Journal entry, March 12, 2013 - Nirvana Pension Homestay, Ubud Today is Nyepi, which means, “to observe silence”. It is a very holy day in Bali; it is the celebration of the New Year in the Balinese Caka calendar. It is a day of complete silence and inactivity. Everyone stays inside, including visitors. It is tradition to use no electricity, light no fire and to fast from midnight on Nyepi until sunrise the following day. It is a day of rest. And a welcome one at that. I’ve caught a bug, presumably on the flight over and am feeling feverish and have throat/sinus infection. As illnesses go, this one is relatively mild, but coupled with the tremendous jet lag I am feeling a bit woozy. I slept well through the night, but awoke quite feverish a few times. My throat was quite sore so I swabbed it with tea tree oil. This, combined with reiki and the healing mantra Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So hung have greatly alleviated my symptoms. I expect I will be right as rain tomorrow. The previous day, after I arrived and secured my visa, my driver, Wayan, met me at the airport entrance. Wayan, a pleasant young Balinese man, was very happy to see me as he had only been waiting a few minutes and my relatively quick wait in the visa queue meant we might possibly make it to my homestay before the roads were closed. “Before the roads close?” I queried. Wayan explained that the day before Nyepi is called Tawur Kesanga. This is a ceremony where the Balinese gather to pray and make offerings to appease the Gods and powers that abide in their community. As we began to drive through the streets of Denpasar, I couldn’t help but notice Bali bore a striking resemblance to Mexico. But perhaps crossed with Hawai’i and decorated with many large statues of what I presumed to be Hindu dietys. Some I recognized and others I did not. The traffic in the busy streets of Denpasar consisted mainly of motor scooters. There appeared to be few traffic regulations and the traffic flow was on the left-hand side. As we sped through the streets, swerving around cars and buses, bicycles and pedestrians and the omnipresent scooters, many carrying families of four on them, I began to get dizzy. I was at the apex of my jet lag and perhaps my illness was beginning its infection. Wayan was driving as fast as he could, eager to make Ubud before the streets closed for the parade of Ogoh Ogoh- giant floats carried by young Balinese. The Ogoh Ogoh floats were monsters, riding aloft bamboo frames. The different villages all made their own and met, post-parade, at the soccer fields to have a contest for the best, scariest Ogoh Ogoh. The craftsmanship of these floats was amazing. It was obvious many days of preparation went into their creation. Bali is a large community of artists and craftspeople. As we rocketed through the streets I saw great stone monuments and statues. Wonderful murals and roadside shops purveying, for the most part, giant carved doors, facades and bed frames, headboards, etc. It appeared the woodcarvings were mostly teak. There were also many pottery shops and statuaries. As we sped on towards Ubud I began feeling carsick. All the weaving to and fro and swerving around the endless scooters was a bit maddening. Wayan piloted his craft with great skill, often zipping through openings between concrete walls on one side and walls of scooters on the other side with just centimeters to spare. I suddenly understood why his side-view mirror was folded in. Past Denpasar and on towards Ubud the city gave way to more of a rural vibe. There were rice paddies and cows alongside homes and hotels with fantastic facades up front and plain, bare mud walls on the side. The foliage began to reveal itself in a distinctly tropical flavor. Further reminding me of Hawai’i. I related to Wayan how Bali seemed reminiscent of Mexico and Hawai’i and he seemed surprised. He said he wouldn’t know, as he had never travelled off the island before. We began descending towards the coast and the streets narrowed and were filled with people gathering and beginning the ceremonies. Smoke and incense hung in the air along with the sounds of gamelan as the Balinese went to and fro banging bamboo sticks, pots and pans and whatever was handy to scare off the evil spirits. There were offerings everywhere. Small thatch mats with flowers, rice, beads and smoldering coconut husks lined the streets. The Ogoh Ogoh were now beginning their procession. Held aloft by large groups of young Balinese and followed by Gamelan orchestras. What a sacred and special day for me to arrive I thought. Now five minutes from our destination, the Polisi began to close the streets as the garish, frightening Ogoh Ogoh made their way to the main supernatural crossroads in Ubud. These crossroads are considered “tenet” or highly charged in a supernatural way. What spiritual Westerners or Euros may refer to as a vortex. Wayan muttered in Balinese as we veered down narrow alleyways, apparently these were unwelcome detours on our journey. Suddenly he skidded to a stop and pointed down a long, concrete walkway between two buildings. The walkway was unlit and in the first comings of twilight appeared gray and foreboding. As Wayan pointed he said: “There is Nirvana.” I peered down the 50 metres of gray concrete at the iron gate at the end and chuckled. I had always pictured Nirvana quite differently! What Wayan meant was we had arrived at my destination, Nirvana Pension Homestay. I hoisted on my backpack, grabbed my guitar and as I paid Wayan 250,000 Indonesian Rupia, roughly $25 USD, I felt I had just received the deal of a lifetime. Had I attempted to negotiate these streets, crowded with ceremony and me completely wiped out with jet lag, I surely would have gotten lost or worse. I bid Wayan farewell and began my way down the path to Nirvana. Immediately the gate swung open and a young girl and older woman appeared. They ran down the path clacking bamboo sticks together and swinging a smoldering pot of incense. Purification. As the woman ran by she smiled and said: “You must be Tim! Welcome to Nirvana!”
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 21:11:57 +0000
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