Saying Bye to Bali

hiking in paradise

On Jan 20th we had to say goodbye to Bali to head to New Zealand.  Our last day was full of last minute getting ready.  A bunch of folks came over to eat with us and wave us off.  Just when we had ordered our food to be delivered, James checked the itinerary.  It seems we left and hour and a half sooner than I had thought.  Boy that 24 hour clock really stumps me.  I guess its good I was never in the military.  (Although there are probably a few other reasons I wouldn't have done well in that institution.  Just ask my dad.)  So suddenly we needed to leave in 5 minutes!  The whole crowd grabbed bags, canceled food, called the drivers and wisk us to the road.  I was dreading saying goodbye to this beautiful country and more beautiful people.  Now there was no time.  We had to leave immediately or miss our flight.  As we were driving away, I looked at all the folks waving and dissolved into tears.  It seemed unreal to leave.  Bali has made its way into my heart.  Just as everyone said "You can't leave.  You belong here."  Its true.  I am in love with the roosters, the thatched roofs, the cheap incense, the flowers falling from the trees, the smell of frangipani just after a rain, rice paddies, coconuts, hot and humid heat, the scooters flying about, ceremonies, offerings, color color everywhere, palm trees, smiling people everywhere I look.
Not to mention Bumi Sehat.  Here is a place dedicated to helping people and making a difference.  Robin says it is her gift to peace on earth and indeed it that and more.  Educating people, birthing babies, medical care for all and on and on.
There were multiple moments in Bali when I would find myself grinning and feel bliss washing over me.  I have heard of enlightenment and I might argue I found it here in glimpses and smiles.  In the Vortex.

swimming in a waterfall

vaughn with elly.  they played everyday together

How to say goodbye to this. 

paradise

I felt short of breath as the plane took off.  I wondered if I had made a mistake in leaving.  I fell into a fitful sleep. The Sydney Airport was  rude awakening to the western world.  oh my.  It was hard to hold back the tears.  We arrived to a stormy New Zealand.  The weather quite matching my reluctance.  At James's sisters house I looked out the window and thought of my friends in Bali and I saw this.

The tears flowed freely.

I did it Mom!

 As many of you know my mother is the most amazing quilter.  She has an eye for color fabrics and her precision makes for excellent quilts.  When she heard I was coming to Bali, she told me of the amazing batik quilting fabric made here.  My mother rarely ask for something but she actually asked if I would try to get her some fabric while here.  A simple enough request. 

I was happy to be able to get something she really wants. So I began looking around for the specific type of batik she wanted.  What I learned is that most of the batiks in Bali are actually from Java.  I looked in all the local shops and markets to no avail.  I went to fabric row in Denpasar where there are 50 shops on the street all selling lovely fabric but I didn't see what I was looking for.  I did get a few wonderful sarong for myself.  I didn't see what my mother wanted anywhere.  Finally I did see it in a shop window in Ubud. YEAH.  A very very fancy shop that makes shirts to order.  She had tons on beautiful fabrics exactly as my mother wanted.  I went in with Heather (the Austrailan volunteer who speaks Indonesian) I explained my story in broken Indonesian and English while she smiled and nodded along.  She offered me some premade men's shirts for $40.  So I had Heather explain again.  I asked could I buy a piece or even a scrap. No.  In the end all we got out of her was they design and make the fabric in Denpasar which is like saying try the shop in San Francisco.  But Heather managed to sneak snap some shots of the fabric for our research.  We asked the staff at Bumi Sehat- same answer Denpasar.   Well now Heather was feeling as determined as me.  We went home and began the google search.  I can google anything and find incredible information. This was a challenging google.  After much searching many different ways we found Bali Batik Product.  As you can see from the very fancy website they discuss an online showroom as an alternative to coming to Bali.  But we were in Bali no?  We could go to the Bali showroom.  Using Google maps we found the location.  The directions were a few pages long in Bahasa- Heather felt confident.  We called to confirm the hours and ask if we could have a tour.  We jumped on my wagon like scooter and made our way to Denpasar-one hour away.

