[ Indonesia ~ 1, 2, 3, 4 ]

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Snapshots of Bali

Yesterday was a remarkable day, even without the monkey bite.





Bali is the first place I've visited where there are wild monkeys. Their habitat is preserved around temples, because they are sacred animals. I was delighted the first time we visited a temple and got to watch monkeys cavorting around looking like little people.

Hanuman the Monkey in the Kecak dance



In Ubud (the city where we are now), there is the Monkey Forest Sanctuary, a forest with probably hundreds of small gray monkeys who live around a handful of temples in the forest. We visited the Monkey Forest on an afternoon when the persistent rain kept away almost all the other tourists.


Most of the monkeys were pretty small

At the gates of the forest, vendors hawk bunches of small bananas to feed to the monkeys. We bought some and got to amuse ourselves watching the monkeys' tiny hands peeling the fruit. When we ran out of bananas, we walked around the outside of the temples and watched the monkeys interacting with each other: playing tag, grooming, splashing in puddles, and even copulating. It was enchanting, and only the rain kept us from staying for hours.

We enjoyed it so much we planned to spend some time hanging out in the Monkey Forest again yesterday, on our way to a woodcarving lesson. This time, the sun and the tourists were out in force. It was about noon, and the monkeys were engrossed in getting as many bananas from the tourists as possible.

It was less interesting to watch, because the monkeys were either interacting with tourists, or solitarily scarfing down a banana they had scored. We were losing interest (and I had given out my bananas), when one of the larger monkeys approached me.

The biggest monkeys are the size of a medium-sized dog. The one who came up to me seeking food was one of these. He stood on his hind legs and insistently grabbed my thigh with his paws. I took a small step back and showed him my open, empty hands. Suddenly, he bit my calf! Monkeys are human enough that I could tell he was just being spoiled and spiteful.

I hurried away from him quickly, and we stepped aside so I could look at the bite. The skin was slightly broken, but as I looked at it, one of the Monkey Forest employees ("monkey experts") took a quick look and told me it was "no problem."

We walked around some more and when the bite kept hurting, we began to worry. The possibility of rabies concerned us, and I was glad I had gotten some rabies shots before leaving. Soon, we had decided to walk to the nearest internet cafe to research the issue.

The internet provided no really helpful information, so we continued up the street to the medical clinic. The doctor and nurse disinfected the (small) wound, and prescribed a short course of antibiotics to prevent infection.


"What about rabies?" I asked nervously.

"No rabies in Bali," the doctor replied, to our relief.

~ * ~

I began the morning with an hour-long lesson in Balinese dance. By the end, I was aching and hot, with a new appreciation for the training the dancers must require.

On one hand, I learned a lot in an hour. I could follow the instructor through most of a song. But on the other hand, there were so many levels of intricacy which I didn't get into. Each finger always has a prescribed position, the eyes must always be looking the correct way, the feet must be just right, and so on and so on.

After my dance lesson and the monkey bite adventure, Steve and I spent the afternoon learning woodcarving from a couple of local experts. We sat on the ground, our work held between our feet, and pounded a hammer onto variously-sized chisels. A lot of the work was done by the woodcarvers, who often did one side of the piece to demonstrate, then gave it to us to try the other side.



We kept at it for two and a half hours (with a lunch break in the middle), and left with our own rough sculptures. We have a lot of smoothing and cleaning to do with our knives, but the chiseling, the main work, is done.

As you might imagine, we were pretty sore after doing what amounts to the butterfly stretch for so long. We decided that a massage was in order. Walking down the street, we stopped in a few places and chose a salon.

Steve and I were massaged in the same room, but our experiences couldn't have been more different. For me, it was, honest to goodness, the best massage I have ever had. Steve, on the other hand, suffered thorough a pressure-point pounding that left him more tense than before. For both of us, it cost a mere $7.50.

~ * ~

Today, Steve and I took a class in Balinese cooking. In essence, it was an eight-course meal, prepared in front of our eyes, during which it was all explained and we could ask questions. Occasionally, the chef allowed us to try something (grating coconut, wrapping meat in banana leaves), but he did most of it with a practiced ease. Steve and I were the only students, which only added to the feeling of luxury.

I'll refer you to Steve's account of the class for a more in-depth description (it's toward the end of the page).

~ * ~

Steve and I walked into a grocery store in Kuta, and were confronted with the most startling sight: a big display featuring Washington Apples! There was even a big cut-out apple guy with muscles and a sign saying, "The Super Apple". Since then, I have noticed the Washington Apples sticker on apples in local fruit markets as well.



~ * ~

I thought I might spend a little time describing what our life is like here, covering some day-to-day details.

We've been in Ubud for eight days, and we're staying in someone's home. Here, "home" doesn't usually mean "house," but "compound." There are several buildings, often a temple, and a central courtyard. We are occupying half of a bungalow (the other half has been inhabited by a rotating series of Japanese tourists).

We chose this particular accomodation (out of a multitude of similar choices) because the windows had screens and the bed had a mosquito net that was in good shape. Our first night here, we stayed somewhere else and had a restless night where we got multiple bites, so mosquito protection was our top priority.

This means we are putting up with some other inconveniences: no hot water, and no flush toilet. We've learned to time our showers for when we're overheated. And we've finally learned the fine art of "flushing" a non-flush toilet. (There's a cistern of water next to the toilet, and you pour a few buckets-full of water down the toilet when you're done.)

The upside of staying with Weni (our hostess) is breakfast, which is included in our nightly cost of $3.00. And Weni's breakfasts are much better than the average accomodation, where you get an egg "jaffle" every morning. That's scrambled eggs between two toasted pieces of bread, made in a little device like a waffle iron that seals the sides together, making it kind of a hot pocket. They're nice, but not every day. Weni makes us something different every day, from pancakes, to jaffles, to toast scramble (a little of everything on toast). And it always comes with cut-up fruit and tea.

Every day, we walk around town, despite the repeated and persistent offers of "Hello, transport! Yes, transport!" All the streets have sidewalks, but often a section of sidewalk is missing or set aside, leaving a gaping hole in the sidewalk, underneath which runs some dodgy-looking grey water. We must always pay attention when walking, as a misstep could cause a broken leg, or at the very least, unwanted ickiness.

In the morning we buy water and apply sunscreen. When it gets dark we apply mosquito repellent. We are sweaty most of the time.

But all of these inconveniences are fading into the background as we grow to appreciate Bali. There is a lot of beauty to be found in architecture, the small Hindu offerings left everywhere, unexpected statues, the omnipresent scent of incense, the startling green of rice fields, and lush green jungle.

The people are friendly if you avoid the ones who just want your money. They seem to have a firm grasp on their culture, with two or three Balinese dance troupes performing nightly, and active community centres. Indonesian food and Balinese specialties are served in every restaurant (although usually you can find Western and Chinese food on the menu too).

We were in Ubud during Kuningan, a holiday requiring small-scale yet elaborate ceremonies and decorations in the home.


The temple at Weni's home during Kuningan

Tomorrow, we leave Ubud for the mountains. I am looking forward to being in a cooler high place, and getting further away from the commercial tourist areas.

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