The world in her eyes ( Bali , Indonesia )
I was starved for smiles. A friend suggested that I should go to Bali . It was just two weeks after the "bom" had gone off. Most places were empty, the locals were a bit shaken but they were smiling. I realized why people get addicted to this island and kept going back. Smiles were there in plenty - the rice farmers, the school kids and the fisher folks - all had smiles.
It was funny how people, when they learnt that I was from India , would
ask if I knew Shiva or Ganesha or Vishnu. Then in the same breath they
would ask if I knew their favorite bollywood actors.
There was a volcano up in the center
of the island, we got up when it was still dark and climbed up the hill.
It was cold and we sweated. We reached the top - just in time for the most
amazing sunrise. Little monkeys rolled down the surrounding hills. Orange
sky, white streaks of clouds and the silver lake... you can see it in those
eyes.
Some drinks from the 80s.
Indonesian flag on the summit
rewarded for an early morning climb.
The sunrise
A village ceremony
A temple
A temple statue
Rice terrace
Colourful boats by the sea.
A temple pond
Stories
A temple guardian
The temple monkey
A kite
Entrance to a house
Pretty little flower
sniff sniff ... leaving