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Bali, Indonesia
It is Wednesday morning, November
14 and we are flying over the South China Sea. We left Siem
Reap, Cambodia a couple of hours ago on our way to Bali, Indonesia
by way of a refueling stop in Kushing, Malaysia. We were transported
from the Grand Angkor Hotel to the airport in a BMW limo that
seemed strangely out of place on the narrow streets of Siem
Reap that were filled with bicycles and motor scooters.
There was a large crowd of people
at the small airport waiting for a Vietnam Airline commuter
flight. It was a chaotic scene. Fortunately, our handler,
Andrew Ashley, was waiting at the airport to assist us through
customs. Andrew is a 29-year-old Kiwi who flies a helicopter
in Siem Reap as his main job. He joined us for dinner one
evening and we all found him to be a great addition to the
party.
Soon after our departure, we
are passed from Cambodian air traffic control to Ho Chi Minh
City control. We can hardly believe where we are. Upon landing
in Kushing, Malaysia, we discover that the Malaysians will
neither accept our Universal fuel card, our BP fuel card,
our AVCard, our American Express Card, our Master Card, nor
U.S. dollars as payment for our fuel. The crisis was averted
when Tom went into the terminal with $630 to exchange for
Malaysian currency so that he could then pay the fuel bill.
This delay caused us to be about
two hours late landing in Bali, Indonesia but our handlers
were waiting with our transportation and we passed through
customs quickly and were soon at our hotel. The Four Seasons,
Jimbaran Bay is one of the top rated resorts in the world.
The accommodations are comprised of individual villas each
with a private swimming pool. Ashley has described the hotel
in her journal so I will leave it at that.
One other comment, The story
here is the same as everywhere we have been. They are running
forty percent of occupancy and the employees are working for
half pay. The employees have been told that will last for
three more weeks and then they will reevaluate the situation.
The amazing thing is that fear is keeping everyone at home
and we have never felt that we have been in any danger.
Tom and I played golf on Saturday
with Pam joining us for the first nine holes. Ashley decided
not to go because of the heat and humidity and it was a good
decision. She would have been miserable. We played at the
Bali Golf and Country Club, which is a beautiful and well-maintained
track. In case Nick Faldo is reading this, he will be happy
to know that his course record of 63 is still intact.
Tom won the front nine by two
holes and I won the back by two holes. Since there was no
blood, we decided to play another round. It was at this time
that I discovered that I was getting a world class sunburn.
I guess I forgot that we are just south of the equator. Ashley
had not been there to tell me to put on the sun block so it
was basically her fault. I put it on before we teed off for
the second round but alas, it was a little late. I shot a
47 on the front and a 45 on the back to win all of the money
and for the first time since we left home, I am now up by
$5.
I must say that this has not
been Ashley's or my favorite stop. The hotel is beautiful
and the people are wonderful but it is just too damn hot and
humid. If the breeze were a little more consistent, it would
be more bearable. We Desert Mountain people can take the temperature
in the mid-nineties but not the humidity. We spent most of
the day Sunday hanging out at the room. Ashley had a massage
but I had to cancel because of my sunburn.
Ashley and I have enjoyed all
of your comments on our web site very much. As a matter of
fact, we have shared a tear more than once while reading your
encouraging words. Your wishes for "Blue Skies and Tail Winds",
your prayers, and your thoughts mean a lot to both of us.
It is also good to know that somebody is reading this stuff
and looking at the pictures. We hope you are having as much
fun with the web site as we are. We are scheduled to have
the wheels up tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM for our flight to
Perth, Australia and cooler weather.
Till next time,
Pat
We've been here at Jimbaran Bay
for two nights. The Four Seasons is comprised of 147 villas
(bedroom…kingsize with huge mosquito net, which tells you
something right off… with desk & large bath under a thatched
roof). Our "living room" is under another roof and, of course,
separate from the bedroom by about three steps, which isn't
much until it starts to pour down rain, and we have to use
our umbrella to go those three steps. There's also a dipping
pool with a negative edge overlooking some palm trees and
hibiscus and then down to the Bay. Directly across the bay
from us is the airport. Needless to say, thatched roofs are
not soundproof, but we're getting used to it. It's beautiful
but hot and so humid (95%) that in five minutes my bra's soaking
front and back, so the best part of the villa is the "skinny
dippin'" pool, which we enjoy nightly. The four of us went
to the main dining room one night, and only one couple was
there. When we asked where everybody was, the waiter said
that maybe they were eating in their rooms, which we could
understand, because it's so far to walk. We can call for a
"buggy" (6 seater golf cart) that will come and take us wherever
we want to go. If we have any requests (and I mean ANY), we
just dial #1. Our first "request" was for another CD player,
because Pat brought his Jimmy Buffett collection, and there
were no outside speakers, so he just "cranked it up". After
he blew the second CD player out, I suggested that we open
the bedroom doors and let the music out that way instead of
through the walls. Thank goodness Tom & Pam are our neighbors.
