march-2010

Ketut Liyer
A simple wooden sign
outside a cluster of
Balinese homes points the
way to the “medicine man”.
This is the home of Ketut
Liyer, who was recently
immortalised in the book
Eat, Pray, Love. And it is
here that Ketut dispenses
daily doses of Balinese-
Hindu folk wisdom, palmreading,
and sage advice to
a constant, eager stream of
(mostly female and
Western) visitors.
His age is somewhere
between 70 and 110,
depending on who you ask,
but his kind and weathered
face suggests the lower
end of that scale. He greets
visitors with pleasantries
that, despite being
regularly repeated to a
growing army of fans,
continue to sound
welcoming and sincere.
For some he’s a shaman
and a seer, but for many
he’s simply a thoughtful old
man who sees things
clearly, and offers good
advice. To get some of your
own, go to Ubud and just
ask for Ketut.