This is a huge mural painted in the lobby of the hotel!

We visited an uberhip gallery in the W Hotel that represents many Bali artists. Mom and I liked the work of Dodit Artaman who does massive paintings of Barbies with bottles of gin.

The road to the entrance of the W Hotel is enveloped in bamboo.  Mom and I made our way to the sidewalk and began to stroll towards the center of town. Along the way we went into shops and browsed the shelves because we could. Because it was only Mom and me. Tuck and Jones only a distant memory. We found that most of the stores were air-conditioned, so along we went going from one store to the next, trying to escape the heat.

Bamboo arches over the long entrance drive into the hotel.

We stumbled upon a cool art exhibit in a coffee shop displaying dozens of pieces by Yaari Rom.

Seminyak is on the coast of Bali, so it is a super surf hangout with the cool, hip, relaxing vibe of an upscale beachy town. As we were nearing the middle of town,  we noticed this small outdoor marketplace. Unlike the souks of Marrakech, everyone there barely batted an eyelash as we walked through the stalls. With a friendly, non-accosting exchange, we bought a few gifts for cousins and then headed to this trendy restaurant for a light snack.

Cool street art on every corner!

Afterwards we met our driver, who took us back along the narrow roads and past the rice fields to our place in Canggu.  As we turned into the driveway, we noticed that even the contraptions made to keep the birds away from the rice had an artistic flair.

It is a little like flomigo dancing in Spain because every one has a serees fasee [serious face.]  But in flomigo dancing there’s a lot ov stomping and in balonis dancing they tap there tos vary cwitliy [quietly.]

They had really serees fasees.

Here’s a video so you can hear the music too:

We got to meet the dancers at the end.

We also got to see a traditional war dance from Palangkaraya, the capital of central Borneo.

They wore a lot of feathers and bright colors.

This is a warrior doing the warrior dance.

And now I’m here.

About a month ago, I was waning on the strong-held belief that Bali truly was something out of a dream and that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. My mom and dad had thoroughly taken every word in the thesaurus synonymous to amazing when describing what it was and would soon be like. I began to question how amazing something possibly could be, because certainly there had to be a limit, right? But as these things usually go, I was wrong and all for the better.

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Having the most artists per capita, Bali seemingly dominates when it comes to the arts. Whole towns dedicated to one form of medium creates either an awe-inspired sharp intake of breath, or an overwhelmingly dizzying affect causing heads to spin, though in most cases … both. While I can’t believe that there can be that many wood carvings, stone carvings, silver jewelry, paintings, etc. I know now that nothing can ever quite compare and that I’ll never find a place that comes even remotely close. That no words can accurately describe the sheer awesomeness (or craziness) that is Bali. So, as we are fully surrounded by artistic vibes there isn’t really much of a choice, but to be zealously drawn to do a class in some sort of trade. It didn’t matter much on which art we learned. Besides, during our stay there’d be plenty of time to do multiple classes if we so desired, and with that we all decided to begin our stint by taking a class in jewelry making.

I’m now sitting at a work table, pencil to paper, with a sheet of silver eagerly awaiting to come to life at my side. No lectures and no demonstrations. We simply walked into the class and once we were all introduced they gave us a clipboard attached with a blank piece of paper and a pencil. Some books were available―to pull inspiration from―containing pictures showing dozens of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Two other women are seated, already deep in the process of construction. The open studio is filled with sounds of hammering, sanding, and in the corner a blow torch spits its fire.

When I’m done drawing out my design, one of the four or five guys helping comes over and together we brainstorm the most effective way to transfer my creation from paper to silver. I have no idea as to how the silversmiths get started in creating just the simplest of projects, let alone elaborate ones. So, though I say together, I mostly mean he took my design and figured what would need to happen in order for me to succeed in making it. Selecting different tools and other apparatuses and placing them in front of me, I was ready to get started. At least, he was gesturing at me to get going. I’m not exactly sure how to use any of the contraptions, well, aside from the hammer. He must’ve known this by the hesitance in my eyes and the awkward way I grip whatever it is that I’m holding, because after only a few seconds, there he is showing me the correct way of things. Then, seeing as I’ve got the hang of it all, he goes off to help a newcomer who has just arrived. And after a couple laborious hours go by, there I have a shiny new piece of jewelry.

