On the Ocean Floor

I slipped into my wet suit which exposed only right above my knees and elbows, zipped up my aqua shoes, spit in my mask to clean it, and walked over the rocks until the water was deep enough to support my air tank.  As I started inhaling and exhaling through my regulator, my own breathing fills my head as I sink slowly underwater.  Did you know scuba was an acronym for self contained underwater breathing apparatus?  I could control my buoyancy by inflating my scuba vest or compressing it for which the weights around my waist would weigh me down underwater.  As a beginner, I could go about 15 meters deep.  But this was surely enough to explore Tulamben's sunken ship- The Liberty, an American shipwreck from WWII.  It was torpedoed by a japanese submarine in 1942 and sat beached until Mount Agung erupted in 1963 forcing it underwater about 30 meters or so.  We had a visibility of about 20 meters.  I never really got cold like expected..I think because of how exciting everything looked underworld! So many neon greens, yellow, red.  So much live coral and life! At one point our guide picked up a huge green starfish and handed it to me!  The coral was all housed by the ship.  We couldn't tell from his face, but a 6foot barracuda was suddenly visible not more than 3 feet away from us as his silver teeth caught the sunlight and thus my eyes!  Mason did not hesitate to go right up next to it but I kept a bit of a distance just in case.  We were also told there were a couple white tip sharks lurking the ship but our guide did not tell us about them because they were beyond the depth we could safely dive at.  There were about 25 hand signals that PADI (our diving certification company) recommends and uses.  The most common one is the A-okay sign, used extensively between yourself and your guide.  A few other sightings included little nemo burrowing in an anemone, a couple thousand silver fish swimming above us in a school,  angelfish, parrotfish, neon blue glow in the dark fish, and sponges! 

Barracuda!!



Can you find the fish?



Rice Sawah!

Chopping the rice husks from the soil

Beating the rice out of the husk

It was hot, it was itchy, and the woman next to me beating the rice was 70 years old plus.  Retirement doesn't really exist in Bali because of the importance of staying involved in the community for as long as possible.  It is not uncommon to see plenty of elderly Balinese people out in the early mornings stomping mud pits with their bare feet and traditional sarongs.  We walked about 1 km past the cows and open field until we reached Putu's rice sawah (field).  The first step was to chop the rice stalks a couple of inches from the ground.  I was far from establishing an efficient method and continuously retrieved one grouping at a time.  We would pile the stalks next to the little handmade sun-cover where step two occurs.  The goal was to beat all of the rice out of the husk by slamming it against the wooden board that was set up on top of a tarp to catch the flying pieces.  Finally, I left with a new-found appreciation for rice!

Yayasan living

Every Balinese house has an architectural and spiritual significance.  This was very apparent when arriving inside theYayasan Widya Guna in Yeh Pulu, Bedulu-as Balinese structures are merely very high stone walls from the outside.  Inside there are multiple different buildings used for different functions-a kitchen, bedrooms, the bathing area, the library room, and many outdoor living platforms as it is about average 85 degrees F here with tropical rains every couple of days.  There are also several trees throughout the compound and a small garden space bordering some of the walls.  The green color is endless and on sunny blue sky days, the clouds are so defined and plump that I want to grab them to sleep on at night!  

We have spent the last 2 weeks living at the Yayasan (a childrens home inland Bali).  Originally this compound was Ketut and Nyomans home which they turned into an educational center and orphanage for children about 6 years ago.  There are only 8 children that actually sleep at the Yayasan, but over a hundred come for English lessons, sports games, cultural dancing and companionship everyday.  Our time is split between hanging out and playing with classroom time.  

The Yayasan is never silent.  Whether it is the chickens roaming free about the compound, the sound of Nyepi drums beating alongside noisy bamboo sticks, or just the children laughing in pure bliss, there is always something to fix your mind on.  Mornings usually consist of breakfast and a little trip into town to visit a temple or witness a ceremony which happens more regularly than any other place Ive visited.  Then around 10 AM, we teach the special ed class until lunchtime alongside 2 other volunteers from Holland.  We do all sorts of activities with the children ages 7-20.  Saying the months of the year, writing, art projects, singing, ABCs, numbers, and chalk are a few of the activities.  They are all at different levels so it sometimes requires us to break off and do individual projects with different students depending on their needs. The range of needs in our classroom consists of autism, cerebral palsy, hyperactive disorder, and down syndrome.  The children are amazing and mostly smiles which just makes it so rewarding to work with such inspirational stories.  One of my favorite times of class is when Putu, the oldest member, freestyles to boost moral.  His confidence and passion for music and performance shines through, always ending his skit with a kiss to the sky or other form of theatrical dismissal.  I might also add that it is difficult trying to teach a second language to these children when you cannot speak their native tongue.  We have been attempting to learn vocab words and phrases that they may understand but this requires always having the Indonesian-English dictionary handy.

