Temple Radio

About two weeks ago, my mother asked me "have you heard any gamelan music yet? You really should try to hear some authentic gamelan." I had to laugh, because, unbeknownst to her, I had heard plenty of gamelan, so much I was nearly sick of it. At the beginning of September, the temple got either rebuilt or renovated or something, and therefore needed to be re-consecrated. This means two weeks of constant ceremonies. Two solid weeks of 24/7 gamelan and chanting being blasted on the PA system across the entire neighbor hood. It never ended. People at the office  were offering favors and food to anyone with noise-canceling headphones. The thing about Balinese gamelan is that it is super angular, jumping from low, quiet calm tones to high-energy clanging in the blink of an eye. And it's awesome. It's just that it also comes with an equally jumpy, and super nasally high-pitched chanting in Balinese, that sounds like tin over the loudspeaker. This can sometimes be so surprising you nearly choke on your coffee, ro suddenly draw a jagged line on the page, like in a comedy movie. It's amazing for the first three days, but after two weeks, ...dear lord. 

I finally wandered over one night to check it out. Apparently a party this big only happens every 15 years or so. I got all dressed up again, like in the Odelan pics below, and just walked over after work. I got a couple of surprised looks at first, but since i was dressed correctly, and was camera-free, i was soon forgotten. I proceeded to squeeze into a packed courtyard were a few hundred people form the area were gathered around a central stage, and watch the dancing. There was some long story going on, which was obviously familiar to everyone there, and involved a princess with flowers woven all throughout her knee-length hair, two guys dressed up in full war-lord regalia, By ten at night, all the women were holding up sleeping kids sprawled int their mothers laps, and all the men were smoking like chimneys, and the princess had just been kidnapped, and there was no end in sight, so i finally went home, but it was a great time. When the women danced, they were were concentrating completely, the offerings on their plates were real fruit and rice, and they swayed back and forth like rice plants in a soft breeze. When the warlords launched into a comedy routine,  the entire house laughed, and I didn't need to know Balinese to know when the punch line would come, and who was  making the dirty jokes, who was looking more the fool. At one point the guy next to me turned to me in surprise, asking " you can understand?" and when i told him my guess, i wasn't too far off.  I credit UWC will giving me really good guessing skills. Thanks U-Dub. I have no idea what ended up happening to the princess, but I'm sure it worked out. A few nights later the festivities finally ended. I kind of missed Temple Radio constantly clanging away. ... up until yesterday, then the temple two blocks to the south started up their own, smaller bi-yearly party. 

Oh, Bali. I cant imagine doing all these festivals. Seriously, if you are Balinese, it's a special occasion when there ISN'T a festival to prep for. One of my friends explained Bali's political calm, and general tolerance this way: " No one has time to argue about politics or get all riled up and protest. They are too busy with ceremonies!"  This is very true. Apparently there was an election of some sort and people were protesting/rioting in Jakarta? No one blinked an eye or even mentioned it here. Jakarta can have all the drama they want, we've got fruit-pyramids to balance and flower offerings to distribute.  It's an awesome thing. I might sound flippant, but I swear, it's super effective. Everyone is just so chill here.  And the added benefit is that it leaves plenty of time for the non-hindus to go do other things!

Next up: going North into the mountain forests.