In Reply to: Am I a Bali tragic? posted by Susie on Wednesday, 18. July 2012 at 05:51 Bali Time:
Our year is marked by 'how many months since we were in Bali' to 'how many months before we will be back in Bali". I dream in Indonesian as we get closer to a trip, probably inspired by my delving back into my phrase books and dictionaries as I refresh the lingo.
Over the years I have bought many beautiful paintings on canvasses and brought them home. This summer I spent about $900 getting them all professionally framed and now all my rooms have the flowers and birds of Bali on the walls. Second lounge is home to the carvings and puppets.
My husband lights an incense stick in the lounge to disguise his farts. There is Bali kopi in the kitchen and in desperation I worked out how to make banana pancakes with rice flour - those nice thin ones. Don't taste quite the same, of course. I can make a decent sambal now and my grilled prawns are a favourite.
The body wash and talc I use every day is my favourite ones brought back from Bali (a year's supply at a time) and most days I wear a pashmina or jewellery item from what has become quite an extensive selection. I have an impressive collection of handbags, all designer 'labels' - hahaha.
Our spare bed has a lovely Bali quilt on it. We keep finding stray rupiah coins in weird places all year round. When we eat out at asian restaurants we find ourselves having to remember not to say 'terima kasih' when the wait staff bring our food.
All through the year I pop into second hand shops and pick up tiny bras and nice cotton clothing for a song, to pack into our bags and share with our favourite village. I smile as my bag fills up slowly, knowing Putu and Wayan and Made and Ketut etc are going to grin with glee as they divide it up for family back in the village. (I know they don't sell it on, because I see their family wearing it over the next week or so).
Every year we ask ourselves if it is time to check out Thailand or Vietnam or Cambodia...and say, hmmmm, one more Bali trip for now. Our girls have grown up knowing Bali and I think they have learned a lot about life, and themselves, that has made them different people, richer for the experience. For us, it is our haven, our place to recharge. It is not all rose-coloured spectacles either - we have been ripped off in big and small ways, sometimes disappointed, and sometimes sat on the toilet while cradling a plastic container to throw up in - but it has all been part of the education of life.
My family has instructions to take my ashes back to Bali. I don't think my love affair with Bali and her people is tragic. I think, rather, that we are blessed.