2016
Things are Hotting up in Ubud
22 October 2016
Ubud is about to burst into life as it does this time every year. Countdown to the Writers Festival. The banners are going up, the traffic is getting more frantic, readers and writers are heading this way. My friends are arriving over the next few days. Pam and Roger from Tasmania, Ian returning from Jakarta, Jeffrey returning from a trip in Europe via Ubud, Cathy and Amanda coming up from Sydney - all converging on the festival. My slothful Ubud lifestyle will suddenly be full of people and books. Bring it on! The book of translations has just been printed. Here are Jun and Kadek Purnami who run the Indonesian writers program at the festival showing it off. Called Tat Tvam Asi (Sanskrit meaning "I am you. You are me", the theme of this year's festival)
The excruciating heat and humidity of the last week have been temporarily dealt with by massive rains late yesterday. Phew! We were all getting seriously overwhelmed by it. I don't know which could be the more disruptive to the festival, the heat or the rains. Either one will make traipsing up and down the road between venues difficult. Venues are open-sided so are not air-conditioned, but the stimulating sessions will hopefully take one’s mind off any discomfort. The festival used to be held a month earlier when the weather was relatively cooler and it was still dry season.
Thought I was going to be let off the hook for further police visits over obtaining the permit for the Black Armada exhibition but yesterday I was called to accompany the local museum guy, Ketut to Ubud Police Station again and on to the regional HQ at Gianyar. I did not appear to have a role to play in the visits apart from handing over the "admin fee" on behalf of the Australian Maritime Museum - $25 – unreceipted, of course. However it was necessary to have someone representing the Museum in case there were any questions. Still not actually got the piece of paper in our hands but have been assured it will be signed before Thursday and someone from ARMA museum can be sent to collect it in Gianyar. The Maritime Museum people arrive this week to do the actual installation of the panels for the exhibition.
On the way back from Gianyar I suggested we stop for a cold drink. Ketut proposed a mini mart and I waxed nostalgic over the replacement of traditional roadside warung with chains of sterile convenience stores like Circle K and Indomaret. So Ketut and the other guy with us drove until he found an old warung with its wooden bench, array of jars with odd-looking sweets and biscuits and little fridge of cold drinks. The drinks were my treat but cost virtually nothing, so not much of a treat!
Thought I was going to be let off the hook for further police visits over obtaining the permit for the Black Armada exhibition but yesterday I was called to accompany the local museum guy, Ketut to Ubud Police Station again and on to the regional HQ at Gianyar. I did not appear to have a role to play in the visits apart from handing over the "admin fee" on behalf of the Australian Maritime Museum - $25 – unreceipted, of course. However it was necessary to have someone representing the Museum in case there were any questions. Still not actually got the piece of paper in our hands but have been assured it will be signed before Thursday and someone from ARMA museum can be sent to collect it in Gianyar. The Maritime Museum people arrive this week to do the actual installation of the panels for the exhibition.
On the way back from Gianyar I suggested we stop for a cold drink. Ketut proposed a mini mart and I waxed nostalgic over the replacement of traditional roadside warung with chains of sterile convenience stores like Circle K and Indomaret. So Ketut and the other guy with us drove until he found an old warung with its wooden bench, array of jars with odd-looking sweets and biscuits and little fridge of cold drinks. The drinks were my treat but cost virtually nothing, so not much of a treat!
Jasmin is over at her mum's for a few days of her school break. We have not been doing anything special with her apart from her joining Josh and me on our swims - doing laps with us. Too hot for anything else. And over the holidays the computer/ iPad rules have been let lapse a bit!
Have done very little for days. I ventured into Ubud in the middle of the day to see my tailor on Wednesday. That was the hottest day of all! Only mad dogs and Aussies out that day. Yoga came over for dinner with us that night - his last night before returning home, having finalised the next stage of the sale of their Kaltimber recycled timber business. We sat sweltering on the verandah with ice cubes in our merlot. And last night I went to trivia at the Fly cafe again. Our table failed to distinguish itself, but at least my brain got a work out!
These pages will be more noteworthy once I am in the thick of the festival. Thanks dear readers for persevering this far!
Have done very little for days. I ventured into Ubud in the middle of the day to see my tailor on Wednesday. That was the hottest day of all! Only mad dogs and Aussies out that day. Yoga came over for dinner with us that night - his last night before returning home, having finalised the next stage of the sale of their Kaltimber recycled timber business. We sat sweltering on the verandah with ice cubes in our merlot. And last night I went to trivia at the Fly cafe again. Our table failed to distinguish itself, but at least my brain got a work out!
These pages will be more noteworthy once I am in the thick of the festival. Thanks dear readers for persevering this far!