2014
Final Fling in Bali
16 October 2014
My quiet life continues, with many hours a day translating. Jazz has been in Jakarta for a few days of her school holidays this week - went with her sister Santhi, invited by a family friend, Vania. Back today so hope she comes over for my last couple of days here. We heard from Santhi that Vania offered to take Jazz ice-skating (you can do anything in Jakarta!) but Jazz turned pale at the suggestion. Her one experience of ice-skating at a temporary rink at Bondi Beach in July while she was with me in Sydney terrified her. The only time I have seen Jazz scared! Usually she is such a daredevil. However I sympathise completely. Not my thing either when I tried it the once as a teenager!!
I spent a few hours over at Jazz's mum's on Monday to see all the family (Jazz was leaving for Jakarta that night). Petra took me and Jazz over to their new place, the eco community, Taman Petanu, she has been building these last two years. They hope to move in at Christmas, but it is still very much a building site, though their new house is virtually ready. We swam in the pool, a freshwater, pebble-filtered eco pool with fish to eat the algae- except they are not doing a very good job. The algae on the steps into the pool was life-threatening - so slippery I had to crawl on hands and knees. Petra is sure they will get the balance right- or get more fish. The whole place will be wonderful once the building is finished and the site cleared up. A few new houses currently going up.
I spent a few hours over at Jazz's mum's on Monday to see all the family (Jazz was leaving for Jakarta that night). Petra took me and Jazz over to their new place, the eco community, Taman Petanu, she has been building these last two years. They hope to move in at Christmas, but it is still very much a building site, though their new house is virtually ready. We swam in the pool, a freshwater, pebble-filtered eco pool with fish to eat the algae- except they are not doing a very good job. The algae on the steps into the pool was life-threatening - so slippery I had to crawl on hands and knees. Petra is sure they will get the balance right- or get more fish. The whole place will be wonderful once the building is finished and the site cleared up. A few new houses currently going up.
The only other outing, apart from Josh's and my morning coffee jaunts into town at Casa Luna, was dinner last night at Pulau Kelapa with Diana Darling, who is doing the editing on my latest anthology translation for Lontar- very esoteric stories by Gus tf Sakai whom I met at the very first festival in 2004. Diana was so brilliant to work with on Departures that I asked Lontar to give me her again. We were joined by friends of hers, up in Ubud that afternoon to see the Lempad exhibition, who wanted then to meet her for dinner, but she and I had already arranged to meet. Anyway it was none other than Madé Wijaya and an elderly Dutchman, formerly a banker in Jakarta. Madé is by reputation the Number 1 Aussie expat in Bali. (‘Mike White’ in a former incarnation!) Number 1 ego too. I have seen him "perform" on various festival panels. And heard him speak in Sydney a few months back on his excellent book on the architectural influence of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Majapahit in East Java. His book is out now - a huge coffee table-sized volume - and a copy of it was thrust into my hands to admire before he had even sat down. Needless to say the great man himself (he is responsible for the garden landscaping of many of the 5-star hotels in Bali and of David Bowie’s home in Mustique) did not show any great interest in meeting humble little old me, but sounded forth on gossip re mutual friends over the years with Diana. The Dutch guy did not get a word in either, but I managed to chat with him a bit. And was not shy about throwing a few snippets about my own "Bali credentials" at Madé when I had the chance! In case he thought I was a mere tourist. Anyway it was a fascinating evening - and Diana and I had a bit of time to ourselves before they came and after they left to talk about the editing job coming up, which we will do by email in the coming weeks.
In a few more days – on October 20 - Jokowi will be officially installed as President. He will have his work cut out for him trying to achieve his reforms with the vindictive "Red and White" coalition of opposition parties under Prabowo blocking him. But there are high hopes that his presidential powers and the authority of his office will make change possible. He is a good man in the simplest and also most profound sense of the word "good", in a country where most politicians are self-seeking, so let's hope he prevails. A big issue here at the moment is whether they will ban the Islamic Defenders Front, an organisation of Islamist criminal thugs who perpetrate violence outside any event or location they deem "immoral"- eg. a disco. They have been allowed free reign to commit violent crimes for years and the police have stood back. So has President SBY! They don't need to ban them, just throw them into jail whenever they break the law.
Go to YouTube for Sacha Stevenson's latest comic video "27 Balinese swear words". Alex and her fellow expat comics from their group Gedebong Goyang also star! They made it together while Sacha was here for the Writers Festival. Hilarious.
Today one of Cathy's in-laws is arriving in Ubud. I also know Jill from visits to her place when Cathy and I are up at the Byron Bay Writers Festival, so will be taking a break from the translation and putting on the tour guide hat once again! We’ll just coincide for a day.
This is probably the last you'll hear from me this trip. Home on Sunday morning.
Sampai jumpa!
Go to YouTube for Sacha Stevenson's latest comic video "27 Balinese swear words". Alex and her fellow expat comics from their group Gedebong Goyang also star! They made it together while Sacha was here for the Writers Festival. Hilarious.
Today one of Cathy's in-laws is arriving in Ubud. I also know Jill from visits to her place when Cathy and I are up at the Byron Bay Writers Festival, so will be taking a break from the translation and putting on the tour guide hat once again! We’ll just coincide for a day.
This is probably the last you'll hear from me this trip. Home on Sunday morning.
Sampai jumpa!