Hinduism by the sea- Kirin

A few days ago, we took an excursion (a very long one because of the traffic/scams) to Uluwatu and Tanah Lot temple. We are in Bali, where most of the temples are Hindu and so are 90% of Balinese people! It is very interesting to see a different form of Hinduism, although much of it is the same. What I find very interesting is that here, Hanuman has huge teeth like a shark and it makes him look like a monster. It is so fun to learn about my religion outside of Rochester, and to be in a place that the religion is purely Hindu. Over here, most Hindus' believe that all the gods are just different forms of 1 god, so it is monotheistic. Also, Bali's and Indonesia's symbol is Garuda (which I hadn't really heard of until I arrived in Indonesia). This is Vishnu's vehicle. It is sort of like a bird, but the pictures make it look like a flying monster dragon. Indonesia is a Muslim country, but Bali is an isolated island as being Hindu.

Anyway, we first went to the Uluwatu temple. The temple isn't very memorable but the location is! It is right on the most beautiful cliff. Here is the sunset from each stage:

My parents say Bali is like India. The traffic and driving is terrible(I don't even know if there is a speed limit, though you can't really go very fast. Things just happen and it works out fine mostly!), there are many stray dogs and scams, and some parts smell like sewage. I've never been to a place like this. It is very hectic. But, it is such an amazing place. The beaches and temples are beautiful. I really wish I could walk through the town, but you can't because of the hundreds of thousands of motor bikes. If you walk in the road, they will just run you over. Many people don't where helmets, and some bikes have over three people in Bali. But that is completely normal here. I am beginning to love this place. But, that is besides the point.

The most amazing part of our night was the Kecak fire dance. It was truly amazing. They acted out the Ramayana right on the cliff. What made it interesting, was the chanting the men did. They kind of made their own music to go with the plot. They added a bit of humor, too. Hanuman (which they spell Hanoman: he was the monkey) went in to the audience and jumped all over people. He also made peace signs at people for pictures. It was really funny and I thought it was a real money. Anyway, my dad liked it so much that he started reading the Ramayana.

The next day, we went out for another Hindu sea side temple called Tanah Lot. Dad got really mad because the driver scammed us by taking us to an art market completely out of the way. My mom was very specific that she didn't want to go out of the way. Tanah Lot was amazing, although you wouldn't recognize that it was a temple if you saw the pictures. it is a little Island off of the coast, rather than being on a cliff. This is supposed to be the most awesome temple in all of Bali!