Bali Part 3: Keramas Beach

For our last Bali stop, we drove 2 hours east until we hit the black sands of Keramas Beach. Since we are still in the wet season, it was also quiet here at Hotel Komune. The daily afternoon thunderstorms gave us the excuse we needed to not plan any big adventures.  We swam in the pool, played chess, did yoga and honestly did very little in the way of cultural immersion. We dined out one evening in a cute warung (small family-owned restaurant) nearby and on our last full day Harry and I decided that we needed one more spiritual/cultural experience before we left Bali.  So glad we made this decision.

We arranged to have a blessing ceremony in a nearby Hindu temple. The spiritual cleansing purified our souls and welcomed positive vibes. First we put on our sarongs and sash and then prepared the offerings. As I mentioned in the Ubud post, these offerings are everywhere so it was nice to have the opportunity to deepen our understanding of it. The process was trickier than it looks or maybe I’m hopeless at grass stitching.  The women traditionally prepare them and they can do it in seconds. For me it would take three hours but part of the offering prep is the sacrifice of time so I would be getting major points for that.  We then carried the offerings to the purification baths and cleansed our heads in each of the five water spouts sourced from the underground spring. The ceremony ended with prayers led by a holy man in the Pura Dalem Sekah Temple.

Hindu Blessing Ceremony

Preparing the Offering

 

Purification

Prayers

   

 

Butterfly Garden

    

 

Just some fun stuff  

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

Balinese Piper