Posts Tagged ‘Bali’

Down Memory Lane: Barong and Rangda

June 11, 2019

Barong, the symbol of virtue and good in Balinese mythology.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice. These images are scanned from slides taken in 1987)

On one of the first days we were in Bali, our group was taken to an outdoor theater to see a traditional Balinese dance drama that depicted the struggle between Barong and Rangda. The dance represents the eternal battle between good and evil.

Rangda, the symbol of evil.

Barong is a symbol of health and good fortune, while Rangda is a child-eating witch who leads an army of evil witches against the forces of good — Barong.

Queen Dewi Kunti and her stepson, who will be sacrificed to placate the anger of Rangda.

In the version of the story we saw, the stepson of the queen was to be sacrificed to placate the anger of Rangda.

Unti, a minister of Dewi Kunti

The king sent his prime minister to deal with Rangda, although he was unsuccessful.  His failure set the stage for the battle between Barong and Rangda.

The dance/drama was definitely interesting and provided a glimpse into traditional Balinese culture.

To see larger versions of these pictures, as well as others from the performance, click HERE.

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Down Memory Lane: Kuta Beach, Bali

June 25, 2015

1987 -- Kuta Beach

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

I spent most of the summer of 1987 teaching in the People’s Republic of China, but before beginning our teaching duties our group was able to spend four days on the island of Bali.

We stayed at Kuta Beach Resort, which seemed like the perfect island paradise to this farm boy from Indiana.  All of these photos were taken at the resort.  The images are scans from slides taken in 1987.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 16 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Bali Skies

January 25, 2013

Bali Skies

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

All of the images are from my archives, scanned from slides.  Back in 1987 I was able to spend several days on Bali.  Bali was just about everything you could imagine  for a south sea island paradise.  The skies, and the sunsets especially, were spectacular.  These photos were taken at Kuta Beach Resort.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 17 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Bali Terraces

November 13, 2011

Rice paddies on Bali. June, 1987.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

When I visited Bali back in 1987, I was very impressed with the terraces that had been constructed to make every possible square inch of land.  These are rice paddies in the mountains of Bali.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 12 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Approaching Storm

May 27, 2011

A storm approaching the island of Bali. June, 1987.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

I went to my archives to get this picture of an afternoon storm approaching the island of Bali.  You can see some sail boats at the extreme right of the photo — they were hurrying to the beach before the storm hit.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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Skywatch Friday: Approaching Storm

March 26, 2010

Storm Clouds Approaching Bali. June, 1987

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

I went to my archives to get this picture for my Skywatch post.  In 1987, on my way to China for the first time, I was able to spend a few days in Bali.  Our group stayed at a place on the beach and we were able to enjoy the sky, sand and sea.  Late one afternoon I was on the beach just before a storm came in.  I like the light breaking through the clouds and the ridges in the sand.

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Scenic Sunday # 78: Bali Sunset

January 10, 2010

Sunset on the island of Bali. June, 1987.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

I decided to combat the frigid temperatures we’re enjoying by looking through some of the photos on my computer which had been scanned from slides taken many years ago.

The picture above helped me feel somewhat warmer.  It was taken in June, 1987, at Kunta Beach on the island of Bali.  I was on a team of college professors who were on our way to China to tech for the summer.  It was decided to leave the States a week early so we (and our spouses) could make a side trip to Bali before entering China.  Scenes like this fit all the stereotypes of what the South Pacific should be like.

The picture above was scanned from a slide.

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I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to travel and see some wonderful parts of this beautiful world.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 17 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 65: Bali

October 11, 2009
A beach on Bali. June, 1987.

A beach on Bali. June, 1987.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

I’m basically a farm boy from Indiana who has been blessed in many ways.  I was able to go to college, became a high school mathematics teacher, get a Master’s degree, teach mathematics in college and then switch to computer science.

In 1985 I began teaching computer science at Heidelberg College in Ohio, and in 1987 I was chosen to be part of an exchange program with a college in China.  The Heidelberg team was to teach during summer in China, but due to a difference in academic calendars we Americans had a couple of free weeks at the beginning of summer.  Since we were to enter China through Hong Kong, it was decided to spend part of that free time in Hong Kong and on the island of Bali in Indonesia.

The picture above is a scan made from a slide which was taken one morning on Bali.  I had gotten up early and walked along the beach past the place we were staying.  I rounded a point and entered a small cove.  This little collection of huts was on the beach across the cove.  I felt as if I had stumbled upon the set of South Pacific!

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 9 Comments »

Bali Sunset

October 9, 2009
Sunset at Kunta Beach, Bali. June, 1987.

Sunset at Kunta Beach, Bali. June, 1987.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

The picture above is a scan from a slide made at Kunta Beach on the island of Bali.  The sun had already dropped below the horizon when the resort turned on lights along the beach.  The green of the lights provided an interesting contrast with the blue of the Pacific and the sky.  The orange glow on the horizon is just an added bonus.

The silhouette on the left is a figurine of a Hindu goddess.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 15 Comments »

Bali Ha’i

December 27, 2008
Sunset on Bali, June, 1987.

Sunset on Bali, June, 1987.

I was a junior member on the faculty of Heidelberg College in 1987 when I was selected to be part of an exchange program with a Chinese university in Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.  A team from Heidelberg would go to Tianjin to teach English as a Second Language and a Chinese professor would come to Heidelberg for the academic year to teach Chinese.

Part of our arrangement with the Chinese included a tour of parts of China, but because of differing calendars the tour was to be held before our teaching session rather than afterward.  The Chinese also invited spouses to come along for this part of the trip.

Although we had two children getting close to college age, I really wanted Elizabeth (my late wife) to go.  So we counted our pennies and signed Elizabeth up for the trip.

It was at this point that two of the senior faculty members decided it would be nice to leave the States a week early so we could visit Bali.  That really stretched our finances since the Chinese weren’t covering that part of the trip, but we scrapped up the money for the extra week and went.

The picture above was taken on Bali at sunset on an evening late in June.  It was like living a scene from a movie.

To see more sunrise and sunset pictures from around the world click HERE or on the logo below.

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Posted in Travels | 20 Comments »