Bagan: That’s a lot of pagodas

Last weekend two friends and I went to Bagan, Myanmar.  Let me start by saying that spending essentially one day there is probably not ideal, but sometimes you take the chance you’re given regardless.

We flew into Yangon sometime around midnight on Friday (had to leave after work) and were thankfully picked up by my college friend (who I stayed with last time).  It was a very good thing he picked us up because when we arrived at our super sketchy, nothing like the picture, cheap hostel in the bad part of town, he immediately told us to get back in the car and took us to his family’s hotel and put us up for the night.  Bless good friends. By that time it was around 1am and we went to sleep knowing our bus to Yangon would leave at 8am.

So the next morning (Saturday) we got to the bus station with little trouble thanks to the super helpful hotel staff and taxi driver, and settled in for our 9 hour bus ride across the country… I don’t have much to say about the bus ride, I slept pretty much the whole way (no surprise to anyone who has traveled with me before). So we got to Bagan and our hotel around 530pm and decided we would just eat in the hotel restaurant and plan out or next day (it also had started to storm at this point… it’s the wet season). We had great curry for dinner! Myanmar might be home to my favorite curry.

We got up pretty early Sunday and rented e-bikes from our hotel.  They’re like the learner’s permit version of a moto and totally electric and eco friendly. After a quick into lesson in the parking lot we were off! We honestly didn’t have much of a plan and so armed with a really unhelpful map we kind of just followed the main road until we saw some pagodas/stupa/temples. Most of these involve turning off onto dirt paths which really added to the explorer experience of my first time on a moto.

We did hit some of the bigger ones of course, my favorite of which was Dhamma-yan-gyi Pagoda because it’s the only one I had known the story behind.  Basically it’s the biggest because the king who built it was really cruel and he killed his father and brother (to get the throne) and then also his wife.  So he built the temple to atone for the sins, but he also commonly would chop the architects’ hands off if he wasn’t pleased with the progress. In the end he was assassinated before it was completed.  For unknown reasons parts of it are bricked closed, and the local belief is that it was done to trap the bad karma inside.

At the end of the day we found a spot to watch the sunset but by that point another storm was rolling in so there wasn’t much of a sunset.  So we grabbed dinner and headed to our hotel.  In the morning we caught another early bus back to Yangon (another 9 hours) and met up with a friend from HK to visit Shwedagon Pagoda since my other two friends hadn’t seen it (if you want my experience on that check out my previous posts about visiting Yangon).

We ended the trip with a 1am flight back to HK arriving at 6am Tuesday morning.  It was a rapid trip but it was a lot of fun.

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2 Weeks Away: Hanoi

After leaving Hoi An we headed to the capital city of Hanoi.  It’s a big city like HCMC but it is also very different. I felt that there was a different dynamic and vibe of the city.  Our first stop was train street.  A less well known place where the train tracks go through a VERY narrow alley between buildings.  Although we didn’t see the train pass you can definitely imagine what it must be like.  As someone whose house would occasionally shake from the train going through town multiple streets away I feel like you’d have to strap everything down and not hang any pictures in those houses.

After that we went to the Temple of Literature.  This is a Temple of Confucious built by the emperor in 1070 and was home to the Imperial Academy. It functioned as a university until the Imperial City was moved from Hanoi to Hue in 1802.

After that we visited the Hoa Lo prison. This is now a museum that remembers and replicates the prison where first Vietnamese political prisoners were held by the French and then US POWs were held during the war (Including John McCain).  The museum has maintained some of the cells to demonstrate the conditions of the prison and carries exhibits on the prison’s use in both cases.

After that somber visit we decided to regroup and relax and watch the sunset over the lake.  While there we were approached by a very friendly Vietnamese student looking to practice his English.  And we spent a fair amount of time discussing all manner of topics with him and even giving advice on finding a career path (not really something I’d say I’m qualified for but oh well) and how it’s okay to not have a plan (more in my wheel house).

The next morning we went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum to see Uncle Ho’s preserved body.  I don’t have any pictures because the military guard are pretty convincing about no photographs (the one I have of the outside of the building was taken from outside the fence and soo far away)… but it was kinda odd… I don’t really know what I expected but you just stand in line and walk through the room he is in (no stopping allowed) and he’s there lit up with some kind of orange light.  The whole place was also full of young children there on school trips.

