January 23, 2018

January 23, 2018

What do you get when you come to the tropics in the rainy season?  Rain....you get rain!!  It’s coming down hard out there again right now as I type this.  It is the kind of rain that bounces back up and splashes everything within a meter regardless of whether there is a roof overhead!  It’s the kind of rain that is loud enough to drown out all other noises because it is coming down so hard.  It’s the kind of rain that makes it seem like you’re looking through a piece of opaque fabric the drops are so close together, in fact the drops look more like streaks....yes.....solid streaks of water coming out of the sky.  

On the up side, it was gorgeous and sunny yesterday and the rain waited till we were finished our days adventures before it pounded down all night (accompanied by lightening and thunder of course).  Then again this morning there was no rain until about noon.  

On the down side.....Barb is out there in it!  I had a couple of meetings this morning and so she headed out for a walk without her umbrella!  Oh dear!  Hopefully she stayed close to town and was near a restaurant or shop when the skies open up.  If not, by now she will look like she’s gone swimming in all of her clothes!

In the time that it took me to type those three short paragraphs the rain has almost come to a complete stop.  There is still thunder rumbling in the distance and there is so much water on the trees and bushes that it will continue to drip and seem like it’s raining for at least another hour but for the most part it is over.....for now.  It is so quiet for a few minutes after the rain stops.  Soon there will be the sound of birds and other animals and there I just heard a person talking so people are beginning to make their way back out into the world after having taken cover for the past 45 minutes or so.

The days are flying by and it seems strange to think that its already been a week since we left home which means we’ve just over 7 weeks left.  We’re making the most of our time though and yesterday was another fun one that was filled with exotic sights and sounds.  Julie (neighbour), Barb, and I decided to make a trip into Denpasar, Seminyak, and Canggu so we secured Jati (our driver) and off we went.  We started the day at the fabric market where someone who sews would think they’d died and gone to heaven!  There are more fabric shops in that block (multiple stories) that there are actually way too many choices.  In the end Julie and I each found something we thought might translate into a garment we could wear.  It was a case of the blind leading the blind though as none of the three of us really has much experience with sewing so.....it will be interesting to see just what we end up with.  We’ve got the name of a tailer who is also supposedly a designer so we’re hoping he/she will be able to do something a little better than the masses who can only sew something really prescripted.  In fact, the other day Julie took in a black top that needed a buttonhole repaired....the tailer used white thread on her black shirt!  Yikes!  It will be fun to see what our fabric turns into.  LOL

After the fabric market our plan was to check out three of the “La’s”.  There is a chain of beach clubs and their name begins with La.  First we’d go to La Favela, then to La Laguna, and finally to La Brisa.  Turned out that La Favela wasn’t open till after 4 so we couldn’t go there but....La Laguna in Canggu was open and it was a fantastic stop.  I loved it there....so much character and not too crowded.  The food was good (if a little pricey) and the drinks didn’t disappoint either but it was the ambiance created by the themed venue that really made the visit there special.  They’ve created a little oasis on the edge of the ocean that is nestled amongst the jungle and that uses that nature to create interesting little seating areas.  For example, one of the outdoor bars has a massive tree coming right through the middle of it....it is a big circular bar and the back bar from all angles is on that tree.  They’ve also painted all the trees and placed gypsy caravans along the pathways so it feels like you’ve stepped into a movie set as you stroll through their grounds.  Even the bathroom was unique!  La Laguna is a spot I’d go back to for sure.  From La Laguna it was off to La Brisa (also in Canggu). We came into it via the beach side which was beautiful in its own right but honestly if any of you decide to come here to check it out I’d encourage you to come in from the front entrance as that really is the way its meant to be seen.  Just as La Laguna had a gypsy theme, La Brisa has a nautical one.  It starts off with dugout kayaks standing on end near the entrance and continues along the lit path (yes....it’s especially beautiful in the evening) toward the pool, the bar area and the ocean.  We enjoyed what started out to be a beautiful sunset till the clouds rolled in and stole the last half of it from our view.

Wahoo!  Barb is just back.  She’s pretty wet but still smiling so it’s all good.

In addition to touring the “la’s” we saw a lot of country and I think the funniest thing from the entire day was that we decided there is some kind of syndrome or law of seven.  To explain....you know how you sometimes don’t see things that are obvious when there is so much else to see and do.....a kind of information overload.  Well, Barb suffered from that syndrome the last time she was here.  Last year she didn’t see any dogs, any tattoo parlours, any cows, or any white birds in the rice fields.  Now for those of you who’ve been here before you’ll know that all of those things are here in abundance and so yesterday we got to witness Barb seeing them all for the “first” time.  We’re calling it the law of seven as in marketing terms people have to see something seven times before they actually “see” it.  So, we’ve decided that is what Barb suffered from on her last visit and now she’d finally seen more than seven of each of them.  We laughed and laughed yesterday and Barb was such a good sport.  In fact,,, at one point I exclaimed that there were motorbikes and scooters here and that I hadn’t seen them before....it was all great fun.  :-)

The drive home was dark and rainy but as always Jati is an amazing driver and so we were deposited safely back at our little home which we’re sad to report will cease to exist as of April 1st.  The lease holder of the property is taking it back when it comes up for renewal so we’re experiencing our final visit to Rumah Kita right now.

The day before yesterday was pretty quiet but solidly wonderful.  I dropped off my laundry at Mae Mae’s then We had a big walk in the morning, lunch at an Indian restaurant, and followed that up with a lazy afternoon playing cards and eating cap cay at a nearby restaurant.  That spot overlooks a rice field and their cap cay is so delicious that we’re talking about going there again today. Cap cay is a kind of vegetable dish in a light broth....kind of a soup but more veggies than soup.  It is a very popular Balinese dish.  After our lazy afternoon it was time to pick up the laundry before they closed by 7 pm and since we were walking by a spa...and since my nail polish was looking a little sketchy around the edges....decided to go in for a polish change.....  and since we were in there anyway....why not add an hour long foot massage to that.  So there we sat getting to know our lovely attendants (who are from the island of Sumba) Ira and Lani.  Lani’s name will be easy for me to remember! (For those of you who don’t know me...Lani is my daughter’s name). Ira and Lani are sisters.  They are 18 and 25 respectively and they work 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.  They get 4 days off each month and we learned through conversation that their social life really just includes their workmates as they have a fair bit of fun time between clients when they’re just sitting around waiting for the next one.  For them it works and in this culture this is pretty typical.  For us it seem like crazy long hours with no days off but heh....when in Rome.....right?!

Now that the rain has actually stopped dripping off the trees and Barb is back and into some dry clothes I think we’ll venture off so .....till next time.....

Lorrie and Barb