Galungan in Bali

Today is Galungan in Bali. My friend Trisna who recently married Bert fom Australia, sms’d me ad siad she was lonely up inthe vilage near Besakih. Bert returned to Australia and she’s twiddling her thumbs right now. For a Balinese person, I would imagine spending Galungan away from Bali to be even worse. This afternoon the streets in Seminyak were visibly quieter than normal, due to the fact many Balinese had gone home to their villages. One of the best things about Galungan is the penjors that line the streets. Anywhere you go in Bali the day before Glungan you will see villagers sitting by the side of the road making penjors. Its sort of like the Balinese Christmas tree.

Walking around Jl. Seminyak this afternoon, one could admire countless offerings local people had set out on this special day. Banana leaves with rice and flower petals representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were to be seen, as well as other decorations at the base of the penjors.

On the beach in front of Pura Petitenget locals enjoyed the time off of work, corn and sate vendors doing some business. This evening in Kuta was crazy. Half of the food places were closed for Galungan, but there are a quite a few tourists in town. Result: Any place that was open was full. I rode around for 20 minutes looking for a place with a seat. People were lining up outside Gong Corner. After parking on Jl. Benesari and walking into a place, I was beaten to the table by 2 surfers, having to leave and go next door. Crazy night, but good for those businesses that were open.