Lunch time rolls around and everyone piles into the outdoor living space that is Ketut and Nymans bedroom stoop outside.  Usually it is rice with some veggies and chicken or tempe with eggs and coconut sauce.  Nasi goreng and Mi goreng, fried rice or fried noodles, are some of Balis traditional go-tos which we enjoy on a daily basis.  Frankie their dog is always roaming willing to eat anything we throw to him including just bones od the fish!  

The afternoon class is the lowest level of English that attends here at Yayasan.  We just recently have been given full responsibility of these 6 year olds for the rest of our stay here.  They can do simple conversation English, know some vocabulary, and really enjoy interactive games and activities.  We always end the day with a trip down to the New Yayasan, a 5 minute walk away to rolling rice fields and space to play. 

Moving North-Ubud, Bali

Ubud truly lives up to its reputation for being the art center of Bali.  Every area has a different craft represented which is clearly shown by just looking down the street you are on.  We first noticed this as the landscape turned from surfer commercialized beach town to villages and rice paddy terraces illuminating green and extending miles back from the road we were traveling.  The first look at culture we noticed was a funeral procession in the street up ahead.  Many people marched around in their traditional garb (sarongs, lace tops, and head pieces).  Some were carrying a white coffin over their shoulders sitting under a 7 foot tall white tent and one person situated firmly in front of it.  They were twirling the coffin in circles.  We were unsure what this was at first but figured it out when one of the locals signaled that it was a spirit leaving a body and floating to heaven.  Woodcarvers, silversmiths, stone carvers, handweavers, and many others line the shops all day.  While I was wandering around in a neighborhood of Mas, Ubud, I stopped at a woodshop called 'Ghana Export,' which I soon learned was an abbreviation for Ganesha, the Hindu God, as opposed to a reference to Africa.  But I wouldn't be disappointed as Pasta, a third generation owner of the shop invited me into one of the largest most creative woodworking places I'd ever seen!  In the middle of a little village of about 10 rooms, several carvers were busy creating their masterpieces. I was amazed at how much detail is put into each piece and found myself staring at their smooth and graceful techniques.  Pasta then led me into the first room which was themed Ebony wood, followed by a Mahogeny room, Crockodile wood, Sandal Wood, and the local Balinese Wood.  Some were painted and some still bare their natural wood coloring.  How many more little worlds like this exist behind the stone walls that hide them from the street?

Beautiful Rice Terraces of Bali

 

  The most stimulating temple I've ever visited-Tirta Empul Temple.  Behind the Balinese stone-carved walls were 2 separate baths of 'holy' water.  This was a holy cleanse for Hindus.  For people to rid of any sins or bad things they had done in their lives, any bad luck they've had with jobs, or any illness in their families.  The clear water bode much color through the abundance of flower petals, pink, white, yellow, blue, floating.  It was difficult to tell the seriousness level of the temple because there were several kids shouting, laughing, joking around with each other.  Yet others were filling glass jars, drinking the water, and praying completely bare.  There was something very special about this water that brought the Balinese culture together.  I was hesitant to join although I knew I would be in there before I could leave.  I was not about to miss out on the holy water!  I waited in line in the water for my turn to cleanse under the water spickets, moving down the row for a total of 10 dunks.  As I approached the last one, I was curious why everyone was staring at me in disbelief.  "That one for dead people," explained a woman to my left.  So I quickly exited the bath and moved onto the second one to start the process over again.  Although I was a bit cold by the end, this experience was irreplaceable!  

Mason and I waiting to dunk in the holy water

Tirta Empul Temple

KLIA> Denpasar, Bali, Indonisia!!

Sanur Beach

The lush, hilly, beautiful green landscape and rolling mountains view from the plane surely was a great introduction to what we would find here in Bali, Indonesia.  The Indian Ocean was wild and the wind shifted the plane quite a bit, but you could still see the coral through the aqua water from bird's view!  Our first mission in our new place: to find Oliver in the marina where he and his sailing crew were set up for the night.  I can hardly believe our paths are crossing halfway across the world, unplanned (Now the third Kenyon alum we will see abroad)!  It was pouring rain so we didn't see much beyond a few taxi drivers charging us twice what it should cost to take a 20 minute ride South.  Needless to say, we accomplished our mission!! Ollie delightfully greeted us at our taxi and we prepared to venture out for some dinner.  Gado-gado, a veggie dish served with peanut sauce and usually some tempe (soy bean), tofu, or eggs was a big hit.  The following day, the three of us explored Kuta Beach and Sanur Beach, each on opposite coasts of the Island.  Sanur can be considered the magical paradise of the two.  Bright blue sunny skies, purely white fluffy clouds hovering over the ocean, calm aqua colored water where we would find starfish, hermit crabs, and little minows right at our toes in knee deep water.  Many fisherman with their cone shaped straw hats were perched on rocks bordering each side of the beach strips.  Early evening sucked the water way out about a couple hundred yards or so, exposing several coral and green seaweed mounds, and pools of water with fish who missed the tide.  We watched one Balinese boy shout to his family for about 10 minutes for them to come save him from the currents pulling him out.  Luckily he wasn't really in danger because they watched and pointed at him for most of the time.  Two Europeans carried him back in, all of them laughing by the end.  We finished out the night nicely with a massage on the beach, Balinese dinner, and some Reggae music.  We have plans to see Ollie again in a couple of weeks hopefully for some diving as he's become a pro by now!