Heather with directions- ready to roll

asking for directions

Well we were guided by a spirit above and without consulting the directions we made it all the way to Denpasar and ended up on a road on the directions sheet.  With this success we were even higher!  We were only 3 turns away.  Tricky turns.  We stopped 4 times for help.  Our first indication of that this was not a big place was the fact that none of the locals knew what we were talking about.

local kids cheering us on

the final road to the showroom

 

Each stop for directions was more and more remote.  We had definitely left the tourist area long ago.  How great.  This showroom would be authentic.  We left the paved road and began down a pot holed filled trail.  At first there were some fancy building and I kept looking for  a sign for Batik.  Then with help we made the last turn into a small river.

The batik factory was at the end of this river.  As we arrived the rain began to come down in sheets.  It took us a moment to stop laughing and ask where we could buy fabric.  We were met with confused looks (and smiles it is Bali).  Eventually we made our way into a small dingy office.  I could see samples of the fabrics I wanted for my mother.  Heather explained our mission and the kind woman replied we could indeed buy some fabric as long as we got 50 meters. If we wanted less we could go to fabric row in Denpasar.   Well this was a bit more than we wanted.  My mom wanted a ½ meter.  So Heather appealed again telling our story and adventure.  She got a few laughs and in the end she agreed we could buy a minimum of 3 meters.   SUCCESS.  Could we also have a tour?  No they didn’t do tours.  In fact we found out they had never had tourist come to the factory at all.  We were the first!

the fabric that we couldn't buy just beyond our reach

Then we made our way to the showroom.  First past the man stamping the fabric. 

hand stamping the fabric with hot wax

the brass stamps were hanging everywhere.

the fire that kept the wax melted in 55 gallon metal drums

where they rinse the fabrics to get rid of extra dye.

THE SHOWROOM!  WOW

Heather looking for the best batik 

cutting our choices

After such success we decided to go to the big market in Denpasar.  It is like Mall of America Bali style.  3 stories of market place with amazing prices.  A guy at the facotory gave us direction but  no street names.  But we didn’t need no stinkin directions we were on fire.  We could not be stopped.  Off we went and indeed we made our way to the market guided by angels.

Denpasar Market

mall of Bali

Within a half hour we found everything we wanted and headed back to the bike.  Laughing and joking all the way, we started down fabric row where we had parked and then about 5 stores in I saw Bali Batik.  We found the “store in Denpasar”  Of course we had to go in a tell them of our adventure and buy a more fabric- can you have too much?  The entire day unfolded with total ease and perfection.  We celebrated the ride home in dumping rain. 

Oh the store in Denpasar they all kept talking about!

MERRY CHRISTMAS MOM!!

Erin in very classy rain gear driving home

Selamat Hari Rayah Galungan!

Today was Galungan, a long awaited ceremony that began with preparations in the various compounds a week in advance of the official day.  Ayu, who takes amazing care of us here at di rumah (the house), warned us numerous times that there would be no staff working for a three day period.  One day before, one day after, and the day of.  For the Balinese who work at least six days a week, particularly the women, a true holiday like this seems a very well-earned and welcomed event.  But of course there is much work to do in preparation as well as during the event itself, so it still would not fall into the realm of what we might consider a real ‘holiday’.

The word for ceremony in Indonesian is ‘upucara’ (pronounced oop-a-charra), and in many ways Galungan is the upucara to end all upucara’s.  It sets off a ten day holiday that ends with Kuningan, and another three day interval of no work.  A bit like Christmas and New Years except that it comes along every 210 days, following the Balinese Hindu calendar.  It happens to fall close to Christmas this time around, and in some ways it is a bit like Christmas, minus the tree, the presents, and the jolly fat man.  They do however decorate the streets and temples in festive reds and yellows, with long bamboo poles that curve over at the top to support a hanging woven lantern of sorts.  Each compound seems expected to make their own and the result is quite beautiful. 

