Bali Magic

In the early evening after the intensity of the afternoon sun, ron and I walked over to Alejandra's project to see if she finished the house on time. As we walked down the path we had to sidestep to make room for two men carrying a small wooden table on their heads walking up the path. I knew they must be from the Joglo. As we approached, we could see Ali and her friend moving around putting the finishing touches on the placement of the furniture and the lamps. The transformation in three days time was amazing!! Even the muddy area surrounding the house was transplanted with a border of plants and ground cover. The house was magical. Filled with antique day beds, simple wooden tables, mismatched wooden chairs that she had sanded down to a fresh warm patina of smooth teak. Very charming. Another friend happened by and we were the lucky party of five celebrating her success. We drank brem, which is a sweet rice wine. We danced to Al Green and Sade on the newly polished cement floors, and we excitedly went from one room to another taking photos, and enjoying the views as the light changed from day to evening. We hated to leave but we had no flashlights with us and you can not walk the paths at night without one. So we took our leave in the last of the lingering light, and at the top of the path paused to look back and see the pale warm glow of the Joglo house floating in the peace and serenity of the paddies.

Through the paddies

Along the Path

My Spunk has turned to Funk

Awoke this morning and did not feel so fine. Just off somewhat, no energy, a little stomach rebellion. Went in the pool and couldn't swim much, but enjoyed the cooling effect. Rain easing off now, very hot and humid. As per directions from our friend Alejandra, we walked the other afternoon down the trail, past Yellowflower cafe, made a left at Londo's and then followed a very narrow path between rice paddies to her building site. Everything was wet and muddy from the rains. Slippery. Ron and I have fake Crocs which are great for walking here in the mud and rain, but I think we look like Mickey and Mini Mouse in them. The house Alejandra is building incorporates an old Joglo which she salvaged in Java. Essentially Joglo's are old teak houses some with elaborate carving and thick doors. She has used this one as the bedroom and has built a small open house around it with concrete floors and a woven alang alang roof. Open plan with sitting area, kitchen, and semi enclosed bathroom with carved cement bathtub and a separate shower. Everything exposed to the outdoors, overlooking a small rice paddy and some other houses nearby. Work was going full tilt by a crew of about eight because her first clients were coming to rent the house in three days time. I intend to walk over again today or tomarrow to see how it has evolved. She had a long way to go. They were grinding and polishing the floors and countertops, putting in the bathroom tiles, electricity had just gotten hooked up the day before. I admire her stamina as it is hard to get things done here especially in the heat and the rain. A lot of xpats live here very basically. No air con, no walls on much of their spaces, little luxuries. Sadly, there are so many people looking to live here now that the bucolic nature of the area has changed into a kind of building frenzy, and the beauty of the rice paddies which is what brought us here in the first place is turning into houses and lodging. Since three years time I was saddened to see all the changes. I wonder how the Balinese feel!

Offerings

Everyone's got a cell phone

Woman's fashion

Sunny afternoon

There's always a ceremony somewhere happening in Bali. Last week we heard gamelan music long into the night coming from the temple across the stream, in the next village a five minute walk away. Today we learned that there was to be another ceremony with a procession and offerings and thought we would go. Which means you have to dress appropriately. Both men and woman wear sarongs and colorful sashes. Men also wear white collared shirts or something similar. Girls cover their arms. Most Balinese women wear sheer lace jackets over their fitted tops. Can be very pretty. We actually missed the procession but wandered around the small streets and watched the locals patiently waiting for the priest to finish their sing song prayers. Kids were dressed as miniature adults and were adorable. Everyone playful and having a good time. I tried not to be too offensive taking photos, and managed to sneak in a good one or two. Wasn't sure how much of an intrusion that would be during their ceremony. It actually got sunny for a while this afternoon after a morning of rain. So it felt wonderful to stroll around and observe the sights and sounds. Later about ten of us were in the pool telling traveler's tales. A nice group of people staying here at Melati. Alan, a retired dentist from Toronto introduced me to an American woman who has lived in Bali ten years. She produces hand painted scarves and clothing. We walked over to her compound where there was a small building where her painters were hard at work. Each painter sat on a mat in front of a bamboo stretcher with a long length of silk stretched across it and literally free handed painted the designs. Her house was nearby through a glorious garden. Three stories of elegant Bali style open living. Nice art, and comfortable furnishings. Every window offered a view of tropical plants and flowers. I could understand how you wouldn't want to leave the sanctuary of this home. Nice to get a peek into the possibilities of what you can do here if you have taste and time. As it happens, Alan also knows another woman he wants to introduce me to. When he began a description of her it turned out to be someone I know. An architect from Del Mar. So it really is a small world.

