I was in Bali this past August so this post cannot be counted as timely. However, it would be a shame not to document a 2 1/2 hour experience that was one of the most impressionable during my entire month long sojourn in Southeast Asia.
This is the entrance to a family compound in Ubud that I stayed at for one night through Airbnb. I originally reserved a small private apartment in the compound for 4 nights, but after spending a night cowering in my bed like a prisoner from an army of vicious ants with very sharp and unrelenting teeth I decided to change my accommodations to a more traditional boutique hotel. The beautiful arrangement outside the gate is one of the daily offerings to god the Hindu family places to show their gratitude.
I was grateful to be moving to an ant-free room.
This lovely woman spends an hour each morning or so creating the daily offerings…as do most women in Balinese families.
My ant-free sanctuary, The Sowan Ubud, situated about a 7 minute drive outside of town and next to a rice field (the farmer spend ALL DAY hooting at, waving sticks at and shaking long ropes he had tied across the fields to scare birds away…no joke, ALL DAY. I was praying for harvest to come quickly as much as he was.)
I met these Balinese women on the way back from a large grocery store near my new hotel. I had walked the harrowing 30 minutes there (Ubud isn’t necessary pedestrian friendly with narrow streets and speeding motorbikes and trucks) to find a bottle of wine to stem the lingering trauma from the ants, but ended up walking back empty handed because I wasn’t going to pay $40 for a bottle of Chilean wine I typically pay $8 for in the US. I did buy a chocolate bar though…which had equally soothing effects.
These women are dressed in their splendid jewel tones and long sarongs to go to temple. The baskets and goods they effortlessly balanced on their heads are offerings. And typical to the Balinese spirit and demeanor, they were pleased as punch to have this stranger take their picture…giddy really. It was sweet.
More happy Balinese people!
The Hindu religion that the Balinese practice is the center of life in Bali. And it was great luck that I was able to spend some time hanging out at one of the Hindu “community centers” to witness all the life that takes place there. And it happened just because I walked by.
“Why the f* is there a pig in a cylindrical cage,” I exclaimed in my head as I glanced into the open courtyard. I think my mouth my have dropped too, because noticing my apparent consternation, Madday (the man in the striped shirt and sitting in the picture), casually asked me where I was from. “Seattle.” I answered. “I was just in Alabama,” he responded excitedly. “It was very beautiful, but it was hard to get into US. They thought I was muslim.” He then paused and added, “No one asked me if I was from Bali.” This made me chuckle a bit. I am sure this happens to all the Balinese coming to the US from their predominantly muslim nation.
I then asked about the pig. He matter of factly told me it was to be sacrificed soon and if I waited I could witness it for myself. While my stomach fell at the idea, curiosity compelled me to stay.
It is not going to be a good day for this pig.
Even now as I look at this picture I feel that same uneasiness in my stomach as I did that August afternoon. Ugh. The miniature alter in front of the pig was placed by the priest to bless the pig before the sacrifice.
**As a note, I have since learned that animal sacrifice isn’t typical to the Hindu religion. But the kind of Hinduism practiced in Bali is very ancient and the practice is accepted there.**
And then new animals enter the scene!
In the meantime, many men started arriving on their motorbikes with baskets and bags strapped to themselves or their bikes. What they pulled from these bags and baskets were live roosters for the impending cock fight! This got me a little excited as I have always had the bizarre desire to see a cock fight (although I have no desire to see a bull fight).
The priest administering piggy’s final rites.
My last glance at the pig before he was stuck.
The pig was moved to the street and near a gutter so there was access to water for easy clean-up. This picture shows the men tying the pig down in the cage while a young boy brings out the blowtorch and propane tank. This was to be used to efficiently remove the pig’s wiry hair from the skin after he is dead.
I couldn’t come to watch the pig being stuck in the neck with a knife. I turned my head and plugged my ears, but even then I heard too much…lots of squealing and then silence. When it was completely over, Madday told me I could look.
If you needed proof the pig was dead…
This guy asked me to take his picture. I not sure if I have ever seen someone more proud of his haul…
Blowtorching ensued.
All this was going down a few hours before I was to meet friends in downtown Ubud for dinner. I wasn’t feeling very hungry in the moment.
The guy who brings the razorblades for the cock fights.
We had to wait for him to arrive for the fights to start. One blade is tied to the left leg of the fighting bird.
A proud owner showing off his beautiful cock (no laughing)! Notice the blade strapped on with the red tie on the roosters leg.
This was a spectacular bird. And if I was the betting type on this sport, I would have bet on him. AND I would have won. Not only did this cock win, he KILLED his contender. It was all very gladiator-esque.
Men gathering for the fight.
And it was ONLY men…and me. I did ask Madday if it was okay that I was there as a woman. He assured me it was. This was reinforced when the other men invited me to watch the fights up close so I could have a better vantage….an offer that didn’t interest me as I witnessed erratic birds flailing about with sharp objects attached to them. A few other women did show up in time too…but only to ask if their husbands were there and if the would be home soon.
Taking bets!
I never really figured out how the bets were made or won. It had to do with one side of the ring choosing a bird versus the other side. The yellow cards on the ground represented denominations of rupa (Indonesian currency). For this particular fight they were having a hard time getting to the minimum bet. I asked Madday if I could help. He gave me a look that indicated he wasn’t quite comfortable with that idea…or something. I couldn’t read it entirely, but decided to withdraw my offer because of it.
In this fight the white bird won (although I swore it looked like he was losing the whole match). The losing bird was plopped into the courtyard to walk off his stun and shame. I asked Madday what would happen to him. “It is up to the owner.” Madday replied. “He will end up dinner like the pig or the owner may decide to bring him home and have him fight again.”
***Scroll to the end to watch a short video of this cock fight…it isn’t great, but it is what I could see***
The next day playing in the rice paddies.
Needing to shower for my much more civilized dinner date with friends, I left Madday, the cock fights, the quartered pig and an unforgettable 2 1/2 hours of Balinese life for my poolside hotel room.
It took awhile to settle my stomach, but it was hard not to think what I saw was remarkable. At dinner that evening after regaling the tale and sharing iPhone photos, my German-American friend pouted to his wife that he never gets to see stuff like that when he travels. Ha!
Looking back, I guess the ants were small time compared to what my next Ubud hotel brought me.
**Final note on cock fighting per one of my Balinese drivers in Seminyak, the beachside town I visited after Ubud. He said that while cock fighting is legal in Bali, what I witnessed, with actual money being bet, is not. Moreover, it is quite unusual for such an occurrence to take place at a religious community center. He then added that he was a little envious of what I witnessed as even he as a Balinese has never seen such betting fights.**
A Balinese Sunset in Seminyak.
A town where I relaxed free of cock fights and pig sacrifices.
…uh, although I did experience a fleeting romance there. And its end could likely be compared to the demise of the pig or cock. Perhaps I spoke too quick…
Onward!
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