It’s an experience.

Ehm… I missed writing. I’d been busy with friends who come to Ubud for holiday and the royal cremation. The royal cremation looks like a really big thing. It is a big event and it happens in Ubud! Like many, including Balinese, I’m happy to be part of it.

The ceremonies had been on since a few days ago. My friends and I watched naga banda and bull parade two days ago. The crowd was fine, we could handle well although I could feel the bamboo palanquin’s horizontal poles were only inches from my cheeks. Everything is huge, massive, and magnificent. Only in Bali.

Like often, friends bring me new experience because of their interests. I went to Bali Bird Park and next door Reptile Park for the first time two days ago. I felt like I’m not in Indonesia. The parks are neat and well taken care. We enjoyed holding reptiles. I held iguana. I love iguana but holding that scary look beast? I did.

We also drove to Kintamani all day yesterday. Again, Ubud is in a handy central location of the island. Going to many directions takes not more than two hours. We enjoyed different nature setting with pine trees and shallot farm by the lake. Lake Batur looked beautiful in the cool afternoon. Again, I feel so rich here.

And last night was great. We had dinner with friends from NY Times who came from three different countries to cover the royal cremation. We had really nice interesting chat. It gives my little friend an inspiration to become a journalist one day. She likes traveling, writing, and meeting people. She could handle emotions, she said, but she might have to learn to be diplomatic. We used to laugh sharing her bluntly polite answers. Nice girl. Nice friends.

This morning feels special. We are high for the event like anticipating a happy event although in fact it’s otherwise. The good thing about Balinese, they take cremation as other ‘nice time together’ with family, relatives, and community. So no depressing atmosphere like in many other cultures where people could have outburst.

Now I better get myself ready for the day. I have prepared my baju adat. We are going to walk downtown to join the crowd. The procession starts at noon. I look forward to experience another new…

Picture of the royal bull carried from Peliatan to Puri Ubud two days ago.