[Worldtrippers home] [World Cruise home]
Bali is the first port in Indonesia where we are actually setting foot on land. This is a small island east of Java, with an area of 2,230 square miles with a population of 4.4 million people. Bali is remarkable for being mostly Hindu in a largely Muslim country. Tourism makes up 80 percent of the economy.
Our port is the city of Benoa and we are here for the next three days. We arrived at mid-day and the first day offered three different dinner excursions. Not only were we both able to join “Traditional Dance with Dinner,” we were also able to get on the same bus (a rarity when we are escorting excursions).
Our destination was the Bali Hyatt Hotel, also known as the Hyatt Regency Bali. This luxury hotel has a private beach and 22 acres of lush tropical gardens. Unfortunately, we arrived after dark, so we weren’t able to explore the grounds. Instead, we enjoyed a buffet dinner and a traditional Balinese dance show.
Although the dinner was Indonesian cuisine, we were told the food was adapted to Western tastes.
The dance show was based on a famous Hindu legend from the Ramayana, an historical work. (This is coincidentally the same story we saw last year at a Bali Bird Park dinner.) Prince Rāma leaves his wife Sītā in the care of his brother, Lakṣmaṇa. Unfortunately, the evil King Rāvaṇa has his eyes set on Sītā. An evil ally, Mārīca, disguises herself as a Golden Deer to distract Lakṣmaṇa. This enables evil King Rāvaṇa to kidnap Princess Sītā. Jatāyu the Vulture tries to rescue Sītā but is mortally wounded. Sītā is finally rescued with the help of Hanumān, the greatest of Ape Heroes.
This style of performance is called “Kecak” (pronounced KAY-chack). On a stage lit only by glowing torches, a chorus of men chant and sway in a trance-like rhythm, repeating the sound “chack chack” over and over again. Colorfully costumed dancers weave their way among the chorus to act out the story in pantomime.
For native Balinese, the story can be performed for several hours. Last year it went on for almost an hour. This year’s version was 20 minutes. But it was good to have an early evening, as tomorrow we will be going on a 10-hour excursion.
