Pengerukan day in Ubud

I had to leave Lovina at 6:00am, and again I didn’t sleep. The German neighbor is gone, but there is a loud noise waking me up in the middle of the night. Sounds like, some animal is in my room. After making sure I wasn’t dreaming, I got up and look for the culprit. I was somewhere in the outdoor bathroom, couldn’t find anything, so I shut the door, but could still hearing it for the rest of the night. We had to leave early because today is Pengerupukan, and at each and every village intersection, they will be brocades. Because, the entire country of Bali is getting ready to celebrate the New Year.
The driver is the owner of Bayu Mantra, he is not too happy he is driving me back, but he’s the one that offer to taxi me. He even asked me for the money two nights before. I didn’t like that, so I told him I didn’t have money, I was going to change money at diner, when Made picks me up. He said no problem I drive you right now at no charge to the exchange shop. At least, he showed up this morning and the drive back is even more beautiful than coming here. The sun rising between the two mountain peak and the beautiful valley, full of garden, the scenery made up for my speechless driver. I can’t ask him too many questions either, often I would ask, what is the name of this town? and he would mumble something in Balinese without answering me! We are coming the same way I came in, except for the end, we seem to have taken a short cut. I think I drove by the town that Sang Made has been telling me about, where it is where the real artisans are, not the commercial stuff in the shops of Ubud. The kind of place, if you shop there, you’ll need a container to go back home, as everything is so beautifully handcraft with rare wood, paintings that are true with their colors and originality. Most of the art in Ubud is now commercial and the same painting over and over. I saw furniture and hand carve head boards for bed, beautiful doors. If ever, my wish comes true and I have a house in Bali one day, this is where I come to furnish the house. I arrived at Tjampuhan at 8:30am, they have kept me the same room as before, I very happy about this, why change if you are happy with something. So I went for breakfast in town and had my first real scramble eggs with cream, they were fluffy and perfect. With the most amazing bacon I ever tasted. I normally don’t eat bacon, as I have remove bacon from my diet, ages ago, even if I love it. The bacon we have at home is full of nitrate, salt and chemicals. The bacon I am tasting today is so succulent, I can’t recall having bacon this good. You can tell, it is smoked naturally and not overly smokes, barely any fat, and cook to perfection. I had to try the tiny sausage in my plate as well. I have remove sausage from my diet as well.This one has no chunky fat, that gets cut between the teeth, the texture is almost creamy, it almost looks like it is made of chicken but pork would be the logical choice, the taste was quite good and quite different. I could taste the Balinese spices in the sausage as well, I have never had a sausage that taste like ginger, it is actually tasty but I bit too fragrant for the first meal of the day. I feel my stomach might need a clean-up from eating in Lovina and order a Turmeric ginger and lime juice. If you’re not awake that wakes you up better than any coffee. My very first latte is very tasty, but I believe it’s a cappuccino I was served, as there is barely any milk. I did a few things in town and return to my room, still too early but they gave me my room before noon. That was nice they broke the rule of check-in after noon, most places are after 2pm. I wanted a shower so bad and I felt dirty from being in Lovina. Althought, there was a hot water tank on the wall of the bathroom, I don’t think it was working. The shower was so cold, and the shower head was spitting more than pouring, I never ever felt completely clean after my shower. I returned to town after having a good shower and a change of clothes. My hair is a mess, and in a pitiful state, my brush won’t even go through it. The salt water is not good for long thick hair. Back in Lovina I couldn’t rinse my hair because of the shower head, I would off been rinsing for hours before I complete the task. I went back to my usual place (Milano), I knew they had something called cream shampoo. I was just praying they are still open, because tomorrow nothing is open, not even the front door of our hotel. I was so happy they were open, and the woman I had was amazing. She does a good wash of the hair in that sick that is such a pleasure to have your head wash, I can’t believe with all the modern and fancy salons we have back home, no one as this comfortable sink. And the bottom of your feet, as a section you pull out and it makes you feel like you are in