I've been very ill, laying in bed, sweating like a pig with a fever and drifting in and out of delirium. Also covered with an astonishing rash. I'm up today, feeling fragile and ghostlike. I volunteered to come down here to get some copies made. While I was down Krista finished the drawings for our four new sarong designs. They look superb and she wanted copies to be able to play with the colors. So far we haven't seen any of the samples we ordered, but we have high hopes of getting a bunch of these done for the Oregon Country Fair.
Last night our woodcarver came by and showed us the first Mother Tree. It looked great! He took it back to stain it. He also brought us two presents he'd carved and asked if we wanted to buy two other things--plaques with hooks for hanging coats. It was a little awkward, he speaks very very little english. Since he only wanted 45,ooorp for them we just went ahead and bought them. He obviously feels that we're important patrons and hopes we'll keep ordering from him. I think this Mother Tree order was a tremendous boon for him. He's such a shy and sweet person, as was the friend who came with him. Despite the awkwardness of conducting business with so few words it was probably the high point of my delirious day.
A few days earlier, Krista and the girls went on a little shopping spree at a little stand on our alley. Ayu is the owner and I have to say, as nice as she is, she's a tough bargainer. I think they paid way too much for all the stuff they got! But very beautiful sarongs and clothes. I noticed that the next two days Ayu's shop was closed--I think that one sale made her week (or month) and she closed up to go party down.
Yesterday Krista went next door to Ayu's--a tiny little grocery, to get me water. The owner really wanted to talk about our kids, and her own kids. She has a 16 year old daughter who's an accomplished dancer and goes all over the place (she showed Krista her photo album! every page). At the end she gave Krista a bag of fruit for free! Krista says alot of the shop keepers greet her now with "hello mama!" relating to her as a mother I guess. It's true there aren't that many farang kids around. And Eden has taken to wearing a Balinese costume! Which gets her lots of amused and appreciative looks or comments. Of course she never responds. Everyone must think our kids are totally psycho. Which maybe they are.
It's actually been great staying put for a few weeks. There's a true comfort in familiarity. Today we decided to extend our stay in Bali. They next flight open was the 19th--a full extra week. I think we'll use the time to try our hands at importing. Cats anyone?
And we want to see a little more of the country before we go. A friend says she stays down at Ulu Watu on the ocean when she's not in Ubud. I think we'll go there for a few days.
One of the strange and wonderful things about eating out in Bali (and Thailand too for that matter), they never bring you your bill until you ask for it. They'll clear away the dishes and all. But never ever ever bring the bill. We usually hold up our hand flat, and mime writing with the other hand--we think this must be a universal sign language for 'check please'. The result is that we've slowly accoustomed ourselves to long leisurely meals. Really nice.
Another weird thing here is the garbage. People are continually sweeping sweeping sweeping with little homemade wisk brooms and plastic dustpans. So on one hand it's rather clean most places. On the other, every waterway (and there are canals, ditches, paddys and creeks or rivers all over) has garbage! And along our alley and the edges of our rice paddy. Garbage. It seems so incongruous. Especially since the Balinese people tend to be immaculate, clean, manicured, pressed clothes and all. And since people work hard for almost nothing, it seems like it would cost the community very little to get it all picked up. So why is it there?
Our driver Nyoman told us that almost all the buildings we see in Ubud are new--like 5 or 10 years old. 10 years ago it was all rice paddys. This totally blew our minds. The whole damn town is that new? Well, that makes me think maybe the garbage is new too. Here in Ubud at least. The Balinese tend to use leaves for their plates and wrappings. Still. All this plastic wrapping must have come in with the tourists. That's my theory anyway. I remember when I was little there were big campaigns in the US to get people to stop littering. Remember the Native American dude with the tear running down his cheek? We've got to pitch in...to clean up America? I think the Balinese consciousness hasn't assimilated plastic trash yet. And frankly, I don't know if or where they actually have a landfill. Ugh. But if I were staying for a few months, I'd be sorely tempted to get the ball rolling.
No comments:
Post a Comment