Gado-Gado

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I feel like I have traveled through three countries at once.  Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures create a unique mixture here in the city.  We have been living with Mason's second cousins, Shaun and Glenn and their 4 kids, outside Kuala Lumpur for the past week.  The first major difference from Thailand being that it rains at least once every afternoon!  This does not detract from the hot scalding sun and humidity encompassing the day's air.  The second being that there is still a considerable amount of lush jungle growing throughout the city.  Chinatown, Little India, Orchid Gardens, and the butterfly park were all covered in one day.  One of the highlights of Little India was eating a meal of curried vegetables, spicy sauces, and yogurt sauce over rice off a banana leaf with our hands.  It's amazing how they shape and scoop the perfect rice balls into their mouths leaving me staring in wonderment and wishing I had a spoon to scoop mine!  Chinatown is a bit smaller than Bangkok's but carries the same products being knockoff purses, watches, music, tshirts, watches, mangos, everything imaginable fried, dimsum buns, and a constant flow of sellers inviting you into their stalls "for free."  Endless street shops line the road, a mixture of languages encircling our steps, and durian smells float through our nostrils (Durian can be described as a sour, flesh rotting, sweaty sock smelling fruit known in Southeast Asia.  It tastes like it smells.  It has been known to be banned in public spaces and other forms of transportation for its pungent odor thus the signs, 'no guns, no pets, no durian').  Although more of a hassle to take the train than hop in a 'teksi,' we board in KL Sentral and head toward home.  There is an enormous mosque behind the train station as the call to prayer fills the air around 1 PM.  Several people brush by, possibly to use the 'prayer room,' a space covered by a black curtain at the end of a hallway, located in the upper level of the train station.  It is a 45 minute wait for our train.  When it finally arrives already packed with people, the tension of the platform grows with the thought that only half of the people waiting will make it on this one.  Who knows when the next one will arrive!  The train slows and squeals to a slow stop before puffing a burst of hot air as the doors slide open: A rush of people from both sides collide with each other as everyone attempts to take steps toward their urgent destination.  Mason, being a head taller than the entire crowd, levels his way onto the train and reaches his arm to create a gap large enough for me to slide through.  We've made it into the bumper car villa.  People shouting in many languages, reaching for the ceiling to steady their bodies with the train's momentum.  The body odors are inescapable being right at the correct height to stare directly into an armpit.  Needless to say we made it to Sungai Buloh, our final stop.  

Batu Caves is most widely known for its Hindu Thaipusam Festival held in early February.  We were a bit too late for this celebration, yet decided to visit the caves themselves anyways,  On the 272 stair climb to the top of the 400 million years old caves, you are greeted by several aggressive monkeys in search of food.  A couple had water bottles in their hands, some with leftover food cartons, and others with brown paper bags stained with oil.  Perhaps the biggest victory was watching an 85 year old man make it to the top of the climb followed by the supporting applause of his Chinese tour group.  Past the shops filled with wood carvings, masks, and printed postcards, the rock cliffs stretch extremely high.  Sporadic holes in between stalactites  allow for light beams to target several hindu shrines lined up along the side walls of the caves.  There were not too many people up here.  In fact, our biggest company were the monkeys who were throwing coconuts over the cliffs at pigeons down below.  

This morning we took a rainy hike through the jungle nearby.  Lucky for us the rain helped to bring some animals to the surface.  Our first 5 minutes included the discovery of numerous leeches crawling about the leaves in search of some warm blood!  A constant check on your ankles and socks ensures a busy mind through the flat surfaced hike.  Glenn happened to step on a leaf that held a triangle headed snake prisoner:  until he released the adrenaline and caused the snake to spring 3 times concluding with a defensive stance ready to pounce!  Several leech shreiks, coconut trees, and wild boar tracks later, Mason spots a Giant Blue Forest Scorpion!  He was about 7 inches long and had an iridescent tinted blue coloring.  He was crossing the road for a days meal and immediately retracted into defense mode with his stinger darting straight in the air ready to venomize anything in his path.  What an exciting adventure!  We left sweaty and hungry with just enough energy to pry the fully plump and disgustingly satisfied leeches from Bobo and Rumy, their house dogs!  

Downtown Kuala Lumpur

Triangular headed snake found on hike

Batu Caves

Making Naan bread in Little India