Meeting a prince!

It is hard to really describe what is happening in Ubud now, the buzz with 2 weeks left before the King, who died young at 55, is cremated and then 4 days later the mass cremation of 80 people who have died over the last 5 years. If families have enough money, people can be cremated immediately when they die but these ceremonies are incredibly expensive and the village working together seems to me a beautiful way to celebrate and honor the lives of the dead and make this process affordable.
The men have been building sarcophagus in either the shape of a bulls or a singha, a mythical lion which will be used to carry the cleansed bones to the Wadah, which is also being built, a tall tower representing the cosmos. The detail and beauty of the bulls is amazing….black velvet, gold tooling, red details. In my neighborhood, 5 people, well, their bones, will be transported inside one enormous bull. In a temple near the house there are about 14 bulls and lions being made. It’s an enormous job that the men dressed in their sarongs, temple wear, work at every day.
The women gather on the temple grounds as well clustered together making offering baskets, gathering everything that needs to be done to help these souls ascend to heaven. The amount of materials that are needed including food for this ceremony is mind boggling. When I walk by the temple grounds, there is a buzz from all the talking, and I just find myself staring at all the activity, loving the closeness both physical and I guess the village friendships all working together. The closeness here in Bali of families and villages is appealing.
The king will be cremated on the 15th and at the palace they are building a bamboo wadah that must be 4 stories high! Men balance on the bamboo poles tied together with cloth as they go up higher. The construction process would fascinate you. Better video some of it! And then there are the ramps being built used to place the body up there. This wadah after the ceremony at the palace will be walked to the royal cemetery for his cremation. Probably 50,000 people will be here for this event.
So, Nyoman, my sunshine in the morning coffee and breakfast man, told me yesterday that not far from the palace he walked to see the biggest bull he had ever seen…like enormous! I said How many people will be cremated in it? Just one was his reply but that’s all he said. So yesterday after my batik class (gotta tell you about that too) I decided to take a walk to see the biggest bull Nyoman had ever seen. It was a pretty long walk in a neighborhood I didn’t know but I turned down a street and saw about 100 men in sarongs leaving this large garage type building. Inside were 2 enormous……as in enormous….2 stories high bulls, one higher than the other and the detail, the gold, the beauty, I was awestruck.
There was a Balinese man standing nearby in a gorgeous royal blue silk temple outfit(could have figured out from the color maybe?)….blue jacket with gold details, blue patterned sarong with gold detail. So handsome. I asked him “how many people is this beautiful bull being built for?” “Just one, my father.” He said so proudly. “My father is the King.” So Nyoman had left out the part that this one man was the King of Bali. So then the son, CW for short or Chuckwa as his name is pronounced spent the next hour with me explaining about the gorgeous dragon that they are building with a 108 meter tail that will wrap around the wadah as it is marched to the cemetery. The dragon leads the way to heaven. The bull is the transport. I got so many questions answered as we wandered around the grounds.You know as an American royal families are not part of my heritage…well, except for King Bush and his lame son Prince Bush. So, it seemed rather amazing to be wandering the grounds, being served a cold drink at what will be his new home. He lives in a palace near the big palace now but wants to move his family to this quiet place near the river. He is building this lovely home on this peaceful setting.
I heard stories about his family, his one American mom & his other mom, his kids….the cremation, his dad. And what kept coming through was how much he loved his father and how much he missed him. He wants this cremation to be the most spectacular of all time. He said …after a person dies, all they have is their name that stays here.
We wandered to say hello to his dogs….a golden retriever, a collie…I asked him if he saw the show Lassie, he had and another breed I don’t know. I actually wanted to just keep talking, learning about Bali, he is very devoted to this island, and life as the youngest son of the King. You know me, I love to understand life in other countries and it seemed so wonderful to have time to talk, a relaxed conversation with the son of the King!
While I was there, his brother called to say that the daughter of the President of Indonesia had arrived at the palace and was he coming home to greet her. No, he wasn’t. We joked that he was meeting with an American woman the daughter of a very important man. But, as it was getting dark and I didn’t want to take up his entire evening…well, I did but decided not too….I said farewell. I’m invited back to see the progress of the bulls & if I want to go see his palace, I just say…hey, CW invited me and I won’t have to pay!  Cool…..now starting the 5th month here in Bali and for someone who notices smiles, I picked very wisely. Lots of smiles.

