Saturday, January 1, 2011

Balinese Life style

The pace of life in Bali is gloriously sloooow. So slow that before international time standards were adopted,the longest measure of time was akijapan barong,literally ‘Barong’s wink’.Since a Barong’s wink’.Since a Barong mask never wink’s this is akin to saying ‘don’t hold your breath’. A common maxim in both Bali and Lombok is jam karet ( rubber time ), which you may associate with tailors and craftsmen when you go to collect your goods,or restaurants as you wait for your meal.Rushing them is futile,so you may as well sit back and enjoy the break.
Nothing,not even monetary gain,takes priority over community and religion.The Balinese don’t work long hours,but neither do they have much time off.You may see them just hanging around a lot,but their whole lives centre on their village temple and their household,within the framework of their complex Hindu Calendar.
As they’re usually preparing for or taking part in one ceremony or an-other,the idea of traveling to a resort island for sun,surf,shopping and spa treatments is quite foreign to Balinese.all this responsibility may seem daunting,but to the them,it’s the unifying centre of their life and a source of much entertainment,socialization and festivity.the vibrant rituals are also a major factor behind what makes the island such a captivating destination-something to remember next time you’re stuck in traffic and have to detour around a ceremony.

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