Nyepi - the Balinese Hindu New Year

Today is Nyepi eve. I will explain Nyepi by quoting parts of a well-written explanation of Nyepi from the eco-lodge:

Nyepi is a Balinese holiday based on a story from 78 AD of the spreading of Hinduism from India to Indonesia and the use of the Saka calendar year. In contrast to Westerners, Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of silence. There is preparation for three days prior to Nyepi involving cleaning the temple and taking the effigies of the Gods from the village temples to the river in long and colorful ceremonies, where they are bathed and returned to the temple. One day before Nyepi, all villages in Bali hold a large exorcism ceremony at the main village crossroad, the meeting place of the demons. People make “Ogoh-ogoh” (fantastic monsters or evil spirits) for carnival purposes. The Ogoh-ogoh symbolize the evil spirits in our surrounds which have to be gotten rid of. All Ogoh-ogoh have fangs, bulging eyes, scary hair, some with over-emphasized breasts, all illuminated by torches. At sunset, they process through the streets accompanied by gamelan music. The Seka Teruna, the youth organization of Banjar, play the Ogoh-ogoh. This festival is performed starting in the home, then to the family temple, then the village temple. Later at night, a lot of noise is made, torches are lit and the figures burned to rid lives and environments of evil that have been attracted to the Ogoh-ogoh.

In contrast, on Nyepi day, everything is quiet and still. No one performs any normal daily activities – no traffic of cars, scooters, people. Everyone stays in their houses. Light is only minimal or absent, no TV or radio, no one works. Not even intimate contact is allowed. On Nyepi, the world is expected to be clean; everything starts new. By keeping Nyepi, man shows control over self and the forces of the world. There are Pecalangs, traditional Balinese security, who patrol to stop any activities that would disturb Nyepi. It is a good day to stay indoors.

The day after Nyepi, Ngembsk Geni, Hindus visit to forgive each other and also read ancient religions scripts containing dongs and lyrics.

Nyepi is a unique island holiday. Even though we are observing Nyepi from the hospital, we will get a taste of the day. There were no lights on outside of the hospital in homes, streets. We had to be in the dark at 7pm, only could turn on a small bed light for the nurses. When I turned on the bathroom light, the security shined his light and then called the floor nurse to tell us to put it out. She and I discussed patient safety for a few minutes. Only some businesses opened today, Ngembsk Geni, and traffic is light.

 

Chasing Dolphins

Do you remember how your 5 and 6 year olds played soccer? Someone would kick the ball one direction and everyone on both teams would run after it, all together. Then the ball would go another direction? This morning we went on a dolphin watch. We arose at 5am, were driven on scooters to the beach.   There are spinner dolphins close in at Lovina. You are taken out on a motorized outrigger that you wade about 10ft to meet

. All the outrigger pick up people at different designated places and head out into the water.  The dolphin pods surface, and all boats head that way. They porpoise and swim around for a couple of minutes and then disappear. Another pod will surface a ways away, and everyone heads that way. We get there, the dolphins give us a few seconds of a view, then disappear, and a pod surfaces a ways away, in a totally different direction, and so it goes for at least an hour. Sunrise was beautiful. We did get some great sightings, but thought that the whole thing filmed and put to music would be really funny. And then, there is always that one pushy one, the boat that plows straight through the middle, faster than anyone else. A good time was had by all, maybe mostly by the dolphins. I think that the laugh is on us, as they led us  on a merry chase.

