Scared Journeys - Bali

Healing Bali: An Exploration of What Heals the Balinese and How Bali can Heal Us
Sacred Journey to Bali including Kuningan Temple Festival
July 1 - 11, 2007
Past Tour

Tour Description

 

The Balinese heal themselves in many ways.  The obvious way is by going to traditional healers who cure with herbs, oils, massage, trance, mantras and energy work.  They also heal by balancing their world through offerings and rituals.  This culture can show you a different perspective on how to heal yourself.

 

We will be visiting healers in their homes to see how they work, as well as inviting healers from different disciplines to discuss their work with you.  As the performing arts are such an integral part of this complex culture, you will learn about the music and dance (including learning how to play a gamelan instrument and learning a few dance steps!) and see a number of different performing arts traditions (including a trance ritual if possible).

 

You will visit temples and be able to pray with the Balinese—the most esteemed temples of Besakih and Batur will be visited as well as other sacred spots on the island.  You will be here during the Festival of Kuningan, the end of a ten-day festival of ceremonies held for the ancestors. The island is filled with bamboo penjors welcoming the arrival of the ancestors.  If there is a cremation happening, you will be able to observe it.  And you will be experience the magic of Balinese massage first hand.

 

The first part of your journey begins in Ubud, commonly called the cultural centre of Bali.

The second part of your trip will be in the isolated village of Sidemen, set in a secluded valley under the shadow of the great Mount Agung.  Spectacular terraced rice paddies surround your hotel.

 

Please join us on this magical healing journey to Bali!

 

About Your Tour Leaders:

 

Rucina Ballinger has been involved in Balinese performing arts since 1973.  One of the founders of Gamelan Sekar Jaya (based in California), she performed with them as a dancer for many years.  Currently she performs with Luh Luwih, an all women’s Balinese theatrical and music group.  In conjunction with I Wayan Dibia, she has written a book on the performing arts of Bali, Balinese Dance, Music and Drama, which came out in December 2004 (Singapore: Periplus Editions/Berkeley Books).

 

Her day job is as CEO of YKIP (Humanitarian Foundation for Mother Earth), a charity which is involved with education and health projects on Bali (www.ykip.org) as well as working with the victims of the Bali bombings.  Married to a Balinese, she is fully integrated into both the village and intellectual communities on the island and feels equally comfortable making offerings for a cremation, as she does discussing the impact of tourism with Bali’s cultural elite.

 

Anak Agung Gede Putra Rangki  was born in Bali in l956 as the second son of noble parents in Abianbase, a small village north of Denpasar.  As a child, he went to schools far from his village and for university went to school in the neighboring island of Java (where he majored in English).  His training then took him to Kalimantan where he taught English to Indonesians and to Galang Island, where a special program for Vietnamese refugees was created to assist them in relocating to the United States.

 

Upon returning to Bali in l985, he worked with the Academic Semester Abroad program from the US, where university undergraduates come to Bali to study for a semester. He was the language teacher and cultural consultant on this program for five years.  In l989, he started the first Elderhostel program in Indonesia with his American-born wife, Rucina Ballinger.  This program is a three-week study program where participants study and explore Indonesian culture in depth.  Concurrent with this, he and Rucina have run a number of month long study programs for American university students.

 

Agung has worked with a number of radio (BBC) and TV (CNN, ABC Australia, Discovery Channel and BBC) crews as a location manager/fixer. 

 

In l997 he built the one and a half hectare grounds of Rangki, a palace of carving and natural landscaping.  Here performances, workshops, lectures, book launchings and special dinners are held for groups.

 

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Tour Summary

 

Day 1 Arrive Denpasar/to Ubud
Day 2 Ubud
Day 3 Ubud
Day 4 Ubud
Day 5 Ubud
Day 6 Ubud
Day 7 Ubud
Day 8 To East Bali, Sidemen
Day 9 Sidemen
Day 10 Sidemen
Day 11 To Airport, depart Denpasar
 

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Detailed Itinerary

 

Day 1 – Sun, July 1: Arrive Denpasar, Bali, transfer to Ubud (D)
Arrive at Ngurah Rai airport (ask us for a quote on international air from your home city), transfer to Ubud (one hour drive) through small villages. Check into hotel and relax. Dinner will be at one of Ubud's many fine restaurants. Overnight Ubud.

