and media in the region, as well as a popular destination for tourists.
Walking through the medieval laneways of the Old City, it is easy to see why!
Luzern-Interlaken Express We stopped in Lucerne twice – once from Interlaken to the southeast, and once from Rapperswil-Jona, further northwest. Both times, the Swiss trains were clean and efficient – and afforded us magnificent views.
Lucerne Railway Station On our first visit, we were simply changing trains. We had enough time to admire this archway – all that is left of the of the old station, which was built in 1896, but burned down in 1971.
Old Lucerne The medieval Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) crosses the Reuss where it meets Lake Lucerne.
Swan on Lake Lucerne Mute swans (cygnus olor) are a common sight on the lake and river.
Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor)
Medieval Architecture on the Reuss The Old City of Lucerne straddles the Reuss, and many of the buildings either side of the river dates back to the Middle Ages.
Kapellbrücke Several bridges cross the Reuss to link the two sides of Lucerne. The 204 m (669 ft) long Chapel Bridge is the most famous of them.
Kapellbrücke Originally built in 1333, the Chapel Bridge is the oldest covered bridge in Europe.
Petunias on the Kapellbrücke Much of the bridge is actually new, however, having been reconstructed after a fire in 1993.
Kapellbrücke – Chapel Bridge
A Small Price for Music The Rathausquai on the north bank of the Reuss is lined with shops …
Lunch with a View … and restaurants with outdoor seating and views across the river to the Jesuitenkirche(Jesuit Church). This beautiful old baroque building was started in 1667 and consecrated in 1677 – although the onion domes were not added until 1893.
Rathaussteg and the Jesuitenkirche The relatively modern (1961) Rathaussteg (Town Hall Bridge) is a bicycle and pedestrian river crossing.
City Tourist Train on the Rathaussteg
Altstadt Luzern Wandering around the Altstadt (Old City) is a delight; …
Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern Kornmarkt … old half-timber buildings with intricate and colourful murals …
Man in an Altstadt Window … have been retrofitted to house restaurants, shops, apartments, …
Hotel des Balances Weinmarkt … and even up-market hotels.
Altes Luzerner Rathaus – Old Lucerne City Hall
Views from the Rathaussteg
Lucerne’s Octagonal Wasserturm The Rathaussteg allows views to the old 111-foot (34 metres) tall Water Tower and the mountains behind.
Double-Headed Eagle
Van Laack Gesellschaft mit Beschränkter Haftung Tourists admire the old buildings …
Onto the Kapellbrücke … and cross the meandering Chapel Bridge.
On the Kapellbrücke
Historical Scenes In the seventeenth century, the Kapellbrücke was decorated with paintings depicting events in local history.
On the Steps of St. Leodegar Known as “Hofkirche”, the late Renaissance-style St. Leodegar Church (1633) was named for the city’s patron saint.
Movement Just as old buildings intermingle with new, bicycles, pedestrians, and vehicles share the roadways.
Löwendenkmal – The Lion Monument To anyone who has read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, this lion is reminiscent of Aslan, but the Lucerne lion predates considerably C. S. Lewis’ invention.
Löwendenkmal – The Lion Monument Designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and carved from the rock-face in 1820–21, the dying lion commemorates the hundreds of Swiss Guards who were killed in Paris in 1792 during the French Revolution.
In A Tramp Abroad (1880), American author Mark Twain called the Lion Monument “the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world”.
On that mournful note, we walked back across the Old City and crossed the Reuss back to the train station, and rode the Swiss rails out of town…
The Kunene River The dry heat shimmers and the winter colours vibrate on the Kunene River between Angola and Namibia.
It is hot in the northern reaches of Namibia.
Very hot.
Even in August, in the middle of the dry, winter season, when night temperatures can drop below 10°C (which is pretty cool when you are camping!), the sun rises early and bakes the arid landscape. By mid-morning, the daily highs of 30°C+ have already been reached.
I was tenting at Omarunga Camp, within earshot of the magnificent Epupa Falls on the Kunene River (see: Landscapes of the Kunene). Our trip-organiser, photographer Ben McRae had a shoot planned for the late afternoon, and it was tempting to sit out the heat of the day in the shade, watching the birds on the Kunene riverbank.
But, Omarunga offers an afternoon guided walk upstream along the Kunene River in search of crocodiles. After too many miles bumping across Namibia’s rough roads, a leisurely walk was just what the doctor ordered!
Crocodile on the Kunene River Another tourist with binoculars pointed out the crocodile sitting, almost invisible with its mouth open on the rocks in the middle of the river; truth is, I thought it was a fake, until it closed its maw and slithered out of sight!
Angola across the River The Omarunga Camp common area, attached to the restaurant and bar, is a delightful place to sit on the banks of the Kunene River…
Mourning Collared Dove (Streptopelia Decipiens) … and watch the native birds …
Finches, Blue Waxbills, and Laughing Doves … who take advantage of the seed and water left out for them.
Golden Weaver (Ploceus Xanthops)
Golden Weavers (Ploceus Xanthops) I could have watched the various birds for hours!
The Yard Outside the tourist campsites and cabins, the homesteads are modest.
Donkeys Dainty donkeys scrabble around for food in the dry ground.
Young Himba Men Bathing This is Himba territory; as we round a bend, we come across a group of young men with their distinctive hairstyles.
Local Guide Our guide stops regularly to point out plants that have medicinal or aromatic uses.
Crocodile Tail He also spots a crocodile – who declines to show us anything but its back end.
Petroglyphs Rock carvings dot the sandstone all along the Kunene River – probably made by stone-age hunter-gatherers around 6000 years ago.
Mountains in the Distance The water is so quiet here …
Rock in the Kunene River … that the reflections shimmer in the heat.
The Kunene River The calm is so different from the noise of the falls just a few miles downstream!
Kunene Scrub The 1,050 kilometre-long river is one of the few perennial rivers in Namibia, …
Succulent … and the plants on the riverbank are clearly adapted to the arid climate.
Tourists on the River
Crocodile Finally! Just before we have to turn around and head back to camp, we spot the front end of a large crocodile.
Top of the Falls I got back to the campsite and followed the waters to the top of the falls, …
Epupa Falls … where the nature of the river changes completely, as it races roaring through a primordial landscape of baobabs and into a deep ravine.
In Search of a Location To round out a day on the river, we are headed further downstream in search of a location to make portraits of two traditionally-dressed young Himba men (see: Himba Model Shoot).
The landscapes in the different regions of Namibia all have real and discrete personalities.
The Kunene River is no exception, with each section distinctive from the next.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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But, our cook Yagaanaa produced another terrific meal – including tiramisu for desert!
It was a very lovely day of cycling
[…] before about the lush rice terraces with their UNESCO-listed system of water-management (see: A Ride through the Rice Fields and The Many Greens of the Rice Fields); I’ve posted about the food (see: Gado-Gado and […]