Balinese dancers and a give-away!

Can you take one more Bali post?

Last one, all right?

The main reason we wanted to get back to Bali was our older girl's yearning to watch the Balinese dancers. The last time we were there, none of us could stay awake beyond sunset. She asked every day to see the dancers at night, and every day we all fell asleep before they took the stage. We didn't make it happen. It saddened her and she brought it up often after we returned home, and I regretted that we hadn't tried. We had this opportunity to return, and we snatched it up! And don't you know, we went to see the dancers the very first (and again on the last) night!

The night was very dark and the spotlights were very bright, so it was hard to take good photos on my little point-and-shoot camera. This night, Wednesday, was the Spirit of the Women dancers at the Water Palace in Ubud. Women play the musical instruments as well as dancing most of the parts. The elaborate dance told a long, intricate story of a princess. These dancers are incredible artists with great skill. Balinese dance may be difficult for a Westerner to understand, but it is really something to watch.

We wish we had been able to see the children perform, but alas, there was no children's performance we could attend during our visit. There were three children in the roles of golden deer in this night's performance, and our girls were very excited to see them.

Might I interest you in a little treat?

I hope you've enjoyed these little peeks into Bali. If you'd like a bit more, I'll pass you along to an expert. I would like to give away a copy of the book "fragrant rice", written by an Australian woman married to a Balinese man and raising their children in the Balinese tradition in Ubud. She and her husband have owned a few highly successful restaurants (in one of which I purchased the book) and operate a highly-regarded cooking school, so the book is peppered with delicious recipes along with her stories. I will happily ship this book anywhere in the world, as a special treat for you before Christmas. Just leave a comment on this post (extra entries for sharing the posts with a friend) and I'll choose a winner on Saturday, when my family will celebrate Thanksgiving. Warmest wishes to you!