The Yoga Shala Alphabet

The Yoga Shala, Blooming Lotus Yoga, Ubud, Bali

Aum, Breathing, Circle, Downward Dog, Energy, Friendship, Ganesh, Heat, Incense, Jungle, Kind, Lycra, Meditation, Nidra, Ouch, Poses, Quiet, Restless, Savasana, Teaching, Uijayi, Volcano, Wellness,  Xtreme, Yoga,  Zeds.

The Banyan Tree

The roots of an old banyan tree.

Banyan trees and my thoughts go to my old childhood favorites, Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo, Kaa and menacing Shere Khan.

And here I am, in Bali, craning my neck looking out for any number of birds that feed on the fruit of the Banyan. It is a life blood for wild life in the forests around the world.

Their size is remarkable given that life for a Banyan starts as a seed as small as a grain of sand! And they can life for many hundreds of years.

I have been most amused with the trees wearing 'sarongs' using the ubiquitous black and white check fabric or yellow. What I did not know is that the Banyan is a sacred tree for Balinese people and used for ceremonies and rituals, so the Balinese dress the trunks.

The tree even features in the Coat of Arms of Indonesia.

I see them with new eyes.

Some thoughts about Bali

I:

• am missing my photographer to capture the exotic culture of Bali and the secret pleasure of its birds.
• appreciate getting closer to all things Balinese.
• learn each day from my generous birding guide Bayu Hendra, he has certainly opened my eyes to all things Sunda.
• see ceremonies at the heart of living life here in Bali.
• have forgotten how punishing a full day of birding can be, but...
• love to bird and be in nature.
• ate dragonfruit.
• so enjoy doing my bird 'admin', listing and recording is part of my daily routine, this was the view today sitting with a pot of ginger tea and reflecting on an epic day in the field.

  

  A perfect spot for listing.

• am been woken by the 4.50am call to prayer and kept awake by traditional music, and how I dislike noisy bar fridges in hotel rooms.
• smile at the variety of headgear worn by the men.
• frown that everyone smokes.
• birded in the peaceful grounds of the Patu Karu temple.
• am intrigued by the notion of home as a temple and how literal this is here in Bali.
• so enjoyed the rice paddies of Jatiluwih.
• put aside my anxiety about Mount Agung.
• added 100 new birds to my world list.
• had dinner for one on the beach watching the full moon rise over the Java Sea.
• noticed how I do not have the courage to swim and snorkel here at Taman Sari Resort, but the evening swim in the private pool for the Studios was rather pleasant.
• find seeing the swastika, representing the wheel of the sun in Balinese Hinduism, jarring.
• am eating chicken three times a day and did not know that was possible.
• tasted something most unusual, avocado as a dessert served with chocolate condensed milk.
• did not expect the dominance of concrete in the cultural artifacts.
• see thousands of motorcycles and see children on motorcycles.
• rather like the colorful soft-top VW's on the island.
• like the mid morning ground coffee break, which is sweet and black and from a sachet, then having ginger tea with lunch.
• am down-heartened at the close up view of back-breaking work and poverty.
  
• wonder when the black and white checked fabric became the choice for statue dressing. 
• have lost count of the number of yellow, or white, or checked umbrellas in the temples, some new but most are tattered and torn.
• see women sweeping bare ground.
• am dismayed that the culture of caged birds in Bali, which started as a sign of status and wealth, now causes poaching and species decline. 
• have yet to find pristine anything.
• did not take to the long-tailed macaques, they line the roads, strategically placed in the shade, and beg for hand-outs. The Ebony Leaf Monkeys had more dignity, getting on with life in the Bali Barat National Park.
• did however experience the Christian communities of Blimbingsari and Palasari as peaceful, with lovely gardens and their links to the Dutch taking control of Bali in 1908 is fascinating.
• am in awe of the huge ficus trees and the bamboo forest of the Bali Botanical Garden.
• was impressed with the caldera in the centre of Bali with its misty lakes and vegetable farms.
• see offerings, remnants of offerings, offerings as a business, offerings as trash, and as a welcome to my room today with fruit.
• have a favorite meal to date, Chicken Satay at the Harris Hotel.
  
• see hints of what we call "Bali-style" back home. 
• think laundry skills are excellent here, white is whiter than white and worn by all. Apart from yellow.
• notice the inside outside way of life along the roads we have travelled.
• witnessed a personal blessing along the busy road.
• notice the beauty of flowers.
• walked the Pemuteran black beach at sunrise and watched the start of day routine for the resort staff.
• look forward to Sharon, Natalie and Bev arriving, but before then I am swelling my world bird list and so delighted to be doing so.

Another first, delicious tof