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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
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Tour Leaders: Rucina Ballinger is the author
of Balinese Dance, Music and Drama, and a
devoted Balinese Hindu. Rucina lives in Ubud,
the artistic center of Bali where she works to
promote all kinds of Balinese arts. In 1986, Rucina
married Anak Agung Gede Putra Rangki, who in
l997, built the one and a half hectare grounds of
Rangki, a palace of carving and natural
landscaping. Learn more about Rucina and Agung on
our About
Your Tour Leaders page.
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Detailed
Itinerary |
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Day
1 Sun,
July 1: Arrive Denpasar, Bali, transfer to
Ubud (D) |
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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. |
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Day
2 Mon, July 2: Ubud: Monkey Forest, Welcome Dinner
(B/L/D) |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 Siwas 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. |
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Day
5 Thu, July 5: Ubud: Gamelan Lesson &
Factory/Mask Maker and Trance Ritual (B/L/D) |
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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. |
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Day
6 Fri, July 6: Ubud: Meditation, Lecture,
Traditional home visits (B/L/) |
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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. Dinner in Ubud. Overnight
Ubud. |
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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. |
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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. |
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| 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. |
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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. |
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Depart for airport (2 1/2 hour drive). Check-in and
depart on your international flight home. |
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(B
= Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
Note: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions
beyond our control. |
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Tour
Inclusions & Price |
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Tour Includes: |
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Roundtrip
transfers between airports and hotels |
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Accommodations
in First Class hotels in Ubud and Sidemen |
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Breakfast daily |
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8 Lunches & 8
Dinners included |
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Hotel taxes &
service charges |
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Baggage handling
at airport and hotels |
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Sightseeing
tours as per itinerary, including entrance fees |
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Escorted
throughout |
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Transportation
throughout tour |
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Gratuities to
drivers and guides |
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Added Features:
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Travel with
Balinese tour guides Rucina Ballinger & Anak Agung
Gede Putra Rangki |
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Welcome Dinner
at Rucina & Agungs home |
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Orientation to
Balinese Culture |
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Visits to
Balinese Temples for Meditation & Ceremonies |
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Performance of
Kecak |
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Lecture on Life
and Death Rites |
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Visits to
traditional homes |
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Celebrate
Kuningan Temple Festival |
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Lecture on
Trance, Magic and Ritual |
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Lecture on
Healing and Healers |
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Visit to local
Balinese Healers |
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Informal seminar
with Balinese healers |
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Possible visit
to authentic trance ritual |
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Possible visit
to witness cremation |
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Banquet of
Indonesian food & dance |
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Tour does not include: |
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International
Airfare/departure taxes (ask us for a quote from
your home city) |
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Visa fees
(approx. USD $25) |
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Cancellation &
Medical Insurance (ask us for a quote) |
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Meals not
specified as being included |
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Cost to obtain
valid passport |
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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 |
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Tour Price |
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Price Per Person (Land Only) |
Single
Supplement |
USD $2499.00 19+
people
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
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USD $1075.00 |
| 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. |
| Please call
us for a quote on airfare from your home city |
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. |
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Tour Description