Typical 'dragon tail'

Pride of the compound

Morning came too early, with Erin being called twice for births during the night and Vaughn waking at quarter to six hungry and wanting his Mama.  Thankfully, the second birth was a quick one, and Erin was home a little after six so that we could get the kids fed and into templeware and ready for the first ceremony which takes place in each family compound at 7:30.  The ceremony began with the ringing of a small handbell and the gathering of all the members of the compound.  I’d say we did alright for not having made it to many ceremonies previously.  I did forget my sash, which is apparently the most important piece of attire, but no one seemed to notice or care.  Ayu helped tie my headscarf on properly and I found a rather nice sarong to wear as well.  Erin and Chloe were well attired in clothes they managed to find here in the house, and Harmon and Vaughn both looked pretty sharp as well.  Finn, still on sarong strike, waited behind in the house, while Heather, another volunteer here, took pictures to document the event from various angles outside of the family temple.  Oddly, her pictures all went away inexplicably as her memory card seemed to just delete them on it’s own.  The gods did not want those pictures taken for some reason.  The memories are still fresh though.

Inside the temple in the compound

Harmon chooses a flower for the next prayer

  

This was my first time in the family temple, and my first time inside of a temple for a ceremony, and it was quite an experience to be part of it, especially in the smaller more intimate atmosphere of the compound, where we knew most of the people involved.  As the ceremony unfolded, I was really taken with a feeling of serenity and calm and even joy, as I joined in with my own prayers for the people I know as well as the Balinese people, everyone in our world and the earth itself, giving thanks for the moment I was participating in.  After the family ceremony, we fed the kids a little more and then it was time to go to the village temple for the next ceremony.  The village ceremony was much the same as the house ceremony, except that everyone from the village was there, and of course the temple is much larger.  Again, it was comforting to sit among the many faces that have become familiar to us over the past two and a half months, soaking up the warmth of the Balinese people along with the morning sun that broke through after a brief sprinkling of rain.  The atmosphere was once again very soothing, kids were allowed to squawk and be a little impetuous even, and there was smiling and laughter throughout, as is the Balinese way.  

Awaiting the blessings in the village temple

As we walked home, the smell of some very pleasant incense filled the quiet morning air, and it did feel a little like Christmas morning; everyone dressed in their finest, hanging around enjoying the moment and no one rushing about.  There was for me for the first time a real feeling of being a part of this community and a part of the rituals of the Balinese and their Hindu beliefs, that in many ways hold their communities and way of life together.  Although I do not understand much of the Hindu gods and their stories, I feel I am able to understand some of the feelings and beliefs behind the many prayers and offerings made daily from things people here have shared with me; ideas about karma and respect and sharing positive energy by smiling and being loving to those around you.  The feelings stayed with me throughout much of the day and I saw the beauty that is so abundant here and I was reminded of what a unique and special place we are in.

Kittens and Galungan

 Vaughn has 3 new kittens that go everywhere he goes- breakfast, lunch, bath, walks and even on the scooter.  He takes very good care of them and they like the same people he likes!  We had an unusual ride home from dinner the other night.  Vaughn was holding tight to his kittens which meant he could not hold on to the scooter.  I had to drive and keep a hand on a very squirmy Vaughn.  Suddenly he was very upset.  It turns out that one of the kittens had jumped off the bike!  We stopped and Harmon rescued the fleeing cat. 

V with kittens- just rescued from their scooter escape

kittens, Vaughn and Ganesh (his favorite diety.)

walking with kittens

Other than chasing kittens we have been enjoying watching the village get ready for Galungan a Holiday as big as Christmas in Bali.  For weeks the ladies have made offerings.  The excitement built up all week and there were small ceremonies almost everyday leading up to the big event.  Then the day before the all day event the kids have a parade with a Barong and band.  The Barong is a great spirit that fights evil.  He is powerful and strong and the kids a a bit scared of him.  The children make their own Barong just like the one that will be in the offical procession at the ceremony.  They go up and down the streets playing for the people.  IF you don't give a donation for their school they move on!  As they go down the street more and more children follow the parade.  But when the Barong turns around to see them they all run away screeching and laughing. 

waiting for the band

 

waiting to run.  they hold their flip flops so they can run faster.

Bodie and Elly and Vaughn made their own Barong when we got home

The men are busy getting ready as well.  Huge poles line the streets for the festival.  Every house in the village has one of these giant decorations. They symbolize dragons, heads buried in the earth, tails following on behind.  The men are also responsible for sacrificing the chickens and pigs for the ceremony.  All is done very respectfully and with much prayer and ritual.  

final prep before putting up.