We have since taken four more classes. But, by no means, are we experts. In fact, I’ve gained such a strong respect for silversmiths and their trade of art. Walking down the streets in Ubud, I find myself stopping at the windows of jewelry shops and looking at their displays thinking how hard that must’ve been or trying to deconstruct each piece and guess as to how they made it.

The thing that makes these silver classes so unique is that you book a time and then walk right in. People are coming and going, you can stay as long as wanted or needed, and the five or so guys working there are just cruising around making their way to each person and helping if called on. Whatever your imagination comes up with, you can guarantee that it’ll come out looking very professional, yet still handmade and personal. For me, it’s definitely been one of the many highlights here in Bali.

This is the scene at Chez Monique’s studio in Wayan’s family compound.

Otto became an expert at using the saw to make intricate shapes.

By the end of our first 3-hour class, Otto had finished a cool 3D yin yang pendant.

Wescott learning some skills with the buffer.

Wescott made an ice axe that he is going to put on a leather bracelet when we get back home.

I decided to make a ring with wording on the inside.

Here it is done!

Our gang with Wayan after our first silversmithing class…                                                                                                                               Wayan told us he has never had any group take so many classes with him

I only now how 3 tipe of offerings.  I now how to mack the triangal sqare flower offerings. The flower tipe of offering is sapost to have 8 petose.  It’s also like how you mack pepol.  The triangal and the sqare offering is cindove the same.  Becoase you haft to do the same thing epsept you haft to do the triangal closer to the ather Side of coconut lefe.

In case you don’t now the Bali pepol do offerings every morning and les in the after noon they do it beceas they belive in god.  I learned how to mack offerings from this varey nice bolins family. The mom named Made tot me how to mack offerings with putu. I like macking offerings because they r simpl to do and it’s fun.

STEP 1: You need a mini stapler, staples, scissors, coconut tree leaves and flowers. Also incense and a cracker.

STEP 2: To do the square, you cut the leaf 1/2 way and then twist and staple…make sure you cut all the sides the same length

STEP 3: This is what it should look like when you are done with the square.

STEP 4: Fill in the bottom with more leaf and staple it in.

STEP 5: Then you can add a few more pieces for decoration if you want.

STEP 6: Then you add flowers.

These are all the shapes I learned to make.

I was once told that the island of Bali has more artists per capita than any other place in the world. I have never seen the statistics to back up that statement, but as we explore the island, I believe it must be true.  Quite often, the question asked of one Balinese to another is not “are you an artist?” but rather “what is your art?”

Inspired by the locals,  we have all thrown ourselves into the art scene here, taking various classes such as silversmithing and wood carving in an attempt to learn from the masters of the trade. The classes produce interesting works of art, but more importantly, they serve as an exclamation point highlighting the true talent of the local craftsmen who work their magic in such a detailed and elegant way.

Not only does Bali have oodles of native artists, but the island itself also attracts people from around the globe to come and create! Step into any shop and you will meet other craftspeople who have come from Europe, North America, Africa and remote places in Indonesia to make a living doing art that they love.

I want to come back in a few years and spend some time profiling some of the artists here but until then I hope some of the photos will entice a few of you to jump on a plane and experience this place firsthand

Carved stone at the Campuhan Temple which is currently being renovated so you can watch the artists at work….so cool!

Traditional carved wood in Bali is extremely ornate but this artist has started digging up old stumps with the roots and turning them into modern art pieces!

Street art is so cool and both a reflection of traditional art as well as a spin on western styles.

Daily offerings on every street curb are so beautiful with a combination of flowers, incense and food offered to the gods.

We do have a pretty awesome garden at home, I’ll admit, but it’s not all that unique once you take a plane on over to Bali and examine the first garden you encounter. And it just so happens that my mom and dad had both been to Bali several times before they started to plan out our garden on Mercer Island.  So I guess my parents loved the island of Bali and its gardens so much, they wanted to be reminded of them every time they walked outside.

