Once upon a time there was a girl named Sentai. She asked her parent to send her to school at Wencunikuta. They could not bear to part from her, for she was the joy of the home. But she begged so hard that at last they consented, and she gave them her sash by which they might know whether she were alive or dead. So long as it remained whole, she was in good health; but if it went to pieces they would know she was dead. Then she cut off her hair and dressed herself as a boy, and everyone said it suited her beautifully.

She jumped into her car, and set off to school. On the way she met a very attractive youth called Sampik. He was also going to school at Wencunikuta, so she took him along with her. They are both admitted by the teacher and took a room together in the town. Sampik was still imagining her to be a boy. They put to a bolster down in the middle of the bad, and agree that if either of them put a leg across he must pay a fine. Sentai had to pay very often.

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In Bali, Garuda is believed to be the king of birds, ruler of the sky, and personification of power. In Balinese culture, Garuda is always depicted as a man with bird head and a pair of wings sometimes with bird’s tail though in sacred Garuda incantation, it describes in quite different way, the translation of this incantation into English will be as follow:

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“Garuda is a fascinating and terrifying bird with strong teeth, red eyes, big beaks, and long neck. His speed is as fast as the wind.”
“Both of his knees are golden in color, his stomach is in the shape of mountain, his neck shine as bright as sun and his head look is glowing.”
“Impressing yellow is the color of his feathers from feet up to knees. The color of his body is white from thighs up to navel.”
“Radiant silver from the heart up to under his beak, and black from beak up to his head.”

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Almost all Balinese youths either live in the island of Bali or outside are belong to the traditional youth organizations. Every hamlet (banjar) in has its own traditional youth organization, well known in Bali as Sekaa Taruna (derives from the words “sekaa” means “group” and “teruna” means “youth”. Each sekaa teruna has its own name, usually derived from Sanskrit word that its meaning varied from clearly connected “benevolent youth” to the obscure “immortal four”.

Sekaa teruna is considered to be the council of junior hamlet members. The members of the sekaa teruna are always the children of its own hamlet members; it cannot take members from other hamlets.

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Located in the picturesque area known as Umalas, the three bedrooms Umah Duri is a short fifteen minute drive by car to the upscale areas of Seminyak and Legian, which boast some of the finest shopping, dining, and nightlife on the island, along with several fine beaches ideal for swimming and surfing. This contemporary Asian-influenced villa provides a cosy yet open-air lodging from which to escape the bustle of downtown and retire into ones own private world.

Two separate Umah Duri buildings constitute the main living areas of the villa, separated by an open lawn and swimming pool, and natural tiled walkways lined in decorative smooth stones. The slightly elevated main building consists of a living area and kitchen flanked on both sides by wrap-around veranda and two bedrooms with private ensuite bathrooms. A formal dining terrace is located to the far right of the structure, and allows 10 people to dine in comfort. The master bedroom and its ensuite bathroom are situated in the second building. All Umah Duri bedrooms are air-conditioned, and can be opened up by sliding glass doors if fresh air is desired.

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Religious symbols, icons, or signs can be found in surprisingly numerous numbers in Bali. Surprisingly? Since they are perfectly interwoven in everyday Balinese life, one hardly realizes their existence. Some religious symbol can easily be recognized, for example Rerajahan. Rerajahan is the most obvious and easily recognized Balinese religious symbol.

Rerajahan is a drawing of sacred characters or images on a piece of cloth, metal plate, pottery, leaf, fruit, wood, weapon, basket or skin. The drawing of the rerajahan can be categorized into 11 groups:

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Barong Kedingkling is a sacred performance of nine masked dancers which derives its theme from Ramayana epic. It has exorcism function. It is performed when there is a pestilence hits the town or before a temple anniversary to ensure the success of the ceremony.

The origin of Barong can be narrated as follow: It is told in the village of Medangan, Gianyar Regency, that a terrible pestilence threatened the people about 300 years ago, when King Batu Renggong’s great-grandson was on the throne in Klungkung. The new king’s elder brother, I Dalem Agung Pemayun, was driven into exile after he had refused to assume the title of King of Bali for himself. After I Dalem Agung Pemayun had wandered for some time in the wilderness of the northern mountain district and meditated there, he traveled south and entered Medangan while the epidemic was raging.

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