Bali Night 1

we had our dinner at a quiet, little restaurant. the food was good, and it was nice to get away from the crowds. we then bought our kecak (balinese dance) performance tickets and walked over to the pura where it was being held.

 here we are at the pura waiting for the performance to start.

 cathy bought s plumeria hair clips. we put them in her hair like a crown.

 w and s sitting on the floor to watch the performance.

 the lighting of the central light fixture on the "dance floor."

 the kecak gamelan suara (voice orchestra) men came out on to the floor. 

 these men were amazing! truly like nothing i've ever seen or heard before. they did a syncopated clicking-type chant for about 40 minutes straight. there was a man or a few men who would keep the beat, and then the rest of them just knew what noise to make to make their rich, full sound.

 these men were at least as good, if not better, than the dancers (and the dancers were really good). 

 the dancers told part of the story of the ramayana.

 it was a mesmerizing experience--with the men click-chanting and the dancers performing in the center of them.

 this is a good action shot.

 the pictures are a bit blurry, but it was a totally cool experience.

 the kecak men were dynamic too, moving, swaying, lifting their arms throughout the performance.

 i think this is hanuman, the monkey king.

 at one point, they laid down on each other. wah!

 when the kecak men and dancers finished, they lit a big fire in the middle of the floor and put up a barrier between the audience and the performers.

 the fire grew bigger.

 the kecak men came back and sat on the edge of the main floor.

 then a man came out and started spreading out the fire and its coals.

 once the coals were spread out, he walked all over the hot coals!

 he cooled off his feet, i guess, on this grass mat. 

 you can see his black feet. wah! i wonder if this hurts him.

 an up-close shot of his feet.

 w and s with the hot coals walker.

 a garuda shop!

 ah so many. if only they weren't so difficult to bring back.

 the view around the rice fields by our hotel on our way back home for the night.