A wedding, friends, and a trip to Bali

 Friday, July 8, 2022

We walk. The dogs prance, happy to be out of the yard. They're spoiled; who else gets half-acre fenced yard/s to romp in? The house is never empty. There are always people staying over, but dogs clear the yard of unwanted guests, human and animal. They guard our property and the neighbor's.

We're working ahead this week since we have some personal time off coming. We usually tack a day or two onto conferences or work-related travel. This time we've planned no meetings. It's actually a holiday.

Then our org schedules an obligatory online meeting. Oh well, we love the people we work with. We can pretend it's brunch with friends.

The morning is devoted to calls. For lunch, we try a new place down the hill. Every utensil is carefully included, from serving spoons to chopsticks and forks to soup spoons.

The vegetable hotplate is good.

So are the noodles and crisp kale.

Back home, we're drying out a damp woody bowl found on our walk yesterday. It's carved from the stalk of a massive jungle fern that grows only near these volcanos. I'm fascinated by patterns so finding things like this makes me smile.

Drying upside-down, it has 10 faces around its rim. On each, the nose, mouth, and eyes are unique, just like with humans.

Give the cylinder a little twist, and it shows off a whole new personality!

Looking around my office, I spot another piece in progress. Last year, I placed a few things into a deep IKEA frame.

The scenic backdrop was torn from a magazine. It makes no sense unless it's viewed through a window. (Marker lines added). Now to decide on artwork for the walls.

Shadow boxes offer a surprise discovery on a bookshelf or on a wall. This kind of work takes a while to settle in. When it's done, it will invite a closer look.

In university, I glued full-page pictures of rooms inside the covers of notebooks for classes that were unfocused or boring. When I needed a mental break, I'd flip to the room for a quick "walk-through."

Then I'd "come back" to class, ready for more note-taking. This may be today's version.

Saturday

I attend a Sundanese wedding with my able cultural interpreter Alice. The bride is still with the makeup artist but we meet the groom.

Ibu is one of the nursery helpers at BIC. We treasure her care for the babies.

The brother in law has cooked a delicious meal. We try some but have already had breakfast. So sorry not to feast!

The kids take care of the guest book in the lane between houses. Aren't they cute!

It's a bit of a rush because company is coming to the porch at 10:00. Wishi's mom and I pose for selfies.

They leave sweet and salty treats on this feast weekend and we send back baking and kitchen towels: they'll have a lot of cleanup after the family eats.

I hear a crash. The newly affixed mirror has pulled away from the bathroom mirror. We'll use the bigger pieces elsewhere but the shards are swept up and the scattered items put back into place.

Sunday

We love BIC mornings! Though many are away on break, there are always travelers and visitors, which makes it an interesting and exciting community.

PakG whisks us to the airport afterward. We're bad at holidays and usually just tack a day or more around assignments or conferences. This time, we have no agenda; it's a real vacation less than a 2-hour flight away.

W figures out the free island bus system. We catch a bus from the airport to the bus terminal near our homestay to save $10. The GoCar ($1.80) takes us to the apartment a friend has graciously offered us this week. It's a short walk to the pool.

We walk 13,000 steps for some groceries, to explore the beach, and enjoy the warm sea air. We are tired enough to sleep well.

Monday

W's up at 8 and I a few hours earlier. Bali-time is one hour ahead of West Java. We eat a leisurely breakfast of yoghurt and casava cake in our flat. The cake was a gift from DrW, a kind neighbor who is high on our "food-exchange" list. We didn't have time to eat it before coming to Bali, so I put it in the bag. YUM.

We leave the flat after 9, walk 2 km to the bus terminal to catch a bus to Ubud, the artsy heart of Bali. W asks the driver specifically if the bus goes to the transfer terminal. "Oh yes. This is the right bus."

We hop on, based on the driver's assurances. He loops back southwest to the airport, all around the central and east coast. Two hours later, he drops us off at the terminal that is 20 minutes away on the correct bus.

On the map, we're headed to the terminal mid-island, to transfer to the second bus up to Ubud. Well, this driver takes us from the middle on the left (location marker) to the lower right corner (the blue dot) and back up.

 I try not to get impatient but the last 15 minutes, I'm hungry and tired, ready to cancel the whole thing. W says he will not head for Ubud on another day so I stick it out. At the central terminal, we hop on the second bus. We're the only passengers for most of the way.