1...2..

3!

Tomorrow photos of the big day...

Ducks and a white dog

I may have had an auspicious event occur in a few nights ago.  I am not sure because it hasn’t been explained to me fully but what do you think?

typical mangy mutt

I was getting ready to walk home one night from the clinic about 3am.  I don’t relish the walk because the dogs bark viciously from dark doorways.  Because I do the walk so often now they don’t bother getting up but the barking is unnerving.  So on this night I went out to find a beautiful well taken care of dog. (This is rare here.  Most dogs are a sad sight).  He was white and very fluffy and seemed friendly.  I shooed him away but he wouldn’t leave.  I went back to the clinic to get food to toss to him to distract him so I could disappear into the dark but he wasn’t interested (unheard of). 

 Finally I decided to head home.  He walked very close to me and kept whining and nuzzling my skirt.  I stamped my foot and told him to go home.  That usually does the trick.  The dogs are not friendly here and scare off easily.  But he was stead fast in walking me home- all the way.  I would not let him up the stairs to the compound.  I didn’t want the house dogs to go nuts barking and wake everyone.  I told him he couldn’t come in.  I told him he was safe and it would be ok if he stayed outside.  He agreed and lay down in the middle of the road.  The next morning I told Ayu and Ibu Sangeh about the dog.  They gave each other the eye over and over and ask me many questions.  They seemed particularly interested in his color and fur.  In the end Ayu said “A duck died yesterday in the storm.  The big thunder killed it.”  She went and wrote it on the calendar.  What do you think?

the remaining ducks.  note we have not had duck for lunch yet.

Life is starting to seem normal.  Yet the beauty here gives me lots to be thankful for.  I am enjoying every moment here.  Today I was scootering with Harmon.  He sits in front of me and talks non stop.  I can't hear a word but he seems happy enough.  We went to market to start a little Christmas shopping.  Of course once there he was more interested in a shirt and sarong for himself.  Great taste that one.  He is amazing at haggling at the market.  He has a total poker face.  He looks at an item then puts it back with a shurg and turns to walk away.  I couldn't tell if he wanted the cat or not.  Later he said "Mama you can't act like you want it or you won't get a good price."  Stone face- I am not looking forward to seeing that face at 16.  

Harmon new shirt and sarong

I could/ can sleep with a rooster crowing outside my window.  Even my embarrassment of my mess room no longer really affects me (sorry dad).  The constant holidays and ceremonies seem like the norm.   I look forward to a few cold showers a day.  I can overlook a few ants in my sugar bowl/ coffee cup.  I even consulted the list of auspicious days to see if there was a better day to travel or get my hair done.(see bottom for full list)  It seemed so natural and as it turns out both happen this month.  James lounges in his sarong.  Vaughn ask for milk in a mix of Indonesian and English.  We drink sweat and wash with Medicaid soap...

mmmmmm. sweat taste good.

 

Is it possible that in 8 weeks I could adjust so quickly and feel so at home in a place that is so foreign from anything I have ever known?  Maybe Zen is easier here.  I feel very much in the now.    I feel so little stress here even with the language barrier and lack some comforts from home.  It here is so calm and easy.  The weather is consistent, the days are the same 6am-6pm, and the people are always friendly.  Of course, I realize this trip is a long vacation with some work thrown in but I don’t see others that are stressed here either.  It’s the draw of Bali. The people smile readily and will help you even before you ask.  The other day Finn and I were riding just to see the next village over.  When I pulled over to turn around a man stopped his bike and wanted to know where I was going and gave me very specific directions on how to get home.  Now I am not sure I would want to need to get something done in a hurry.  Bali time is very rubbery.

beautiful

  

Auspicious Days this month

Propose to a girl 1, 10, 14,18,21,24, 28

To make a bee hive 1, 30

Start planting rice 2, 4, 8, 10,16, 24,31

Put rice into the barn 2, 11, 13, 22, 29

To go hunting 3, 13, 19

Start business 6, 12

To put roof on house 8, 9, 27

To cut hair 8, 22, 29

To purify ourselves 15, 27

To make offerings for rice 11, 24

Start learning 19, 28

I forgot to post a picture of Pastika last time.  Here he is with the boys.