Indonesia - Bali - Tenganan - Bali Aga village - 2005

Tenganan is a Bali Aga village not far from Candidasa.

We were guided around the village by one of the local inhabitants. Our village guide was friendly, polite and informative. Payment was a donation at the end of the tour which we placed in the donation box.

The village is walled and inhabited by decedents of the original Balinese. The village has paved and dirt paths between temples and houses. No motorcycles and cars are permitted. It is quite a clean and pretty village.

They basically keep their life style to their original customs. This includes a number of very different customs and ceremonies. We were told that the people of the village can only marry from within the village and to do otherwise is permanent banishment. Another custom is a traditional fight using sticks with thorny leaves. Our guide showed us his scars.

As we walked through the village the people were indifferent towards us and carried on with their normal lives (must have a few visitors). We were shown into shops and houses and we were explained the customs, architecture and ways of the people of Tenganan.

We purchased locally woven clothe which is suppose to have magical protective powers. There was no pressure to buy.

Overall, it was a very informative tour and it was so interesting to see inside the houses.