We ended our Asian adventures by joining Joel & Nana... in their home in Bali, Indonesia, for a final week.
Their home, Villa Vajra, is in the village of Sebali, north of Ubud. We've visited this retreat several times over the years since Joel left the West coast, where we all met at various times in our decades of shared history. This time, a respite of slow quiet after the intensity of driving 'round Sri Lanka.
After a day or two Nana's enthusiasm took us to the 
The collections fill the buildings with a bewildering variety of objects becoming history lessons about processions, music, storytelling & theater -- of festival & performance. 
We were captivated for several hours...
I found a number of the displays simply effective holding quite handsome masks playing deep character...
Curated very well...
These Javanese houses were handsome & spacious, with lofty central volume.
We explored individually & in pairs... occasionally joining to share story...
Nana, being raised in Java, came to life here in ways unique to that experience. He told story around the many complexions contained under these temple-like buildings. We continue appreciating who he is. That continues... Huzzah!
The even more intense collection was the fine art of puppetry, mostly Shadow Puppets... finely crafted so as to create illusions on screens backlit by lanterns... presaging the motion picture film industry of the last century. These shows were finely wrought sculptures in a plethora of characters performing in temporary theaters in towns & village squares, these being traveling affairs. Yet, in their complications of needing vigorous handling & manipulation, they become art objects of their own, displayed in full frontal light... only parts needing players following a script. Miniature operas, front & back.
Setia Darma House of Mask and Puppets... which we'd never known, new to us.
The website explains that the collection currently consists of
approximately 7,000 items, of which 1,300 are masks from Indonesia,
Africa, and Japan; whilst the other 5,700 are puppets from Indonesia,
China, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia. All are housed in four
different traditional Javanese antique houses, commonly known as
Joglo... originally from East and Middle
Java, made out of good quality teak wood, and have been put up
to help keep their preservation.
All together... mind-boggling.
Almost stifling inside so much celebration... almost. at every turn, new wonders present a new form, style or mood. Serious, playful, stern. Color was a strong language. Reflective surface as well! 
Nana, being raised in Java, came to life here in ways unique to that experience. He told story around the many complexions contained under these temple-like buildings. We continue appreciating who he is. That continues... Huzzah!
We take another break...
Driving home I wondered as we passed a shop displaying a piece of grass woven into a dragon... how would that work as a shadow puppet?!?
Even later, in their pavilion, I found another sense of living in theatrical lighting
We live in many museums!
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