Just under the surface, brimming with tradition

One thing I really like so far about Ubud is that it is finding an interesting blend of tourism and tradition. I'm not able to dig that deep into the culture (no Bahasa Indonesian tongue) but still I can see that culture, and in particular Balinese Hindu ritual, permeates throughout.

Two quick examples. First, walking along the sidewalk becomes an exercise in not stepping on the offerings that are out in front of each shop or house. These little trays are filled with incense and small bits of food and are laid out daily. Similarly, a couple of times on each block there will be a break in retail and a shrine or entrance to a temple will appear. These too are maintained daily, with elaborate structures made from bamboo and other materials used.

Second, a handful of times I have seen shops shuttered, with little handmade signs in the window. They read: "Sorry, we're closed today on account of ceremony. See you tomorrow!" The interesting thing here is, as far as I can tell, this happens regularly, and is not just for one or two holidays when everyone takes religious observance.

I read somewhere that the Balinese calendar is incredibly complex. Apparently, there are concurrent 10-day, 9-day, 8-day, 7-day, 6-day, 5-day, 4-day, 3-day, 2-day, and 1-day weeks running. And each of those week systems has their own set of holidays. This results in many many days requiring special religious observance of some kind. Even with Ubud having a fair amount of tourist infrastructure, it is really neat to see some balance with traditional culture - here's to hoping it can be maintained as tourism seems to only increase in these parts.