One question that I regularly get asked is about my beautiful crown ornament that I often use to style my photos. Everyone wants to know what it is and where they can buy one.
The crown is actually a galung. They are the terracotta ornaments found at the peak of a Balinese temple. For Phil's 40th birthday we took a holiday to Bali. I'd never been there before and I fell in love with the thatched temples and especially the galungs.
Galungs are also used on the beach huts at the resorts. Such pretty details. Hand made and delicate. The work of local artisans.
I was determined to find one but of course they are not the normal Bali souvenirs available on the streets ...Bintang singlet tops and sarongs are more common. Eventually I found one just outside Ubud. There are factories that make them and I'm sure that you can find where they are made for the temples if you are in Bali. They sell for between $6-20 each.
I carried mine home so carefully wrapped in a beach towel and my Bali sarong souvenir in my day pack, terrified it would break. They are only sun-dried so they are very fragile. I had it terracoota for a while at home but eventually the urge to paint it white was too overwhelming (you know me!!). I used a small artist brush and gave it two coats of an off white chalk paint.
Now that's more my style.
White paint, I love you so.
Every single time I use it in photographs I am so very careful in moving it and placing it. I would hate to break it. I'm not going back to Bali anytime in the near future and while you can buy them from pool and spa hut places they sell them at a huge mark up for around $150-200.
Don't you just love it?
What's the best non-touristy souvenir you've ever brought home?
Fiona xx
The white paint definitiely suits the galung, it is so unusual. My much loved souvenir is an "Angel Catcher" pendant which is an intricate carved gold ball which opens with a plain ball like a marble inside, which has a bell inside that. I bought it in Germany in Bad Aibling and loved it as soon as I saw it. I only bought it on the day I was leaving as I had promised myself I would only get it as a souvenir if my son's health treatment went well , which it did. It is very special to me.
ReplyDeletep.s. that should read "Angel Caller" above !!
ReplyDeleteI always love seeing this in your photos. Thank you for generously sharing the details. I'm going to track one down
ReplyDeleteH x