Friday/Saturday

DONNA What Allison said about the Hindu gods was interesting to me. When we were looking at all of the beautiful statues of gods at the Water Temple, Putu pointed out that they weren't actually gods...but focal points. They believe that since human beings are very visual, they need to be able to visualize a god to pray properly. So all of the different gods we see are just conduits to god. If they are praying for health, they visualize the god of health to be able to pray properly. The more holy one is (for instance a priest), the less they need the conduits...they pray directly to god and don't need the visualization. Or at least that's how I understood it. We are learning so much from Putu about Hindu way of life. They live it every day, everything is a ceremony, a celebration...religion is the most important aspect of every life. The elephant trek was terrific, we've seen beautiful temples and towns, and every simple aspect of life here is so interesting. We had an interesting morning of haggling in the marketplace, and making just one purchase of some bowls and coasters was so exhausting that we were finished after one negotiation. DVD movies that are still in theaters for $1 each....how do they have them so cheap???? A beautiful trip to a volcano, a Balinese dance, a great dinner at the Dirty Duck. Tomorrow it is off to the Bird and Reptile Park (for Winslow...they feed the Komodo Dragons on Sunday) and 2 small towns nearby that the rest of us will visit with Putu while Winslow is with the reptile keepers.

WHoleFamilyWaterTemple Originally uploaded by DonnaM123.