Tuesday morning is the day I get a phone call from Sean in the States to talk about what is going on in Bali and Eugene. I go for my morning walk to the beach, take a shower and then run over to Cafe Moka for the bargain breakfast in time for the 8.30am chat.
Today I decided to take my camera to share some of the sights with people back home and Sean, who knows this route like the back of his hand.
When Sean was here we would leave the house by 6.30am and it would be light already, still cool with the sun on the rise and the hazy morning light casting long shadows. Today I was about 20 minutes late and could feel the warmth already.
Before Sean left he kindly left me his tennis shoes and putting on the first one I felt something inside jamming the end. I stuck my hand in and grabbed what felt like a chunk of rolled up paper. Pulling it out I saw it was a frog. I let him go into the bushes. Sorry for the rude awakening, buddy.
Looking back down our street I watched 2 locals stop for a leisurely chat. Carrying on to the top of our street I could see up to Jalan Seminyak. Turning onto Oberoi road I managed to snap a variety of shots of locals preparing their shops for business, riding to school, taking family members to school, waiting to be picked up and farming. Bali has a village type culture even amongst the tourists and expats who live here and you’ll find paddy fields all over. Of course, some people were still in bed, including the owners of this favourite drinking hole.
Along our route are paddy fields with tall, ripe plants ready for harvesting. One farmer used to stand in the field and jiggle strings attached to pieces on plastic to scare the birds away. He also used to holler ‘oi,oi,oi’. It was quite funny to see his fellow apparently hollering at some invisible person. His field is now harvested and he can spend his mornings hollering at his wife instead.
This young family were sitting outside their house feeding their child rice, the staple diet. They were relaxed and I asked them before I took their photo.
The Oberoi road actually has another name but is called Oberoi because of the hotel. Close by is Ku De Ta, a restaurant that is right on the beach and is a favourite of expats. Sean and I would walk through the parking lot onto the beach and along, doing a circuit and rejoining the same road for the return leg.
A variety of people were on the beach today including fishermen, joggers, surfers and this old guy who has marked himself a spot on the beach.
A white dog was enjoying the freedom of life without traffic too. The better hotels employ teams of people to rake the beach, cut the grass with hand shears and sweep the whole place. The cooler mornings are the time of day to do this if you’re thinking of it.
Walking back to the house I passed a favourite restaurant of Sean and myself called Mykonos. It has this statue outside which when first viewed has the uncanny knack of making you think it’s a person. There are 2 Mykonos places on this street, the restaurant and the cafe and now on Jalan Dhyana Pura there is another restaurant. I recently read that the owner is expanding to Jakarta. Who says you can’t make money in Indonesia?
Getting back to the house I wanted to be ready for our cleaner Katut arriving at 8am so I quickly showered and rode through some alleys to Moka Cafe and got my usual as a take away order.
Katut arrived on cue and Sean’s call came in as expected. We chatted about things including an embarassing post an acquaintance of mine did last week (it’s a woman thing) and had a laugh. While Katut was on hand I got her to snap a shot of me wearing my new pollution mask, let’s see how that works.
Subscribe
|
Print
|
Share             
|
Yes, Oberoi Hotel is the first hotel in that street. It was the Best in their era too. Kudeta is a quiet new restaurant and quiet expensive for local people here in Bali, you can spend easily Rp. 200.000. dinner without wine, but the food is excelent. Own by Mr. Kadek which is very famous entertaining bussinessman in Bali, he also own 66 Club, which very famous here in Bali. Recently he expand his bussiness to Airline Bussiness, called Paradise Air, The flew Indonesia - Australia.
Yes, the mask is very becoming, Nick. Bring it back with you when you visit Eugene and you can fit right in with the local anarchists. Or perhaps be an extra on the latest Mortal Kombat movie!
That mask saved me from a bigger scar when I had motorbike accident awhile ago. It works so well. Now you can drive all around Bali and not worry about your lungs get polluted. hey, it’s washable too.
Great memories Nick…and great pictures. One time on the beach part of our walk, there were 2 Indonesian standing next to each other facing the ocean. One of them had ear phones on. They each had a “Cocktail” bottle and we practicing juggling it. Not like a juggler, but like Tom Cruise in the movie “Cocktail” - you know a fancy way to pour drinks and get better tips. Well these 2 guys were in there own world at about 6 a.m. morning juggling away and oblivious to Nick and I walking by.
Terrific shots, Nick - especially of the dog and the Balinese going about their routines with a keen witness nearby.
Notice the responses when you post images. They do make a difference! I feel I’m accompanying you on this journey and taking in this culture in all its identity.
Sure beats covering the war, heh?
Another interesting story from you Nick.. Always get a laugh at the simple things in life.
Not sure if the mask saved you Ebong or the dog you used as a soft landing .. hehehe
Nick, you look like a ninja in that mask! Did you trade in your hunting knife for a “zakagowi” yet?
An enjoyble entry and a great read Nick. Fabulous fotos of morning life and I especially like the white dog. Oh yeah….okay…you look great in the pollution mask!. I was trying to figure out if you were planning to rob a bank or pleading for a chainsaw!. I have been meaning to ask you if or not they have constructed some kind of shrine where the bombing took place. I would like to pay my respects when I get over there and place an Oz flag and some flowers.