What?! we're driving along the other side of the street where we sat for an hour in traffic jams. The first driver could have let us off at any time to catch the Ubud bus.

It takes 3 hours to get to Ubud instead of paying $15-20 for a 1-hr taxi trip. I'm not sure an entire morning of our vacation is worth "free," but W is happy with his deal. He likes exploring and doesn't mind surprises if he's planned the excursion.

Ubud is a hot-spot for painters as well as sculptors and craftsmen.

We arrive in Ubud for lunch after 1:00. The tea is a marvelous pick-me-up.

 So are the sandwiches. We split a Reuben and a Cuban.

We cruise the traditional market for sarongs and kid-friendly wonders = for our grands, of course. These little critters are filled with sand.

We take a bus halfway back home. There is a Hindu celebration going on outside the bus window.

The challenge when driving a bus includes squeezing between trees and lines of traffic without scraping bark or metal. (Yes, our driver gets pas that leaning tree ahead.)

We pass baby Buddha stature.

Bali is more Hindu than Buddhist and there are many Indian-style statues.

There are temples and altars on every corner.

Craft shops line main streets.

Kite competitions are popular on the beaches so the kite shops have many big and bright kites.

We hop off the bus to check out another art market. We have to wander the neighborhood for a bit but find the market in the end. W negotiates a big $11 acrylic painting that's very Balinese and touristy: simple and colorful. I like the colors and shapes though the sellers try to talk us into something better.

It's captured my attention because it's odd: the green neck and head of one bird blends into the forest, so it looks like a headless body. Can you spot the beak? (Follow the tail, up from the fingers below.) A few defining dabs of yellow-green acrylic on the green-on-green neck OR some black-green on the leaves behind the bird? Either is an easy fix.

It starts to rain and W has mentioned the weight of carrying our purchases. He agrees to catch a Grab back to the apartment and unload. My feet are tired.

It's after 5:00. We catch our breaths before walking to a Greek restaurant for supper. The place is full and every table is reserved. The servers check the schedule and chase someone from his table. (He's finished eating so they cheer him away: "People are waiting, sir.")

We promise we'll be quick. It's flavorful and fresh, and we vacate the table in 20 minutes.

We move aside to let a car through the street. There's no 2-way traffic on this one!

It's a fine walk back along the beach. Sometime something will catch us by surprise, reminding us that we live in a foreign land. For example, a sign warning about swimming between ocean flags is perfectly centered behind a tree; you can't see or read it unless you circle the tree. In the water, everyone ignores the warnings about the riptides.

The air is cooler at this time of year (80s F; mid-20sC) because of Australian winter. We've done over 13.000 steps by the time I put my tracker watch on the charger. The music across the street is loud and I have a good book. I fall asleep before midnight.

Tuesday

We walk along the shoreline to the grocer for more yoghurt. I buy a little jar of peanut butter and a bag of granola to mix up for "breakfast cookies" (1/3 pbutter, 2/3 seeds, nuts, oats - mix, make balls, and refrigerate). That will tide us over for morning meals. It's just too much to eat out 3X a day!

W's forgotten to give the maid notice come so we leave before lunch. We pop into a few wholesale stores selling macrame, jewelry, and household goods. Our destination is a Vietnamese restaurant where service is quick and the food is fresh.

On the way home, we pick out some gifts from the wholesaler. He's a Christian brother who comes from Jawa but works in Bali. It's surprising how many believers we meet.

This car is a customized toy, one of many playthings in Bali. The Australians are back, filling restaurants and shops.

We buy a few animal hooks for our grandkids from a metalwork wholesaler. They're bright and funny.

This chunk of pavement has lost its fight with a tree root.

A haircut is Rp25.000 (about $1.75 USD).

Look at the huge stone carvings beside this hotel. Perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 of shops and accommodations are closed, including this one. (W stands at the base for scale.)

We've walked 15.000 steps by the time we're back from lunch. W sits for an hour and then heads out for cables, plugs, and other improvements. A restless soul, while I'm happy to stay in.

Read more:

*But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Psalm 31:14-16

*The Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. 1 Chronicles 28:9

*By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, our inner thoughts are known by you. May your Holy Spirit consume every selfish desire. Direct our every thought, which so often turns into action, so you will be glorified in and through us. Amen.