Happy New Year! Bali Style

Well it seems I’ve got a habit of flying on New Year’s Eve.  I arrived in Vienna on December 31st and this time landed in Denpasar, Bali on March 30th – their New Year’s Eve.  Before I tell you about that (and there’s lots to tell), let me say that being in airports and airplanes for 27 hours isn’t so bad when you’re a movie buff and people-watcher like me.  I flew Qatar Airlines, and as soon as we took off, I noted the time in Bali to reschedule my brain and sleep. The trick is to forget what time it is in the country you came from. I haven’t had what I’d call jet lag, so I believe it works.

smoking booth in restaurant at the Vienna Airport

I got 4-5 hours sleep between Doha and Singapore and watched movies the rest of the time: Gravity, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and perhaps more. All were on my wish list and I recommend them!

Having someone greet you at the airport is a definite plus – I’m so glad I had arranged that with the ashram I’m staying at!  Once I got through the $25US 30-day visa line, the customs line, the baggage pick-up area. and the money exchange counter, I found Rudi at about 8:30pm in the long line up of drivers with signs.  It was a relief to see my name and such a friendly smile.  As a follow-up to my last post though, I’ll say that one disadvantage of having been first in line before 2 groups of 50 at the check-in counter in Vienna is that my luggage ended up coming out last at this end of the trip. Oh well…

New Year’s Eve here was advertised online as a time for “communal debauchery” – so I can’t say I was sorry to miss most of that.  I wasn’t really in the mood for more crowds.  I did get to experience some of it, however, as we drove past hundreds of people sitting by the sides of the road in each town waiting for the parade of huge papier machée evil monsters – Ogoh ogoh – before these were burned.  This was the beginning of Nyepi – the Balinese New Year Celebrations – the biggest religious ceremony of the year.  As we made our way towards Ubud, ignoring the two lane markings on the roads while weaving among the countless motorcycles, sometimes 4 deep with whole families on board – some of which were heading towards us in our lane –  we could also see where the parades had already passed.

Garbage littered the streets and small fires still burned unattended in the grass.  I had my camera out, but focusing in total darkness while in a moving vehicle is a challenge.  At one point, the main road to Ubud was closed and the traffic officer told us it would be a 2-hour wait.  Luckily, we found out that we could probably bypass the parade further down the road, so after a couple of tries that had us U-turn amongst loads of folks sitting in the street, we made it. Once in Ubud, we stopped at the soccer field where I got out of the van to take a few pictures, once again in total darkness, before heading to the ashram.

Anand Ashram Ubud is a beautiful place. It’s just what I needed. At $20/night, it is perfect for my budget.  More than that, though, it’s location 3km from the busy streets of town, its spiritual program, its food, and its facilities are all conducive to my needs right now.  I’m so not in tourist mode.  I’m in wind-down and tune-in mode.  Not coincidentally, I’m sure, the whole country was in sync with that mode on New Year’s Day (more likely vice versa).  Indeed, my first day here was what they call the Day of Silence – an enforced day of quiet, self-reflection, and darkness.  You see, once they’ve burned effigies of evil monsters, the country comes to a complete halt in order to trick the true evil spirits into believing the island has been abandoned. That way, they’ll leave.

So although I was relieved our pilots didn’t join in the international celebrations of Earth Hour by shutting down the power in mid-flight the night before, I was thrilled to be part of a whole nation’s 24-hour observance of even greater magnitude.  I had already intended not to leave the ashram on my first day – turns out I had no choice.  Neither did anyone else.  The airport was closed for the day, and there was no traffic anywhere.  Only emergency vehicles were allowed if needed. Also, no lights were allowed until 6am the next morning.   As a I sat on the top floor of the ashram outside my room with a few folks observing the magnificent starry sky, we got to witness the town’s enforcement guards who made their way with flashlights to houses where lights had been inadvertently left on – soon it was totally dark all around us except for the starlight. Apart from these guards, whom I had read would escort any unknowing tourist back to their hotel, no one was allowed in the streets.  All shops and restaurants were closed.  Basically, the whole country goes within – some fasting and observing total silence for the day.  Can you imagine 24 hours of darkness and silence in your country (and I don’t mean because of all the power blackouts because of the snowstorms Canada has had this year).

Quite a few Balinese had come to spend the weekend at the ashram, and so there was talking and I must say, lots of eating (enjoying the food so far!).  I did, however, choose not touch my camera or computer all day (tougher than it seems, trust me) – although when I set my alarm on my iPhone that night, I’ll admit I checked my emails.  Overall, however, I joined in a day of self-reflection and spiritual ritual and intend to continue this into my week here.

What a great first day after a comfortable night’s sleep in my spacious room on the top floor overlooking the rice fields.  It was dark when I arrived on New Year’s Eve and still dark when I went to meditation at 6am on New Year’s Day- so my first glimpse of the surroundings was when I walked out of the Mother Goddess temple on the top floor of the main building at 6:30am. Wow!  The rice fields are so green! They get harvested every 3 months, by the way. I didn’t know that. The idea of harvesting a crop more than once a year seems so abundant!  Here are pictures of my room and the view from it.

On both days so far, I met some lovely travelers and locals.  I participated in the daily 6am chanting meditation that was accompanied by cascading cock-crows and dog barks, and today a few motorcycles and honking.  This is followed by a heart-felt fire ceremony and much needed gentle Kundalini yoga class before breakfast.

I then spent time in the library, where I was surprised (and not surprised) to find a large statue of St. Francis of Assisi – a sign that indeed all steps of my journey are related and that I’m on the right path (my next workshop after Bali is in Assisi).  I chose to start reading “Soul Quest”, an autobiography of Anand Krishna, spiritual activist, prolific author, and founder of these multi-faith ashrams affiliated with the United Nations.  I’ll admit, with the sound of the fountains outside the window and the cool breeze caressing my neck as I leaned back on the couch with my book, I did go into dream-state a few times …. very interesting visions as my story blended with his – but I refuse to believe it was jet lag.

I also attended the 12pm and 6 pm meditations – half an hour of sitting in stillness while listening to Sanskrit chanting. I wasn’t given permission to take pictures of the inside of the Mother Goddess Temple.  It’s quite beautiful – an altar of statues and wall hangings dedicated to the universal mother goddesses of many religions – Kamakshi, Mother Mary, Kwan-Yin, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and more.  To enter, we ring the bell 3 times as a greeting and to ask permission to enter – and do so again on our way out to excuse ourselves.  I like learning about the various rituals of various faiths.  Although Anand Krishna continues to be persecuted for his efforts towards harmony between faiths, his take on universal spirituality seems very much in line with my own philosophy.  I’m enjoying reading about his life. In a way, I’m getting the integration of western and eastern cultures that was on the curriculum for the upcoming trimester at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.

The weather was much cooler yesterday than today – by 10 am this morning, it was too hot to take pictures anymore and I retreated to the library again to give my body time to adjust. Although there’s traffic outside today, it’s actually quieter within our gates as most have returned home or gone out exploring – today is still a holiday, but stores are open. Actually, I was the only one who ate lunch today – the staff thought it was too hot …  Tomorrow, I’ll go for a swim in the mantra and crystal infused healing pool.  For now, I’m enjoying being in hermit and self-reflection mode after 3 busy months in Vienna and before 3 busy weeks here. So no pressure – it’s nice to find a balance between being and doing.

So that’s my introduction  – all is very well indeed. Goodnight and  Happy New Year!