Exile: More From Bali - Art and Devotion in Ubud

Okay, this is getting ridiculous. Work is piling up, but all I can think about is how far out of real time my blog has slipped, since I need to do four posts about Bali and one about a trip to the shore on a tour bus the department took last week. When I have those up, the rest is going into photo albums on Facebook, and I will depend on others to write editorial comments. Time to get movin' on this...

Ubud may have its share of market stalls loaded with cheap souvenirs, but it also has many truly talented people who often search for and do not find an effective way to market their talents. In the USA, artists may have promoters who show a portfolio of their work to interested buyers, but here, an artist's portfolio is quite literally strapped to his or her back. These two guys were not aggressive about making a sale, and were willing to keep it low key and just talk to me, so I bought a small canvass from each of them on my way out to the airport.

I also appreciated their willingness to be photographed, since my pictures are often long on scenery, short on humans. I wish I'd scanned their work for posting; they're both pretty good.

Outside every home or shop in Bali, Hindu offerings are placed at the beginning of each day. They normally consist of a small straw mat or basket containing cut flowers, sweets, and topped off with a stick of incense that burns for several hours.