Now, it’s not like you can make a trip over to Home Depot and buy a couple of Buddhas and some wooden dragons in the USA, so when my mom and dad visit Bali, they are ready to get into action and start collecting more stuff.  This is particularly scary considering you can go 10 minutes out of Ubud, where we are staying, and find every type of stone and wood carving known to mankind.  If you’ve ever visited our house you’ll definitely know what I’m talking about when I say we might be the biggest buyers in the stone carving village.  I don’t think my mom or dad would buy any wood or stone carving that wasn’t crafted at least a couple thousand miles away from our house.  Now, I know you’re thinking, and yes, we’ve bought a few more stone carvings already on this trip

But when my mom and dad were planning out our garden in Mercer Island originally, they weren’t planning on buying a couple of carvings and calling it quits, oh no, they also needed Balinese-type plants. They did their research and found every plant that could possibly be grown in Seattle’s climate that was grown in a Bali garden. They were committed; they even bought a palm tree to go in our front yard.  And not to mention the fact that they build shelters around each and every banana plant for every winter.

Okay, we’re going a little overboard here….houses for banana plants? I used to think they were completely insane, but now I understand why my parents ship all the Buddhas home; I understand why they build shelters for our banana plants. It’s simply because Bali has it down!  And it is not surprising when you learn that Bali has more artists per capita than anywhere else in the world.  This means amazing art and design everywhere you look…even the garden.

I have actually tried to join the art craze and taken a wood carving class and I must say, that now, I really appreciate those wood carvers because they are super talented! (I sucked….but that is a different blog post  )

Picture of our garden at home!

Dad at the stone village looking for a giant Buddha head to ship home.

The garden in our Ubud neighborhood that made my parents obsessed with giant Buddha heads

Us picking out a small Buddha for Cannon Beach

Here’s an awesome video that Ryan showed me of two guys climbing the 2^nd tallest building in Shanghai. Watch, but continue reading my blog post cause I haven’t even got to the point of this entry yet

One building stands out the most out of all, even more mind blowing and eye-catching than the tallest buildings in Shanghai.

The Oriental Pearl Tower

As iconic as our beloved Seattle Space Needle, you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower is distinct within the landscape!

As you can see, this thing is pretty dang cool. I don’t even have any similes for this building so I’m just going to leave it at this: Shanghai Pearl Tower = Awesome!

A pedestrian walk high above the traffic allows you to walk around and see the Pearl Tower from many angles!

At night, it looks like something out of an Austin Powers movie.

Away from the huge high-rises, mega malls, and swinging cranes are the hutongs…probably the coolest part of the city. With so much character and color, you instantly feel welcome walking down the ancient passages. You could really get a sense of what traditional Chinese life was like. Tiny, quirky shops and restaurants fill the clustered neighborhood and almost every door, or courtyard gate, is embellished so uniquely that it makes you wonder what hidden treasures might lie just beyond.
 

Whether you were inside or outside the neighborhood of winding streets, you could just as easily get lost both ways. The main road held many entrances, but finding the right one was the hard part. From afar they all looked completely the same. The trick was to look closely…which, isn’t that always the case? We each had our own ways, by looking for distinct details, of figuring out which alley was ours. From the lingerie store promptly titled, “Undercover”, to the pet store situated on a guy’s car and an old wagon consisting of bunnies and fish, we were soon able to spot the correct lane that would lead us to our hotel. Now we were going in and out of the hutongs like a local.
 

The other, more touristed Beijing, is one we definitely couldn’t not see; but while we did venture out to soak in some of the more famous sites, we were honestly still most impressed with the hutongs.
 

Over the years many of these neighborhoods have been demolished and turned into tall buildings or sprawling boulevards. Many were yielded under the bulldozers commission in the name of the 2008 Summer Olympics. But, just recently, some specific hutongs have been designated as protected areas in order to preserve the cultural history. So, as time goes on, it looks as though more and more people are starting to see the indisputable beauty and wonder these connected alleys have to offer and that it’s clear there is a story worth keeping behind each wall.

walking through the narrow streets of the hutongs was so peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle on the outside

?? we would always pass this shop on the way back and forth to our hotel

the “pet store” at the entrance of the alley that would lead us home

in each hutong neighborhood there are multiple communal bathrooms spread throughout the narrow streets

Fade Out