Rare Angon
The shepherd boy who displeased the king

There was a shepherd boy in former times called Rare Angon. He went every day to shepherd several buffaloes in the company of his friends of a similar age. They played a variety of games, while their buffalos grazed in the pasture or immersed themselves in the mud. One day, they were playing a game while painting animals, plants, or even men on the ground.

Rare Angon himself drew a nice woman smiling named Lubang Kuri, meaning ‘Gate Hole’. The picture appeared to be the best in comparison with others’. That was the reason why Rare Angon did not allow his friends to discard his painting.
Shortly afterwards, an entourage of kings wanting to hunt went through. The drawing captured the king’s eyes. His highness made a stop and got down from his horse to admire the woman in the painting. “Who has painted this picture?” the king asked the crowd of children.
The biggest of the crowd pointed to Rare Angon. “Where did you ever meet such a nice woman?” the king asked Rare Angon who was startled by the question because the painting was a product of his imagination. Rare Angon just explained simply about this in a babbling voice. The king distrusted Rare Angon’s words and still believed that Rare Angon had met the woman called Lubang Kuri. “Tell me why you know her name if you have never seen her,“ the Rajah urged with wide-open eyes, causing the boy to tremble with fear. The boy couldn’t satisfy the king in clarifying the case. “Whatever your answer might be, I do not care for you at all! The main thing is you shall bring the woman called Lubang Kuri to my palace, otherwise I will punish you by cutting of your head!” the king challenged the boy and disappeared from sight.
Rare Angon and his friends were very afraid. They all believed the painting was a product of Rare Angon’s imagination. They then accompanied Rare Angon home in order to tell both parents of Rare Angon to the surprise of the elders, who were then afraid and very sad.
That night, Rare Angon was worried and fell asleep to dream of an old man asking the boy to go eastward to meet Lubang Kuri. The following day Rare Angon made a trip as instructed by the old man in an extremely tiring effort, going through rivers and hills until one day he found a simple cabin where he met an old man living inside the hut. The boy introduced himself to the old man and asked if he could spend a night there. The old man agreed to Rare Angon’s request.
The old man, called Jero Dukuh, then introduced Rare Angon to his daughter, who was of the same age of the boy. Rare Angon stayed there and married Jero Dukuh’s daughter. However, he was still restless and told his story to the elder, who then told Rare Angon that Lubang Kuri was real and lived on the mountain peak. Lubang Kuri stayed under the safeguard of savage tigers, snakes, and a pair of giants, ready to kill every intruder searching for her. Listening to the story about the wild beasts, Rare Angon shuddered in great fear.
Jero Dukuh advised Rare Angon to be calm, while giving him some beads, which would be useful in overcoming every handicap encountered during the trip to conquer Lubang Kuri. Throwing three beads was effective in making the guards around this nice woman fall into a deadly sleep.
Rare Angon, arriving at the dwelling of the girl on the mountain peak, was startled to see a beautiful woman smiling in welcoming him. The girl looked exactly the same as the woman he had painted. She asked Rare Angon to go down the mountain, while there was still time to escape from the beasts down the hill who were regaining consciousness. However, Rare Angon threw out his pearls towards the beasts causing a great flame firing bamboo forest he created ahead of the hunting beasts, both the tigers and snakes.
Rare Angon arrived safely at his home with Lubang Kuri and immediately went to the Royal Palace accompanied by his wife, to transfer the girl to the King. The King admired her greatly, but still he plotted to kill Rare Angon because the ruler interpreted that Rare Angon’s success in bringing the girl to the palace showed that the young man was more powerful and popular compared to the king.
The King arranged a trick to kill Rare Angon by the bites of a great number of bees, but the trick failed due to the magic power of the beads, which attacked the king until he was dead. Following the death of the king, people reached a consensus to enthrone Rare Angon, with his wife as Queen and Lubang Kuri as Advisor to the King. This was a drastic change resulting in prosperity among the people of the Kingdom. (Gung Man)

Balineselife
Tips for Road Travelers

Cruising the island of Bali by car is certainly more convenient for visitors as it gives free time for stopovers. Please also pay attention to some special signs or remarks on the way.J

If you happen to come across a sign that says “Hati-hati ada upacara adat,” please slow down your car or motorbike. The sign literally means “Please be careful, as there is a traditional village ceremony (or other social activity).” If the traffic heavy in such places this may cause a traffic jam as cars have to move slowly so you have to be patient.
Local people also believe that big trees are inhibited by spirits, which is why they sometime put offerings on them to maintain harmony. They even set up shrine at the big tree on the roadside. Logically spirits also have an equal right to live and both need the same conditions. By building a shrine there they hope to create the right atmosphere for both worlds, seen (skala) and unseen (niskala). Everyone passing through the area is advised to sound their horn to ask for permission from the unseen community. The locals also do the same thing. In addition the big tree also keeps water for the environment and is home to many insects and birds, so it must be maintained.
When buying local seasonal fruits from street sellers, make sure that you compare prices first with what you have bought previously and don’t forget to check your change. The same applies when you exchange money at a moneychanger. Make sure that the sum of your money is correct before leaving the counter.
Have a nice holiday. Hopefully you will have a nice and memorable experience on this island.(I Wayan Punia)