I've been in Tulamben the past week, staying at Scuba Seraya, which is on the beach.
This afternoon, I'm sitting outside drinking coffee, and there are two Bali teenagers in the water, almost up to their shoulders. The boy is wearing underwear, and the girl is fully dressed. He is showing off, as boys do, and she is closely attentive, occasionally shreiking, as girls do. A dog is barking on the beach.
The couple is very playful, and obviously having a great time. I cannot help but smile and laugh at times as I watch them. I feel enlightened.
Later, I'm having dinner in the open air restaurant. It's dark outside, and it occurs to me that I've not seen a single flying insect since I arrived. I wonder about it, and ask the waitress to come over to the table.
I ask why there are no flying insects in the air, no mosquitos, no mozzies. She replies that, though it isn't on the menu, they will gladly fix it for me, if I wish. I laugh, and decline.
Finally, I get my question across, and she says that they spray twice a month, and because of this there are no bugs, or moose either. She's right. I haven't seen a moose yet.
That pretty much sums up what it's like at the moment. Most people watch too much tv news, focus too much on today's paper. Stories like the ones above don't sell copy. Death, disaster, and tragedy do. The front page of the paper is never blank, and the news is never cancelled because nothing important happened.
Pick your own perspective.