I joined my friends, Mbak Trie and Pak Runita, to go to Legung Village in Tabanan regency Bali. Bu Ita, also a friend, lives in the village. She welcomed us as we arrived in her place. There were a few other family members who welcomed us when we arrived in Ita’s place.
They brought us into the house back yard and offered us a drink made of palm sugar mixed with ginger. It was refreshing but a bit too sweet for me.
This was not just a normal house we were at. There was a pavilion where they conduct activities such as making Balinese traditional offerings, learning to cook and dining.
I went into the pavilion and gazed to the distance rice farm beyond. Some rice plants were growing and some flowers plants in some area as well.
Ita's family was so friendly and invited us on a walk around their village. We followed the father down the main road, passing rice farms, coconut trees, and interesting plants. I took pictures of a plant that looked like mimosa.
We stopped in a house by the road. It was Ita’s relative house. Ita’s father invited us to walk in to the house yard. It’s a typical Bali house with a traditional layout. In the house, I could see the main building for the parents, the family temple, the kitchen, toilet were all in separate buildings. The Balinese like to build house in this way because it’s the tradition.
We said goodbye to Ita’s relative to continue walking through farm area. There were many different trees along the way. I saw a mangosteen tree full of fruits, buy they were very small so not ready to be picked up. In other area, there is the durian tree which had several fruits. When we walked across the cacao farm, Ita’s father picked up a cacao fruit. He broke the fruit to show us the cacao bean, but it was rotten. Anyhow, if you never see a cacao fruit, here it is:
After several minutes near various plantation, we arrived on a path nearby a small river. Ita’s father lead us walking until we arrived in a small Balinese temple. The temple area was quite serene and peaceful. A huge banyan tree was standing in front of the temple with its roots hanging down from the tree itself.
We stopped briefly near the temple as the father told stories about the ceremonies and the spiritual cleansing ritual at the temple. Then, we continued our walk to back to Ita’s house where we started our walk.
The family was ready to welcome us back again. They brought us some lunch in Balinese traditional style as we were welcomed to sit in the pavilion near facing the rice farm. It was 4 PM, a bit late for lunch, but I did not mind at all. After all, this was my second lunch.
