Bali, Indonesia

This week we traveled to Bali, Indonesia to enjoy some rest and warmth during our school's spring break. Our first few hours after landing were a whirlwind—stepping out of the air plane into the humidity and the sudden onslaught of money changers and taxi drivers competing for our attention; whisked at a breakneck pace from the coast to our hotel in Ubud, a village surrounded by rice paddies and forest. The Hindu religion dominates Ubud. There are temples and alters everywhere, and the colorful and sometimes frightening gods are a constant reminder of the unseen world. Our driver stopped so we could take a picture of these two women who were walking to a temple with offerings.

Every shopkeeper, restaurant and hotel owner places small offerings to the gods on the ground outside of their establishment. Usually these are banana leaves filled with fruit, crackers, and incense. It's hard to tell where the line is between religious devotion and nominal tradition; one day we were behind a group of school children who were picking up these offerings, throwing them at each other and stuffing them into mailboxes. At the end of the day they all end up in big trash heaps.

The lushness and variety of flora and fauna in Bali is astounding. Flowers explode from the left and the right down paths and sidewalks. Coconuts and bananas hang within plucking distance. Street vendors sell snake skin fruit, durian, mangosteen, oranges, and things I can’t name.

We met a very nice couple from Canada who were staying at our hotel. They filled us in on the best walking routes into and around the village, where to eat and what to see. The walk was beautifully lined with rice paddies.

About one minute after we wandered out of our hotel the first morning, we found ourselves in the sacred monkey forest. Monkeys basically do what they want in this Hindu community. We saw them boldly stealing fruit from the alters to the gods, and they perform all other sorts of lewd and indecent acts in the trees around Ubud. At first we were a little apprehensive wandering down the path, heavily populated by all sizes of monkeys—some were quite large. But they don’t really seem to care that you’re there—unless of course you are holding a banana or you’re staring at them in the eyes.

We left the village of Ubud for the peninsula of Nusa Dua on day 3. We were a little sad to leave Ubud for the more touristy coast, but we soon found that there was still plenty of authentic Balinese culture to experience.

All along the shore, there are structures like the one below for resting and getting out of the sun. It has a simple wooden platform that you can lay on while the wind from across the Indian ocean blows all around you.

We were sitting in one of them when we noticed a troop of kids banging on a gong and performing a dragon dance down the beach. They were Indonesian children trying to raise money for their orphanage.






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The beauty of the island and the friendliness of the people made our week in Indonesia so memorable and special. Even though we were there for only 5 days, each one seemed long and full. We have come back to busy Seoul feeling as though we have been away a long time and with a very fond place in our hearts for Bali.

Beijing

This week, I (Ryan) went to Beijing with a big group of students for the annual Beijing Model United Nations conference. It was a good trip. There were some unfortunate incidents along the way (four boys got into a little trouble, but nothing too serious), but for the most part, everyone had a great time and spirits were high. On Monday, the group (below, minus the aforementioned four) went to the Forbidden City.

It is really hard to describe the size of this place. It was built in 1406 and served as the imperial palace until the communist take-over.

At the back of the palace is a large garden filled with very old trees that have been cut and mended into strange and interesting shapes. There are also a lot of sculptures and formations in this area which are nothing more than lake stones that have been excavated and hauled from far away to be displayed in their original state. We were lucky that the day we visited the palace was warm and sunny. For most of the trip, it was overcast, and the air hung thickly between buildings like grey curtains. It was nice to be among trees and flowers.Of course, it was pretty crowded, and the dominant fashion seemed to include matching baseball caps:

In this ancient city, it is easy to get lost in the history of the place. However, there are frequent reminders of the realities of a more present history.

Mao Zedong's image hangs over the entrance to the old imperial palace, and his body is embalmed and on display in a mausoleum just outside in Tienanmen Square:

The trip also provided a really good opportunity to hang out with students. There were eighteen on this trip, along with three teachers, including myself. One of my students never really felt comfortable breathing Chinese air, and rarely put down his book:

We also did a lot of shopping at the silk market and pearl market. For the most part, prices in these markets are about 90% higher than they actually should be, and you have to do a lot of haggling.

As is expected when dealing with teenagers (and myself) there was a lot of eating going on. I know I had duck on three different occasions, but for the most part I didn't ask what I was putting in my mouth.

A lot of tea was consumed as well, which helped wash down all the oil. Notice the glossy shine on the dish below.

The conference itself went really well. We have a very bright group of students, and MUN provides a great opportunity for them to sharpen their communication skills and develop a diplomatic character.

After long days of debate and sight seeing, everyone was exhausted, and much of that fatigue has carried over into the rest of the week as we are getting back into the swing of things. The scene below is similar to my 6th period economics class.