traditional markets in Bali were once a necessity in a society where refrigeration and convenience stores are not as widespread as they are today. These secular shopping centers are now giving way to attack Indomaret, Alfamart and Circle Ks proliferating all over Bali.
The farmer's markets ofBali is one of the most durable centers of traditional rural life of the island. These are not the "farmers markets" found in Ubud and Sanur frequented by residents and western tourists as places for buying organic and green products, but crowded noisy indigenous livestock markets (pasar Hewan) that found in urban and rural environments.
traditionally held the day fixed market Week three Balinese days, the pasar Hewan offers the best selection and prices for domestic animals, horticultural products, supplies and agricultural tools and articles household everyday. You are able to find almost everything - from radios to transistors and DVDs Indonesian Dangdut queens posters, shoe salesmen for the purveyors of snake oil medicine. Attracted by the crowd, packaged food providers, fruits and vegetables and clothing overflowing sidewalks and around the periphery of the market.
To the city and the Balinese farmer, the main draw of these traditional markets are the pets and farm animals kept in shelters open in concrete. Before visiting, call Kantor Dinas Peternakan (Office of Livestock) of the local that you live to find out what day the market occurs. If the market takes place in the countryside, cows, bulls and heifers are sold in bamboo pens or outdoors. To see medieval scenes of Bali, get there as early as possible.
The cow Bali
cows Bali, hung with wooden bells or soft melodic bronze, are friendly, beautiful creatures with long eyelashes, delicate features, dew eyes of manicured velvet coats, slim neck, body trim, slim legs and a short tail. They look more fawns than cattle. Unlike the Hindus of India, Balinese Hindus do not consider cattle as sacred. Bali cows are mainly bred for their meat, bones carved in intricate horse, frog pendants rose for sale to tourists.
The Bali cow lives a privileged life, with love bathed in rivers of the village, fenced in comfortable littered with hay feeders, grazed on the lawns of the village, seen skipping banks with flexible thanks an antelope. As most of the cows in the tropics, they do not give milk and are often used for the job. When preparing for planting, the farmer first inundates its rice fields and used a wooden sled (tengala) pulled by one or two cows (buffaloes lack the endurance necessary) until the entire field turned into mud, ooze water.
The farmers use cows as a bank for occasions when the family is in immediate need of cash for religious rituals, medical emergencies or school fees and uniforms for the new school year. Although Bali has hundreds of thousands of cows in the small and medium scale farms throughout the island, the quality of beef from cattle Balinese is below international standards. Thus, the majority of hotels and restaurants of the island rely on other countries such as Australia and New Zealand for their imported beef.
Bebandem: A Country Market
Beringkit: Mother of all farmers markets
The main building consists of three floors filled with rows of stands, essentially a giant flea market. On the 1st floor are busy gardening and working tools, household sundries, Chinese toys cheap DVD Balinese and Javanese music, books, shoes, rindik angklung music and instruments, with a food court in the back. On the 2nd floor are traditional and modern clothing, leather goods, bags and shoulder bags. On the 3rd floor are sunglasses, lighters, traditional herbs, massage therapists, men's jewelry, semiprecious stones, amulets, used clothing, and behind a large outdoor hair salon. Outside a line of food stalls serving Balinese specialties like kuwir Lawar, nasi campur sate kempul and Javanese dishes like sate kambing with gule, bakso Sapi and bakso ayam and coconut juice.
But the main draw is the muddy cattle market sprawling 1.5 hectare north of the parking lot (after market entry, turn left) where farmers from all over Bali adults bring their cattle to sell and then buy calves for sale in the markets of their own farmer in Bangli, Rubaya and Seririt. Hundreds of Balinese cattle mill around in pens or standing groups attached to the outdoor jacketed commerce and men in rubber and started haggling. After an agreement is reached, the cows and the bulls are led to a line of trucks headed to Jakarta or Kalimantan shipped to waiting.
The livestock market is also the best place to buy all kinds of farm animals and pets - not just dogs, rabbits, chickens, ducks and birds, but many varieties of chickens (chicks, chicken, ayam kampung), and the ugly charm Moskovy ducks. A row of shops selling birds, bird food, bird cages, food for dogs and dog accessories. A large courtyard is covered with the distinctive bamboo cages shaped Gamecocks bell. Busy Sunday you will see men inspect, ruffling feathers, pulling combs, tenderly massaging, bouncing on the floor and matching their dicks in nonlethal impromptu games. Pet, mascot, child, dream, income, to a Balinese man this proud bird takes as much attention as a new wife.