The inhabitants of the Rainbow Bar had gone into "big water" mode as usual when a very high tide is expected. Made's bag of sarongs was sitting on a Bintang crate and Made also had flopped down on a crate feeling a little tired from all the picking up. The stubby holders were in a plastic bag up in the spokes of the umbrella as was Ketuts new leather jacket and cowboy boots but there was no sign of Ketut. Ali pointed his thumb towards the sea when asked where he was.
The waves were crowded today and there was not a surf board to be seen at any of the surf board stands on the beach. Ali and Gede had pulled up all the beach chairs and draped the mattresses over the backs to ride out the coming storm. Sonia the English tourist was out surfing also but not her friend Stacy which was a little strange since Stacy was by far the better surfer. Anyway Stacy was drinking coke and chatting with Gede which is also a little unusual also because Gede who is normally a very shy young man was in fine form today telling Stacy about his younger brother's tooth filing ceremony in his village the next day and it actually sounded as though Stacy was being invited to attend. Hmm perhaps Gede has been taking lessons from Ketut.
That was when the big wave came and Ibu Made went swimming with the stools, two benches, all of the mattresses and 3 beds!! Stacy with admirable quick thinking when confronted with a choice of grabbing Ibu Made or her bundle of sarongs grabbed the sarongs for which Ibu was most thankful later. Gede had thrown himself on the esky and hung on for grim life emerging from the retreating wave wet but triumphant. A passing ice cream vendor was helping Ibu Made to her feet as the mad scramble to retrieve the fixtures and fittings of the Rainbow Bar began.
It was decided to relocate to the other side of the beach wall so while Made and I competed with the Kaki Lima for a spot the others began to heave the mattresses over the wall and take down the umbrellas. Over the wall came Ketut's boots and then over came Ali wearing Ketuts leather jacket. He was closely followed by the esky propelled by Gede. We had an advantage over the food vendors who had to drag their carts along the beach to an opening in the wall and so normal service was soon resumed at the Rainbow Bar. "Been swimming Made?" asked Bob who was an afternoon regular whenever he was in Bali buying Jewellery for his shop in Perth. "No Pak" replied Made with aplomb tieing back her sodden hair "Surfin' today".
Over the wall came Gede and Ali who had finished stacking the beach chairs up against the wall and retrieved all the mattresses. They accepted Bob's offer of a beer and propped themselves against the wall just as Ketut and Sonya turned up having returned their boards to Komang who had also relocated to the footpath. Ketut examined the lining of his jacket with a worried look on his face obviously unsure whether to be relieved that his boots and jacket lived to fight another day or annoyed that Ali had been wearing it.
When I left to return to my hotel after a suitable drying out period Ketut and Sonya were making plans to go to a nightclub that night and trying to persuade Gede, Ali and Stacy to join them. Ali thought he might but was a little short of money and Gede thought he would have a quiet night before the big festival tomorrow and anyway he felt like a walk on the beach to dry off. Inexplicably Stacy felt she might have an early night but maybe she would like a walk on the beach too........