Day 2 – Mon, July 2: Ubud: Monkey Forest, Welcome Dinner (B/L/D)
We begin the morning after breakfast with a lengthy orientation to Balinese culture: what are the basic tenets of the culture, do's and don'ts, practicalities (changing money, how to use an Indonesian bathroom, how to wear temple clothing) and health information. We will also do group introductions at this time. We will then walk (or drive depending on which hotel is used) into Ubud and do a bit of exploring of the market. Lunch at a small restaurant in town. The afternoon is free to explore or relax at the hotel. In the late afternoon we shall go to the Monkey Forest and make acquaintances with the rhemus inhabitants of this sacred grove where we will visit the holy spring and have individual (or group) meditation. Welcome dinner at Rucina and Agung's home in Peliatan, Ubud. Overnight Ubud.

Day 3 – Tue, July 3: Ubud: Visit to healers and temple festival (B/D)
A lecture on healing and trance will give you background on what you will experience when we break into two groups and visit healers (where some of you may be able to have a private session with the healer). Free afternoon. We will go to a temple festival or to a local performance of traditional Balinese music and dance in the evening, followed by dinner at a local restaurant. The temple festival is an excursion into sensory overload: sights, smells, sounds that will transport you to another world. Overnight Ubud.

Day 4 – Wed, July 4: Ubud: Batur Lake, Pura Gunung Kawi, Performance of Kecak (B/L/D)
An early start to Batur Lake, temple and volcano (hour drive north of Ubud). We will stop at a small coffee plantation to stretch our legs and see how Balinese coffee is grown. At the temple, participants will be able to pray (this is a subak temple dedicated to Dewa Wisnu and wife Dewi Sri; Uma is Siwa’s wife (god and goddess of prosperity) here. We will provide offerings of flowers and incense. This temple overlooks the crater lake of Batur and the views are stupendous. On the way down, we will stop at Pura Gunung Kawi, a garden temple in Sebatu which has a large pond in front of it as well as sacred bathing pools. Before we have lunch at a lovely cafe set in a coconut grove, we will stop at a site overlooking emerald terraced ricefields At 3 p.m. we depart for Rangki, a Palace of Carving where a delectable spread of fruits and Balinese cakes awaits you. A lecture demonstration on dance followed by a short lesson in Balinese dance will delight you. A full banquet of Indonesian food will be followed by a dance and gamelan concert by some of Bali's finest performers. Overnight Ubud.

Day 5 – Thu, July 5:  Ubud: Gamelan Lesson & Factory/Mask Maker and Trance Ritual (B/L/D)
We begin our day with a self-guided meditation at the hotel and then go to a local music studio where we will have a gamelan lesson on the bronze instruments of the Balinese orchestra, followed by a visit to a gamelan factory. Lunch in Ubud at a private home (palace). In the afternoon we visit a mask-maker and dancer and observe a dance class. Dinner in Ubud.
Evening depart for a possible trance ritual at an isolated village 90 minutes from Ubud.

Day 6 – Fri, July 6: Ubud: Meditation, Lecture, Traditional home visits (B/L/)
Morning self-guided meditation at hotel. Lecture on Life and Death Rites. Possible cremation ceremony. Picnic Lunch. Late afternoon enjoy one of the famous Balinese spas for bodywork massage (you are welcome to pamper yourself by having a scalp massage cream bath or manicure and pedicure - which are not like the ones at home!). This is the day before Kuningan when the ancestral gods depart after being in the family temples for ten days. Evening performance of Kecak, a form of “mouth music” with l50 chanters and dancers. Din

Day 7 – Sat, July 7: Ubud; KUNINGAN TEMPLE FESTIVAL (B)
Early morning free to wander the village, and watch the villagers in their finery going to temple, making offerings and perhaps even see a Barong wandering the streets! Mid-morning to temple ceremony for Kuningan celebration. Lunch in Ubud on your own. Afternoon free (vans available), Dinner in Ubud. Overnight Ubud.