There is one boutique here and an art gallery. There's also
a spa and tennis courts. Well, that's about the lay of the
land.
Yesterday, Pat and I took a tour
of the island. We went to the Bird World and saw some really
strange ones. We stopped to watch some young boys carve stone.
Now, you'd think all the carved stone would be exported for
garden statuary. There are miles and miles of it alongside
the roads. There is also a lot of woodcarving, and I thought
about "Pier One". Our guide Guna said, "No, it's used mainly
for temples, both public and in private homes." Now, that's
a lot of temples, and, of course, the temples have to have
daily offerings of flowers (specific colors) and food. Large
black & white checked fabric is tied on some of the carvings
like a sarong and also made into umbrellas which are opened
to protect the specific deity, be it a tree or a stone carving
in the front of a house or within a house, from evil spirits.
The black and white fabric represents ying/yang and helps
to balance the energy. This is 2001, folks, and these peoples'
lives evolve around their beliefs. I was thinking…(no comment!)…if
the missionaries come to places like this and try to convert
them to another religion or belief, what'll become of the
alter flower business? I was in a lady's home, and she had
just returned from the flower market where she had purchased
a whole garbage bag full of flowers (without stems) to be
placed on alters at her house and around the family business
for good luck. She does this every day. What would become
of the stone carving business? Who would support these families?…
and all those teenagers aren't pitching pennies, they're doing
something creative and beautiful and supporting their families.
Another trade that is surely
surviving is the furniture, both beautifully hand carved and
huge bamboo chairs and chaise lounges. Of course, there's
the ever-popular teak outdoor furniture, which sells for a
handsome price in the States. I don't know the price comparison
here, but then we must pay duty and import taxes, so I'm sure
it's about the same, but it was interesting to see where it
all comes from. There are hundreds of facilities for this.
Oh well, enough of that.
We also saw how batik is done.
Pat didn't know what the process was, so he had to learn whether
he really wanted to or not. First, a design or picture is
drawn on some blank fabric; then, it's traced with a tool
that has a hollow needle that leads from a little metal cup
that holds melted wax. This blocks out the dye when the whole
piece of fabric is lowered into a pot of color. Then, that's
lowered into boiling water, and the wax melts off, leaving
a white design. This can go on for many layers and colors
and is really complicated. The next time you see a batik shirt
in a store, really LOOK at it. Most people here in Bali, both
men and women, wear sarongs of batik. In fact, when we went
to visit our LAST temple (built in 934 A.D.), we were provided
a sarong to wear. There was just a pile of them (each made
of two colors) on a table as you enter the "split gate".
At this point, I'd like to say
that Pat & I have very different interests at each stop. He
wants to do nothing but talk politics, religion and history
with the guide and anybody that'll converse with or listen
to him. It is interesting and we've learned a lot about the
world and the many cultures, especially at this time in history
and being associated with Hindis, Buddhists, Muslims, Arabs,
Jews and even Christians. We can all be given the same information
and it will be interpreted differently, based on what we've
been taught to believe. I, on the other hand have found that
I choose to look out the side window of the van or car at
the people, children, animals, homes, farms, etc. and just
ask the guide questions about what I'm looking at. I enjoy
asking the store clerks about their merchandise and who makes
it and what their lives are like. They are very receptive
to my questions and seem to answer freely.
It's about time for Pat to return
from golf. I dialed #1 for a club sandwich for lunch. We also
Dialed #1 for breakfast. Let's see…We've been gone about 40
days, and if we dial "#1" three times a day, we should've
gained about 120 lbs. between us by now…yep! That's about
right!
Ashley
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