Bali-Ubud

Dewi Ayu Cottages on Monkey Forest Road in Ubud is quiet and close to the rice fields. We love it. The noise of the birds, the crickets, the huge kites high in the sky.	Goa Gajah (Elephant cave) from the eleventh century. The cave was a hiding place for several days for the Dutch painter Bonnet when the Japanese invaded Bali in early 1942. The Japanese Commander of Bali was an art-lover and could protect the painters from concentration camp up to deep in 1943.
The rice has been just harvested and the offerings to the Gods are on each piece of sawah (rice field)	The mountain bike is a brilliant way to see the land and feel, smell it and maybe hear the gamelan, better than cars and motor cycles.
The harvest is done by the women. In this case they wanted also a money contribution from me for the photograph. Women in Bali often do also quite heavy work together with men, such as road repair and sand mining etc.etc.	Sungai Petanu near Goa Gajah. Some of the rivers are excellent for wild water rafting during the rainy season
Ni Kenyung by lamp-light; the favourate model of Willem Hofker. A Mezzotint made in 1946, one of his first works after the war and based on a painting he made in 1943 when still in Ubud. My father bought this Mezzotint directly after the war. He was on Celebes island in the same Japanese concentration camp as Hofker during the war.	Ni Kenyung, the painting made in 1942, by Hofker and part of the collection of the Neka Art Museum in Ubud, owned by Suteja Neka. The Museum has an excellent collection of Balinese paintings made by Indonesian and International painters
The Ganesha sculpture (God of Wisdom) I bought in Batubulan. It has been sent to Rotterdam through Surabaya seaport. It stands now in my garden in Holland. This sculpture is about 80 cm high and is made of Batu Padas (volcanic tuff stone). It shows Ganesha with his vehicle: the demon Gajamukhaasura he kept under control by changing the demon into a rat.	Sita in the fire proves to Rama and the world that she is innocent. Ebony wood carving made by K.Sutama in Mas, Bali. We bought this wood carving in 1972, visiting Bali for the first time.
Campuan ridge walk with the alang-alang grass that is cut and dried and used for the thatched roofs	Coffee break near Yeh Pulu, Bedulu where we bought a wood-carved Naga (dragon) to bring as oleh-oleh to Holland.
The Gabor dance as performed in Ubud on the thursday evenings by the Panca Artha Troupe.

The small pura at the Water Palace near Tirta Gangga	Pura Lempuyang about half-way to the top during the Kuningan festival on 28 June. Praying and just relaxing on the same location.
The 1700 steps to the top of Pura Lempuyang takes you more than one hour. You will meet hundreds of pelgrims on Kuningan festival, whole families including grandfathers and grandmothers, fighting exhaustion.	This is the top at Pura Lempuyang in the clouds and quite cold at 768-m. Praying here after the exhausting climb on the 1700 steps will have a special impact on your mind and body.