Funeral Procession video.

Balinese Funeral in Ubud Indonesia from Rory Seiter.

Fly fishing at Tanah Lot, Bali, Indonesia

Today we headed up to Tanah Lot. The temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. However, the temple had significant Hindu influence.

Pura Batu Balong

Pura Batu Balong

Tanah Lot

I made my own offerings to the sea gods (and fish) in the form of clouser minnows. I didn't get any takers, but fishing with Hindu temples looking on either side of me felt pretty cool.

Fly fishing in Bali.

I rented a boat for a couple hours and it was quite the experience. I had a blast.

I fished and we surfed near the runway of Denpasar International Airport. The runway juts out into the ocean and it is neat to see the planes taking off and landing so close to all the action in the water.

Here is my "captain". He looks bored because he can't understand why I wouldn't want to jig, bottom fish, or troll today. 

 I made him stay close to shore where I could see the reef. When he realized what I was doing, he took a nap. He probably thought that I was crazy. I doubt he has ever seen fly fishing in his life. He was happy to make a few bucks nap for the afternoon!

Nope, I didn't catch anything, see any fish, or get any hits.

Pura Uluwatu

We drove out to Pura Uluwatu. It is perched a couple of hundred feet above the ocean and has a great surf spot below.

Uluwatu is also known for its mischievous monkeys. They have grown fat stealing people's belongings and trading them for treats.

Around our Ubud hotel.

I took all of these pictures near our hotel.

There are lots of ponds with lotus flowers in them.

One of the two infinity pools.

This leads to the temple.

The rice fields after draining.

Rice fields during flooding.

Water drops on rice.

I finally found someone fishing.

Whopper!

Home made fishing rods!

East Bali.

Pineapple stuffed coconut crusted chicken.

Taman Sari Temple. With a lot of fish.

An offering.

Fishing boats at Kusamba.

Still haven't done any fishing, but we head to the coast tomorrow. There is some big surf headed our way. Sounds like fun!

Funeral procession in Ubud, Bali.

We found this large bull and tower being made a few days ago. We asked the people making it what it was for. The explained that a couple of people in the community had died, so they were putting the bodies in the tower and carrying them to the cemetery in a few days. They close the roads and everyone seems to be involved so when someone dies they wait a few days to see if anyone else will die. They can't cause this ruckus every day of the week.

Ubud monkey forest adventures.

I don't know what to say about these pictures or these places. The rice fields are amazing. Seeing everything being planted and harvested by hand looks incredibly tiring. Most things are carried on the head.

The monkey forest was a lot of fun. My dad stepped on a monkey's tail and it wanted to kill him. The monkey would walk beside him showing his teeth looking ready to pounce until a "park ranger" kinda guy showed up and yelled at the monkey. The monkeys know to respect the rangers.

 This cheeky guy pretended to be my friend until he put his hand in my pocket. He wanted cash like a smart monkey. I grabbed his hand and slapped him. No, I did not spank him. He bit my back and ran away.

 These women were carrying bricks (on their head) to a house that was being built. We found a walk that  intersected a couple of rivers and had stunning views on either side. There are lots of artists cottages, yoga retreats, and ex pat houses.

Freshwater dilemma.

I have booked a ticket to Bali for a two week trip with my Dad. We will be there for the last two weeks in April. One week will be in Ubud, in the mountains, and another in Seminyak near the beach. Of course I will be bring fly rods. But I can't find any research on what to bring. I had a great chat with Trapper from Fly Fish America who told me just to enjoy and not to over think things! Sounds like great advice. That being said, I can't help but scour the Google Maps looking at the water. In the mountains there is lots of water. But I can't tell what kind of rivers these are. Are they large? Small? Dammed? Are they only use to irrigate rice paddies? Here is the same pictures using the map view (showing the rivers) and again using the satellite view (showing the trees along the rivers.)

Lots of trees covering the water.

What do these rivers hold?

Lots of water!

So I will bring a 5 weight rod for the fresh water and hope that there are some fish (trout?) lurking around. I will also bring a 9 weight rod for the saltwater, but that is a story for another day. What flies shall i tie for the next four months?!