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The few days in Manila is a stopover for our temporary final destination. We are going to Bali, Indonesia for two months! The nice offer for us is because the tourists, especially in the North and East, do not show up this season. What a sad fact for the people of Bali. Many people have an income because of tourism.



We arrive in the middle of the night. The Balinese way of dealing with tourists immediately falls on us. We are approached en masse to take a taxi, whereby "Tidak, terima kasih (no, thanks)" is not enough to make it clear to people that we have already taken a taxi and are now walking towards it. Overwhelmed by this way of dealing, the tropical warmth and fatigue, we fall asleep an hour later in a hotel. Where we are picked up the following afternoon by the cheerful, friendly taxi driver Wayan.



He tells us everything about Balinese Hinduism, culture and nature. He also tells us that every first son or daughter is the first name Wayan (derived from the word for "the most adult"). The second child Made (derived from the word "in the middle"), the third child Komang (derived from the word "the rest") and the fourth child Ketut (which is derived from the old word for the smallest banana of the bunch) ). At the fifth, the list starts again from the beginning. He brings us to the east, to the village of Jasri. There we receive a warm welcome from grandfather and his wife. We are with them for a few days, after that we can be the residents of their house! A number of conditions are set here, one of which is that the staff can continue to work.



It is a celebration every day to meet Utari and Kadek. They take care of the household and the garden. They each show us life in Bali in their own way (consciously and unconsciously), including life with the Hindu faith and the community in a Balinese village. A number of Dutch people have a second home in Jasri, which is one of the few tourists who are here in the village.





We enjoy the peace that a house offers. We take this rest too, as much as we succeed. We discover our area on foot. A few times we go by car. Because we want to extend our visa, we are supposed to come to the imigration office three times. We choose to go to the office in Singaraja, this is in the North, instead of the capital Denpasar. Three times the driver, Wayan, drives another way to Singaraja. This gives us the chance to see more of the island. With the much knowledge he has about the island, its nature, its population, culture and faith, we get a broader picture of Bali. Along the way we see the many people riding scooters, many temples, with many people dressed in ceremonial clothing, daily sacrifices at the (house) temples, in front of the shops on the sidewalk, on the beach. We come across a funeral procession, we see the volcano, Gunung Agung, in various ways and from various angles, with various weather conditions. We also see how nature and the population live around the volcano. Hear about the way and circumstances how people had to flee several times before the eruptions of the volcanoes. Quite exciting, also for us; just like in Japan, we have an earthquake or eruption in mind. We finally feel one very clearly. We see various crater lakes, with fishing and temples. Our senses are stimulated by the varying flora and fauna. Areas with various crops: palm trees, cloves, tea, coffee, bananas, avocados, cocoa, snakefruit, mangoes, peppers, dragon fruit, vanilla and mangistan. We have seen rice fields in the Japanese Alps, but this was still in winter time. Here on Bali we see the rice fields in all different stages.



We spend a few days at a Bed and Breakfast, at the foot of Mount Batur, close to Lake Batur. It rains every day, which makes nature very different from the coast. In the morning we can have breakfast in the warong (shelter / small shop / eatery / stall). The breakfast is local: noodles / rice and spicy. Nice to experience that we all appreciate these four flavors more and therefore learn to eat!



The Balinese hold different calendars. At the beginning of every Balinese year (Balinese lunar calendar, 210 days is 1 year), the four-day celebration of Hari Raya Nyepi (the Day of Silence) takes place. We are experiencing this New Year celebration! Nyepi Day is a day for complete silence: no people or traffic on the street, no light, no sound, no shop or restaurant open. Even the port, the airport and the airspace are closed that day. Only the sea, birds, frogs, crickets, cicaks and tokehs make themselves heard! In this way people and nature can relax. In a large part of Bali the Silence Day starts with Ogoh Ogoh, the festival to chase away the evil spirits. In Jasri the evil spirits are chased away in their own way. The different neighborhoods of the village (teams) pelt each other, in an organized way, with burning torches. We admire it from a distance and are very impressed!





There are bargains on the market. You can't do that either, the entire market will know that. Because your purchased items will then be put in a black bag! Through these color codes, the next seller knows what they can bet on. Because we do not want to accept plastic, we brought a (by grandma) crocheted bag. There is a disposable plastic ban on the whole of Bali, which is followed by large retail chains. However, there is no alternative to the small warongs. It seems that education and parents have not yet succeeded in teaching it to the youth. We see neighborhoods where people live among the dirt. There is no garbage can and collection system.



We visit among others Pasir Putih, a white sandy beach. The other beaches near the house are of black lava sand. Via a mountain road we have a beautiful view of the sea, the coast with cliffs and green vegetation, a stretch of white beach, agriculture (peanuts and cassava) and especially jungle. Together with grandpa, the girls are thrown on the beach by the waves. Great memories are made!



The lack of their grandfather, who returned to the Netherlands after a few days, is quickly filled up by the Dutch grandfathers and grandmothers who meet the girls in the neighborhood. Soon they have found their round and are known as the Fanta-girls and dog Bobbie has a nice exhaust round. Nice to see how the girls enjoy and that they can switch and have conversations in different languages ​​with the many people they meet.



By dog Bobbie we visit a school project for people with disabilities. In the town of Canidassa, a Dutch couple started 10 years ago to help children and their parents by offering them knowledge, daytime activities and education. They can still use a lot of 10tje members, so that they can continue to offer structural assistance ...



The last day we stay in Kuta, in the South, in order not to have to get up too early to catch the plane. We appreciate the tranquility in Jasri even more, we already miss it (in Kuta it is very touristy). We eat in a Chinese restaurant, with Chinese Indionian staff and otherwise only Chinese guests, so that we feel a bit like China ...



Two months in Bali are gone ! We thank the people who live in Bali (including the temporary ones) for their nice encounters !! We also wish Bali a beautiful future with beautiful nature and its special inhabitants !







And about Roadkapje... During our stay in the tropical warmth of 30 degrees in Bali, we learn that the Roadkapje is going well in her warm garage with outside temperatures of -20 in Kiev. See you soon!











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