印尼记遊（九）
Travelogue in Indonesia 09

四月十一日九时，他们一行七人，全部集中在谢君府上，事先將行李称 过，以免过重。这先头部队就由朱庆光带领。十时往⻜机场，开始踏上 了到泗水的征程。

我们五人仍回到丹巴刹巴厘旅馆去。为了不欲浪費时间，即刻雇了兩辆 「德士」于十时半出发，前往巴厘⻄南海岸丹那洛 Tanah Lot 去作画了。

我们在⻋中颠簸前进，⻋行速度甚慢，所以更方便沿途观览。一路上游目骋怀，真有无限情致，令人毫无厌倦之感!这一带全无大的溪水，路旁多是小流，时或出现村舍三五，隐现於丛树竹林之间。羊肠小径，山泉田野，处处可⻅。此地区之农舍，均帶有浓厚的原始意味，更由於山区偏僻，⻛化未开，物质文明难达，所以人民的生活习惯，亦多保持巴厘原有的气息。男人多在家看顾孩子，料理家务。女人則出外操作。男女衣着均普遍地半裸上身。当我们的⻋驶过时，伫立在两旁的孩子们大呼欢迎，连十五六岁的大姑娘也夾杂其间大呼大跳，这些景物与往日所 ⻅者又大不相同。

由丹巴剎至丹那洛，一共虽只有四十多英里的路程，但因沿路崎岖不平，路面又破坏不堪，⻋行了足足三个钟头，经过了一段平原抵达丹那洛海滩。滩边一带是绵延的岩崖，海边更散立着无数深黑色的巨岩;有如狮子，有如巨人，有如伏虎，有如厉鬼，千百种形态!滩外有一小岛矗出海面。岛麓有人工凿成之石级，历历可見。岛高五十余呎，顶端兀立着一座古塔，古庙及苍劲的古树。岛之周围⻘草丛生，古藤蔓蔓，紧缠石崖，黑中带绿，颇饶古
趣！海浪掀来，从崎岖的崖岩之间冲撞出去，散成了各种的小浪与涡璇，蔚为美观。

时已夕阳叆叇，一抹斜晖照射海面，反映出微弱的金光，反射到海上的崖石，从崖石反射到岛上的高塔，古庙，发出千百种奇丽的色彩，变幻莫测!我自叹秃笔不华，无以描写其万一。这五色缤纷，绚烂夺目的色彩，亦非调色板上的油色所能表现其万一的，我为了珍惜这充满诗情画意的眼前景致，不自禁的地坐在石上描画，当我正全神贯注的时候，忽然远处传来了一阵「来啊，来啊」的声音，我知道凤美在招呼了，我循着叫声找去，跳过一石又一石，踄过溪水，到达对岸，再随崖石之高低而扳登，又绕过一个海湾，看⻅凤美，城梅，丽君都在一起作画，她们一看⻅我来，就嚷着要我看这儿看那儿的，果然这是一个更好的角度，那孤岛更显得突出，海浪也更汹涌澎湃，惊涛如匹练远远奔来，撞及崖石，声吼如雷，浪花⻜溅，崖下海水尽成白沫，非常映⺫，这雄壯的海涛声，在这幽默自然界中继续不断地节奏，真是动人心魄。

我们勾了十几帧画稿就回到滩边去，谢君与潮光正与一位雕刻师在那儿聊天。原来这位貌似庸俗，状如渔夫者，竟是一位以雕刻为生活的艺术家呢!他专选择海中之珊瑚，顽石，按其原来之形态而加以修饰，使成为许多奇奇怪怪的人物，花卉与禽兽。在这么僻壤的海隅他就靠这些技艺而养活一家七口呢！潮光是我们队里的摄影专家，他有一套极完美的摄影机，配上一副「吊镜」，宽角镜，因为镜头太⻓了，吊在胸前，所以我们都与他开玩笑，名之为吊镜。我们就在这迷人的景色里，请他一显身手，合拍了两帧照片，就转道回程了。

此处景色奇伟，与过去所⻅者回然不同，真是前所未⻅，无处不令人欣赏赞美，无一角度不惹画意，他们无缘至此一游，我真为他们婉惜，而引为憾事呢！ （九）

On April 11th at 9 a.m., the seven of them gathered at Mr. Xie's house, having already weighed their luggage to avoid exceeding the limit. The advance team was led by Choo Keng Kwang. At 10 a.m., they set off for the airport to begin their journey to Surabaya.

