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Clouds of ash, airplanes grounded, and memories of Bali.

7/17/2015

14 Comments

 
In Indonesia, ash spewing from two volcanoes has caused five airports to close as millions of people head home for the Eid holiday.

The closures were sparked by eruptions at Mount Raung and Mount Gamalama. Nature continually reminds us we are not in charge of the planet.

Raung has been rumbling for weeks, which led to airport closures last week including at tourist hotspot Bali.

Volcanic ash can be dangerous for airplanes as it can get sucked into engines and melts, which could then turn into a kind of molten glass that coats the inside of engines and affects fuel flow and shut off the engines. The Bali airport has since reopened. Source: BBC. 

Safely encased in my English study, I was thinking this morning about the trip I took to Bali with my mother back in the 80s as her companion. A culture of contrasts remains in my mind—grace and respect vying with clamor and aggressive sales pitches.

We arrived at Denpasar International Airport from Australia late one night, and a coach whisked us off to a shared room in the complex at the Bali Hyatt Hotel, now under renovation.

Picture
Hyatt Bali sunken pool bar.
 This picture brings back so many memories. The calm tropical night air, the beautifully tended gardens where Mother and I took an evening stroll. Surrounded in five star luxury, we were in for a shock next day when we travelled on a mini bus to tour the island. 

Our transport took us along dusty roadways amid many pedestrians to the local market. The smell of rot and death came from one of the stalls, which our guide explained to be the normal odour of a large fruit called durian. All around us children screamed enticements and tugged at our clothes. Men and women shouted above them, each offering their wares. Although we politely declined, the locals didn't desist with their pestering at any time while we were on the street. In each shop, one corner contained flowers and offerings to their deity. I bought a banana, knowing the fruit was safely encased in its skin. We'd been warned not to eat anything unless it had been properly cooked, and not to drink tap water because it might cause a tummy upset.

Back at the hotel, peace enclosed us again as we walked along the tree lined path to the main building for our evening meal. Not wanting hot food in the tropical air, I chose salad and cold fish. Everything was so different from the food back home and I wanted to try it all at some stage. The sweet smell of Bali roasted coffee I got to know so well lingered in the air.
 Evening entertainment one night consisted of a dance troop enacting an ancient pantomime wearing masks. In the background, men pounded gongs and xylophones.

The music of Bali is extremely complex and vibrant. The music serves religious beliefs, accompanying dances or wayang theaters. The traditional Balinese orchestra, known as gamelan, is composed of various forms of percussions, with notes overlapping and criss crossing among the various kinds. There is a number of string and woodwind instruments, but most of the players sit behind various kinds of metallophones, gongs, and xylophones. Source: Bali & Indonesia. 

After a couple of days touring beside rice paddies, the charm of the people delighted me. When we spoke, the women were most taken with the fact that I was daughter number one. I guess that had special significance to them. Long processions passed us, women wearing tight wraps and carrying flowers and offerings. Each one bowed to me as if I was special.

Up in the mountains, where men carved wooden articles so beautifully, my stomach erupted with pain and discomfort and I longed to return to the relative privacy of our hotel. I felt weak when we reached our room and collapsed on the bed. That didn't last long because I had to drag myself to the toilet over and over again with diarrhoea. Of course, I didn't feel like eating. Mother called the doctor who diagnosed Bali Belly and handed me some tablets. I spent our last week on the island lying flat on my back, leaving poor Mother to cope on her own. The smell of the coffee sickened me, as did the heat and the thought of foreign food. The salad must have been washed in tap water, which caused my illness. I lost a lot of weight during my confinement.

When our Qantas aeroplane flight took off, I'd never seen anything so good as the cheerful male flight attendant with an Aussie accent, who handed out plain biscuits and good Australian cheese.

Have you ever had a nasty experience abroad?


14 Comments
Leanne link
7/16/2015 08:26:44 pm

Bali is a lovely place to visit - so many contrasts! Our daughter got married there a couple of years ago in a beautiful chapel overlooking the ocean.

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Alana link
7/16/2015 08:30:07 pm

I had a good food experience in Mexico (my one trip out from the United States/Canada) - a day trip, and a restaurant highly recommended. But I had already been warned about eating salad. I haven't been truly overseas, ever.

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Beth link
7/16/2015 10:26:08 pm

I got very ill in Israel during a summer there before I started my freshman year in college. My group had to leave me behind for a week at a kibbutz because I was so severely dehydrated. This was in the days before cell phones and it never dawned on anyone to call my parents but when I didn't call them on a predetermined day and time, they called the US office for the teen tour program who then reported back I was sick. My grandmother actually had one of our relatives who lived in Israel drive 5 hours to the kibbutz and make sure I was ok. I survived but I have to admit it wasn't fun being that far away from home so sick.

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Carol Cassara link
7/16/2015 11:55:55 pm

You had some bad luck. I managed to get through India ok, but I was super conservative.

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Terri Webster Schrandt
7/17/2015 12:13:29 am

this is such an interesting and informative post! I am always amazed at how tourism affects (or not) the local communities. Resorts on one block, squalor on another. Thanks for posting on #TheLeisureLink!

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Jacqui Malpass link
7/17/2015 12:25:24 am

I took a bike ride with a boyfriend to meet my parents in Spain. We jumped on the Bike and headed to the ferry. In the early hours of the morning the boat heaved to in a horrendous storm.

When we eventually got off we just rode with a few stops until we reached my mum.

Unbeknownst to me the boat journey had given me an inner ear infection and I was off balance the entire holiday.

I have had many holidays from hell!!!

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Nick #thisyearinmusic link
7/17/2015 12:37:00 am

I remember the Bali bombing. Such terrifying images. I would like to go as I've heard amazing things about it from friends.

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Jason link
7/17/2015 01:15:58 am

Sorry you had that experience. I guess maybe there is something to be said for just eating at McDonald's while abroad after all, huh?

Glad you are doing better!

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Amy Bovaird link
7/17/2015 09:53:11 am

Oh Francene, so sorry you couldn't enjoy it more. Bali is gorgeous, as you said. My very blonde friend was frightened at how many people cane to touch her fair skin and blonde hair. In Jakarta, she was stabbed in the neck with a pencil and this did her in. She left shortly after that. I'm afraid she stood out a little too much.
I became very ill in Kenya, probably from something we ate in the poor village where i met my sponsored child. Terrible pain, and I, too, practically stayed overnight in the bathroom of my hotel. I was then to travel to a missionary hospital, and continued to be ill, having to stop along the way and use trees for toilets. The stomach cramps were terrible! At the missionary hospital, the doctor scrawled a prescription for me on the back of his child's drawing but advised me to wait to fill it until I returned to Nairobi. In the end, my stomach problems did not end until I arrived in South Africa and took one of the old fashioned local remedies shared by a local friend!

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K.Lee Banks link
7/17/2015 10:22:16 am

My hubby was violently ill our first night in Punta Cana, where we went for my daughter's destination wedding. It was some combination of warm goat milk (at the meal - totally unaccustomed with that) and too much liquor!

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Lata link
7/17/2015 10:31:21 pm

I am visiting Bali mid August. Will need to be extra careful as my stomach is always fragile

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Debbie D. link
7/17/2015 10:56:18 pm

What a shame your holiday was ruined by illness! Bali sounds fascinating and your hotel looks so inviting. I've been fortunate to avoid any major stomach upsets while travelling but have never been further east than Ephesus, Turkey.

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Ajay Pai link
7/17/2015 11:38:41 pm

The narrative is realistic and so catchy. Poor You! and your tummy.

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ricardo link
7/19/2015 11:58:43 pm

Yes

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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