In the same complex is the One Pillar Pagoda which is consider one of the most historic temples in Vietnam. The temple was built by Emperor Lý Thái Tông.   According to records, Lý Thái Tông was childless and dreamt that he met the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who handed him a baby son while seated on a lotus flower. The Emperor then married a peasant girl that he had met and she bore him a son. The emperor constructed the temple in gratitude for this in 1049.

From there we visited the Tran Quoc Pagoda, which is the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. It is a very popular place for worshippers because monks live and pray at the temple.  Many people bring offerings at specific times of the year to gain good fortune.

Our last stop for the day was the Vietnamese Women’s Museum.  I thought this was a really cool museum because how many other places is there an entire museum dedicated to the role women have played and still play in a culture.  They even have exhibits discussing the lives of women in the various minority groups in Vietnam and honoring those who played important roles in the war.  I just think it is so awesome to see that kind of representation and care for what women do.

2 Weeks Away: Siem Reap- Sunrise and The Big 3

While all the temples at Angkor are fairly well known and definitely amazing to see, everyone can agree there are three that everyone wants to see: Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, and Bayon.

We started our day off at about 4am when we left our hotel and headed to the temple complex to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. And it was totally worth it.  I love a good sunset as much (or more) than the next person, but I feel like there’s something more tranquil and magical about seeing sunrise (of course if you go somewhere super cool to see the sunset on purpose that evens it out a bit).  I think because you have to go out of your way to be there for it (no one is asleep for sunset) and it’s not like you’re doing something else and happen to see it, like you are there only to watch.  Even with a whole bunch of tourists at the temple everyone was just silent and watched as the sun came up.  I’m not an early riser, so this was one of very few sunrises I have seen in my life and it was amazing.

After the sunrise we set out touring the massive grounds of Angkor Wat (it is the largest religious monument in the world).  It was originally constructed by Khmer King Suryavarman II as a Hindu temple of Vishnu for the Khmer Empire, gradually transforming into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century.  It is the only Angkor temple to have remained a significant religious center since its foundation.

Aesthetically speaking the construction and symmetry of the temple is astounding and so beautiful.  It really is just amazing to see what people were building centuries ago with none of the equipment we have now.

Our second stop was Ta Prohm, affectionately known as the Tomb Raider temple since many scenes were filmed here.  It was built in the 12^th/13^th century by King Jayavarman VII as a Buddhist monastery and university.  It was left mostly unrestored with the tree covered ruins surrounded by the jungle providing an eerie atmosphere that draws crowds… and Hollywood.  Seeing this temple pretty much made me want to be Lara Croft and head out into the jungle.

Our final stop of the day was Bayon. It was built in the late 12th or early 13th century as the official state temple of the King Jayavarman VII.  Originally it was a Mahayana Buddhist temple, but following Jayavarman’s death, it was modified by later Hindu and Theravada Buddhist kings in accordance with their own religious preferences.  The most distinctive feature (and what makes it so well-known) is the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak.

All of the temples that we saw both days were amazing and awe inspiring.  Those feelings combined with the fact that it had been over 100F and humid that two days we were touring the site made us decide to take a brief siesta at our hotel after finishing our tour.  In the evening we went to the night market and found a really cool bar in an old stilt house.

2 Weeks Away: Siem Reap- The Grand Circuit

On our first full day in Siem Reap we took a tour of the Grand Circuit temples at Angkor. We had a really great guide who gave us the history and key features of each of the six temples we stopped at.  There’s no possible I will be able to relay all of that knowledge to you so really you should just visit for yourself.

The first we saw was Pre Rup. This is a Hindu temple that was the state temple of King Rajendravarman built around 961. Its name means “turn the body” which reflects the belief that it was used for funeral practices and cremation.

The second temple was East Mebon.  This was built by the same king and was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva and honors the king’s parents.  We learned that during that time each king was expected to construct three temples during his reign.  One as his state temple where he worshipped (which would later become his tomb), one to honor his family, and one for the common people to use.  The location of this temple shows off the Khmer people’s concern with the orientation and cardinal directions as it is built on a north-south axis with Pre Rup and an east-west axis with the King’s palace temple. ( I was most excited about the elephant statues..)

Our third stop was Ta Som (so named for the farmer that most recently used it as his home…).  It’s a smaller temple built at the end of the 12th century for King Jayavarman VII who dedicated it to his father. It was largely left unrestored and has really amazing regrowth.