The five of us returned to the Bali Star Hotel in Denpasar. To make the most of our time, we immediately hired two taxis and set off at 10:30 a.m. for Tanah Lot on the southwestern coast of Bali to do some painting.

As we bumped along in the car, the slow pace allowed us to enjoy the scenery along the way. Everywhere we looked, there was an endless charm, and it was impossible to grow tired of it. There were no major rivers in this area, only small streams, and occasionally, you could spot three to five houses hidden among the trees and bamboo groves. The winding paths, mountain springs, and fields were everywhere to be seen. The farmhouses in this area still retained a strong sense of their primitive origins. Due to the remote location in the mountains and the limited influence of modern civilization, the local people's way of life had preserved the essence of Bali. Men could often be seen at home taking care of children and household chores, while women worked outside. Many of the men and women were dressed with bare torsos. As our car passed by, children on both sides of the road enthusiastically welcomed us. Even fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls joined in the excitement. These sights were quite different from what we had seen before.

From Denpasar to Denarau, although the distance was only about forty miles, the road was rough and uneven, causing the journey to take a full three hours. We finally arrived at Denarau Beach, a place surrounded by rocky cliffs and countless dark giant boulders. These boulders took on various forms, resembling lions, giants, crouching tigers, and terrifying demons, among countless others. The sight of them was like no other!

Beyond the beach, there was a small island rising from the sea. At the base of the island, a staircase had been carved into the rocks, clearly visible. The island stood fifty feet tall and featured an ancient pagoda, temple, and majestic ancient trees at its peak. The area around the island was covered in lush greenery, tangled with ancient vines that clung to the cliffs. It was a richly historical and picturesque scene. The waves crashed against the rocky cliffs, creating various small waves and whirlpools that were a sight to behold.

By now, the sun was setting, and slanting sunlight bathed the sea. It cast a faint golden light, reflecting off the cliffs into the sea and onto the island's tall tower and ancient temple, creating a myriad of beautiful and ever-changing colors. It was an extraordinary spectacle that left me at a loss for words. The five colors, dazzling and brilliant, were beyond what any palette of oil colors could depict. To fully capture this breathtaking sight, I couldn't help but sit down on a rock and start sketching. I was deeply absorbed in my work when I suddenly heard shouts in the distance. I knew it was Foong Moi calling for me. Following the voices, I jumped from one rock to another, crossed a stream, and reached the other side. I climbed up the cliffs, went around a bay, and finally found Foong Moi, Seah Boey, and Lih Juin all painting together. When they saw me, they urged me to take a look from their perspective, and indeed, it was an even better angle. The solitary island stood out even more, and the waves were even more vigorous and frothy. The roaring waves crashed against the rocks, creating a thunderous sound, and the sea spray splashed below the cliffs, creating a spectacular sight.

We drew more than a dozen sketches and then returned to the beach. Mr. Xie and Teo Kwang were engaged in conversation with a seemingly ordinary man, dressed like a fisherman. To our surprise, he was an artist who made a living by carving. He specialized in using coral and rocks from the sea, shaping them into various strange figures, flowers, and birds while maintaining their original forms. This remote coastal area was his home, and he supported his family of seven with these skills.

Teo Kwang, our team's photography expert, had an excellent camera setup, complete with a wide-angle lens. Because the lens was quite long, it hung around his chest, earning him the nickname "hanging lens." We had a playful time with him about it.

In this mesmerizing scenery, we asked him to showcase his skills and took two beautiful photographs before heading back.

The landscape here was magnificent and unlike anything we had seen before. It was truly a unique experience, and we regretted that the rest of the team couldn't join us on this visit.