It's a busy life.........

I could never quite work out why people who had retired complained about life being very busy, but I think I'm beginning to understand. The time just goes........

It's funny to think that I almost resent those activities which have a specific time that I have to be somewhere. Its rather nice to do things in your own time and if you feel hot and bothered you can allow yourself to just sit. The Balinese call it 'jam karet' (don't start on time!). Alison has perfected it to the point that she says we are going somewhere at about 10.00am and we finally leave at 12.00. I carry my tablet with me everywhere now so I can amuse myself whilst waiting!

So what have I been doing??? Let me think....

1.  Bahasa (language) Indonesian lessons:  Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons for two hours. The seven of us in the beginners conversation class attempt to concentrate enough to improve our practical skills in Indonesian. The teacher is just great: she even teaches us slang! For the record, the word for butterfly in Indonesian is kupu kupu, but if you add 'malam'  (meaning night) to the end it becomes 'butterfly of the night' ie. prostitute!
The other fascinating one is 'jeruk makan jeruk' which literally translates as 'orange eats orange'. It's actual meaning is someone who is gay or same-sex attracted (not a popular concept in the Hindu religion).The term came about because there was a very popular TV show with a very effeminate male host. The show was sponsored by an orange juice company and the ads had oranges eating oranges in them. Because its a delicate subject here  this term  was a rather roundabout way of referring to the host of the show and his sexual preferences!
The teacher Nyoman says we should attempt to speak Bahasa Gado Gado. Gado gado is a popular dish here and consists of a mixture of lots of vegetables, eggs, tempe and tofu covered in peanut sauce. So what she's suggesting is that we should speak a mixture of English and any Indonesian we can remember, as let's face it, none of us are going to be fluent in 4 weeks!!
It is actually very nice to be able to understand and answer basic questions from the locals as I wander around the back lanes of Ubud for my morning perambulations. One morning a delightful toothless old lady and I managed to have quite a chat  for a few minutes as she had a few English words and I managed to dredge up some Indonesian words from the backwaters of my brain. We were both very pleased with ourselves!

2, I have managed to find a local dressmaker who charged me the enormous sum of $12.50 to make the linen I bought in Denpasar into a dress...so I had her make me two! The workmanship was great so now she;s making me a pair of linen pants and tomorrow I'm going to search for cushion material as she makes great cushions too.The trick is to get her to copy something I already own and that fits of course, so there's no fussing around. My next adventure will be to see if we can communicate well enough for her to make me a shirt from some pale blue linen I bought without a sample to copy!! Wait for the next instalment!

3. Walking everywhere does take time as opposed to throwing yourself into a car to get anywhere. For the morning walks I  just head off in a particular direction  trying to find the lanes and alleyways rather than the main roads and their appalling footpaths. Usually I mange to find myself staring at ricefields or lush green gorges that line the edge of town. I have managed to get lost a couple of times but never for too long. I did set off on a short rice field walk which turned into 3 hours of walking but that hasn't happened often fortunately!

4. Being a domestic goddess takes no time at all basically because I do no housework or cooking or laundry! I've managed to make scrambled eggs once for breakfast and that's the extent of the cooking, The laundry goes off to the local laundry ladies who wash and fold it so beautifully that I don't have to iron at all. And Wayan, who is Cat's housekeeper keeps the place clean and tidy, changes the bed and delivers the dirty washing to the laundry ladies. Do I miss doing any of those jobs....absolutely not!!