Fourth on our tour was Neak Poan (or Pean) which is an artificial island with a Buddhist temple. Historians believe it represents the mythical lake in the Himalayas, Anavatapta, whose waters are said to cure all illness.  Neak Pean was originally designed for medical purposes (it was believed that going into these pools would cure a disease) and it is one of the many hospitals that King Jayavarman VII built.  It is based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance. Four connected pools represent Water, Earth, Fire and Wind.  Each is connected to the central water source, the main tank, by a stone statue of one of the “Four Great Animals” namely Elephant, Bull, Horse, and Lion, corresponding to the north, east, south, and west. Originally, four sculptures stood on the floor of the lake. The only remaining statue is that of the horse Balaha, a form of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, saving sailors from the ogresses of Tamradvipa.

Our fifth stop was Preah Khan, another temple constructed by King Jayavarman VII. Supposedly upwards of 100,000 officials and servants resided here.  There is an entry “bridge” that is lined on opposing sides with the gods and demons.

The last stop for the day was Banteay Srei, a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It is built largely of red sandstone, which gives it a mildly pink coloring, and has elaborate and extremely detailed carvings.   It is known as the “citadel of women” for the intricate work and many devatas (female deities that are depicted dancing).

Japan Day 3: Kyoto and return to HK

On my last day in Japan I went early in the morning to Fushimi Inari-taisha.  This amazing shrine is at the base of Mt. Inari and includes a hiking trail to the summit with other shrines along the way. The shrine is made up of and surrounded by numerous torji (wooden gate arch things).  Inari is considered the patron of business, and merchants and manufacturers have traditionally worshipped Inari. Each of the torji at Fushimi Inari Taisha is donated by a Japanese business. However, even more importantly, Inari is the god of rice. Foxes, regarded as the messengers, are often found in Inari shrines with a key (for the rice granary) in their mouths. This is a place that I feel like I absolutely have to go back to when I have the time (and the right clothing) to hike to the summit.

My last stop before the airport was Kiyomizu-dera Temple. This temple was founded in 778 and the current buildings were constructed in 1633 without the use of a single nail! (honestly glad I didn’t know this until after I was leaving some of the more precariously located buildings) There is a saying connected to this temple “to jump off the stage at Kiyomizu” (essentially to take the plunge) which comes from the Edo period tradition that if you were to survive a jump from the veranda of the temple (13 meters) your wish would be granted… this practice is no longer allowed though. Here in the basement og the Zuigu Hall here is also a tour through the womb of the Zuigu-bosatsu (bodhisattva).  This is a pitch-black path you follow to the Zuigu Stone where your sincere wish will be granted, before you enter back into the light from the “womb” symbolizing rebirth and purity. Let me just say… pitch-black is not strong enough for how dark it actually was.  I’ve never been in such complete darkness and silence.

 

After that I headed off to the airport and back to HK.  I have to say this was one of my favorite trips.  People often spoke no (or limited) English, but they were friendly and I really connected to the nature-embracing calmness. (keep in mind I didn’t go to Tokyo which may have a very different atmosphere)

 

Ps. here are some extra random pics I took… mostly of food and earthquake evacuation signs that caught me off guard every time I saw them

Japan Day 2: Kyoto

This was my last full day in Japan so I woke up early and headed to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. Walking the path through the center of the grove gives a sense of otherness, even with the other visitors surrounding you.  For me at least, it was so different than anything I had seen and experienced.  Although I do recommend going in the early morning or evening to avoid most of the crowds.

My next stop was the Ryoan-ji Temple and the rock garden there.  This temple is a Zen Buddhist temple. The Ryōan-ji garden is considered one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui (a specific type of Japanese Zen gardening) There are 15 stones in the garden placed very specifically and surrounded by pebbles that are raked every day by the monks.

The garden is meant to be viewed from a seated position on the veranda of the hōjō, the residence of the abbot of the monastery and the stones are placed so that the entire composition cannot be seen at once from the veranda. They are also arranged so that when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder.

Here is where I should probably interject, I have never been a very Zen person.  While I strive for that kind of inner peace I’m instead more of the anxious never still mind kind of person.  And I always figured that I could never reach that kind of calm solitude.  But honestly, Japan gave me a different outlook.  I went to this temple with its famous rock garden and I really didn’t expect much. I mean a rock garden is essentially an open space with a few stones and the sand is all raked in a certain direction and you just sit there are contemplate things… But actually once I got there I kinda got it.  Like no I definitely did not suddenly become Zen, but I understood the draw of sitting and just existing for a while. And this is a feeling that I experienced many times during my travel in Kyoto.

