House of Masks and Puppets

It's been a while since I visited any museum in Bali. To be honest, as someone who frequents museums, I have not been impressed by the standard I've seen in the past. But the other day, when my sister-in-law offered to take me to Setia Darma House of Masks and Puppets, I decided to see if things have gotten better in the museum world here. 

The collections, over 5000 pieces from around the world, is housed in a series of traditional Javanese structures called joglo. This enterprise is headed by Mr. Hadi Sunyoto, a cultural enthusiast whose restaurant, Warung Pulau Kelapa, I've enjoyed dining in. 

I imagine, that if you're a scholar, this is a good place to do research. It reminds me of Fowler Museum in Los Angeles. 

Photographing there is a real challenge as the light is really low, but I liked the effect. It gives the place a sense of mystery. I took a liking to this particular piece:

Here are some of the wayang golek, traditional Indonesian wooden puppets, from their collection. Each one of them has very distinct character.

And of course, no collection is complete without a representation of that honorary Indonesian, President Obama. Indonesians are very proud that Mr. Obama spent part of his childhood in their country. Here he is hanging out with the likeness of Mr Hadi Sunyoto himself.

Setia Darma House is located just a few miles out of Ubud, in Banjar Tengkulak, Kemenuh village. As a lot of places don't have a proper street address with numbers, just ask your driver to head to the village, and ask the locals once you're there.

To Market, To Market...

I first learned about how early the Ubud central market opens from the woman who made breakfast for me the first time I visited the town. She would serve a great banana pancake with fresh fruit juice by 7 am, and she mentioned that she started her shopping at 5:30 in the morning. Since then, my favorite thing to do on the morning after my arrival is going to the market, because nothing grounds me more than getting in the middle of hustle and bustle with the locals, seeing familiar food, and hearing the native language spoken. It's an instant welcome that I find very comforting. And when you're still jet-lagged, waking up super early, it's good to know there is somewhere fun to go to.

I always bring my camera along on this first day while I'm still excited about things, because after a few days, I become one of the people who go there to buy food supply and not so much a photographer on a mission. After all, who wants to lug around a camera while loading up on fruits and vegetables?

That said, I do suggest that you always bring your camera because you never know what you might encounter. And if you like your shot to have that authentic Balinese scene, I strongly encourage that you get there early, because by 7:30am, the crowd starts to shift: less locals, more tourists, and the outside part of the market becomes a parking lot for the tourist buses.

Here's a sampling of what's on offer to whet your appetite to go exploring in the market when you're here. Enjoy!

A variety of sweet snacks to go with your coffee

Freshly harvested eggs for your omelet or pancakes

Tangerines for your juice

If you need more substantial breakfast, freshly grilled pork satay is also available

Looking Forward to Being in Ubud

I am so excited that the day is finally here! I have a flight heading to Taipei at 1:15am.

The first leg, 14 hours to Taipei, no doubt will be filled with short sleep, followed by a lot of movie watching, interrupted by meals. After three hours layover, I will continue with the five hour flight to Denpasar.

I'm looking forward to being met by my family at the airport, after one year of being away from them. After hugs and kisses all around, they will then whisk me away in a two-hour drive to our home in Ubud, the official "art center" of Bali. I put a quote mark on the word art because to be fair, pretty much everywhere, you can find enclaves of artistic people creating things, but for a long time, most people head to Ubud to get a fill on everything from painting, sculpture, dance and music. Anyway...

Half of the journey from the airport is through busy urban streets, and if this is your first time to Bali, you'd probably be disappointed. You may think, "I traveled all this way for THIS?" ... traffic jam, chaos, noise. But wait, somewhere along the way, you will notice the air becoming cooler, the roads narrower, and you start to see this...

...and you feel relieved. And you'd hope for more of this and better. Trust me, you will. You'll find on your walk on the edges of town some white lotus flower...

or the vibrant pile of passion fruits and mangosteen in the market...

or a surprise ceremony happening right there in there market because you happen to visit on the day where they honor the God of Transaction...

This time, I will be in Bali for 60 days, as my Visa allows. And that's about the only plan I have. Otherwise, I'll just go with the flow, carefully paying attention to what gifts I might encounter during my stay. And I can assure you, on the Island of the Gods - Pulau Dewata in Indonesian - there is always some gods who can't wait to give you gifts. I promise I'll share mine with you all through my stay there!