Outing to Lovina

We are on a four-day outing to the northern part of Bali, much larger, somewhat less crowded, more rural. We are being driven by the manager of an associate Eco-Lodge in Lovina, Agoung. We will be staying at his lodge. We drove the entire length of the island on Monday. We stopped at a Balinese artist guild.  In Bali, traditional art is a skill taught at home to sons who show talent. Others can go to art school, or home-taught artists may also attend school to learn different skills. The sons start in their father's guild at a young age, learning their craft from the artists there. They stay with the one guild their entire lives. We also stopped at a silver craft studio and an arts and crafts store where they sell items made all over Bali. We. Went to the monkey temple, where the monkeys are allowed to roam freely. You are not supposed to bring in food or bottled water, but tourists are the same all over the world. When saw monkeys grab chip bags, waster bottles, tissues, etc. I had already removed earrings and necklace. We went to another temple, one of the big five on the island, the temple of the Holy Waters. At this Tele, one may take ritual cleansing baths, washing eleven times at each fountain head, ands going through all of the fountains, 15, I think. Interesting, I observed a young Muslim woman going through the cleansing. The holy water has bubbled up from the ground at this temple for centuries. People will take it from the temple to their home temples for holy festivals. Lovina is a lovely coastal village, rather gentle and laid back, surrounded by rice fields, banana plantations, citrus, trees for wood, and all of the various fruits and vegetables grown on the island -durian, mangostein, papaya, citrus, watermelon, cantaloupe, rombudon (sp?), corn, tomato, cucumber, beans, carrots, and I am sure there are
Some I have forgotten about. We stopped at a lake that was formed in a volcanic eruption of anlarge mountain in the early 1800s, which also left two beautiful mountains. We had lunch overlooking the mountains and lake. Felt like being home in volcano country at Lassen. Tomorrow we head out at 0530, yes, AM, to chase the dolphins, then to another temple, and a seafood dinner. I really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful agricultural land. The rice terraces are especially lovely, a vibrant green.

My friend, John

When we returned to our lodge after the Kecak Dance, John was about and feeling social, and allowed me to take his picture. He is a juvenile Tokay gecko,so pale turquoise with red spots. He is about 8-9 inches. Typical kid-sleeps all day ( behind the tank of the toilet) and wants to be out all night. Working with him to keep the semi-outdoor bathroom bud-free.

Kecak Ramayana qnd Fire Dance

Last night we went to the oldest temple in this part of Bali for the Hindu Kecak Ramayana and Fire Dance. Our guide was from the lodge, Nyoman, a very sweet young woman. There are many dances in Bali, but this one is spectacular. If you do not have appropriate attire for the temple, you are handed a sarong, and/or a sash. You are also warned on a sign to take off your glasses, hats, earrings, and watch that the monkeys don't take anything from you. Many people bring them rp,beron, their favorite fruit. First, we toured the temple, which dates from the 17^th century. It is on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean, and took pictures of the always present monkeys. Then, we went to the amphitheater where the dance and play take place. Just as the sun is setting, comes the lighting of the ceremonial torches and Hindu prayers by a temple priest. The dance is started with the entrance of fifty chanting and singing men, clad in sarongs and sashes. The name of the dance, Kecak, comes from the chanting sound made by the men. They chant, dance and sing for the entire hour as the drama is acted out on the stage. The story is of the god, Rama, his wife, Sita, the evil god, Rhawana, and the triumph of good over evil. The costumes are beautiful and elaborate, the women dancing in graceful, Balinese style, with beautiful hand movements. There were two comic relief characters. One  a big white monkey, who also is Rama’s emissary to tell Sita that Rama is trying to save her. He jumped from level to level in the bleachers, and did the usual monkey activities, checking visitors heads, scratching themselves, and being very silly. The climax of the drama was the fire dance in which the evil men try to burn the white monkey, Hanoman, to death, but he escapes. In the end, Sita is rescued, and good triumphs. Our guide tells us that the right to be a Kecak chanter comes down through families, and is very special.

A glimpse of church culture

The Bukit Doa (hill of prayer) church is part of 5 churches built on a hill. They are literally right next to each other. Going up the hill are the Hindu temple; Protestant Church; Buddist Temple; Catholic Church; Moslem mosque.  They worship all through the morning. For example, when I am in the middle of our Bible Study after our worship, the Hindu temple starts up with chanting and the sounding of gongs and metallic wheels that seem to go round and round.

You will see Balinese symbols in the pictures. The parasols at the altar symbolize the respect for the royal presence of Christ. Throughout Asia, the parasol is a sign of respect. The altar area is highly carved with symbols, and there is a rich series of intricate carvings in beautiful Balinese style.