5. Ubud is known to have a very  active expat community. The slightly cooler temperatures and less hectic traffic make Ubud an appealing place to stay and many of them have lived here for many years. For anyone living on a limited income the quality of life here is far better than in their original country There's a continuum of expats from those who live in their home countries and alternate with living in Ubud and travelling the world, to those who live here full-stop. Many of them seem to be feisty single women like Cat, although she has introduced me to some lovely couples as well. There's an array of activities available including croquet ( not my scene!) to mah jong ( I'm hopeless at it!) to choir to film nights...and plenty of dinners, lunches, cocktails to be invited to.
 The only commitment I have made is to join 7 of the expats who go to weekly choir practice in Sanur. The conversations during the drive there and back are nearly as interesting as the choir itself. The choir is led by Brendan, a longtime expat who has a very dry sense of humour. I started as an alto  (which is actually what I really am) but as I can't read music and the alto parts are never the melody, I am now pretending to be a soprano and just miming the really high notes. It is a serious choir as it has sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. but there is a lot of laughter as we struggle to sing some complicated songs. The latest one is an Estonian song which is quite a challenge. I have enough trouble learning an new tune without having to learn a new language.
There are about 35-40 people in the choir and it is a mix of local Balinese and expats. Every now and then it actually sounds beautiful, especially when we sing 'Bali Hai' from South Pacific, an interesting choice given the location! We end each two hour session with the Hallelujah chorus which sends us out the door feeling happy!

6. At night I usually go to Mingle, Alison's restaurant) to enjoy a cocktail or two, or some food or to chat to some of the many expats who gather there. Often we will head off to listen to some live music. Sometimes to see Made, Alison's partner, play Tjembe drum or to see some of the other groups who play a range of music here from reggae ( a big favourite in Bali!) to blues to rock to oldies to just about anything. Never a dull moment.

7. For the down times I lie on the couch overlooking the garden and watch a DVD or an episode from a TV series ( for those interested I highly recommend Spiral : french detective series). The first time I did this in the middle of the day I felt very decadent. I can't remember the last time I lay around doing nothing watching a movie in the middle of the day ( apart from when I have been unwell). I almost felt guilty. But amazingly I seem to have overcome any reservations I may have had and I have had a few naps whilst watching a movie in the middle of the day to avoid the heat.

I don't think I can do a blog without a few photos so here's some random ones just for the hell of it! Some I have put on Facebook so sorry if you have seen them already!

your very busy correspondent

Dianne

Streetside gamelan practice

The schoolgirls in the their best temple clothes when it is a special ceremony day

The Phys. Ed. uniform for this school: also for sweeping the temple grounds!

Saturday morning aerobics at the Elementary School next door. This is one of the four uniforms that every schoolchild must have: it's the standard Indonesian uniform

Typical view from my morning walks

The travelling plastic tub salesman

The beautiful view from Bali Asli

Food, glorious food....

I have a terrible admission to make...The only cooking I have done since I arrived has been to scramble a few eggs and toast for breakfast a couple of times - and that's it!

And what has contributed to this complete disinterest in cooking?

Firstly the prospect of cooking in the heat and humidity is not appealing at all. Even on the 'cooler' days the idea of using anything that generates heat seems ridiculous.

Secondly and thirdly, there is a huge array of food available here and for comparatively cheap prices so why would I bother?

Balinese food is varied and very healthy, although some of the westernisation of it for the tourist trade  can be a little odd.

I have managed to cook the fabulous french sourdough on this ingenious contraption on the gas stove : once the heat is on it rotates a circular fan under the bread which cooks the toast very well! That qualifies as cooking surely?!

From superb French bakeries to Mexican tacos to Italian pizzas to schnitzels with mashed potatoes to..........well you name it it's probably here!

Many of the westerners who come here could be called feral hippies and are obsessed with vegan gluten free raw food... and above all it has to be organic of course. So the enterprising Balinese have worked out that their traditional farming methods are of course organic, as the use of fertilisers and chemicals is not part of their agriculture. Everyone is very happy ( although there are a few of the fanatical raw food eaters who look as if they need a good feed to me!).

Smoothies: Almost every day I make some sort of smoothie using fresh fruit and vegetables. I started with papaya ( paw paw in Australia) which is supposed to keep all of your bodily systems healthy and create miracles. Then I discovered that if you add 8-10 of the seeds, which taste quite peppery, every day then they help your kidneys and liver. And of course it tastes delicious!
Then I started adding lots of other ingredients: including mulberries from the tree in my garden and lime that grows there too. And of course the colour changes as you can see!
Th latest addition has been moringa powder made from the dried leaves of the moringa tree which grows everywhere here. It is supposed to be the new superfood according to the latest research and its benefits are well known to the Balinese of course. So a spoonful goes into the smoothies turning them an interesting shade of green!
I put some on my muesli the other morning and found it a bit hard to eat green muesli.

