Depensar, Bali

Depensar is the crazy, noisy capital city! I had planned a two night stop over here but I am getting out of here tomorrow it is far too frantic for me!! Not many people who visit the island come here, it is a purely working city and doesn't really accommodate tourists, that is the good thing about being here!

I have had a really good mooch around today and have seen some interesting things. The first thing i stumbled upon was a procession down the main street lots of people and musicians walking in front of or following a huge tower structure, this is a funeral procession. perched in the top of the tower is a coffin, there is a picture of the deceased on the back and hanging off the side is a priest, he is throwing things (rice or holy water i cant see) down onto the crowd. As we approach a cross roads suddenly the men carrying the tower start to move around erratically, they are spinning the tower and running in circles with it and the priest is going frantic with his chanting and throwing, though actually i think he is trying to stay up there! This is apparently done to confuse the spirit of the dead person- from reclaiming the body??
Then as if on cue the musicians and the mourners start up again and the tower makes the rest of its way down the the cremation ground. I did not follow the procession any further than the gates.

On the way back into the main town i passed another two processions heading to the cremation grounds- one was very similar to the one i followed but the other was much simpler, the coffin is carried by pall bearers and there are few mourners. I don't know if today is a special day for the funeral ceremony or if this sort of thing happens every day.

Back in the main are where i am staying there is a huge market on, again i don't know if this is a daily occurrence. Outside the stalls are all set up selling flowers, flower heads and petals for offerings- it looks fantastic, so colourful. Most of the vendors have spread there wares right out into the road and the combination of the heat and dust, the blaring cars, bikes and vendors, and the women moving between the traffic and the stalls with huge parcels balanced on their heads is chaotic and crowded its amazing, really makes you feel like you are in another world.

Inside the market hall its quieter though no less cramped- the entire ground floor is for food, there are barrels filled to the brim with little dried fish and other crazy looking food stuffs i cannot name. Upstairs its clothing and household goods, the vendors in these stalls are quick to spot you and drag you to see what they have.

Away from the markets there is a huge open park, there are many families here with young lads flying kites which is an important pass time here. Along on side of the park is the museum and a temple, as with the other buildings round the rest of the island these are beautifully carved with guardians and decorations.

At the top of the park is a statue of the last three Raj of Badung. Rather than submit to the Dutch in 1906 they set fire to their palaces and made a suicidal Puputan (fight to the death). Dressed in all their fine ceremonial clothes and jewels, leading the other royals, the priests and courtiers, and armed with only their ceremonial swords, they march to meet the dutch guns.

There is more to see here, the other side of the city is where all the big shopping malls are but trying to get over there will be totally suicidal the drivers here are crazy, and the idea of wandering around a shopping mall is not exciting me. I am going to head back to Kuta for a few days tomorrow, get a bit of beach time before my flight to Australia.