a lazy-boy or a bed! She applies the cream, which is mostly only avocados, and essential oils and your hair goes under a blow dryer, that sends out steam, not hot air. Before she applies the cream she does a nice massage of the head and the shoulder. After the steam, she does another massage of the head, neck and up to mid back. She also does both arm and heads. I just wish I was in a bed, I can’t hold my head I am so much relax, specially with only a few hours sleep, I could crash right here and never wake up! The hair dresser comes to trim my bangs. I was so hungry they gave me a nice cup of ginger tea with cookies. Total of my bill $12! After I walk to Clear’s café for a nice lunch I better hurry it is close to 4pm, and most of the shops are already close. I was the last customer in. I also order take out for tonight, I am not sure if anything will be open tonight. After a nice lunch I walk to the cross road of the center and still have a bit of time to kill before the OGOH-OGOH starts. It makes no sense to take the shuttle back, by the time I get there, it will be time to come back. So I sat in a very nice Contemporary lounge and order a long Island Ice Tea. When my drinks arrive I understand why it cost $9. They also brought along a nice healthy snack, which I can not even say it is made with, contains peanuts and herb, but I have no clue what the cracker is made of. A fresh cold towel infused with essential oils, which is quite nice after walking all this way under the scorching sun. The towel is so cold, it is so refreshing. I am very comfortable in the cough and I didn’t know but there is already some action and we have the best seat in the house! I recognized the Australian couple that was at the hotel before I leave and they were very nice, they were happy I offer them to seat in the comfortable cough, instead of the bar stool they were sitting in. We had a good time, they are a really nice couple, I think they have been here 8 or 9 times. This time he insisted to spend New Year here (Nyepi) as he feels he has some demons too and needs to start fresh. We all do, and here it really feels like tomorrow is a day, we truly start fresh and a New Year. My drink is so strong and gigantic, after I had to take an iced cappuccino to keep me grounded, I don’t have much alcohol here,, when you do, you always feel its too strong for your little head! I am mostly on water and lime, and if I find a cucumber I sneak some in my bottle, that’s my fuel for the day. I don’t see many people that have drank too much, is a matter of fact, you see none here, even the tourist are pretty low key. Everybody loves the fruit juices here. All the couples around me had ordered either beer of fresh juice. I didn’t feel like a juice because at Clear café, I drank a raw juice, that I knew I would dislike, but that it could help my stomach that is hurting. This place as a few cool designer elements as well, very Japanese. When you are in the bathroom beside the toilet bowl there is a mini water pool filled with colorful Koi fish, the pool is along four stall that are all line up beside the water. The kitchen is high tech. We had a good time, now it is time to walk and go watch the procession. The OGOH-OGOH are giant monsters, and they have been working on these since I have been here. They cover the structure with tarp and use bamboo as scaffold. The core is made with wire than the wire is covered with something that is like rice paper, it probably is, than the paint it and décor it with as much natural things they have. The hairs are from the coconut trees, etc..They are true artwork. As we drove back this morning, I saw some really awesome one, but I couldn’t ask him to stop so I can take a picture. Each town as a procession of them, the further we were from Ubud the smaller the OGOH-OGOH were, when we were close, I knew just by looking at those monsters. So at Pengerupukan all the villages perform an exorcism at the main road cross, which is considered the meeting place of the demons. A Siwa priest (the one that blesses me), addressing the gods, a Buddha priest, addressing the middle world and a Sengguhu priest propitiating the nether world are all in attendance and at night all the demons of Bali are let loose on the roads in a carnival of fantastic monster, the OGOH-OGOH. The OGOH_OGOH of the demons is as relaxed as Nyepi is serious. It took on its present shape some fifteen years ago, when Nyepi was emerging as display of religious power it has become today. Since there had to be demons the Balinese made them, ever more monstrous to be used once during the OGOH-OGOH procession and burned immediately after. To start the year fresh and without demons. Thus on Nyepi day, the world is cleaned and everything start new, human having exhibited their control over themselves and force of the world.
I had a pretty good spot, but somehow, we end up 8 in a small that could barely contained myself. I had my lunch and purse to carry and my backpack. People were pushing because the sea of people in the streets were pushing too, as the OGOH-OGOH were processing, moving forward, than back than sideways, and I might add, this was no easy task, carry by at least 20 or so men, that needed it to coordinate their movement each one, stuck in a square between the bamboo and lifting the weight of the huge monsters, with sometime 3 or so people on it as well. They was even a small monster made by the 5-6 year old going to the Rainbow school, which is a school for foreigners kids, living in Bali, they were also carrying their monster, help by a few parents, but the kids were also wearing the traditional costume of the Balinese. They were so cute all in white and no higher than my suitcase! I saw Rio Helmi who was there to photograph the procession (the man that signed my book) and I hope he puts together a book of these celebration, the monster are truly beautiful and most of the time, made by the teenagers in each town, it requires a high level of imagination and skills. Many have to make a monster with almost nothing, for Ubud sometimes, they have too much money, has tourist were donating money, and you could have your name on the board. One of my favorite one, was Avatar, sitting in the same hunting position as the movie. This reminds me, that I don’t see James Cameron as a complete genius anymore. I had thought he invented the story, which was around beautiful fundamentals of life and respect of our environment. I can’t take away that James Cameron did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and in the theaters, but he did not create the story. Avatar has been a cartoon in Indonesia and I think Japan as well, for a long time. The cartoon also respects the animals, the life and the trees. Also, the tree of Life, Banyan, who is the tree in the movie, is the same sacred tree Indonesia as. I learn from Sang Made it is called the tree of life because the tree never dies. The main trunk might die one day but the tree is still alive as it as all these branches that keeps growing. If you read the blog who I talk about this tree, which I was unable to be capture in one single photo, due o its size and I wasn’t sure if the branch grew from the top down or down to the top. It is actually from the top down. Once the branches reaches the ground, the branch become another trunk and it keeps getting bigger and bigger.
It was nice to see the enthusiast of the Balinese, and very different to see people having such a good time, and no one is drinking no one as even a bottle in their hands. After a procession of at least a dozen of them, I am so hot in the human sea, my feet are killing me from standing on the edge of my spot, I decided to walk back. I actually did it at right time, made my way to the street and after the roads were clear with no one in site. Just before I left, I almost caught a white dove, as it was release from the belly of one of the devil, this one did not fly away. The light structure in front of me made the bird land on a tourist hands, he kindly look after the entire time. Many foreigner were dress for the occasion just like the Balinese, so were so handsome and some looked ridiculous, I guess it’s a matter of doing well or doing with without taste. One man had nice white shirt and an ok Sarung, but he had socks in his sandals, not ankle socks, half sock! Brown sock on very tall legs, black sandals, taupe and green Sarung that were too short as he is so tall, with the scarf that ties the Sarung yellow, and white shirt! He had some kind of scarf on the head but not the real thing. I think if you will wear the traditional Balinese clothes you must also honor it, and respect every single aspect and dress code. For instance, the Sarung look ridiculous in him, because he was so tall, here Sarung have one size, he should off have his custom made, you are not supposed to see so much legs! Another guy, over did it, I had to take a picture because it was quite something, he reminded me, of a cult guru and a cross between a man and a woman! On the other side, there was this beautiful woman wearing the true Balinese clothes, her husband didn’t but it looked good and matched hers well. I wish I was more of a tabloid reader, I would know how she was, she is definitely a model or maybe an actress. With a true beauty, she did not have make up on, her hair were a Barbie blonde but natural, she had a glow of an happy person with a really nice smile. Rarely you see a woman that shines like that. Many shine artificially, not her. Many Balinese were talking to them, so they are known. I also think I saw Julia Roberts, she look at me and I looked at her, we both walked to fast, I could not take a second look, but I am pretty sure it was her. If I am wrong than its her Susie, but why a Susie would try to hide? And I must say not too many people have her lips. As I walk back in the desert streets, firecrackers are starting to crack all over. I am pretty tired, quite the day, quite the week! When I arrive at the room, they have given us a beautiful plate of fruits, not cheap fruits either, Rambutan, Snake skin fruit, which I know how to open now, since Sang Made show me on the trekking, it easy once you know how, otherwise you need a knife. We also have nice oranges. I am just sad Bamboo is not at my door anymore. I really feel like this is a New Year celebration, must be the atmosphere getting to everyone, I wish I had a demon to burn. They do this because they believe and they are right about this, that we all have demons and goods, that we need a balance of both, they strongly believe about Balance in life. We all have negative thoughts, negative feelings, negative energy etc and the positive balances everything. I think I had my demon in my sleep I threw someone over a cliff, it’s just as good as a demon, it was a pass relationship, that was horrible and long time ago, but I guess it represented a demon! I would like to thank the management of Tjampuhan who did all the hard work to explain Pengerupukan and Nyepi in flawless English.