More Ubud Adventures...

October 28, 2010

It is such a nice experience to stay in one place for awhile because you get to know different layers of the society and make friends – even become a regular in some places.

Yesterday, I woke up early (7am) to walk one of the routes laid out by Lonely Planet. It was a three hour walk through rice fields and into the outskirts of Ubud and even other villages. You can see the picture of the man drying his rice on the street (maybe forget this image when you order rice next time!). I also saw various art galleries, but resisted buying (I’ve been sooo good!). Along the way I sat and drank nice cold water with the man who owned the little shop. He was very nice and dignified looking. He hopes for his son to become a tour guide one day and wants me to recommend my friends to him. I think his son is still in middle school, but like many parents he wants to safeguard his son’s future.

While we sat an American expat was furiously calling out to his lost dog. He was clearly upset, like most American pet owners would be, and started offering “huge” amounts as a reward and payment to kids who would post fliers. He offered a 500,000 rupiah reward (US $56) on an island where many hard laborers make US $3/day. He offered the kids 50,000 (US $5.60). He didn’t speak Indonesian and wasn’t in the frame of mind to consider that the Indonesians around him might be able to understand so he anxiously demanded his Indonesian wife/girlfriend to translate. She said that was a lot of money and never did translate it. I hope he did find the dog, but it was a reminder of how the value of money is relative and what is considered valuable is relative. My frame of reference for spending is changing also. I hate to spend more than $3 on a meal and $.75 for a liter of bottled water is just ridiculous. Even paying $.85 an hour for the internet seems high (and that's my regular place - I have to come to a more expensive place to upload pictures).

As a western traveler Indonesia is so cheap, but the flip side of that means the western world and other developed countries are out of reach for most Indonesians to visit. Some will go and work, but then they are earning better wages. The thought of paying $20 to get into a museum in New York would probably be shocking for most. Of course, most would never have the plump savings account that the US requires before giving a tourist visa. One of my friends said he would love to see a show on Broadway, but that he’ll never have that savings account. He works hard and does many jobs and it still won’t be enough. For many people here working 8 hours a day, 6 days a week is a part-time job. Others I’ve met are content to work and earn less. As a tourist I am constantly asked if I need transport or a taxi as I walk down the street. It gets annoying because if I wanted a taxi I’d be looking for one, but I have to remember that these men are trying to earn a basic living. Now they will rip you off if you don’t know the proper rates or negotiate, but they are trying hard to get work. One of my favorite lines for trying to sell his service was a man who told me, “You look tired. Need transport.”

After my walk yesterday I walked some more to go to the Supermarket and then to my friends who work in a warung (canteen) at a public high school. By this time I was hot and exhausted. The cold Sprite and stool they gave me just heavenly. They also gave me some delicious chicken noodle soup. Their work ebbs and flows with the students classes and I hung out for 3 hours. The girls and boys are separated in their classes and lunch periods. They all wear a uniform and girls have to wear their hair in two side braids. Is this to remind them that they are kids because no adults wear this style? I think their teachers would have been shocked by my students with short hair, red hair, shaved hairs, etc. And they’d be even more shocked that I could not say anything about it (not that I felt the need to). The students have to pay for their breakfast and lunch, but there are several sellers for them to choose from.

They all take English class and those I spoke with said it was their favorite subject – are they trying to flatter me? Most of the boys were too shy to talk to me, but had much to say to my friends in Indonesian. The girls were less shy so I spoke with several. Many want to go to university after high school, but for others graduation seemed too far away to make a decision.

The other people working the canteens were very nice and those who spoke English were happy to chat. One woman was especially friendly and generous. She kept inviting me into her section that had a fan. She gave me some food and cold water, but wouldn’t let me pay for anything. And this is after she had been telling me about how hard it is for Balinese to earn a living. She has two children, both at university. Her son is going to be a teacher and her daughter a nurse. She said the universities are expensive and getting a loan is not an option. She earns little money I’m sure, but gets up at 3am to start cooking for the students and is at the school until 5pm. Her husband is a teacher in another village. She invited me to come back and visit, which I would really enjoy. I asked her to take a picture with me (it’s here) and she reluctantly agreed. She was shy and thinks herself old looking. I thought she was beautiful and when she told me she was 55 I was surprised. She said the hard work is making her hair turn grey.

