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Earthquake Equinox
It's most apt that Saffron's 6th birthday started with an earthquake AND an equinox. What an epic week it was! Having never experienced an earthquake before, it took a while for my brain to register what was happening as the house shook violently. Our reactions could not have been more extreme either. Myself & Saff ran around shrieking about juggernauts & birthday pressies whilst Paul continued to lounge in bed, his cup of tea spilling all over the sheets.
Bali Spirit Festival
The earthquake must have created an extra buzz amongst the 7000 yoginis gathered for the Bali Spirit Festival that week too. At the Opening Day, we joined the masses for an 'Ecstatic Breathwork' session. Gazing lovingly into the eyes of complete strangers whilst hyperventilating, summed up the erotic atmosphere you get in a tent full of lithe limbersexuals!
Mind you, even sexy Bali looks like muddy Glastonbury when the rain pours down. Later that afternoon, we battled our way through swamps and mud rivers: even more fun for Saff after a play-day of hula hooping & crystal bowl rubbing.
The next morning, after dropping her off at school, we visited a traditional Balinese healer. Cokorado Rai is a spritely 87 year old and one of the best in Bali, so there was already a long queue of people waiting when we arrived at his house, south of Ubud. When we were finally seen, his comments were both enlightening and entertaining. More about this soon, it merits its own page!
Birthday Pool Party, Bali-Style
Saff's birthday party later that week coincided perfectly with the last day of school and her best friend's birthday. So 25 adrenalin fuelled kids descended on De Ubud Villa for Maisie & Saff's joint party after their end-of-term performance. There were squeals of delight when they spotted the giant inflatable unicorn & flamingo in the tropical pool. Followed by a stampede to the buffet. A decadent bday party Bali-style!
Nyepi Silent Day, Tues 28th March
The school holidays also heralded the start of the most important event in the Balinese calendar. Nyepi New Year or 'Day of Silence'. I have to say, we were slightly filled with dread when we first heard this. How can you have a day of silence with a 6 year old?! But everyone kept saying what a magical experience it is and I'm so glad we stuck around for it.
The whole island buzzed in the days leading up to it, manic with blessings and ceremonies. The night before Nyepi is called 'Ogah Ogah' & the complete opposite of silence. It's all about making as much noise as possible to ward off evil spirits as the grotesque effigy (half pig, half cow, with huge boobs) is paraded around the streets. Each banjar has its own Ogoh procession which gathers for a carnival-like atmosphere at the football pitch in town. As night fell, we walked back through a pitch black Monkey Forest to our own village - where people lined the streets for the burning of the Ogoh. Local men carried the heavy beasty down the street (narrowly avoiding electricity cables overhead) as gamalan bands played their usual din.
The next morning could not have been more of a contrast. It's very surreal waking up with only the sound of birdsong. All that background noise that's always just there - traffic, airplanes, machinery - all gone. Pure bliss. Only in Bali would everything shut down for a day of meditation. Even the airport is closed! Everyone must stay home from 6am when everything shuts for 24 hours. And don't even think about sneaking out, security guards patrol the empty streets.
It was so relaxing hanging in the hammock and playing in the pool. Weirdly dogs, roosters & kids also seem to go downtempo. Their nervous systems relax with the serenity. It provided the perfect chance to pack up all our worldly goods ahead of the next big adventure. And as the stars shone extra bright that night (another great benefit of Nyepi's reduced air pollution) we tingled with excitement about what the following day would bring. A new home and a flight to Perth.
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