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www.groovekorea.com / September 2014 66 DESTINATIONS Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) SiLverSmitHing i n b A L i Story by Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli / Photos by Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli and Jan Alanzo T he walk from our hotel’s side street in Ubud, Bali, to the silver- smithing classroom was only about five minutes, but it was still enough time to work up a sweat. A small white sign with black lettering marked the gate into I Wayan’s compound: “Wayan” means teacher or master, so Jason and I crossed our fingers and hoped we had the right place. We walked through the gates to find two parked cars and one of those ubiquitous Balinese altars. There was no classroom, no silversmithing tools, no display room, only a grandmother cooking eggs on an outdoor stove be- hind the vehicles. She smiled and directed us further into the compound, and as we approached the next building, two children wearing backpacks came tumbling out. They waved and pointed us yet further into the compound. We descended a slight hill to a porch where two middle-aged women were washing clothes and gossiping, and after a moment they ushered us into an open-sided building with dented, worn desks. This, finally, looked like it might be a place to learn something about molding silver. Two lovers seal the deal in paradise, fve years late