After the rock garden I traveled to Kinkaku-ji Temple also known as the Golden Pavilion. This is another Zen Buddhism temple.  It was originally built as a retirement villa for a shogun and then turned into a temple after his death. The Pavilion is coated in gold leaf and houses Buddha’s Ashes. It has also gone through many rebuildings after being burned down multiple times over the years.  The Pavilion is surrounded by beautiful gardens and a pond.  As with all the temples I realized, every aspect is purposeful and done following various Zen guidelines.

My next stop was the Kyoto Imperial Palace. This was the ruling palace for the Emperor of Japan until the Meiji Restoration when the capital was moved to Tokyo. Although important ceremonies, like the enthronement of new emperors still took place at this palace. As someone who has traveled Europe I have seen a fair number of palaces, but this one was so different than others I have seen.  Instead of the large sprawling building and courtyards I had come to expect it is a large walled area filled with multiple separate buildings surrounded by paths and gardens.  If I was an emperor this is exactly the type of palace I would like, and it fit perfectly with the Zen design I’ve now connected with Japan. Although I have to say it’s a good thing the Emperor had a chair to be carried around in because moving between the spaced out buildings all day could get rather tiring.

My final stop for the day was Ginkaku-ji Temple also known as the Silver Pavilion. This temple was modeled after the Kinkaku-ji (built by the commissioner’s grandfather) and was also planned as a retirement villa for the shogun.  It gets is nickname due to the original plan to cover the pavilion in silver leaf which was not carried out because of the Onin War and then the shogun died before it could be done.  This temple features an amazing garden created out of the wooded/mountain back drop and the Zen sand structures (one famously known to represent Mt. Fuji).

Exploring the Past

In a place like HK where the land is very much overwhelmingly urban it stands to reason that most exploring is urban exploring.  While this usually consists of wandering around crowded streets in search of that one store on the 15th floor of a usually super sketchy building, it sometimes involves something a little different.

After our hike on Devil’s Peak last weekend, we were inspired by the abandoned British garrison so we found our way to an abandoned secondary school and decided to continue exploring.  It was cool, but kind of creepy, because none of knew why it had been abandoned and there were still old posters on the walls.  It has been thoroughly explored probably by hundreds or thousands of young Hongkongers and tourists–as evidenced by the extensive graffiti but it still had an air of mystery.

A Week in Myanmar

Back from another trip! The day after Christmas I left to spend a week in Myanmar with one of my friends from college.  He lives in the city of Yangon so I spent my time mostly in the city and surrounding area.  Fair warning: the same way that my time in Europe was essentially a tour of cathedrals, my trip here consisted of mostly pagodas…

The first day I was there we woke up at 3am and drove from the city to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock, which is a well known Buddhist religious site.  It is at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo which we got to by taking a precarious ride in what is essentially the back of a pickup truck up the winding and steep “road”.  The pagoda itself is sat upon the massive boulder covered in golden leaves that are actually pasted on by the pilgrims.

According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the Buddha‘s hair.

When you get to the top of the mountain you have to take your shoes/socks off and be barefoot the whole time (the same, I found out, at all pagodas) which for me was mildly horrifying because the ground was not kept clean and I absolutely hate having dirty feet in my shoes (once you put them back on).  But I managed of course! Also because it is a holy site I (as a woman) was not actually allowed to go up next to the pagoda/boulder so all my pictures are from a distance.  Either way it was definitely a sight to see! (Myanmar is another place where white people are a bit less common and I got to pose for pics with a few people here too….)

The next place I visited was Maha Bandula Park which is home to the Independence Monument.  The white obelisk marks Myanmar’s independence from Britain in 1948, and is surrounded by the mythical lion-dog creatures that are also found guarding pagoda entrances around Myanmar.

Because I was visiting a friend I was able to experience some things traditional to Burmese culture that most tourists don’t see.  One of the days I was there my friend’s cousin took me to a Buddha hosting gathering at his friend’s house. (I’ll do my best to explain the gathering, but I’m sure there are aspects I didn’t completely understand).   At this event the family invited guests to their house where they had an elaborate altar on which rested various depictions of Buddha and other holy items.  Everyone prays and makes a wish on some of the artifacts.  Then we all sat down to have a traditional meal of coconut soup.  It was a really cool experience, but I couldn’t take any pictures.

