Day 30: Balinese art museum, Pura Taman Saraswati, batik

We ventured into town on our own for a mini break from the intense unwanted attention of hawkers. The hounding seemed less distasteful than when on a driving tour, which inevitably means walking the gauntlet at the entrances and exits of Bali's popular tourist sights. It also seems that the harassment is inversely proportional to the quality of goods.

In relative seclusion, we toured the Museum Puri Lukisan to view Balinese art and to gain context. Many of the renderings are of fantastic Hindu stories like...the king who removed his own head to meditate better but reattached a pig's head that thereafter left him vulnerable to overthrow (because you really mustn't lose your head and wits) or...the moon goddess who is routinely swallowed by an evil spirit head but because two protective gods severed the spirit's head from the body the goddess can pass through the head to the other end unharmed and this is why we have lunar eclipses.

Near the museum is Pura Taman Saraswati, a surprising peaceful temple for so near the bustling market that is surrounded on three sides by a lotus pond.

With a couple days experience ferreting, we bargained for authentic batik. The shopkeeper was genial and explained some of the differences in island batik e.g. Sumatran vs. Javanese.