We absolutely enjoyed our time with Liz, who lives in Bali now not far from our second hotel in Legian. We met through a mutual friend in Perth, Jenny. Somehow we were too busy talking for me to remember to get a photo of her or her intriguing friend, Deb. However, I did manage to capture this photo of another Aussie friend, Ryan, who was taking a break while working at a hair salon. Liz came over to volunteer in an orphanage for three months and ended up staying. She now volunteers at a school teaching English and is working with Deb on an Asian AIDS conference being held in Kuta. Liz loves Bali and is enjoying her life there but might return to Oz if she becomes a grandmother at some point. Paying $1200 per year for rent is certainly appealing to us after our $400 per week at the Casa but I just can't stand the heat and humidity.
Deb fascinates me because she left Oz to marry Made, converted to Hinduism (you must declare one of six recognized religions in Bali and mixed-religion marriages are not allowed), and is raising his twin younger brothers. What spunk to change your life so dramatically at 45! She and Made seem extremely happy after five years so it's all worked out. They have a business called Concierge on Wheels with a modern van that even includes child car seats and a DVD player. If you ever go to Bali and want to ride in comfort with an English-speaking guide, email Deb at ma-deb@hotmail.com.
Deb told great stories about adjusting to life with the Balinese. When she first met the family, they all stared at her and wordlessly kept bringing her fruit baskets. Finally, when she couldn't stand it anymore, she gathered all the children and took them for ice cream. When she came back, she was accepted as part of the family and the rest is history. Deb also related a story about their first two-bedroom apartment when they were first married. Her mother-in-law came to visit and was astounded to find the two of them would be the only ones living in all that space. We take so much for granted!
Check out the offering on the front of this scooter, a wise idea in my opinion with the way they careen around corners and go the wrong way up one-way streets! Walking is an unheard of option for them. They were amazed I planned to walk four blocks to the post office and told me it was too far to walk. George was really considered crazy when they found he walked all the way to the shopping mall!
Almost every resident has a scooter unless they can afford a car. It's amazing to see how much stuff they carry on them - even furniture, and it's not uncommon to see a family of four or five on one. It bothered me that often you'd see parents with helmets but nothing on the children's heads. We were eating at a restaurant and someone delivered a huge vat of oil that he had carried on his scooter. On our way to Ubud, we felt so sorry for a guy whose bag of huge prawns had burst open and was strewn all over the busy highway. He was out in the street trying to rescue them in the traffic. To him, they must have represented a fortune.
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