My camera found the wedding cake of concrete spirit houses difficult to bring into focus. Every home has areas for sacred spirits houses, some of which are intricate copies of temples and tower over their neighbor?s homemade bamboo spirit houses on poles. The spirit houses all had the same goal: receive offerings to the spirits. Each home in Penglipuran Village had a walled-in area for the daily ritual of praying, leaving offerings, and lighting incense.

A decade ago the people of Penglipuran Village welcomed you into their homes and daily lives as they offered tea and shared a meal. Unfortunately, today the people have lost their smiles to tourism. They charge an admission to see their meticulous village while begging for you to come inside their wall and view the same souvenirs that their neighbor sells. Only if you are patient or lucky can you get a glimpse into their daily lifestyle. I saw an elderly lady playing with a cat, but the moment she saw me she shuffled away. Even the innocent little children wanted money for their photograph; a rarity in any country.? As tourists we need to accept the fact that the very thing we travel to see in its natural state will change because of our very presence.

Bali, with its gentle laid back culture still is home to my heart.