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Published: April 18th 2012
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Since my last blog entry, our lives have been "full" and we've had many adventures. My sister Kim and her daughter Sharaya visited us from Canada for 3 weeks during their spring break. It was fun to be a “tourist” exploring Bali and visiting the Gili islands again. Gemma was happy to show her cousin around and finally have a "buddy." We went whitewater rafting, hiking up a volcano, visiting waterfalls, snorkeling on the Gili islands, and of course shopping. Our house was full as Lucas’ friend Justin is still with us – so there were 7 of us in total. We spent lots of evenings playing games, telling stories and laughing. We worked well together taking turns doing dishes, etc. It reminded me of how many people in the world live - with their extended families and all the joys and challenges that brings. It makes a lot of sense to me. Sometimes I feel isolated back home with the "private/separate" way of life in the West. I yearn for the sense of community I feel here and I'm trying to find ways to bring this spirit back with me.
Westerns open the New Year in revelry; however, in
contrast the Balinese open their New Year in silence. This is called Nyepi Day, the Balinese day of Silence which fell on March 23rd this year. Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature.
Each neighborhood creates an Ogoh-ogoh monster that symbolizes the evil spirits surrounding our environment which we must get rid of in our lives. Some are giants taken from classical Balinese lore - all have fangs, bulging eyes and scary hair. The night before Nyepi, they have a huge parade with all of the Ogoh-ogohs. Everyone is dressed in traditional clothes and lots of noise is made. The idea is to scare away the bad spirits. The streets are full of people and there is excitement in the air. After the parade, each neighborhood brings their Ogph-ogoh to the neighborhood banjar to have a burning ceremony to rid themselves of the bad spirits. On Nyepi day itself, every street is quiet and no one is suppose to use lights, turn on a TV, radio or computer, cook, work or go about daily activities - event the airport is closed. Nyepi is meant to be a day of self introspection to decide on
values for the the new year.
Our two days spent in the Kintamani region of Bali was very memorable. In my last blog, I told you about an incredible 71-year-old man Gede that Jeff and I met when we were cycling last month. We phoned Gede before our trip to hike Mt Batur (a volcano in the Kintamani region) to ask him if he would be our guide. Well, he was not only our guide, he spent the full two days with us and felt like “part of the family.”
We rented a large house on the shores of Lake Batur in a very small village called Abang. We quickly realized how different things are from Ubud – people don’t speak English and life is comprised of fishing, farming and lots of hard physical work. It was such a blessing to have Gede with us telling us about the history of the area, all the treks he’s done over the years and most of all sharing his wisdom about life.Gede is a man that exudes happiness. We asked him what he believes brings happiness and he shared his simple but powerful wisdom. He talked about the importance of giving
and not being concerned with “receiving.” He talked about living a simple life that doesn’t negatively impact the environment – he has a deep connection to the earth. He’s a man that lives in the present and values his relationships with people. He talks about how we go on a “hike” every day of our lives – and how sometimes its hard and all uphill, but we shouldn’t worry as the downhill part is coming. He laughs a lot. We taught him how to play the game “charades” and what fun we all had watching him act out the name of a book and a movie. He played his flute, Lucas his ukulele and we all sang together. Gede made a lasting impact on all of us.
The next morning we woke up at 3:00 am to drive to the base of the mountain and start our 2-hour hike at 4:00 am. The reason we left so early is so that we could watch the sunrise from the top of the volcano. Unfortunately, the weather was overcast and rainy so we couldn’t see the sunrise. Part way down, the skies opened and we could see the stunning view of the lake
and the surrounding mountains. We all came down wet, tired and happy……
On our way back from the Gili Islands, we met another family from Nelson BC who have a daughter the same age as Gemma. They happen to be neighbors with the family we met on Lombok Island in December - so many things like this happen when you travel! Some people call it coincidence, but the Balinese call it taksu - being connected to the spirit. The family was on their way to Ubud, so we had a week to get to know them and spent time together - what a gift. Gemma and Jenae had a couple of sleepovers and we all did some fun day trips together. More life-long friends to add to our lives.
Off to Flores and Komodo islands........
Sending love to all of you, Kevi
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anonymous
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Dear Kevi, Sitting here having coffee and toast before heading to work and enjoying reading your last two blogs. You and I think alike on so many levels- maybe it's partly because we have spent so much time overseas appreciating what other cultures can teach us. STill finding it a struggle to be back in the city where so many of life's pursuits revolve around the acquisition of goods, where time is money and community is what we try to fit into the small slots of time remaining. When are you planning on being back on Canadian soil? We will definitely be making our way to Kimberley in the summer and so look forward to connecting with you again. Love to everyone, Maureen (and John)