Balinese communal massages?!

Yes, Bali is definetly unique... even in massage styles! At the lakeside cottages on the active volcano, Mount Batur, we were convinced by some local ladies to go for massages... only $5 for an hour, with fresh coconut oil. Sounds great! But as we enter the small room, we see two beds... "the small bodies on the double bed, and the big body on the single bed!" And then the orders to undress with no privacy... there were 5 women standing around and a bunch of kids and dogs running in and out of the room! Thank god the other massagees were my mum and our friend. I found it funny: for being so conservative in the way they dress on a day-to-day basis, Balinese people are very comfortable with nakedness. And here we are, in short shorts and tank tops, complaining about getting naked in front of strangers. I think it will be very difficult to get used to the bua da da massages... that's just plain wierd!! But damn, those women have strong hands!!!

I'm having a hard time getting used to the idea that I'm going to be here for a year. The last time I drove down these roads, it felt like such a short visit to such an amazing and beautiful place. I kinda felt the same way when I got here... seeing my mum again and trying to get used to the new cultural and humid(!) climate... but this is my new home for as long as I want it to be!

I guess it's hard to feel at home when I haven't even had time to fully unpack my bags! As soon as I got here, we were off on our adventure to the north to see our Indonesian friend's home town and all the celebrations for Kuningan, a festival where the souls of family members return to spend 10 days with their living family. In our sarongs and formal-ish dress, we were welcomed into the temple and blessed with holy water and rice by a very old and very beautiful priestess.

I think Sun Chee is settling in a bit now... she's actualy quite relaxed! And we've decided to take it slow and stay around Bali instead of rushing off on a hectic 2-week whirlwind trip though Myanmar. I guess it will have to wait for a later trip. But it means that I'll actually be able to unpack my bags!!