Australian rules in Legian

We've been staying in Legian, Bali the last few days. The weather is perfect with sunny days and consistent highs of 28 with lows of 24 Celsius. The kids had two days of surfing lessons, two hours each day. They acquired a lot of rashes and scrapes from their lessons though, so they took a break today to rest and heal up. John's fingertips were scraped up somehow, and when he did his math homework on his iPad later in the day he complained that some blood was streaking his screen - yuck. They might try skipping the lessons tomorrow and we'll just rent the boards. I might try a boogie board - that's more my speed I think.

We have been strolling along the beach near sundown the last couple of days. The first time we walked along the long beach we went south and walked through a couple of small streams which were emptying into the sea. After the second stream we noticed a sewage smell. We cleaned our feet after that and started walking the other way. There is definitely room for infrastructure improvement here, especially to maintain such a beautiful beach.

The late afternoon was also the time for the local Balinese to flock to the beach. Many local families had headed out to enjoy the sand and sea. Local teenagers were playing soccer games up and down the beach, and Australian kids were kicking footballs around. Locals and tourists were jogging along the flat and wide beach which was ideal for running. We saw people riding horses, and there were a couple of weddings going on. A lot of people were lounging or sitting on beanbag chairs having a drink.

We saw one guy walking along with what looked like a weasel or otter following him. We were so transfixed watching the animal pass that we didn't notice a huge wave coming our way that soaked us. The wave immersed the weasel as well, but its owner just plucked it out of the sea before it was sucked back into the ocean by the riptide. The animal was happy enough and they continued their walk together.

The waves are calm early in the day and pick up for ideal surfing later in the morning. After that the conditions get rougher. By late afternoon the waves are truly awesome in power, and break with such strength that it creates an ominous low rumbling sound. It reminded me of huge white galloping horses. We saw a few foolhardy souls trying to surf these waves, but they didn't have much success. I thought they were risking their lives. The whole beach was marked with red flags, some with skull and crossbones, to warn people not to go out there.

The North Queensland Broncos beat the Brisbane Cowboys 17 to 16 in the National Rugby League finals at the Sydney Olympic Stadium today. The only reason I know this is because we're in Legian, Bali, where the tourists must be 95% Australian with a few Kiwis mixed in. There always seems to be a rugby or Australian-rules football game going on that fills the pubs along the streets with cheering fans. Just this evening we were walking home from dinner when we heard yelling coming from a bar. It turned out to be a large older man who was demonstrating the Haka, based on a Maori war chant, which is always performed by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team before the start of their games. I think he was doing his old team proud.

That's the thing about this place. We're more exposed to Australian culture here than Balinese culture. I don't know how many times someone has called me mate - ga'day mate! The kids have been playing with some Australian kids at the hotel pool, and it's fun to listen to them exchange stories about their homelands. One kid wanted to verify Elizabeth's claim, and so asked Catheleen if it's true that people in Canada really pour maple syrup onto the snow and then eat it. He didn't believe it.

The Australians have great beaches themselves but must come here to stretch their tourist dollar further. It's calmer here in Legion but I understand there is some hard partying going on nearby to the south in Kuta, where the terrorist bombing took place back in 2002.

Here's Elizabeth showing us how it's done.

Prambanan, surfing and remembering the past

Yesterday was our last day on the island of Java. We had a late flight, so we were able to visit Prambanan, a 9th century Hindu temple compound, on the way to the airport. It contained about six stone temples, all tall pointed towers that we could walk around and into. There were statues in the temples dedicated one way or another to Hinduism's expression of God as the creator Brahma, the preserver Vishnu, or the destroyer Shiva. I understand this temple was built shortly after the Borobudur temple was built, partly as a response to the Borobudur structure. Funny to think that groups were competing in the 9th century on the island of Java to see who could build the most impressive architecture. But I suppose this has been going on in many places for a long time and is still going on today.

There were few tourists at the site so we were able to walk around freely and visit each of the temples in turn. The reliefs on the temples were my favourite part since they were artistic and varied, describing parts of the epic story Ramayana with its battles and adventures. Like Borobudur, there is a hierarchy where the zones become more holy as you move up from the lower to the upper levels. I found the lower levels more interesting though, and I wonder if the artists who made this temple felt the same way. Although it was hot, I think the kids enjoyed the site. At least they liked having the run of the place since there were many levels and places for them to visit on each of the towers. They also liked a deer park on the premise where the deer all had white spots like Bambi. I wonder what kind of deer they were.

Our flight was delayed, but we eventually flew back from Java to Bali and settled into our hotel in the town of Legian along the south-east coast. This is a beach town and known for its surfing. The next day the kids had surfing lessons and had some success riding the waves. I didn't see it, but they both said they managed to get up on their feet a few times. I've never been at a beach that was conducive to surfing but it's big in many parts of Indonesia. We're here for a few days so maybe I'll give it a go. Good thing we have travel health insurance - I might need it.

While Catheleen and I were watching the kids take their surfing lessons, we experienced a lot of hawkers trying to sell us this or that. One lady wanted to give me a massage, and was very insistent. I wasn't interested, but she still started massaging my neck and arms while she was talking to me. Talk about a proactive sales approach.

I had some time to wander about today and just relax. In the Jakarta Post the front page article was about President Jokowi of Indonesia, who attended an annual ceremony in memory of seven generals who were killed in a botched coup in 1965 blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party. The article cited rumours that Jokowi might apologize to the families of the victims who perished in the anti-communist purge that followed the failed coup. As many as half a million suspected communists were killed in the purge. About 5% of the population of Bali perished, who suffered disproportionally. Some parts of the country still seem to be torn up about the incident, although the general population doesn't know much about it. It's hardly mentioned in the schools' history books. As it turned out the rumours were false, and the President had no intention of acknowledging or apologizing for the purge.

Here we are at Prambanan, with me wearing the required sarong.