witnessing Melasti at Kutuh

Sept 14, 2006

Melasti is one important ceremony in Hindu Bali. It is the time of the Balinese year when Hindus take religious symbols to the beach for purification. The celebration is generally timed three days before Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, or in some auspicious day dictated by local custom. It was just my luck that when I visited the seaweed farms of Kutuh, it was that auspicious date.


Kutuh, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 27mm, ISO 400, +1/3 EV


The seaweed-farming community of Kutuh lives by the southern shores of Bali. For those familiar with the tourist enclave of Nusa Dua, it is not just a flat coast of white beaches. The cape is bisected by winding hills and Kutuh is one of the few secluded beaches that could only be accessed through an arduous ride over steep limestone cliffs. Away from tourism bustle as for now, Kutuh nevertheless values tradition so even without outside spectators, they hold religious rites in full grandeur and fervor. The Melasti celebration I witnessed was no artificial show.


Some villagers we met along the road. They were on the way to the temple, ahead of the rest of the people who were still on the beach.
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/320s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 400, -1/3EV


As we approached the beach, dusk was settling in. The time was 20 minutes before sundown. Most of the people were buzzing with energy as they converged at the wide bamboo altar. I was the only non-Balinese in the beach. I squatted on the sand by the sidelines in a vain attempt to be inconspicuous but the Balinese, as always, were gracious and did not mind me at all.


Boys walking toward the temple. Behind them are calcium carbonate limestone hills being bulldozed to pave way for wider roads.
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/640s, f/5.6, 21mm, ISO 200, +1/3 EV


I barely had time to take a few pictures when the villagers began to move. Led by village elders, guided by shaman priests and directed by the clanging percussive rhythms of the gamelan, the people began circling the white beach in concentric patterns. Excitement was everywhere.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/500s, f/5.6, 24mm, ISO 400, +2/3 EV



As sunset approached, only a few men remained on the beach as most of the villagers already went off to the temple several hills away.
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/3.5, 22mm, ISO 400


The sight was dizzying. The procession became a human snake that simply went swirling and spinning. People were carrying and waving penjor banners, pajeng umbrellas, fabric cordons, banners, offerings and even small altars. People were reciting chants with the gamelan drowning their prayers. This was sweet sensory overload.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 39mm, ISO 400, +2/3 EV



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/1000s, f/5.6, 31mm, ISO 400, +2/3 EV


Purposely, the parade left the beach and headed to the hills. In a few minutes, the beach totally became devoid of life. As the tailend of the procession disappeared from view, there was only me and my companions left.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/125s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 400


Climbing the hills and getting to the temple some 5 kilometers away on foot and under vanished light was no mean task. What looked like a sacrifice to me was but a normal celebration in Kutuh. It is all perspective and I have a feeling that the Balinese got it right.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/100s, f/5.6, 48mm, ISO 400, -1/3EV

Sunset Moments

This is an accompaniment of my sunrise moment blog. Sunsets remain the ultimate romantic moments, immortalized in many a movie scene, a storyline and a photograph. They remind us not only of day that just came to pass but also of another new one coming just around the bend.

Zamboanga del Norte, October 17, 2007, 5:28PM

The tidal flats of Jose Dalman in Zamboanga del Norte appear nondescript. But slather the rocky coast and the lonely waters with the colors of the sinking sun and you get affirmation that just about anyplace can be deemed romantic.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/30s, f/3.5, 18mm, ISO 200, +1/3EV
Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte, the Philippines


Canggu, Bali, Indonesia, November 11, 2007, 6:26PM

The place is Canggu and the occasion is Banyu Pinaruh. Although this ceremony of ritual bathing is prescribed during sunrise, the beach was still full of people until late in the afternoon as it was Sunday. After six, the sky started to dim and the crowd began to leave for home. The tide was just rushing back to shore and the sealine began to change. The ocean was seeking its own level and the earth can only oblige.

Canon EOS 350D Digital, 5.00s, f/22.0, 24mm, ISO 100, +1.00EV
Tibubeneng Beach, Canggu, Bali, Indonesia


Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, February 3, 2007, 5:38PM

Surabaya is a historic city in East Java, known as a city of heroes. One of the most celebrated battles in Indonesia’s struggle for independence from the Dutch transpired in this city, specifically in Jembatan merah or the “red bridge”. Smack in the center of the old Chinatown district, the bridge remains busy and became a perfect spot for my panning experiments. I remember standing in the island in the middle of the road, cutting a figure in the busy late afternoon, hoping to catch fleeting scenes like the one below.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/5.6, 31mm, ISO 800
Jembatan Merah, Surabaya, Indonesia


Singapore, August 17, 2006, 7:06PM

I normally request for a window seat when I travel. I also check the direction of the plane so that if the flight is late in the afternoon, I’d ask for a seat facing west. It even pays to get a seat at the back of the plane to get a clear window view without the obstruction of the plane’s wing. Getting a clear and clean window pane is another matter. Luck always plays a part.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/5.6, 55mm, ISO 400, -2/3EV
over the South China Sea, near Singapore


New York City, December 23, 2005, 4:42PM

New York City does not just qualify as a metropolis, it defines the word. Skyscrapers soar right vertically into the sky, traffic chokes mercilessly the concrete streets and lights flicker sizzlingly all night, all day. Laid on a grid, Manhattan is segmentized to upperside (northside), lowerside (south), westside and eastside. This makes it much easier to traverse on foot and simpler to orient when trying to capture the sun as it is about to set, need I say at the westside.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/20s, f/20, 55mm, ISO 1600
NY, NY, the US


Kutuh, Bali, Indonesia, August 25, 2007, 6:27PM

Business can be mixed with photographic pleasure. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived in the seaweed farms in Kutuh, Bali. Light was fading fast. The farmers have already left home and the boats were already tethered to shore. Empty cultivations lines confirmed the recent seaweed die-off . Replanting was ongoing. Tomorrow would be another day.



Canon EOS 350D Digital, 3.20s, f/25, 55mm, ISO 100, +2/3 EV
Kutuh, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia