Once Upon a Time in Bali

 So time flies and it has been 2 months since I last posted. In the mean time I spent mid July thru mid August in Dallas and California. The unusual high amount of rain continued until mid August So it was bright and sunny when I returned. Wow still get rain her but it usually just a afternoon shower which is un-noticeable 20 minutes after. During my rip to the states they began working on the building permit.  To my surprise the builder had not gotten one. While I was initially shocked as it turn out they have 2 kinds of building permits here, one for rebuild and the other for once you are 90% complete. I  think there are 2 reasons for this, lack of enforcement, heritage land and you cannot change the plan for an already issued permit, you have to start again and pay again. That can be tricky when you have to clear a bamboo forest to precisely know the lay of the land, as was our case. The builder just assumed we would go with the 90% finished permit.  That said it cost twice as much as the pre-build.  Oh they are so tricky ! so now the "agent" is determining if we can get a rebuild considering what we have already done. The discussion is that we have not actually built a house yet, does the foundation count, etc. So far, it depends on who you ask and costs vary wildly Fortunately we have many long time local connections that are quite protective of us and are willing and wanting to network with al of their contacts to make the right thing happen. While they manage that Shinta and I are continuing with landscaping of the back area. We also had a wedding event for what I call my Bali-niece. My long time friend turned family and previous business associates daughter got married. She is Bella's age and the 2 of them were running buddies whenever Bella visited Bali. So the Wedding was the traditional Balinese which is an elaborate ceremony and dress for the bride and groom and as all ceremonies, a food fest. I actually am not a fan of the traditional Balinese wedding as the bride and groom and their parents where after the 1-2 long rituals with the priest and parents, are relegated to sit on the stage in throne the chairs for the next 2 hours watching everyone eat. During this time people will go the stage to take various photos, and everyone is required to traverse the stage before leaving offering their congratulations. Once most of the people have gone the wedding couple and their parents leave the stage and sit and eat. All this with the bride wearing a 20" tall gold crown.  Here is the bride Gita ( We all call her Echa form her youth) I have know her since birth. Her parents are next to her and the grooms mom on the end. 

So we flew to Jakarta, a sprawling city with more skyscrapers than you would imagine and a population of over 11 million compared to Dallas at 1.3 million. hers' a video, look deep into the video to see how far the skyscrapers continue.

Twelve of my Bali family were there and we all stayed into same hotel where Echa works in marketing. In fact here she is on the elevator door ad. Such a star she is !  She truly is a beautiful woman inside and out. 

The wedding reception. There's the priest in white and the funny character preceding the bride and groom is a Balinese Hindu character. He there to protect the wedding couple. There were around 1000 people in attendance milling through about 30 food stalls.

We spent 2 nights in Jakarta and left the morning after the wedding for Bandung about 100 miles east of Jakarta. This is Shinta's hometown and it has been on our bucket list to visit for years. From Jakarta we took Indonesia high speed train to Bandung. This is Indonesia first and for now only high sped rail and it runs only between Jakarta and Bandung with 2 stops along the way. The terminal in Jakarta was quite impressive.

The high speed train is called the "Whoosh", an appropriate name as the trip is 2 1/2 - 3 hours by car and 39 minutes by Whoosh. It was my first high speed train and it was incredibly smooth and quiet. I would compare it to an elevator.  The train station in Bandung was equally impressive to Jakarta's.

From there we were off to our accommodations which we don't have a categorical name for.  IN the US we would say, we rented a cabin. Bandung is in a basin surrounded by a mountain range much like Salt Lake City and has a population of 2.5 million. Our stay was in the foothills 30 minutes outside the city center, which was perfect. It was also a bit rustic in style which is our preference. 

Bandung has an interesting history as it became an oasis for people from Jakarta to escape the heat. Jakarta is sea level while Bandung is 2650 ft. Bandung was transformed into a city in 1810 primarily by the Dutch.  The city center is still spotted with grand Dutch buildings. The the 1920's there was a surge of builing in Bandung and being the 20's the style was Art Deco so there is an equal portion of Art Deco blended in with the earlier Dutch Colonial style. As for the city itself, it's inner suffer like so many I see around the world not unlike the West End and Deep Ellum in Dallas before they were turned into entertainment districts. The same is true in Bandung with Braga Street taking that role.  There was even a street I'll call Ghost Alley as it was filled with photo ops with plenty of characters, Bats, Ghouls and Witches in elaborate costume and makeup.  This, not so elaborate character, insisted that I was the father of this baby.

We spent 3 nights in Bandung before headed back to Jakarta and the flight back to Bali. It was good to meet Shinta's niece and nephew his family ibut it was good to get back home.