Retail Therapy, 7/30
Michael Altschul
cloudy sunset epiphany motivated me to get the hell outta Dodge.
Destination: Amed for diving and snorkeling. I met my expat buddy to
return his surfboard the following day and tried to determine the bus
routes to Amed. But lo, what's this? A combination of 3-4 buses and
4-5 hours (translation: 10-12 hours) would be required to accomplish
such a thing? Had I no other options? In fact I did. I could hire a
private car to take me all the way there for 350R ($40). It seemed
like such a waste. The "tourist info" (there are no real TI kiosks --
99% are imposters, but they are actually well-informed and charge only
a small premium) guy, Ketut, agreed and we set about creating an
improved itinerary. Thirty minutes of discussion and negotiation
later, we mapped out my future: we would enjoy the sunset at Pura
Tanah Lot (a temple that overlooks the western ocean) where Ketut
would explain to me the tenets of Hindu, then head over to Jimbaran
Bay for a romantic moonlit meal of fresh seafood for 200R (plus $10
for dinner). Deal! We also mapped out the busy following day for 350R
(~$38): a Barong and Kris dance in the morning with gamelan music
(awesome!), a tour of villages that specialise in artwork (batik
painting, oil painting, wood carving and silver), check a 2000m active
volcano (Mt Batur), see a temple where exquisite fountains abound
(Pura Sebatu), unwind at some isolated rice fields in Tetalalant, and
finish the day at my destination: Ubud. For less than $75 (mind you,
that's what I typically spend over 3-4 days) I'd accomplish 1/2 of my
Bali goals in 1.25 days. I never did make it to Amed, but Ubud is
plenty rich (more to come...).
Ketut was a highly capable guide. Beyond English proficiency, he
capably answered my infinite questions. At Tanah Lot, he detailed his
faith (and that of 99.8% of Bali), Hindu. It's surprising (or is it?)
to find so many parallels between religions. I was shocked to learn
that Hindus believe in just one God, but that God seems to take
different forms. Ketut used an analogy of how when I'm in New York I
take the form of student to my teachers, classmate to my peers, son to
my father, yet I am one person. Interesting. And like most (all?)
major religions, Hindu believes in a soul (which they call "atma").
Differences come into play when you start talking about reincarnation.
Like Buddhism, your atma keeps returning in new bodies until you have
led the perfect life. But the endgame is not all that different from
Christianity/Islaam/Judaism: lead a good life (well keep leading good
lives to build the perfect one) and enjoy a slice of divinity/heaven.
One unique aspect is that Hindus must be cremated (Buddhism...dunno?).
The belief is that until the body is cremated, the atma will just
kinda float around and await its next vehicle. Cremation typically
takes place anytime from one week to a couple years later and is a
major process. Anyways, I'm sure I missed many crucial aspects, but I
continue to be surprised by how similar religions around the world are
(and yet so dissimilar that they account for so much of today's global
turmoil...but that's totally naive and oversimplified: take out
religion and problem doesn't go away).
But my questions for Ketut didn't only center around religion. I
asked him to explain all the little things that I'd observed over the
past week to which I hadn't yet found a satisfactorial answer. What
went inside those cute little offerings that store keepers put outside
every morning? What if they missed a day for the offering? Why did
people make me remove my glasses at the Ulu Watu temple, but not
others and yet photos were okay?? [Answer: because of the monkeys.]
He endured my questions for hours and hours, each time responding with
a cogent, sensible answer. I asked so many questions that I started
to tire myself out. While he'd respond to my questions, I'd question
my own questions internally. Of course, the glasses had to be removed
because of the monkeys and not for religious reasons, moron. But it
got worse. Sometimes I'd think that I was loading up a doozy of a
question to which Ketut might nod and say, "You ask very smart
questions, young man," only to have my question confidence shattered.
"Ketut, I've noticed red and white flags on the side of the road
sometimes. And here, the trees are painted red and white near the
trunks. Is there some religious significance?" Pleased with my
observation, I'd wait as he composed a response. "Ah, those are to
protect the trees..." Wow, protecting trees? This was an aspect of
Hindu that we hadn't yet touched upon...brilliant! "You see, we don't
have street lights at night, so to make sure cars do not hit the
trees, we paint them. Looks pretty, too." D'oh. I remained silent
for 15 minutes to atone.
We got to talking politics and things got a hair dicey. I asked him
about the effects of the Bali bombings on the tourism. He was quiet
at first but soon opened up. In short, he rather dislikes Muslims. I
explained to him that a few bad Muslims should not represent all in
his mind. I told him the story of Hari, in Borodudur, who had
explained that by understanding all religions, he was a better Muslim.
But Ketut was skeptical and I grew to understand. Here was a man who
had married during the good times in Bali, had children when the
economy was booming, and had put his down payment on a car of his own
when Bali's future was as bright as the sun that blazes down on this
fine island. And now he had marriage problems, trouble sending his
kids to school, and struggled to make car payments during the
off-season. Everything had been perfect before the Kuta bomb in 2002
(what locals call Bali Bomb 1) and things had picked up again until
last year's bomb (Bali Bomb 2, optimists call it the Final Bomb).
"One time, a mistake. Two times a pattern, problem," a wood carver
merchant explained yesterday. Now Bali was something of a tourist
graveyard. Those who were here primarily came because they figured
they could exploit a situation and have a 5-star vacation at 2-star
prices. Ketut told me something I had not heard elsewhere: that the
Hindus were on the verge of a riot when their highest priest told them
to accept the bombings or else they would lose all tourism. They did
accept them, but in speaking with Ketut, they are hardly at ease.
Ketut considers himself Balinese, not Indonesian; he reckons all
Balinese people feel this way.
Ketut showed and taught me more in 24 hours than I had seen or learned
in one week in Bali. Pity I hadn't discovered this gem earlier.
Sometimes you have to stumble upon, and be willing to pay for, the
most precious of stones.
Indo Mike
PS. I have Ketut's email address if you're interested in contacting
him for tours. At some point, I hope to come back to Bali with 3-5
peeps and hire Ketut to take us all over for 1-2 weeks.