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Last week I went to Bali, and instead of going to Kuta, and getting lost in the mess of squirming bodies on Kuta beach like most tourists do, I rented a car, and opted to stay instead at Candi Dasa, 80 km east of Denpassar. I didnÕt go to Kuta at all. With Candi Dasa as my base, I made daily trips exploring the lesser visited parts of this so called Paradise Island.
And I discovered Ulakan, a sleepy fishing village on the road to Candi Dasa. Ulakan has nothing to claim for fame, but I found a fascinating rural market here, which is a photographerÕs paradise. The residents of Ulakan are fishermen and farmers, and in this post I'd like to share with you some of the weathered faces I saw at Ulakan.
This septuagenarian caught my eye. Evidence of how difficult her life must have been, is permanently etched in her face. Her left eye must have been damaged by some accident during her childhood. Although at least 70, this wiry lady is still quite tough and able to carry a large heavy basket on her head. Besides the voyeuristic adventure, traveling is often a humbling experience. When you see how difficult life is for people in other countries, you quietly thank your God, that you are so fortunate not to have to struggle so hard to make a living.
You think you are stressed ?
No, you dont know what stress is like if you can afford a digital camera. Reminded me of Paolo Nutini's song, These Streets... "The stress that we are under is no stress at all...just a jump and a slip, to a harmless fall...."
There are people in many parts of the world, who wake up each morning, stressed - from worrying where they are going to get the next meal to feed their their families....
I thought this man in the next picture had an interesting face. I took a bit of time talking to him, asking him what he did for a living. He spoke about why the people of Bali are so God-fearing. Living in the shadows of giant volcanoes like Gunung Agung, they have to fear and respect the awesome forces of nature, which in the past have periodically wiped out entire villages. But he says the dormant volcanoes are also a vital source of life. The wind, and the slopes of volcanoes, cause clouds to form. When it rains, the caldera or volcanic crater traps life sustaining water, creating lakes like Tasik Kintamani. Because of the height of these lakes they form natural reservoirs, which can irrigate paddy terraces high on the mountain slopes. Volcanic debris from eruptions also makes the soil fertile. So he says there is harmony in nature, which sustains life as much as it sometimes destroys life. He says destruction only comes when the Gods are angry over the dosa-dosa or sins of man. We have to worship, respect and fear the Gods, he said....
Profound. Insightful.
Really interesting fella, this seemingly simplistic man from Ulakan ....
While we were chatting, he was smoking a kretek cigarette (Indonesian Clove cigarette). The pungent smell of burning cloves hurt my nose, and I wanted to move away, but I couldn't help staying and shooting some more pictures of him. He told me that the smoke from cloves could cure asthma, but I know that studies have shown that kreteks and ordinary tobacco cigarettes, have similar tar and nicotine levels, and their destructive effects on the lungs of smokers are identical. Research has shown that the eugenol in clove smoke actually causes a numbing of the throat, which can diminish the gag reflex in users, making it potentially dangerous for people with respiratory problems to smoke kretek. In fact it is illegal to sell Kreteks in some countries like Ireland, and also in some US states, but I digress.
Here's a picture of my friend exhaling
In per capita terms, China has the highest rate of smokers in any country in the world. In Indonesia, nearly 90% of all smokers smoke kretek cigarettes. And the biggest Kretek manufacturer in Indonesia is in fact owned by Phillip Morris.
However, there are many rural people in Ulakan who smoke cigarettes which they roll themselves. I waited for this man to finish rolling his cigarette in order to snap a picture of him lighting the cigarette. I was hoping to capture the glow of the lighted match lighting his face. But it was not to be. It was quite bright outside the Ulakan Market, and this was the best picture of him that I could shoot....
Here's another vendor from Ulukan market. Her stall was at the edge of the dark market and on a slightly raised platform. Low, directional light was coming from outside the market
This next lady was a vegetable seller. It was quite dark inside the market, but the sun came thru a skylight opening in the market's roof, and was shining from above and behind her.
What luck !
When I pointed the big 70-200 in her direction, she looked towards me and smiled. DOF on the EF 70-200 at 1/20 secs with IS and f/2.8 is really very narrow. Using her right eye as the point of focus, with her face slightly turned towards me, has caused the rear left eye to go slightly out of focus. Probably could've got a slightly better image by using f/3.2 and doubling ISO to 400.
I thought this next lady was a little bit annoyed when she saw me trying to take her picture. She looked like she was annoyed. But I discovered it was more surprise than annoyance when she smiled at me and asked ... ..
"..dari mana Pak ? Dan mengapa mengambil photo saya...?"
Translation (Where are you from, Mr? And why are you taking my photograph?)
Almost every woman I saw in Ulukan market had a small towel coiled over their heads. It's actually a cushion on which to balance baskets, basins and other things. Balinese women carry most things on their heads, and because of this, most Balinese rural women have good posture. The next picture is a Balinese woman with a large load on her head.
Strangely, I didn't see any Balinese man carrying anything on their heads. But I did see lots of men, carrying nothing, nonchalantly walking in front of their wives, who were loaded with stuff on their heads. Without any malicious MCP inferences, it reminded me of the mainland Chinese farmers I saw on my travels in China, leading donkeys with huge loads on their backs.
The men have trained their women well, here in Bali ...
heh, heh, heh, heh ........................
For more pictures from Ulakan, get a puke bucket ready, and hop over to my website.
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