As I left it last, there were massages and fishing in order.
Both were great successes. As you can see below, I am very happily glowing in
post massage bliss. $7.50 for one hour!
And fishing! More adventure than success, but let me backtrack
a moment.
We are here in Lovina. We are supremely happy.
Through Ryan
and Prita we have met and befriended the owners of a local Warung. As I
mentioned them yesterday, Anik and Domingo have continued to take incredible
care of us. We both feel honored and blessed to have found such a happy place.
It only continued last night. Domingo is quite the “playboy” as he is happy to
admit, and Anik runs things in the kitchen and Front. She is a super woman.
This is their Sign
Domingo took us out on his boat (unfortunately no tours of
arrack facilities, it seems that the production of this product is illegal and
they don’t like nosey tourists poking around with cameras). High on the fun
experience level, low on the hunt.
We got to witness a gorgeous sunset and the
serene calm of Bali’s coast, but it was dismaying to see certain things. There
is a horrendous amount of trash everywhere in Bali, furthermore, most waste is
burned in the street and gutter, including plastic, and on the coast, nearly
everything seems to make its way to the ocean. Plast bags, wet wipes, diapers,
you name it, we saw. Sad. On top of that, we were definitely fishing on top of
a reef, in fact several times our Balinese guides pulled up giant chunks of
coral and laughly tossed it back to the ocean. I could rant or claim moral
superiority, instead I will log it to personal experience and dream of ways to
a solution. It is funny in that one moment all is good, you have not a care to
the world, and then there is confrontation, and how do you respond. To these
men there is no other way. In my moment I found it hard to lecture them or even
broach the subject. What do long speeches about overfished reefs or global
warming or trash have in their world. This is something they need to fix themselves.
I hope they do, for their home is beautiful but far more fragile than I am sure
they realize.
And proceeded to party party party. All in all, a blissfully blurry evening
So with another night of festivities in Lovina down, it was time for a productive morning. And productive in a Balinese restaurant means cooking.
Anik making sure her kitchen doesn't get burnt down
Happy chef
Lovina feels like a daze to me. And just like that, part of our crew had to leave. Ryan and Prita had to return to the "real world" which is Bali talk for working more than one hour a day. So we said our tearful goodbyes and made plans to connect up with them in a couple of days.
Except Brian is a fiesty soul. Never satisfied, always moving, and definitely never slowing down. One of our favorite dishes here is called Nasi Goreng. Fried Rice. Much like meatloaf or scrambled eggs there are a thousand variations on how to make it. Anik was kind enough to show brian how to make hers. The teacher was very nervous to be teaching an american chef. But the student was humble, and hopefully upon return home he will be able to make a giant feast for all.
SOOOO GOOOD
The rest of the day was purposefully unplanned, until we got talked into something we couldn't refuse. A good old Balinese cockfight. I think I have seeded out all the bloody photos, but if you're squeamish of heart, or find the practice repugnant on a moral or ethical level, I suggest not looking at the next few photos.
Previously I spoke of authenticity and the endeavor to "find it". This definitely qualifies. Of the 150 or so people (men really, the only women were the vendors), only three were western, and two were us. This is one way how Balinese men, of all stripes, come together. It was noisy, raucous and crowded. Some fights there was no viewing room at all. What's crazy to me is that there at 3 rounds of fights each day (10am, 1pm, 4pm) and it happens everyday! There is a serious flow of money here. The minimum bet is 20k rupia ($2), but I definitely saw bets in the $30-$50 range. These are not rich people by any means, but these kinds of activities bring out the most interesting passions.
Notice the considerable blade on the right foot of the rooster below
Our winnings
Gotta have your fresh coconut
So that was my 24 hours. I have been immersed in laziness, relaxing and gorgeous views. This place is out of time. It feels as if 2 days or two years could pass and there would be no difference, save the tides. I feel it creeping into my soul, and I can say with confidence that it doesn't scare me. But I know also that it is not my time to be in a place like this. The currents of my being are much to ferocious for this. I am not ready to be lazy good for nothing beach bum all the time :)
I think there is a big party planned tonight, with excesses of all natures, and likely more tomorrow night. Luckily we move back to Ubud, a fishing trip with Qull, maybe a drum purchase, and the south of Bali for surfing and palace hopping. I really loaded this post on photos. Hope you enjoy!
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