Friday 3rd February
Stephen arranged for us to spend the day at Bali Safari & Marine Park, included in the package is transfers, lunch, & tickets to the Bali Agung Show as well as a half hour ride on an elephant! Our journey involved more of the frenetic & unpredictable Bali traffic. Although places are not too far away they take a long time to reach. There are no trains lines because they are straight line routes that could not be achieved here as holy land cannot be crossed, thus I guess the roads run on circuitous routes too adding to the travelling time. The Balinese place region & its duties & rituals before all other considerations. The village elders have supreme power & are respected in all areas of life. Their main aim is to lead a good life so that in the next life they are perceived to be good people. They believe spirits are present everywhere & Stephen told us they will close their eyes & lift their hands above their head in prayer as they drive over a bridge, to appease the spirits who live under the bridge. If they crash, then they didn't pray hard enough! Illogical & strange to Westerners, but their sweet nature & calm demeanour is endearing.
The Safari Park far exceeded our expectations & is well managed & involved in caring for endangered species. With educating the public about conservation high on its list of priorities.
Having been really excited at the prospect of riding on an elephant, we were not disappointed & these beautiful Sumatran elephants seem well cared for by their keepers who treat them with great respect. Another Balinese trait is to consider all animals & never harm them. Many of their gods take animal forms & elephants rank high on the list. The joy of feeding bananas to Api, our elephant takes some describing.
Lunch was spectacular, not so much for the food as for the setting – an African themed restaurant with glass walls to one side onto the lions' paddock. One of the lionesses came to drink from the moat, right by the tables. The male watching close by.
The best was yet to come, the Bali Agung Show. A cultural spectacle staged in the purpose built theatre that seats 1200. The stage was at least 100m wide & half as deep – including a water filled area at the front of the stage that a small boat rowed along in one scene. 150 performers told a traditional story of love, heroism & revenge, featuring theatre, mime, Balinese dance, large scale puppets, shadow puppets, amazing scenery, traditional musicians, costumes & lighting & water effects as well as live animals including 5 elephants, a leopard, goats, a camel, ducks & tropical birds. This famous story depicts 2 of the major Balinese gods & their effigies are paraded through the streets of n Bali every 210 days warding off bad luck & evil spirits. (No photos allowed )
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