Treats: It would be true to say that after eating the local food you do get a bit homesick for some of the  foods that are not part of the local cuisine: cheese , chocolate, schnitzel, salami etc. Cat, my landlady has introduced me to the temptations of the  local 'Deli 'which imports all sorts of foods from far afield to satisfy the expats need for their national food. After purchasing salami, french brie and corn chips Alison, Cat and I had a very nice afternoon tea, feeling a bit wicked !

The 'real deal' Balinese food: Every street here has lots of warungs which are tiny family-run street-side restaurants which often offer a specialty dish. They are cheap and the food is freshly cooked. When we go anywhere with Made, Alison's partner, we often end up sitting on tiny plastic seats ( far too small for large Australian bums!) under an awning whilst we are served some delicious local dish: chicken noodle soup, pancakes filled with banana, the Balinese version of yum cha...or the national dish nasi goreng (fried rice). Sometimes the Warungs have grown into established restaurants but there is something exciting about being jammed in with everyone, whilst we all savour the sounds of the traffic along with the food. One of my favourites is a drink called chendol which consists of brown palm sugar mixed with ice, coconut milk and tiny green pandan noodles. Very sweet but delicious.

However the star of Balinese food is without doubt Babi Gulig  - roast suckling pig. Look away all vegetarians!!!! It is an essential part of any ceremony but is also available at all sorts of warungs and market stalls. The pigs are slow roasted over a fire after having been stuffed full of all sorts of herbs and spices.  It traditionally is served with rice, fried puffed crackling, lots of roasted skin , a bit of blood sausage and some vegetables...and chili of course!

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Jamu: A part of everyday life for the Balinese is a bright orange drink called Jamu. It is a daily health tonic whose ingredients differ with every batch according to what's available and personal likes. They all seem to have turmeric and ginger as a base and then honey, herbs  and spices are added before the mixture is boiled. An ice cold shot every day is great: a Balinese tradition I love! 

I seem to have stopped taking photos of all of the delicious food I have eaten so for a food blog this is very boring!

I have to admit that I have written this entire blog sitting in a vegan raw food restaurant called Sakuri near my house. It was recommended to me by one of the expats but I have to admit that I approached it with some trepidation. However this is my second lunch in a week as the food is fabulous!

Last week I had Pad Thai all made from raw vegies with a delicious coconut dressing and today I have just eaten Mexican lasagne made with beetroot and 'white sauce ' made from ground nuts ( I think!)- delicious. Although I have to say, the cashew nut milk latte was a bit weird. Maybe I'll turn into a vegan hippie too??!!

your willing -to eat-anything correspondent 

Dianne

A Royal farewell : Part Two

The photo above shows the very last stage of the cremation that had taken many hours to complete. It shows one of the Temple men carefully placing the remaining ashes in a white cloth into an elaborate golden' bone box' as it's called here.All of the thousands of spectators had disappeared and there was only a handful of people to witness the last stage of the process. By late that night this structure had been taken to a cemetery for her ashes to be buried in her final resting place.


But the rest of the story goes like this:

Whilst I was trying to concentrate on learning Indonesian in my language lesson at the library the rest of the cremation ceremony took place. Whilst thousands of spectators lined the streets the procession made it's way to the Pura Dalem temple a couple of kilometres away. It was no mean feat to carry these elaborate constructions so far - plus the coffin and relatives in the case of the tower!

