Bali Handicrafts

Yesterday was a shopping day.  We started with a drive to Mas to see (and hopefully purchase) wood carvings. The carving were absolutely stunning.  And waaaay out of our price range.  The starting prices for the good stuff was over 8 million Rupia, which means anything would have cost at least 700 US dollars. And that would be for the simple pieces that were relatively small.  Suffice it to say that we only left with photos.  And I was surprised that they let us take that!  Unfortunately the photos are on my camera, so I can't share them yet, but I will update with photos when we get home.  Some of the carvings were truly life-like. I truly cannot describe them other than to say we were awe-struck at the detail and beauty. Even at a clearance sale, we couldn't afford the pieces we wanted. Were I to win the lottery, I would head right back there!

We also went to the "stone carvers". That's in quotes because these are actually cement- (semen) formed statutes, usually referred to as "stone", but they are still beautiful.  And happily, much more affordable!  One of new friends, Scott, purchased the Ganesh statute above. It's hard to see the scale in the photo, but it's about three feet tall. It barely fit in car. Luckily, we had a crossover! That guy will definitely not fit on his luggage. If not for the size, but for the weight requirement. 

Scott also bought a stature of the two lovers, Rama and Sita, which is about a foot tall. But it weighs more than Ganesh! "Why?" you ask? Because the lovers is solid cement, and Ganesh's belly is empty.