I eventually made it to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred in Myanmar, because it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. These relics include the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa, and eight strands of hair from the head of Gautama.  It is a massive pagoda, standing at about 99 meters tall and is all gold plated and jewel encrusted.  There are different areas of the pagoda where depending on what day of the week you were born, you can go to pray and cleanse yourself by pouring water on the statues (you pour it once for each year you have been alive).  You can also light candles and make a wish to Buddha. We were lucky that we went in the early evening so we got to see the pagoda in a bunch of different lighting and saw the sunset from there!

The last pagoda I visited was the Botataung Pagoda in downtown Yangon.  This pagoda is said to house a sacred hair of Gautama Buddha.   This was really cool because we were actually allowed to enter inside the pagoda itself instead of just seeing it from the outside area.

 

 

Bali Adventure

Sorry to have been absent for the past weeks, but it was vacation time (and I was without wifi)!! So now I will regale you with the wonders of my vacation below the equator! Also sorry but this is gonna be a long one…

My friend and I decided to go to the beautiful Bali for about 2 weeks.  We left Hong Kong in the morning and had a layover in Singapore.   Let me just say the Singapore airport it magical and wonderful.  There are free massage chairs, a butterfly garden, a koi pond, a gym, a showering place, a prayer room and more!  I have to say the US needs to upgrade our transportation amenities.

We arrived in Bali in the early evening and made our way through immigration where the immigration officer actually made a Sherlock Holmes joke to me…. I can never escape.  We were then harassed by numerous men offering “cheap rides” to wherever we wanted to go, but we stuck with the official taxi service (don’t worry mom).  Finally we made it to Uluwatu on the Bukit Peninsula, where we were staying.

The next day we went to the beach in the morning.  I have to say the sand (at least at that beach) was really not ideal.  It was very large grains so it actually kind of felt like tiny pebbles, and you sank into it a lot so it was hard to walk and somewhat painful.  But that was okay because we were on the beach in Bali!!

Later that evening we went to the Pura Luhur Uluwatu Temple and watched a traditional Balinese Kecak fire dance.  The temple is right on the cliff edge and was really amazing and the dance was also pretty awesome! This is also where we had our first experience of seeing tons of wild monkeys all over the place.  We would soon learn that it is a very common sight in Bali.

The next morning we woke up early and took a boat to the adjacent island of Nusa Lembagon.  We got a room in a really awesome gueast hosue right on the beach!! I got to fall asleep to the sound of the waves that night and it was perfect! Anyway, we spent that day riding bicycles around the island (there isn’t really cars there) even though if you read about my time in France you would know how I feel about bicycles… We also kayaked through a mangrove forest which was definitely something to check off a bucket list!  We only stayed on that island for one night and the next day we took a boat back to Bali and then traveled on to the city of Kuta.

Kuta is definitely a tourist city so we spent most of our time there at the street markets working on our haggling! (I was definitely paying the white person tax there…) We also got to have some delicious and beautiful smoothie bowls which we had been searching for since we got to Bali!  I have to say that the level of street harassment was absolutely the worst in Kuta… Julia Roberts did not prepare me for that!  We attempted at one point to walk along the beach but there were too many guys following us and aggressively yelling various explicit things to and at us so we nixed that idea very quickly and went back to shopping.

After Kuta we went to my favorite place on our trip—Ubud.  Ubud is a city in the middle of Bali and it is a very big art and culture scene.  We stayed in an amazing guesthouse where the people were so friendly and helpful (10/10 would recommend if you are going to Bali and Ubud)!  When we arrived in Ubud it started pouring rain (as it does when you visit in the wet season…) but we didn’t let that stop us from exploring a bunch!

Our first stop was the Sacred Monkey Forest.  This is a temple area within a forest that is inhabited by a ton of wild monkeys.  When you enter the forest they give you all this advice like: don’t try to pick up a baby monkey, don’t look them directly in the eye, if one climbs on you stay calm and put down the food or whatever you had that lured it to you… and so on.  So we are wandering around taking lots of pictures, not making eye contact, when out of the corner of my eye I see this grey blob leaping through the air towards me.  So before it even lands on me I’m panicked because in my head I was thinking like cat claws so it’ll dig in to hold on to me, totally forgetting that monkeys have little people hands… which honestly then freaked me out even more because it was like tiny people hands grabbing me and so not what I expected.  So like anyone I started snapping selfies of this monkey on me and like trying to hide the fact that I was panicking.  Except then I realized I didn’t know how to get it off of me! I didn’t have any food that it wanted, it was just sitting on me and climbing on my arms.  I was too freaked out to like try to just grab it off me and put it down because while it has people hands it definitely had animal teeth and like monkeys are cute but also definitely could snap and go crazy at any moment, plus it was a totally wild animal not like a pet monkey. So I’m there mildly having an anxiety attack when I came up with the brilliant idea to walk towards this group of tourists that had snacks with them (I’m awful I know) and lo and behold I divested myself of a monkey!

