When you arrive in Bali (mostly through Ngurah Rai International Airport), you will likely be welcomed by the soft and soothing sound of rindik. For most of the visitors, the sound of this musical instrument is the first Balinese music they encounter. If you miss it at the airport, you will likely to hear it at your hotel lobbies, restaurants or other tourists haunts.

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The moment of initial contact of the visitors with lovely sound of rindik takes place something like this visitor are sitting in a restaurant or entering a hotel lobby designed in neoBalinese style. While they savor the succulent food or admire the elaborate architecture some sort of background music can be heard. The sound of Balinese traditional bamboo instruments they hear is not a recording but instead is being played live by two or three musicians in one corner of the room or staged on an open bale at the edge of the locale. Were you to look in that corner you would see two musicians, which are gently beating out notes on the rindik sometimes accompanied by the third one plays the bamboo flute suling. The soft and gentle bamboo sound is quite lovely, yet can easily be ignored; you can hear it virtually everywhere in Bali, it is perfect Balinese background music.

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Leko is a type of social dance, may be a flirtation dance as a matter of fact. In old days, Leko was a palace dance, designed for the entertainment of the king, nowadays it is a popular social dance that anybody can enjoy and participate. It is performed by a pairs of female dancers and usually involves the audience. Leko can only be found in Western part of Bali, in the regency of Tabanan and Jembrana.

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Bamboo, called tiing by Balinese is an indispensable part of Balinese culture. In Bali bamboo is not grown within the house compound. Balinese believe that if the bamboo sprouts by itself within a house compound it is allowed to remain, but its growth is discouraged by indirect means. Such is the magic bamboo that only old people may tackle the dangerous job of digging it out and only in certain days that work concerning bamboo may be safely undertaken. But the Balinese life and culture would have develop along different lines had bamboo not existed on the island.

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There are 15 or more bamboo varieties in Bali and each variety has its own quality that is needed by the Balinese. A variety called tiing tali (tali means “thread” or “string”) is made into thin bamboo strips and the strips are the common ties for almost every purpose. The strip of tiing tali holds lids on baskets, lashes scaffolding together, holds decorations on to their support, and serves to fasten myriad other devices.

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