more fun

Hello,
Just had a man come into the office and ask about yoga stuff. We are near the yoga office and though the door is covered with orangutan photos, they still come in and ask. He said, "So this all is balispirit yoga?" I said, " Well,no we just rent the office . We are not part of that because we are orangutans" In a very dry English accent keeping his face perfectly still he delivered his line, "Well, of course you are. " And just looked at me. I completely cracked up...could not stop laughing. I could only pciture ...laughing...like the Planet of the Apes was renting office space.
So, I thought I could share that one.
My weekend, well, it's easy.....the library for new books. This time I changed it up and signed up for a 3 hour mask carving class...amazing.
We took this stump of wood and with Ketut's help and his master craftsmanship, I have a mask! It was so much fun...I've never done any of that before and I'd have to admit that I did a lot of watching but still.....I learned. Carved a mask out of wood! So, for the Halloween party this year. I say we order wooden half masks. He showed me some....an amazing old man with an enormous nose, a Bali one, he can do whatever you like. He makes full ones as well. I'll get his web address and we can order. he paints them, the detail is so beautiful. Think Halloween!!
Okay, I've got to get some awareness writing finished for the local paper. take care, joyce

volunteer work in Bali

I have volunteered so many places with so many different projects but this is the longest that I have stayed anywhere and I definitely feel more involved with the longer stay. There is a huge opportunity in this organization at this office for creativity. As I look at the amazing group of people, tourists, that come into the office to talk with me about conservation from all over the world, I am strengthened by their desire to help the planet. Encouraged. A man from Columbia and his wife have no children and want to give money to groups that help wildlife. He doesn’t know if its not too late for the earth but he can give money. A man from Italy wants to organize a fundraiser for us. A young full of hope student from Atlanta works with a network of concerned students at home and will see how they can help us. A man from Ca. is going to see about doing a documentary about the need to develop eco-tourism in Sumatra. Let’s see who else? A teacher from MI has a grant to interview people working for conservation all over the earth…so that she can go home and reinspire her students that they really can make a difference. She taped an interview with me. Aussie woman who picks a new NGO each year and donates to them, gives their items to her family and friends as gifts and educates the young children in her family. Almost every day someone comes into the office to ask about what we are doing and how they can help! Dewi,the young woman who works at the office, says there are more now…because I am friendly people like to talk.:) We also worked on the outside look of the office, a German volunteer Volker, helped us design a cool banner and encouraged us to make the outside more inviting. Dewi and our new volunteer from Oz, Sophie, hung orangutan photos, got another new banner, put out a display for out t-shirts and sure enough he was right…more people, more t-shirt sales. We have a woman who will sell our t-shirts back home. I bet there are some shops you know…eco-friendly …that would carry our t-shirts as well.
I am still writing articles about conservation and eco-tourism and we’ll see if they work to wake up people to the issues. All of this work has been rewarding for me, challenging and at times frustrating. Maybe even more than frustrating is a better word! We visited our first school last Friday to do an orangutan conservation talk to 10 yr olds. From the days of Discovery Toys, I made a matching card game with orangutan photos and facts. It’s a hit.There is a ton more we could do there. I wish I spoke Indonesian. We need to find someone who can do these short talks at the schools here in Bali. I think the office here could use an education volunteer as well as a fundraising volunteer and then an organizing campaigns volunteer. Learning learning learning….the beauty of volunteering…learning.
As life here in Bali continues,..my goodness its my 4th month Madge!...I’ve gotten into a rather nice weekend rut. I go to Ari for my foot massage that is the most healing thing I do. She is the size of a peanut with hands of steel and slowly works through all the reflexology points. Yesterday I went to a new salon…all Indonesians go there…for a crème bath. That is the hair shampoos with massage and crème on your hair. They give the most amazing head massages…indescribable. She worked on all the points on my head with pressure and those same fingers of steel. Head to toe. The middle just takes care of itself with yoga. But this place only charges 17,000 Rupiah. Oh, my gosh, that is about $1.70! I was embarrassed to have it be so little. The spa in town that caters to tourists charges 80,000-110,000.