I met a few teachers who were passing through and one encouraged me to apply for a job. They want teachers from around the world. I probably won’t do that, but it was kind of him.

Oh, one thing I was told that is interesting is that if an unmarried young woman (not sure if her age matters) gets pregnant the father has to marry her or she goes to prison for 3 years. Apparently, some men will wait until the woman is pregnant to marry her because they want to make sure she is fertile.

My 2 friends and I walked about 15 minutes back to the center of Ubud for a royal funeral. King of Puri Agung Peliatan raja, Ida I Dewa Agung Peliatan, died on August 21, but his funeral is just beginning. He is from another village and his cremation will occur on November 2, but there were religious ceremonies in Ubud and a procession of some of the materials for the cremation to Peliatan. I caught the end of procession of people going into the Ubud Palace (where I saw the dancing the other night). I don’t know how you are chosen to be part of the procession, maybe they are high caste. Different groups within the procession wore different clothes though. And two children, a girl and a boy, were carried in throne like chairs. Then they were carried by men into the palace. I assume they were royalty too. There were even 2 elephants to mark the occasion. There were dozens of men sitting around in uniformed t-shirts and they were the ones to carry the dragon and other objects to Peliatan. This Royal Cremation involves 30 villages and is the biggest event of its kind – lucky timing for me!

I grabbed my sarong and headed back to the palace because that was my pass to get into the area where there was dancing, singing and spiritual rituals being carried out. One of my friends was tired and headed home, but the other wanted to stay. They are from Java and are Muslim rather than Hindu so this ritual was new for them. My friend who stayed didn’t want to wear a sarong so I headed into the palace on my own. There was lots of waiting, but then the dancing began. The first two dancers seemed like monsters meant to scare away evil – they definitely scared the children! The Dikse (Balinese Hindu religious leader) came after the dancing had begun and began his lengthy rituals. Repetition seemed to be part of the ritual, but I really don’t know all that happened. Part way through, he put on an opulent headdress and more garb onto his body. He also seemed to bless some of the offerings and things that were then taken by mostly women to the dragon. The dragon will be part of the procession on the day of the cremation. However, the body is inserted into another decorated structure that is 25 meters high and will be burned. This royal bade is made of different woods and bamboo and elaborately decorated with gold and Hindu figures. It is shaped like a tower. These things will be carried 3 km on the day of the cremation.

I’m not sure how long the ceremonies went on yesterday because I grew so tired and decided to leave. I showered and lay in bed reading for hours before heading out quickly and then going to bed at 9pm. :)

I included the picture of the Mini Mart (like a 7Eleven) because it tickled me that they advertised themselves as a "hangout place."

I’m trying to find someone who could use my help for a month, but if that doesn’t happen I’ll probably move on next week. There’s a boat to Flores that stops along the way or I can fly on to Kalimantan (the Indonesian section of Borneo). Flores is apparently very conservative so difficult for women to travel to, especially alone. Even with that said an expat American woman said it was still one of her best trips. The island is supposed to be gorgeous. Borneo is expensive to get to, but has orangutans. Not many people seem to go there – I guess because it’s not as convenient. I actually haven’t met one person who has been there, but a couple acquaintances know people who loved it.

You might have heard about the tragic tsunami and volcano eruption on two of the islands here. I'm not on either island and am safe, but it's caused such tragic deaths and destruction. So far I haven't heard a lot of talk about it, but I'm sure there is a lot of talk. It is all over the papers.

I’ve been traveling about 7 weeks now so have far surpassed the length of my other solo trips. But I’m feeling really good and happy. I haven’t felt lonely too often and with the internet I don’t feel so far away. Actually, by traveling alone I get to meet many more people along the way – and, of course, I can do everything on my timetable. I listened to my music for the first time in awhile last night. I've rationed it because I'm afraid to plug it into their outlets. It felt a bit disjointed to be listening to that music here. I've heard American music in restaurants, but I think the disjointed feeling came from bringing my music and therefore my old life with me here. I enjoyed listening to the music, but it did make my mind follow the thread to my past life in New York. I want to focus on the here and now and embrace this journey. I'm sure if I listen to the music more the link won't feel as strong, but it was startling last night.