Ubud and Beyond

Hello winter wonderlanders,

Lover and I have been seriously sweating it out here in Indonesia!!! We spent the last 2 weeks in Ubud, which is a place that most people say you only need a few days for, but we decided to really take it in, as we will soon not be on an island anymore. I already spoke of the wacky ex-pat ladies, and of the Serene nature of it all, but there is always more to tell!

While we were lazing around, we heard about this big Rock Concert that was going to be happening in the local baseball field. At this point Jonathan and I are all about the local function and getting in on the action! Local events are always the most bizarre and often most wonderful things we get to take part in because its the real deal. Local events are not shows for tourists, and that's the best part!!

This "Rock" concert was featuring all Indonesian bands, and people literally came from ALL over the island. Some drove their motor bikes hours to attend. On our walk over, there were many roads shut down and blocked just by the amount of motor bikes. It was outrageous. I mean bikes were parked 3 deep in a row, so that if one decided to leave...first, I have no idea how they would even find their bike, then if they did locate theirs from the hundreds and hundreds, there would be no outlet to get out from!!

Lover and I weaved our way to the field in the mass shuffle of motorbikes and pedestrian locals. Once in the feild it was all light up carnival style, and there were concession stands selling helium balloons for the lil ones, and strange sugary treats and soda in plastic bags. The plastic bag bit is something we have seen in most of Asia. Soda is poured into a small plastic bag with handles and straw so that the vendor can keep the bottle and exchange it back in for money. Its actually a good idea for the vendor, yet annoying for the liquid baggie holder!!

There was a huge stage and sound system set up, with some local TV announcers running the show. They were super cheese and annoying, so we focused on people watching while they were on stage. The crowd was a lot of family's with young ones, and many many "cool" guys walking through the crowd with their motor bike helmets on. Helmets???!?!?!!? Anyone who knows me well, understands how much I despise it when people walk around with helmets on. Unless you have a medical condition where your likely to smash your head at anything, then wearing a helmet to walk is just unacceptable. Some of them even had the visor down!! I could not make this stuff up!! I mean..it was night time..there was no excuse for the helmet, and NO EXCUSE for the visor to be down!!!! uuughhh..ok..besides the helmets, the sea of cafe au latte coloured faces was pleasant. Although there was a crowd, it was not pushy, and people seemed really happy to see us. That's always a good feeling in a crowd when you receive genuine smiles from everyone.

The first and only band that we stuck around for was a girl group, and they were HORRIBLE!!!! I was shocked..they should have millie vanillied it, because their voices were garbage. Their outfits were all over the board as well, and everyone knows, that as a pop girl singing group there needs to be some fluidity between their looks. Nope. We stuck around long enough to gasp at a few more helmet heads then we weaved our way back out of there. This event does not even hold up a candle to our most favorite festival we attended on Zanzibar, but it was still a taste of real life. It was just interesting to see ALL the people that came out for this thing. Buts that's island life for you, if there is an event, then its a big deal, as stuff like this is not frequent like in most of our city lives.

I certainly need more entrainment on a regular basis, but to get the chance to slip into a strange culture and witness an Island moment is pretty superb!

xoxoox
Alicia Claire