Ubud

in bali there is an interesting practice of the day called nyepi, which i believe recognized the beginning of the balinese new year.  on this day the people of bali practice a complete day of silence and hide in their houses with the windows closed and the lights out.  it is said that demons walk the earth on this day and they can be fooled to believe the island is still uninhabited should the people remain silent.  

on that note i arrived exactly one day after nyepi only to see the remnants of a parade which celebrates the passing of this sacred time.  ubud is a really spiritual place located in the center of the island of bali and i'm lucky to have landed here.  i made my way by means of a painfully slow ferry which carries automobiles between the indonesian islands.  the island has unfortunately been overrun by tourists and drunkards in the south yet the central region remains pure somehow.  

i'm curious about this religion.  it makes me wonder about how far religions can travel.  hinduism for example has wandered here from india hundreds of years ago and has remained untouched by the coming of islam some six hundred years before.  there are remnants of buddhism everywhere and i can see similar deities to those of northern india/nepal which i've chanced upon a few years ago.  i managed to snap some photos of Ubud in its purity yet i'm still shy at pointed my camera towards locals.  it's kind of rude anyway and because this is such a religious place i don't want to aim my camera inwards towards ancient temples which are still being used today.  the following are the photos i've stolen as a passerby yet my mind's camera remains in brilliant focus as i get the chance to experience such a strange yet colorful culture.

i cannot fight the feeling that this world is ending.  civilization more specifically.  how lucky i am to live in the future (and the future has come) but i do continue to have this looming sensation that the natural world will soon take us back.  hopefully.  hopefully we don't win this war.. i'm a shame to man and a traitor, i can only hope we find a cure for ourselves before we forget how colorful the world can be.  yet i've chosen to become a teacher.  your job is a great responsibility so do it well.  i really hope i'm doing a good job and i hope many more generations can see this world for what it is before it becomes a concrete wasteland overburdened by an unacknowledged desire for personal gain.  cryptic, yet true.  give a hoot, don't pollute...