They did have some rest stops but apparently they also had to stop because of two parked cars which obstructed their passage in the narrowest part of the road. A friend of mine was watching from the first floor of a cafe as the procession ground to a halt. So what do you do when confronted with a locked car obstructing a royal procession?? You break the window and enlist spectators to help lift the car off the street! Apparently it was quite a sight! Fortunately the second car wasn't locked ad was able to be simply pushed around the corner.
So after my two hour lesson I headed for home only to find that I had missed the actual cremation at 'my' temple completely. Am I disappointed ?? I'm not sure, to be honest!

This is what I saw:
 - a rather dilapidated walkway and a lopsided tower with a red fire engine parked in front of the Temple

The remains of the beautiful black bull - notice the smoking legs, The corrugated iron sheet contains the remains of the cremated body and the ashes from the bull, all soaking wet

 - Firemen rolling up huge fire hoses that had clearly been used to extinguish the fire so the Temple gardens didn't go up in flames

Women and men from the Temple sorting through the ashes to find any remaining bits of bone from the body. They were carefully placed in the grey pot.


It had been a fascinating day - a combination of a religious ceremony, a festival and a logistical challenge. When Balinese people die they are not mourned openly and there is no crying or wailing or sadness of any kind as it is considered to be a peaceful journey to a better life.
 

A royal farewell: Part One

One of the advantages of living close to a temple is that you can see activity which gives you an inkling of something interesting about to happen, I am living in a laneway that is about 30 metres from the main Tebesaya Temple so I wander through the Temple grounds every day.

For the last few

days there has been a flurry of activity: students sweeping, men creating a huge tower and other bamboo structures, women weaving offering baskets and ornate decorations and everyone getting organised for some sort of event.

The event turned out to be a royal cremation for a member of the Royal family. She was Nelly Sukawati and she died at the age of 98. She was in fact originally Dutch and came to Indonesia to teach in 1947. She eventually married the son of the President of East Indonesia at the time and they travelled the world when he was appointed  into diplomatic posts and eventually as Ambassador. She was considered to be Balinese and the cremation was the first time ever that a non-Balinese born person was given a royal cremation in Ubud.

In a nutshell the cremation involved a procession which travelled a couple of kilometres along the main street of Ubud to reach the Tebesaya Temple for the actual cremation.

There were three  components of the procession:

- a huge black bull with lots of gold chains and a gold flap covering a hole in its backside into which the coffin was placed for the actual cremation. The choice of animal apparently suggests she was of high status, It was placed on a platform of bamboo poles and carried by a vast number of men from Temple Agung dressed in orange and white shirts.

- a bamboo walkway to allow the coffin and family members to be deposited in the tower. It was erected over a large truck (which meant the men from the Temple didn't have to carry it)

--a beautifully ornate multi level tower to carry the coffin to the cremation. Again it was carried at an amazing pace by the men from the Temple.

I wouldn't like you to think that this only took a few minutes as it went on for hours starting with the Holy man blessing all of the offerings that were then attached to the bull and the tower, and women chanting as they distributed the offerings. He was very resplendent in his impressive hat whilst he rang his gold bell and flicked holy water over the offerings.

Eventually the coffin was carried up the walkway followed by her son (?) and other family members who crammed into the small space with the coffin, and were consequently carried down the street as part of the tower (not a journey I would like to take as it all looked fairly precarious to me!!).

Eventually the men started to gather to carry the tower and there was huge shouting and cheering when the walkway was actually disengaged from the tower and nothing collapsed!

The pictures tell the story but unfortunately blogspot won't let me move them around: sorry they are in the wrong order. I will tell the second part of the story in the next post which is appropriate as I missed the next stage of the cremation as I had to go to Indonesian language lesson. So as the bull and the tower headed off on their journey to 'my' Temple a couple of kilometres away on the shoulders of hundreds of men, I had to leave the masses of followers and head to the library! 

There was a lot of waiting around and clearly some people were over it!

After hours of waiting the moment that the men actually lifted the tower and ran with it!!

Huge cheering as the walkway was separated from the tower!

The spot for members of the royal family to accompany the coffin

Heading off down the road at a reasonable pace followed by lots of onlookers