Floating on the Current of the Moment in Bali

Following the universal current for the last few days of my holiday has unfolded beautifully. On Friday I set off on my own, leaving Dad in Sanur for a night, to find the Pura (temple) on a poor and untouristed island of Nusa Penida. I was inspired by a short passage in a book loaned to me by Poki the founder of Gypsie Nation; the book Bushman Shaman by Bradford Keeney. I took a passenger boat to the island Nusa Lombangon then a motorbike taxi to the Mangroves at the opposited side of the island, then got a local seaweed farmer to agree to give me a lift to the other island in his boat.

At Pura Ped I wanted to make an offering. It took great effort to communicate my intention to the locals. Speaking broken Indonesian, showing the dried up disgarded palm frond offering plate I had picked up off the ground, I was pointed to a shop (a couple of pieces of tattered wood stuck together) down the road where an old woman was making offering plates by hand filled with flowers, rice and small symbols cut and folded out of palm fronds. I purchased eight of these two packets of incense and a bottle of water for 4000 RP, 50 cents. I was causing a little stir because they don't receive non-balinese tourists so someone who had a little bit of English showed up and with great effort it was communicated to me that I shouldn't go into the temple without my shoulders covered. On the mainland, a sarong and scarf are enough. The daughter of the old woman making offering plates offered to let me borrow her temple blouse, very generous. She brought it out and helped me dress, tied the sarong and scarf.

There were four temples in this complex. As I wondered the grounds I found a group in the first temple (closest to the sea). I didn't want to distrupt the ceremony so when people began to talk among themselves I stepped into the back row and sat down. The hindu priests were in the first stage of a purification ritual, sprinklying holy water on people's heads, in there hands three times (which they slurped up) then again on the head with a pinch of wet rice pressed to the third eye. I was gracefully included in the process. When offerings where complete at temple one the group continued to move to the next three temples. I was included, gently guided through when to light my incense, present my offering plates and put flowers between my fingers in prayer position at the third eye then behind the ears or in the hair before dipping hands into the incense smoke to add to the purifications. By temple three in meditation I knew I wanted to stay in this town although there was no sign of lodging.

When I went back to the woman who had loaned me her temple blouse and inquired about a homestay, I quickly found a room for the night. On the way to the island I felt the tingling energy of what was approaching, after the two hours at the temple I was in a state of peace and gratitude... the next morning I met Wayan leaving the temple from a 5 am meditation. He offered me a ride with him and his friends to the next town, over the ferrie and then a drive down the coast back to Sanur (simplifying my journey) where he was going anyhow to visit a friend. I went with the flow of the moment and said yes. It turns out his friends where gratious and one Sacha was the founder of Humanitad an organization working to reduce the carbon footprint on the planet... Dad and I were invited up to his villa in the mountains above Ubud and ended up spending the last couple of days with Sacha and his friends. It was a beautiful mind expanding experience that I'll elaborate more on later.