Back on the road, off the beaten path near Gianyar we saw this and were pretty shocked. We weren’t expecting to see anything like this around here and don’t really know what to make of it…
We made Lebih, a breezy beachfront fishing village, our next stop. As there didn’t seem much to do, we again stumbled upon entertainment by observing local construction practices. Anders seemed very pleased to see the women hauling soil in buckets on their heads and kids carrying bags of rock, but I made it very clear that we would not be carrying on that tradition!
Our friend told us that while in Lebih we had to try the fish sate, the town specialty. And there was a row of beachside restaurants all serving the exact same thing, fish sate and rice. So we picked the one that had the most people in it and smelled the best and sat down and ordered one of everything, literally. It really was delic, the sate was so fresh and tasty! As our bill came we were shocked, after what seemed like a huge feast we only owed about $1.50! No wonder people think we’re rich here!
The swastika symbol was in use long before the Nazis ever started using it (this is typically new information for us Americans). The symbol generally means "lucky" or "good luck". From the wikipedia article:
ReplyDeleteThe symbol was introduced to Southeast Asia by Hindu kings and remains an integral part of Balinese Hinduism to this day, and it is a common sight in Indonesia.
So I guess that explains why it was on that house/building. Hope that helps! =)
Sharp eye! Phil - here we were only noticing the stray, hungry dogs.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia doesn't mention it, but this symbol was also used in America since prehistoric times.
Ok, apparently I have been thoroughly upstaged with my swastika comment. I was going to quote the part of wikipedia that says:
ReplyDeleteArchaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates from the Neolithic period. An ancient symbol, it occurs mainly in the cultures that are in modern day India and the surrounding area, sometimes as a geometrical motif (as in the Roman Republic and Empire) and sometimes as a religious symbol. It was long widely used in major world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
Though once commonly used all over much of the world without stigma, because of its iconic usage in Nazi Germany, the symbol has become controversial in the Western world.
So, there. Nothing we already don't know, apparently. And I also noticed the dogs first and actually had to scan for a while before finding anything out of the ordinary (besides the poor dogs).