Bali rain

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Flying dragons

Kites

Rain rain rain

Bali rain is like no other rain that you have experienced. It comes down in sheets with drops the size of huge pearls. They come down so hard they bounce off the road. Within an hour the water is reaching your ankles and the earth is saturated. Rivers of water flow down the streets. Tonight we made our way down our narrow curving street to a tiny Japanese restaurant. We were fooled by the clearing sky of the afternoons rain. By the time we barely ate our tofu and pickled vegetables, the rain had returned in earnest. We didn't think to bring the huge umbrella we bought our first day. We waited. And waited. The rain visible in the headlights of the cars and motorcycles circling past. Finally, we just gave in, rolled up our pants and walked into the pouring rain. The worst part was the narrow road twist and turns and crazy drivers race past you inches from your body, disregarding the conditions and the dark. Too much traffic on these tiny roads. But the rain was actually refreshing, we didn't have very far to go, and we were laughing by the time we arrived drenched back in our room. What else to do? We have a nice new motorcycle now, a black Honda Vario. Complete with a black Darth Vader helmet, a more petite white one and one rain poncho. We try to stay on the edge of the roads driving "hati hati" or slowly slowly. This is really a little scary, but also exciting. We can see some of the country roads and sights we would never get to see otherwise. The breeze is cooling and there is definitely a sense of exhilaration. Since it rains most afternoons we try to not get caught in the deluge. But the other day we went to see our artist friend who has painted some of the art in our house. He was happy to see us and of course we immediately saw a couple of large paintings we liked. Such things take time and while we were admiring his work, the heavens let loose with thunder and lighting so loud and stunning it was shocking. It is difficult to explain the amount of water that comes down in Asia. We just finally had to run across the street to a cafe and the three of us had a cappechino and waited. We spend a lot of time waiting, watching the rain. Finally it was a drizzle and so we got on the bike, ron in the poncho and me behind and off we cautiously road home. You really rejoice when you make it. At least we do. Yesterday we rode over to monkey forest and took the small motorcycle trail through the forest. Lots of monkeys hanging around. We went to the Three Monkeys restaurant which we used to eat breakfast at on our last trip. Still lovely as always. We sat in the back beside the small koi pond and relaxed with a fresh coffee and fruit. Then when I went in the back to take a photo I noticed several tables filled with dishes of food all laid out in a glorious colorful array. Turns out the owner was changing the menu and was having a tasting and visual display of all the new foods. We started talking and she graciously gave us a dish filled with roasted veggies, grilled strips of cheese and toasted home made crostini. A reduced balsamic vinegar dressing delicately dressed the veggies. We were so happy to eat such a treat. After a month of wonderful Thai foods this was a taste of home. I would have loved to work my way through a few of the other dishes they looked so beautiful. There are so many fantastic restaurants and so many shops filled with lovely clothing and colorful textiles in such a small area. Shopping here is much more fun and also so frustrating. First of all, you have to constantly be watching your step as the side walks are deadly. Uneven, broken cement. Huge missing sections where you could fall in. Sometimes they stick a palm leaf in the hole as a warning. It is so frustrating because you want to look in the shop windows but you could get hurt if you are not paying attention at all times. Still, we manage. our room has taken on more color as we drape new sarongs over our bed and chairs. The girls, Wayan and Made, come in the mornings to clean and leave flowers on our bed. It is all so easy. We traded in three of our books from home today at the wonderful Ganesh book store. They gave us 90000 Rupiah which is worth about $8. We bought two used books for 160000 Rupiah which we can read and return for half their value back. Not a bad deal really. And it was fun to browse the shelves in English and see what people have read, look at the hard bound new books she had to offer and all the postcards and few art supplies on hand. A really great store. Next door is Bali Buddha, a small health food shop and adjoining restaurant. We bought some natural mosquito repellent called "bug begone". Smells nice. Around the corner is a very tiny warang which is what they call a locals restaurant. Simple homemade foods, plain wooden tables, a few pictures on the walls and two very sweet woman serving you with a calm peacefulness. The food was so delicious and fresh. They made their own sambal, tomato hot sauce, which really gave my curry a rich flavor as well as a zing. We ate well for less than $8 and I can't wait to go back. So our days are full, swimming, walking, riding the motorcycle, shopping, eating, talking to other travelers, reading, writing, watching the rice grow. And it is still raining...