Nyepi is over! I think I now understand why John is not in Bali while Nyepi is on. It was a truly weird thing to experience while alone ..... the night seemed to stretch endless .... I think I must have woken every half hour ... the unusual darkness and silence ..... not helped of course by the air mattress. To rollover I must support my weight to move my hips on the mattress surface .... and to do this means waking up! Numerous games of solitaire, watching the videos of Kaylia at Ballajura .... at the assembly last year. She was so excited and alive for that.
This morning I set out at about 7:30 to find some breakfast .... prepared for the morning with everything I needed for going to the central Sanur area. Jalan, jalan ...... jalan, jalan .... many possibles but nothing took my fancy. Finally I found myself walking past Hardys! So I now sit at the little restaurant inside with a fan blowing on me .... drinking kopi and waiting for nasi goreng. The wi-fi promised by big signs is not at this restaurant! Only at a spot about 20 metres across the building! I wonder if Indosat has woken from Nyepi?
Well .... that bit is online .... I think it went via the Hardys wi-fi as the required icon for Indosat is still absent from the screen. I'm still waiting for nasi goreng! Perspiration running down my back in streams .... it rained most of the night ..... humidity must be 200%.
After breakfast, I'll walk north to 'Scape .... the guy where I bought my Diesel bags was dismayed to hear that the zip broke and the stitching fell apart ... he said to bring it back .... so I'll see what he offers.
On the walk this morning I passed the entry to a hotel and it was familiar ... it may be where Naomi & I stayed in April 1998. We stayed in Sanur for a couple of days, then toured the eastern and northern parts of Bali before returning again to Sanur. Candi Dasa, Tirta Ganga, Tulamben (diving on the WW2 wreck).
13 years on I feel as though the nuances of culture are becoming clearer. I think that Australians don't really understand that the personal freedom in Bali is an illusion ... the expectation that your behaviour will conform to local rules is much stronger here than in Oz .... it feels freer than Oz because the bubble of personal space is larger ..... you can get away with more within the personal bubble ..... but it is harder to actually go outside the bubble. I heard the term "Bulu ... or Booloo" used the other day .... Westerners .... I haven't worked out yet whether it is a derogatory term .... I think maybe it is .... I've heard it muttered as I walk down the little gangs (back lanes). If so then it is similar to to "gadiya" .... a term used by the desert people in Balgo for the white fellas. It can be nothing .... but it can be a term of contempt.
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