Steve's Adventures in Indonesia

Nengah's brother, Wayan Mertayasa, preparing a Penjor

Due purely to cheap tickets and extra capacity on the credit card, we were able to fly to Bali in February, for three weeks. Luck was with us, as after we had booked, a friend told us that we would be there for Galungan and Kuningan, spiritually, two of the most important days in Bali.

Very briefly, Galungan commemorates an ancient battle between gods and mortals, and primarily the victory of good (in this case Bhatara Indra and his heavenly army) over evil (the atheistic Balinese King Mayadenawa). Kuningan marks the end of the festivities.