You'll see a picture of the staircase going up to the balcony where the musician plays. Talk about steep and rickety.  The gong begins the service, followed by the carrying of a candle to the altar. At the end of the worship, everyone comes to,the front where the pastor gives them a plumeria flowers and an individual blessing for the week.

There is a Balinese Christian Gamelan musician who plays at certain points of the service. He also plays a flute.  One interesting ritual action occurs. When the time comes for the offering, everyone gets up and brings their offering to the altar.

This congregation is a mix of local people and ex-pats. The minimum wage in Bali is very low; a little over $115.00 per month.  The budget of the church for the entire year is about $12,000.00.  Unfortunately, a portion of that goes to provide housing for the pastor. Once they housed the pastor in a hotel owned by the Balinese church at no cost to the church. I don't fully understand what happened, but they lost the hotel and now the church pays for housing.  The couple who owns to Eco lodge is an incredible couple, with an amazing story, and they are offering the housing at a significantly reduced rate.

The church is under the authority of the Protestant Christian church in Bali, so there are some requirements that are different than in the US, particularly in relation to communion age, which is somewhere between 14-16 years.

I wish you could hear what I hear . . . .

For a woman who has lived in pretty homogeneous societies most of her life, the sounds of BALI are wondrous and fascinating:  Saturday, as the sun is setting, the calling from the mosques rise up to the lodge. Sunday morning, before the Protestants start worship, the Catholics are singing their liturgy. After our worship service, the members of the Hindu church next door begin their rhythmic chanting. At the lodge, mornings and evenings we hear calls of over a hundred different birds living on the grounds, the ubiquitous chickens and roosters, the clanking sound of the wooden bells on the cows next door. We hear the sing-song of “Good morning, Bapak Pastor, Good morning, Ebu”. All day and evening, we hear the constant, polite, short toots of cars and motor scooters, as that is how driving is managed in Bali-the horn is the rule of the road. At dusk, we begin to hear the very big songs of the big lizards, the calls the geckos, the frogs, and the crickets. Many evenings, there are sounds of fireworks for some Hindu family celebration. Then the geckos sing us to sleep.

It IS a small world, after all

Today, we explored a couple of tourist towns near us, Kuta and Seminyak. Both are beach towns. Kita is more businesses around tourism, but also is on the beach and has restaurants. Seminyak is more hotels, beaches, restaurants. Ate lunch at a Greek restaurant, wandered through shops on our way to the beach. We entered antique and jewelry shop with items from Burma and China, and handmade jewelry. One of the owners, Linda,  is the jewelry designer/maker. She is American and we struck up the usual conversation about where we and she are from. She grew up in Montana, but moved to California. We said northern California, Sonoma County. She said -I lived in San Anselm, but most recently, in Cotati. Small world. She rented a house up on Poplar!! Her daughter, who is a psychologist for Kaiser, and the daughter's husband and son live in Rohnert Park, on the golf course. We agreed to try to meet again while we are here. There are not even six degrees of separation sometimes. Yes, Walt, it is a small world, after all.
On a separate note, it is sadly astounding how much trash there is on every beach, especially the ones on the true ocean side, not the bay. Plastic bottles, the ubiquitous plastic baggie and grocery bags, food wrappers, juice boxes.  .  .  you cannot walk a foot without encountering trash. Some of it is, of course, local residents and tourists, but it seems that much of it comes in with the tide. We live in a world where one people's throw aways become another people's ugly problem.

37th anniversary

On Wednesday, we celebrated our anniversary. We went to the Four Seasons Café Sundara for drinks and tapas. We sat overlooking the ocean, watching a beautiful sunset thunderstorm, complete with lightening. We then walked up the beach to Café Menege to the unique Bali beach dining experience. The entire of Jimbaran Bay is studded with beach cafés. During the day they rent beach chairs and sell drinks. At night, they drag out many, many tables and serve barbecued seafood. You can order a package, or separate items. You eat on the beach, watching the beautiful bay. The seafood is grilled on barbecues over coconut husks. Our package had one lobster, split and grilled, squid satay, clams, grilled fish, salad, vegetable, and fruit for dessert. All of the restaurants were packed! A unique experience.

