Monday, August 29, 2005

Pura Tanah Lot & the wooden "ehem"





Pura Tanah Lot, temple of the earth (tanah) and sea (lot). This is one of the most spectacular temples in Bali and a perfect place to watch sunset.
When we visited Pura Tanah Lot, it was low tide, so we could walk all the way to the island’s rocky caves. We didn't go into the cave at the base of the island though. There were lots of people entering the cave, seeking blessing from the priests.
From the entrance to the Pura is approximately 2 kilometers, so be prepared to walk. However, there are a lots of things to see along the way…row after row of shop selling knick-knacks and other touristy stuffs. You could even get yourself temporary tattoo. Gee...It was tempting but I figured out that it wasn't a wise thing to do since I'll be attending my bestfriend's wedding in KK next week.
Did manage to get some stuff there, e.g. carved wooden flowers (normally used to decorate either sides of the door or gates) and few t-shirts with cool designs. Didn’t see them elsewhere before. Bought one with the naming convention of Balinese. The wood carvings were great...I wish I could bring back some for the feature wall but it'd be too heavy to carry.
Ati & I found something interesting though...quite in abundance at the souvenir shops…first in Sukawati and later in Tanah Lot. It’s actually “ehem”, the man’s private part. Well, we were amused at first. Okay, can’t blame us. People definitely do not sell that publicly in Malaysia.
It came in variety of forms e.g. table centerpiece, key chains and even, bottle openers. Imagine holding the penis of about more than 6 inches long while trying to open the bottle. Funny, huh. We thought of buying some for our male friends but later had a second thought. The guys would think of us as perverts!!! Hahahaha.
Since it was almost everywhere, we figured out that it was probably some kind of symbols of fertility for Balinese.

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