Laura’s Blog

From the End to the Beginning

Yesterday, before we left Ubud for Munduk, we rearranged our entire day’s schedule because Surya told us that there was going to be a mass cremation ceremony at the Temple in the Monkey Forest—57 people being cremated at once—and that we could walk there to witness it. I’ve done this twice before in Bali and

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Arrival in Munduk

Arrival in Munduk in the cool mountain region of Bali. My favorite stop on our journey. Listening to a sunset talk by Surya on traditional Balinese healing and medicine while looking at this….and drinking a cold beer. Photo by Marsha Morgan. This is just a minute from my new room. Offerings to the Gods…. Sunset

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Dawn Report: Ubud, Bali

One of the favorite assignments I give my writing students requires a bit of sacrifice: waking up at 4:30 in the morning, meeting at 5:00 and walking down Monkey Forest Road, one long city block to the morning market. In the early morning, starting at 4, this market is where the local women come to

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All About Knives

You never know where our guide, Surya, will take us. Today, on a three-mile hike through the rice fields of Bugbug Village, we happened upon a little table covered with a dozen implements with wooden handles, the top part wrapped in newspaper and twine. What were they and why were they here? It ends up

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Walking to Tenganan, Part 2

Today we hiked three miles to Tenganan Village, one of the most ancient villages in Bali—dating back to the 7th century—and also one of the wealthiest. Tenganan is a village enclosed by four walls and four gates and its residents are not allowed to intermarry outside the village. Tenganan is primarily know for two things:

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Journey to Tenganan

Here’s a little photo essay of our three/mile hike today to Tenganan Village. On the way we saw people repairing motorcycles by the side of the road, selling eggs, doing daily commerce. We heard endless roosters, barking packs of Bali dogs, scooter horns. We saw scooters carrying whole families, the mother driving, a barefoot older

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Leather Jacket Redux

For those of you who followed my last trip to Bali two years ago, you know that I had a major adventure getting a custom-made leather jacket custom made for me in Ubud. Well, that tailor did a fantastic job and made me a sleek, sexy black leather jacket. I’ve been wearing it and enjoying

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