It's nearing sunset and I'm sitting on a "bale" by the pool overlooking the lush green paddy fields that is part of my accommodation. The sky turns scarlet and dark clouds are slowly forming a blanket over the wide sky. Lights from other bungalows shines from the distance like dancing fireflies.
I walked the main streets of Ubud today. I parked the car somewhere in the middle and just walked. I walked and walked and walked and tried to see the lives of these people whom I last saw a year and a half ago. There is a general sense of calm and tranquility among these people, even if life is hard for them. One lady in the market where I bought some sarong pants from, said that these days she can only ask for a small margin of profit. I was her 2nd customer for the day and she hopes that the rest of the day got better. There was no depression, no sadness when she told me all that. She smiled and joked with her daughter who was helping her packed all my stuff. "Its okay, we don't make lots of money but it's still enough to pay for the rent", she said with a laugh. I smiled back and wished her good luck. I bought 2 tops and 2 pants for 10 USD and nearly wanted to buy more. But she didn't need my pity. Life is hard. She accepts and lives it with grace.
Amidst the money-making industry called tourism that runs the veins of Bali, where lying and scheming are everyday events, surprisingly I could still find simple honesty. At least I thought I did. I entered this shop greeted in English, and when I answered in Indonesian, the girls all giggled because they were embarrassed. "Sorry, I thought you're either Taiwanese or Japanese. " I smiled at them. I got that a lot. Not only in Bali where my looks and appearance can so easily be mistaken for a non Indonesian, but also in Jakarta where the company I keep often misguided people. After choosing 5 items in the shop, I went to the changing room trying on 1 item at a time. It is a habit of mine to get out of the small changing room and make a judgement when I'm not too close to the mirror. For a change, the girls had opinions. They were honest on what they think works or not for me. How rare! Most sales people I know can't even care less as long as a purchase is made. I walked out that shop a few hundred thousand rupiahs short with a dress that was packaged in a really neat bag.
Maybe it has got something to do with their close relationship with their gods. Life for this people is centred around pleasing and surrendering to the gods. Offerings are placed on every door step, on every street corner, in front of a car. They create an almost mystical fragrance that is Bali; that is not about the sleepless bars, and the great waves of Kuta, or even the temples. Life is about something bigger than themselves.
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