An Aussie family told me that you can live in Bali like a millionaire and that is true. There are things that I could never afford to do at home and here they are weekly. Makes for a lot of expats! Today is manicure and pedicure as it is time for a change from the gorgeous green toenails--but what color now I am deeply appreciative of the library which has an amazing group of Asian books that I would never get to at home. I love that every night I read. Now reading The Becoming of Madame Mao…absolutely so good. All of this stuff, the smiling people, the being in the day, walking home and having my neighborhood…Penglategan…kids out playing badminton on the street…it is a really good environment to balance the weekly problems of how to get more people involved in caring about the planet. What now seems so obvious to me about taking an active role in helping the environment wasn’t always so. So how to bring more people on board. This is my weekly frustration at the office when I read about cruelty to orangutans, I just have to breathe and think of how to change that. Humans can bring it up a notch and do more than we are doing. It’s awareness first and then action.
I read this thing that China has finally passed us in the US in carbon emissions but then I read the find print. Per person China emits 5.1 tons…..India is just 1.8 tons and then the next number made me gasp. The U.S. is responsible for 19.4 tons for each person! 19.4 tons each? The EU is only 8.6 tons. It’s just too much. Especially because when I ‘m home I don’t even KNOW how I am emitting these damn Carbon Emissions. Alright my car…but what else? Is it all my car or is there something else that I am doing that I need to at least be AWARE of? No more closed eyes living for me. Dang! I just can’t stand that I am screwing up the environment more than 2 times as much as my friends in Europe and I am doing it out of ignorance.
So, there you have it. Awareness first. Very few of us really want to hurt the air, the rainforest, the orangutans but ignorance is bliss and apparently also really hurts. So, now that I am aware………..it’s kicking my ass into action. And that is what I want to do here with this great NGO…..bring awareness first and then follow it with action. It is intense work. I care so much. I really want orangutans to catch a break and live on. Extinction is so fucking final. So I’m in….hoping that my drop in the ocean of caring adds energy to the cause.
Of course I want to do that in between foot massages, crème baths, cooking classes, yoga classes, batik classes, meditating and watching kites fly. (It is kite flying season and the sky is full of simple, beautiful kites).
And we are coming up to cremation time as well. Every 5 years each village cremates their dead that have been buried for the last 5 years. Yes, they bring up their caskets, wash the bones and then cremate them. We are coming up to July cremation month. It’s a big time deal. It is expensive and elaborate to create this ceremony and the every 5 years is the way villages afford it. Every temple is busy on the weekend making the most amazing things….I saw bamboo horses yesterday being made, a 3 story high bamboo structure getting built for the prince this month, everyone is making massive numbers of offering baskets. There are enormous things that need to get done. I have no ideas what to expect. Today is a day off i am getting a new flashy color on my toes, I am buying a sarong and sash to get ready!
So, there you have it. Let me know how you are doing…and do check out your carbon emissions...where the hell are those things coming from!!

Another Day in Bali

A Poem for a Good Friend of Mine

no matter what we believe
the truth is that
we have hours of life here not forever...
maybe though we have no idea of how we will die
we have a huge gift in how we live
and to know that we cannot protect ourselves from death
perhaps can give us the courage to live
as if it is our right
to take our own individual beautiful dance here on earth
to feel, to love, to learn

I wrote that for a friend… a while ago.
Bali is a unique place to pose questions…soulful questions not like hmm…what should I have for breakfast? (especially since it is always an egg.) but questions about what is Joyce, what is earth, There is something in the vibrations here that allow some new to be heard … something most definitely encouraging.
On a trip that appears to be an outward journey…ho ho off to Bali I go….comes inward travel like following a little road map through the places in my mind, I am a tourist of the internal kind. The atmosphere allows stillness…Rachmaninoff, birds, children laughing outside, blessings.
My Japanese yoga teacher who teaches a class for 2 hours mostly in Japanese says at the beginning of class in a very sweet accent, “You on your mat now. Stay on your mat. You came here find connection between your body and your soul. Please listen your body. Just one minute now feel you spine (we are in mountain pose) feel the energy of the earth come up through your body. Listen your body please.”

The solitude of being…to be alone with myself in a spiritual way. A holiday. Surrounded by large green leaves and people who absolutely understand a smile while working on a conservation project that allows creativity and heart. Everything about SOS seems to tap into some former life…this office is just like a real estate open house with new people coming in and me, I’m in sales still…but its conservation sales…can I get them to buy in and help, the writing, teaching..even get to go to a school this week, merchandising and marketing our t-shirts, prospecting for new leads…it goes on. Amazing connections AND it all begins from a heart belief in this work to protect orangutans and rainforests. I think everyone can pick some group, some animal, some child to help and feel all the better…a different kind of cardio workout. 

This smiling Italian man came to visit again today at the office, where I have met so many interesting people who care. He wants to fundraise for us because he can feel the heart in SOS. Wish Lucy was here to meet him. He wore a purple shirt, unbuttoned or maybe it doesn’t have buttons?, his meditation beads, gray and black hair in a rather artistic style, has come here from India…and he really is…full of heart. He just kind of bubbles over with happiness. He stopped by to give me an update on what he is learning about raising money in Bali to let me know that he is researching and will have an idea soon. I am excited to hear his plan!
(You won’t believe the wide assortment of people who come to the office…amazing with amazing ideas to help…wonder who will sit in this desk after I am gone. Such a great spot to volunteer.)
Oh, food update…..
Tumeric root and coconut milk with ginger, garlic…an amazing stir fry.
Mint and coconut milk…the best refreshing drink

Found this today…I stored it away the first time I read it…
Dalai Lama “You may think you look beautiful in a meditative state but that’s not enough. To generate compassion, you have to get up and live it.”

So, obviously, I have decided to go with the blog, write on sister!