Incredible Bali

INCREDIBLE BALI
Twenty eight quilters from the United States and Africa descended on Bali last Saturday morning. Suddenly, our trip was not about buying batiks, but learning about the traditions and cultures that that have existed for centuries and are embedded in the textile heritage of this island.

An amazing people, the Balinese are extremely gracious and have gone out of their way to make our stay more than memorable. We began our visit in Ubud at the 5 star Komaneka Bisma Hotel, where we were treated like royalty. With this as our home base, we explored this cultural and art rich area of Bali for five days. Visiting batik dyers and textile weavers we were fully enriched in the arts of textile creation. Each of us tried our hand at dyeing our own batik using the was resist method – and all will go home with an incredible indigo and white fabric of their own creation.

Knowing the techniques of dyeing and seeing the process of printing, mordanting and dyeing – the amazing instant transformation of color in the dye-bath was truly an eye-opening experience that at least for me, and reinforced all that I have read over the years. Here, the authentic “BATIK” is done by hand – and is a timely process; taking at least one month to complete a hand waxed and dyed sarong. Each piece is dipped into 5 separate dye baths, 25 times to get the rich and intense colors.

Not to be left out of the textile culture are the Ikat weavings – which to the Balinese are very much like the traditional Hawaiian quilts on those Islands. Designs are used only by family members and to use another’s design will bring on things “bad for the soul”.
The group is having the shopping experience of a life-time, I do believe that we have brought the country out of a recession. The batiks which are original to Java and Bali – are not the same as the BALI style prints we see at home in the States. One can buy a patchwork batik sling shoulder bag for $2.50. A mass produced batik sarong for $3.00, which is about $1.33 a yard! There are more expensive (and labor intensive pieces) that sell for an average of $3.00 a yard. It is very easy to find Batiks in shops and in open markets.

We have connected with several individuals here who are helping organize free trade arrangements for the native dyers and weavers, while at the same time helping the dyers learn about natural dyes and processes – as opposed to the chemical dyes they have been using for the last generation. The hope is to empower them while improving the ecology of the area. It was incredible to learn that Bali royalty has taken the lead in this process as he facilitates work for many Balinese women to work in their home where they can care for their families.

The landscape is breathtaking – from the beautiful rich turquoise of the sea to the deep bright green of the tropical jungles. Along the landscape one frequently sees tributes to the Hindu gods, small personal temples in front of businesses and homes, as well as large neighborhood temple areas. Tiered rice paddies fill the open areas and are found in many private yards, as rice is the main staple.

Our guide is perfect, well versed in the religious and cultural aspects that we find unique to us. The Bali people are very respectful of others – no matter who one is. They believe that the most important thing is to ‘respect people (after god). Family is extremely important, and they stay together in all business and social aspects. Their people are happy with little, having a worth ethic of “no work, no money”. Imagine that. The most interesting job that I have heard about are the Salt Makers, women who dry the ocean water, sift the sand from the salt and collect the salt for food use of the community.

Departing the Komaneka Bisma Hotel, we head for Nusa Dua, the most well known beach in Bali – for the last five days of our journey. After our check in at the luxury Nusa Dua Beach Resort Hotel, we made our way to the sand and shores for some down time. From here we set out to visit additional sites rich in Bali culture. An incredible journey to the cool mountains took us to the Ulun Danu Temple, found on a smile island in a lake, lunch was a feast overlooking terraced rice fields in the valley below. Following our stop here we spent the evening at the Tanah Lot Temple area and enjoyed a cultural dance show by the sea. A fun stop was the Monkey Forest, as many babies had recently been born it was the highlight of our visit to watch them cling close to "mama".

The absolute highlight of our tour was spending time with the workers at the facilities of Hoffman of California's batik factory. Mr. Hoffman is known throughout the Island as "a very good man", and one realizes why when they discover how happy his employees are and learns of the company's philanthropy to the Bali people. The Hoffman's have retained employees for over 20 years in addition to serving as a blessing to many of Bali's families. Additionally, with insight as to what the chemical dyes might be doing to the area's environment, the Hoffman's have had the foresight to build what they told us is the only Bali batik industry water-purification system. The almost black water which was used in the dyeing process goes into the tanks, through the system and returns to the river clean and clear. CONGRATULATIONS to the Hoffman's! As a side note - one of the Hoffman's mentioned to me at Quilt Market that the impetus for the system was the notable disappearing of tropical fish off of Bali's shore within a few years after the Batik export industry exploded in the 1980's. If they haven't already, I truly hope that other island batiker's will follow suit.

Overall - an incredible experience, one that will be remembered for many years to come. If you havn't opened the smilebox link already, Please feel free to take a few minutes with some pictures from our adventure!

By the way, yes, we are going again next year!