Active Alert: Sometimes you can go back: Sawan Bali

“We can never go back again, that much is certain. The past is still close to us. The things we have tried to forget and put behind us would stir again...” Daphne Du Maurier writing in 'Rebecca'

But occasionally at least, you can go back. As you poke into strange corners you might discover yourself standing in the exact same spot that you visited years before. Of course things won't be exactly the same but old memories -- especially those evoked from old photos -- will spring anew from hidden memory corners.

While I have travelled much and still enjoy new discoveries, I also enjoy revisiting places first seen years before. In March 1975 I was in the middle of a Round-the-World trip. When I left Canada I had no intention of visiting the island of Bali in Indonesia but Australians that I met insisted that it was a 'must see'. I stopped off for a few days that became a few more and eventually turned into a two month sailing adventure.

In mid-April I rented a scooter and then -- perhaps on the 18th -- I headed off to see the North Coast of Bali.

Winding Roads and Rice Terraces

North Bali Water Buffalo

Greetings by Roadside Boys

Prompted by a line in some guide book I headed up a mountain road searching for the distinctive temples of Sawan village. As I came into town I stopped at the grand entrance to the local Hindu temple. It was covered with wild gargoyles, spirits and demons. As I brought out my camera I was surrounded by a crowd of children from the nearby school. Everyone shouted "hello mister", and everyone -- including one dog and a few dudes trying to look casual -- wanted in on the picture-taking.

Dalem Temple, Sawan District, April 1975

Dalem Temple Crowd, April 1975

These remained two of my favourite travel photos. Over the years, I would look in guide books but never found more than a brief mention of Sawan and its temples.
Eventually, 44 years later on almost the same date in 2019, I found myself on a rented scooter searching for memories of those same temples. I found out that Sawan was a fair sized 'district' of Buleleng Regency with several villages and a number of temples, markets and schools.

Scooters at Village Market 2019

With the aid of Google maps and some intuition I came upon the village of Pakraman Bebetin. I asked at the market and somebody pointed me to the local 'town temple'.

Dalem Temple, Sawan District, April 2019

While the colouring was different and the buildings behind the entrance had all been 'improved' over the years, if I squinted I could see that I was indeed standing in the exact same spot. There were no children that day in 2019 but I noticed that the village school was directly across the street.

Without my photos I would never have remembered that village and temple. Without my photos I would never have found them again. But perhaps without my photos other interesting memories would have been wedged in the far corners of mind.

It was a fun day though I got quite burnt driving slow on mountain roads.
I took this photo of my arm back at the hotel later that day.