Day 8 – Sun, July 8: To East Bali; Gianyar, Klungkung, Tenganan, Sidemen (B/L/D)
Morning departure for East Bali where we will first visit a single ikat weaving factory in Gianyar, then go on to the Kerta Gosa Hall of Justice in Klungkung where there are l7th century painted ceilings depicting the punishments of hell. Then to the textile market of Klungkung where your senses will be overwhelmed by colors and textures. The new "Chinese coin" factory will be our next stop - this is where Balinese images are minted onto coins for ritual purposes. Our last stop will be the Bali Aga village of Tenganan where the descendents come direct from India and make gorgeous double ikat weavings and fine basketware. Lunch on the beach in Candi Dasa. Then on to the small resort in Sidemen where we will be staying for the next three days. Late afternoon self-guided meditation. Dinner at Hotel. Overnight Sidemen.

Day 9 – Mon, July 9: Sidemen; Meditation, Lecture, free time (B/L/D)
Early morning ricefield walk followed by a morning meditation. Time to explore. Lunch at resort. In the afternoon we will meet healers from a variety of healing techniques. This is a wonderful chance to ask healers directly about their work and how they heal. Dinner at hotel. Overnight Sidemen.

Day 10 – Tue, July 10: Sidemen; Besakih & Pasar Agung Temples (B/L)
We will go to Besakih and Pasar Agung temples where we will pray and meditate. Besakih is Bali's highest temple and considered the seat of the gods (erroneously dubbed the "mother temple" as Besakih is the embodiment of male energy and Batur temple the female). Pasar Agung is situated right on the mountain slopes commanding an amazing view on a clear day. A picnic shall be provided at the temple. Dinner at resort. Overnight Sidemen.

Day 11 – Wed, July 11: Transfer to airport/Depart Denpasar, Bali (B)
Depart for airport (2 1/2 hour drive). Check-in and depart on your international flight home.
 

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Tour Inclusions & Price

 

Tour Includes:

 

 

Added Features:

 

 

Tour does not include:

 

·         International Airfare/departure taxes (ask us for a quote from your home city)

·         Visa fees (approx. USD $25)

·         Cancellation & Medical Insurance (ask us for a quote)

·         Meals not specified as being included

·         Cost to obtain valid passport

·         Any items of a personal nature such as laundry, drinks and telephone calls. Any item that is not specifically detailed on our web site or in the final trip itinerary

 

 

Tour Price Per Person (Land Only)      Single Supplement

USD $2499.00 19+ people                                 USD $1075.00

USD $2569.00 16-18 people

USD $2699.00 13-15 people

USD $2915.00 10-12 people

USD $3169.00 7-9 people

USD $4055.00 4-6 people
       
Note: Deposit is USD $350.00 per person to register for the tour. When final payment is due (70 days prior to departure), you will be invoiced at the appropriate price, depending on the number of passengers. The tour will be guaranteed with a minimum of 4 passengers.

Note: The single supplement is ONLY for those who would like to secure a private room throughout the tour, at the indicated additional price. If you are not traveling with anyone you know and would like to share a room, we will be happy to work to find you a suitable roommate. Per our Terms and Conditions, registration for the tour will be held open until two weeks before the departure date in order to try to match everyone with a roommate. If by that date we have not been able to match you with a suitable roommate, you will be responsible to pay for the single supplement. An early registration will facilitate this process.



Sacred Earth Journeys, Ste 220 - 133 E. 8th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1R8 Canada
Tel: (604) 874-7922, Toll Free 1-877-874-7922 www.sacredearthjourneys.ca