Chatting to a waitress at Santa Fe in Seminyak Bali

Sitting at Santa Fe bar and restaurant this evening on Jl. Dhyana Pura in Seminyak, I chatted to one of the wine waitresses. I was waiting for my spinach ravioli and she had nothing to do. It is interesting the direction that conversations with locals can go in and after talking about Jevon's birth she told me how her Balinese boyfriend had cheated on her and how she was heart broken. "I'm crying all the way from Mengwi to here." She said. "I saw his new girlfriend and she is cantik (pretty), Chinese Indonesian with long legs, white skin, nice face, hair, eyes. I'm jealous." Quite funny but she's only 19 and I told her to find someone better. "Banyak bagus cowok Bali disini." I said.

She went on to tell me that she is a Balinese dancer and the place she dances is the pura desa (village temple) and pura dalem (temple of the dead) in Mengwi. There are some important large temples in the Mengwi area including Pura Alas Kedaton and Taman Ayun. Good and evil are a part of Balinese Hinduism and she said that while dancing at the temples an invisible ring of 'security guards' protects her from evil spirits. Regarding offerings and prayer she said "For me it is about giving and taking." "If you want good luck for your land you should give 1 kilo of rice or a banten of fruit, you will get that back many times." "My mother told me that when I eat I should pray that the Gods eat and also that I should think of my brothers and sisters, then nobody can harm them."

I think the whole Balinese mythology is so encompassing that one could end up believing in demons, goblins, witches and black magic. A reality that I'm not even close to being in.