Checking out the odalan ceremony in Songan Bali

The village of Songan is rather small but does have a couple of streets and a nice temple next to the lake. Pura Desa Songan was packed with people and not having a sash with me I didn't venture inside. Outside I chatted with locals and confirmed with one older man that this was the odalan, or birthday of the temple. The Pura Desa, or village temple is off of the main street that runs through town and down a set of stairs. The access way was crowded and I didn't try forcing my way down there. Most of the men were wearing a white jacket (the color of purity) and yellow (Shiva's color) cover to their sarong. Down the street locals waited for a lady to dispense her bubur (porridge). She was mixing it with other savory items and asked me if I wanted a bowl. It looked okay but I declined. Here in Songan I saw some very distinctly 'Bali Aga' faces. The Bali Aga are the original descendents of the Balinese. I must say that people were okay here in the way they treated me. Songan is not really on the tourist map too much and many of the people have never been to Kuta. I got a lot of shy looks and many good interactions.

The population of Songan thrives on the crops they produce in the fertile soil at the water's edge. A whole range of items from onions and corn are grown. The fresh water from the lake is pumped inland using simple pumps connected by long thin pipes. It seems that one person figured it out and everyone copied it. The sun here is scorching and the thin air means Europeans will get scorched quickly. This area is obviously a lot poorer than the parts of Bali I amused to and the contrasts between the beautiful natural landscape and the Soviet-style grey cement the locals build with is stark. Another attraction for me was the temple Pura Ulun Danau Batur that sits on the north end of the lake, which is one of the oldest in Bali. The Balinese believe that the lake is the source of water for Bali and the Goddess of the Lake is Dewi Danau. Dewi Danau also has 2 more lake-side temples at Lake Tamblingan and Lake Bratan. Every 10 years a special ceremony takes place at the temple that includes drowning animals in the lake.