 

After leaving the monkey forest we went to Goa Gajah (also known as the Elephant Cave).  This site was built as a sanctuary and hermitage in the 9th century and has some really impressive carvings that are believed to be aimed at warding off evil spirits.

Our next stop (in an absolute downpour) was Gunung Kawi.  This is a temple and burial site that straddles the Pakerisan river. It is made up of ten statue shrines (about 23 feet high) cut into the cliff sides that are thought to be dedicated to King Anak Wungsu and his queens and their sons.  While the sites may be more impressive in the sun, the rain definitely cut down on the crowds!

Our final stop that night was at the Bali Botanica Spa where we got body scrubs and had our much dreamed about floral baths! As this was my first time at a spa I had a lot of questions and am probably one of the only people ever to have anxiety at a spa, but in the end it was very relaxing and I think I’m gonna put flowers in my tub more often!!

The next day we secured a driver/tour guide from our guest house who took us to some furher away sights. Our first stop was the rice terraces at Jatiluwih. These rice fields are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are simply amazing to see.  We were there at harvest time so it wasn’t as green as usual but we got to watch some of the farmers harvesting their fields… by hand!! We also were able to walk through the terraces (we ended up barefoot because we had flip flops on and it was not ideal flip flop terrain).  The views were so breathtaking.

From there we went to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, the floating temple dedicated to the Balinese water goddess as well as Shiva and his consort Parvathi.  This temple is featured on the 50,000- rupiah banknote too! While we were here some tour groups arrived on big buses from the island of Java and I suddenly became as much of a sight as the temple.  Our guide later explained to me that there isn’t a tourist industry in Java so for many of the people (especially the young students) I may be the only white person they’ve seen… it probably made it even more exciting that I am an exceptionally white white person with my blonde hair and light eyes…But regardless I did my best to make sure everyone got a picture with me so maybe I’ll be famous in Java! (My friend Vivian is Chinese so she just thought this was the funniest thing ever as we kept getting stopped for people to ask to take a picture with me).

After that we made a brief stop at Taman Ayun, known as the Royal Family Temple.  It is a special temple because the deified ancestors of the Raja Dynasty are honored there, amongst other gods.

The next day we left Ubud headed to Lovina in the north.  From Lovina we were able to visit the Sekumpul Waterfalls.  This is a group of seven waterfalls that we reached by trekking through the actual jungle (so it is a bit less popular than the more touristy Gitgit waterfall) in the rain! But it was completely worth the difficult journey when we got to swim under the falls with no one around (except our guide).

We spent our last days in the city of Sanur relaxing and wandering around the shops (and getting a pedicure!) and eating lots of great food! We were definitely sad to leave Bali when it was time to go and I hope that one day I get to go back (and buy all sorts of great furniture and doors for my house!!).

 

 

Wisdom and Heart

Easily reached from the Big Buddha is the Wisdom Path.  This is a short hike that is lined by upright logs with the parts of the Heart Sutra carved into them.  The Heart Sutra is one of the best-known sutras and summarizes the essence of the Buddha’s thoughts and the secrets of life and the universe. It explains the philosophy of “emptiness”.  I have never studied the Heart Sutra and I have been told that while one of the shortest it is also the densest.  Here is how it was explained to me:

“When one acquires the wisdom of “emptiness”, he will realize the relationship between the physical world and mental world. The physical world is just a reflection of the mental world and the mental world consists of every detail of the physical world. There is actually no boundary between these two worlds. Understanding everything is in a constant process of change can prevent one from being irrationally attached to things. After being free from mental obstructions and emotions, one can think more clearly and logically, and make good use of the conditions that are available.”

The wooden columns represent the wooden bamboo tiles used for writing in ancient China and are arranged in a figure eight to symbolize infinity.  The wooden column at the top of the path is left purposefully blank to represent the emptiness it describes.

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While I may not understand the intricacies of the Heart Sutra the path is beautiful and surrounded by amazing mountain views. Even without being able to read the inscriptions I think you can leave with a greater sense of peace and understanding of your smallness in the universe.