Bali Echo Magazine Edition December 1999

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Bali Echo Millenium edition

No.044/VIII - January 2000

Bali Beyond 2000
Bali Tourism in the New Millenium

Millenium Surprises
Welcoming Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK)

Garuda Wisnu
The Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Take Off

The Don Quoxites of Peliatan Palace
A story of crucial supporting arts in Bali

A Region in Transition
Lombok in the New Millenium

Private Islands
The Legend of Three Islands

Lombok Update

Prospectives
Predicting the Future

Flashback
Keep the Faith

Flashback
Evolving Dances

Postcard
Religious Duty

Book
Universal Balinese Artist

Food
21th Century Tradition and Inovation in Food

Environment Action
Protecting the Environment

Fiction
B a l i

Jungle Drums

Bali Sing KenKen

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By lunchtime, the guest was mad again. He protested that the food he ate did not match with the description on the table menu, and, what was more, the price was very high. He cancelled his order and did not want to pay.

The owner of the restaurant, an Italian, did not know what happened. He gave a comment in Italian that offended the old man, which led to a squabble in the two languages. Apparently neither of them knew what the other was saying.

The quarrel ceased after Oka made a decision. The food was wrapped and Oka paid for it, but the conditions continued to deteriorate. OkaÕs guest went on and on, complaining that this vacation had already been a failure. Oka bought some bananas to save the old man from catching a cold.
At first, the old guest refused to eat them, but finally he unconsciously ate the bananas until they were finished. While he was eating, he continued to abuse Oka.

"You should apologise to me, because you have wasted my time. This is not the Bali of the advertisements at all. All are lying. Do you hear me? Everyone is lying and deceiving!"
Oka took the car past Tamblingan and Buyan lakes, and his guestÕs chatter slowly extinguished. After that, there was not much time for Oka, except to aim the snout of his car in the direction of sunset.
Just before sunset, Oka and his guest arrived at Tanah Lot. Oka guided the old man by his hand to the place where many people waited for the sun to set. A throng of tourists gathered with their cameras ready to snap up the final moment, but the weather was not good enough. There was no sign of the famous picture postcard sunset with the silhouette of the rock, the temple and the waves.

"Dammit! My one day is over but I have not been in Bali yet and never will be. Those books and advertisements have deceived me. It turns out that Bali is just a deceptive illusion, and you are part of that mistake, Oka! This is a tragedy, and I wonÕt pay you a single cent, not a single cent, do you hear me? You have wasted my time and I am now feeling frustrated."

The old manÕs head started to droop, and it appeared he was growing very weary. The man fell asleep, and Oka immediately aimed his car back to Denpasar. When they arrived at the hotel, he tried to wake the old man up, but he was unable to. Oka carried him into his room, and, feeling concerned about his condition, called a doctor. After examining the old man, the doctor explained that he just needed some rest, but he advised Oka that if anything happened to him, Oka should contact him again in case the old man needed to be taken to hospital.

Oka asked the hotel manager to be aware of his guestÕs condition, and called his wife to tell her he could not go home. He waited with the old man until late at night. When the old man looked settled, Oka waited in the lobby, returning to the room twice to check on his guest. The second time he returned, he straightened the blankets, and the old man opened his eyes.

"Get out! I must sleep. I will leave tomorrow at dawn! I donÕt want to pay you a single cent!"
Oka nodded politely. "You neednÕt, Sir. I already feel as if I have failed. But I am happy to hear your voice as it means that you are fine. Please, take a rest."
Oka came out from the room apprehensively. He was afraid that his guest would wake up too late the next morning, so he waited for him in the lobby.
Early in the morning he woke up in his chair with a shock. The group that had wanted to continue their trip had begun to leave for the morningÕs tour. Oka rushed upstairs to check his guestÕs room and discovered that the old man had already left.

With dismay, Oka went downstairs, but in the hotel lobby the hotel manager handed him an envelope.
"This is from Mr Misty, Oka"
"Mr. Misty?"
"Yes, The King of Tanker. He left this envelope for you while you were sleeping."
Oka was astonished. He opened the envelope slowly, and suddenly his hands trembled. Inside the envelope was a cheque for one hundred dollars. Along with the cheque were a name card and a handwritten note: "Thank you very much. I have been in Bali. You are Bali."

llustration by Agus Mulyadi.

Putu Wijaya is a wellknown and a well-respected artist in Indonesia. Born i Regency of Tabanan, this Balinese artist also has an international reputation. He is known for his theatre arts, movie direction and especially for his short story writing. Besides producing many world-class thearte performances, he is also recognised as a highly productives writer, many of his books such as "Blok" and "Protes" reaching best seller status. His works aim to shock and confront the reader, which is, according to Wijaya, an entertainment element designed to grab the audience's attention.

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