More fauna stories

I was sitting out on the lanai the other morning. About 15-20 ft. From me is a chicken wire fence around a garden space, which was overgrown and used by a neighbor for cows and chickens. The staff of the lodge had started clearing the space to make a garden the day before and there had been some commotion, but I did not know what it was about. This morning, there were several women and a couple of men. One of the women started yelling. I heard the word "snake", and ran to get my camera. Two men came .out of the bushes, one man at each end of a 9 foot python. It turns out that he had been disturbed by the clearing of the space, tried to leave through the fence, and got caught in the chicken wire and was injured. The men were snake experts who were going to bag the snake and take it away to treat it. He will be returned to another area of the grounds when he is well enough. This is an Eco-Lodge, this is an Eco-Lodge. . . . . . .
Last night, I am cleaning up our kitchen, and through the door runs a four inch rat (body length). He was as surprised to see me as I was him, and he hid between two cupboards. I turned out the lights and left the door open for him. This is an Eco-Lodge, this is an Eco-Lodge. . . .
Add them to the assorted list of geckos, skinks, scorpions, millipedes, etc. I did have a discussion with the stray cat living here that she needed to step up her game a little.

Tokay geckos



 

 

This is a Tokay gecko. He is cousins with the one who lives behind our toilet tank, who we have fondly named John, our IED. John is camera-shy, but I will keep trying. Wish some of the bugs were more shy! For perspective, the wood this guy is next to is a 4x4 ceiling beam. They all seem to have their own territories. 

Sometimes, life stings

We live in Udayana, an eco-lodge. This means we get quite well acquainted with the natives - most especially the ones with more than two legs.
We have a very large gecko, about 8+ inches, who chirps "uh-oh" over and over in a deep and loud voice. He likes to live in our open-air bathroom - and for some reason, he especially likes to hide behind the toilet. There are the usual assortment of small crickets, roaches, mosquitos, etc. Beautiful birds, butterflies of all colors and sizes. There is a little finch whose nest is a delicate sac hanging from the tree.
Sunday night, we found out there are scorpions. Our bed is curtained in a net. Newt woke up at 1am to a sharp pain on one of his fingers. In bed with us was a 2 inch scorpion. He crunched it and we flushed it. It's sting is very painful for about 24 hours. What an ugly surprise. We now do lots of lifting of bedding before we settle in for the night.
Last night, when we came to bed, in the shower was a spider whose leg span is about 4 inches, with an interesting design on his body, just hanging out. I think he may be the one who has a web that looks like it is made out of yellow fishing line. He was gone this morning (at least he was not on my side of the bath wall.
By the end of four months, we should all be fast friends - except for the scorpions.
Lots of discoveries!
Off to walk through our town, Jimbaran, big enough to be on a map of Bali.
Selamat tinggal - good bye

Installation

Sunday was the first worship service at Bukat International Protestant Church. Newt, Pastor Bapak, was installed. Worship was pretty full at about 53 people. Everyone is very welcoming and friendly. Lots of ex-pats - Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Australia, a couple who are both chefs from Colorado. There are also many Indonesians - from here, Java, Lombok, Jakarta, etc.
The service is Protestant and worship is somewhat regulated by the Synod of the Protestant Church of Bali. A great start!

Getting aclimated

There was a lovely reception Friday night and we met many of the members of the congregation. Our hosts at the lodge, Meryl and Alan, have lived in the area about 30 years and are such a wealth of history, culture ad information. Had a great visit with them last night. Woke up early to make breakfast and found an ant explosion in the kitchen... thousands, maybe millions of tiny red ants. One of the girls came and rescued us and cleaned it up. We were jumping over two inch wide lines of ants to try to get to the food cupboard and frig. Reminds me of Hawaii. We are slowing gaining a sense of direction -at least Newt is, as you all know that I am directionally challenged! Haven't been able to get our IED to stay still long enough to snap a pic. He is a gecko about two hands long. Where was he hiding when all of the ants came out?  Just saw a squirrel- seems surprising to me that there are squirrels in Bali, but there are actually about 16 varieties. They are all busy making nests right now.
We are off to worship and will write about that later.