As you know Ken and I live in front of a massive rice paddie, by the side of a river. Which means "Big Spirit live here", quite scary for the Balinese so we have Temples everywhere to keep the Gods and spirits happy. Normally you would have one Temple in your backyard to welcome or say goodbye to spirit...we have two.
The first night we arrived Ken and I woke terrified as our bedroom windows were rattling/vibrating so hard we thought a Tsunami had hit Kuta!!! As we sat up holding hands, we looked out of the windows to see nothing was moving no trees not even a leaf as there was no breeze at all WTH ???
In the morning when I told Wayan he said "that big spirit madam" and he proceeded to tell me of an incident with the previous occupant Stephanie. She and her husband Ryan decided to put up a fence across the backyard to keep their dog in. The next day they awoke to find the swimming pool half empty. They had the contractor out, who could find no leaks, cracks or problems with the pool. Then they also called a Plumber and again he found no problem.
That night Stephanie and Made (Wayan's brother) had a dream about the fence coming down, the following day Wayan's father (Bapak) went to the local Mangku (priest), the Manku said that "Big Spirit" not happy that Stephanie had built a fence as He/She could not come in to have "smoko" with other spirits.
Stephanie took the fence down and filled the pool and for over two years now that pool has not leaked a drop....go figure!
The windows still rattle but not so often we now welcome visits from our friend, the evenings are so magical here along with "Big Spirit we have the bats coming in at around 6.00pm and the wonderful fire flies one night we even woke up to the thumping sound of a magnificent Owl walking around the balcony just outside of our bedroom.
Just had to throw this in, one morning after I had showered a bat came flying into my room and straight into the bathroom well I took off ran and jumped in to bed and pulled up the covers, it came back into the bedroom looking around and finally left after Ken came running in answer to my distress call!!! Even though I was scared I felt so honoured, did you know that to American Indians the bat means "rebirth".......and again slight transgression have you ever read Bram Stoker's Dracula??? Fantastic.
OK on with the story ......guys I've only just begun!
Not long after we arrived Ketut and Yannick (our neighbours and now good friends) came over with a present for Ken, I couldn't believe my eyes when Ken opened the box and sitting there was a bloody green budgie....yes a good old Aussie Budgerigar!!!! Ketut had caught it that afternoon in his backyard and he thought that Ken would love it, well Ken might love it but Jacqueline the Libran was not impressed we come to beautiful exotic Bali where the birds are exquisite and we end up with a frickin Budgie!
Well that was the start of our family of birds, after "Ketut" the budgie arrived Wayan came to me one day and said that Nakan the metal worker who built our beautiful fence needed to sell his bird so that he could finish building his new Villa so that's how Lawat/Wayan the little black and white bird with the mighty voice came to us.
Wayan was a beautiful singer and one afternoon 3 local village boys arrived each carrying a bird cage with its cover on, unknown to me a competition had been arranged to see who was the best singer. Down in the backyard the boys had all the cages lined up, including Wayan, the competition was on unfortunately Lawat had a dose of stage fright and didn't utter a sound much to our (human)Wayan's chagrin.
Wayan (the bird) has not always been called Wayan. When he first arrived I decided to call him Lawat (visitor)...one morning while Ken and I were sitting in the Bale Benong having our constitutional morning tea. I looked up and saw that Lawats cage was empty- what a shock the door was open and Lawat was gone. We couldn't believe it, how could this happen Ken was pedantic about the cage doors when he was feeding the birds.
News soon got out in the village and people came to offer there condolences especially Nakan, you see birds are a prized possession here in Bali they are truly loved and cared for not like the Balinese cats and dogs....that's another story but birds are a symbol of affluence and they regularly hold competitions for the best birds.
Everyone started looking for Lawat, Bapak was even out in the rice padi that night with his torch and Yannik prepared special offerings to the Gods for Lawat to come back.
The next day when I arrived home from Yoga, there was huge activity around the Bale Benong ( the Bale Benong being our outdoor meeting place where the birds are hung, deals are made and a lot of relaxation happens).
Apparently Wayan had dreamt that night that he would catch Lawat and Bapak had found Lawats "poo" down in the chook pen implying that Lawat had slept there, yeh what the?
Anyways there was Wayan under the Bale Benong fishing net in hand (ken had taken off to the shops to buy one after sighting Lawat flying around his cage) about to catch Lawat ...... a crowd had gathered the Javenese building the pond, Ibu, Yannik,Ken and Bapak....suspense building when his wife Dayu yells out NOW! and with that Lawat took off right in front of Wayan's eyes so then Dayu takes off knowing what trouble she's in.
After this news gets out of Wayan's failed attempt, (I can't believe how quick things get out around here everyone knows everything) and over comes Ketut, Ketut says he's been giving this "problem" a great deal of thought and maybe if he got a branch and placed it as a bridge up to the door of Lawats cage then hung several live crickets from the ceiling (Lawats favourite food) and then tied a piece of string to the door of the cage dragging it through the Bali Benong across the swimming pool to the table and chairs on the other side where he and Wayan would sit and wait, just maybe they could get him...so creative and so hopeful.
Well the plan was put into action and they waited and waited and sure enough along comes Lawat flying in to land on the fence and look at the yummie crickets, over he jumps to the wooden bridge walks up to the door of the cage (meanwhile everyone was holding there breath with anticipation all eyes on Lawat) quick as a wink in he pops in to grab a cricket and bam down came the door and a triumphant Ketut and Wayan looked up to the cheer from the crowd Lawat was now home.
From that day on Lawat became Wayan as he was now a member of our family not a visitor.
So you think it stops there, well you won't believe this but 5 days later Yannik was cleaning Ketut's cage and of he flew straight out the door he must of got some tips from Lawat.
Poor Yannik she couldn't believe it and went home to make some offerings and pray well...wait for it she prayed and prayed, and in the morning while she was in her bedroom Ketut flew in through the door and landed on her bedside table!!!! Isn't that amazing?
Well she quickly shut the door and rang her husband Ketut who in turn told his friend at work who in turn said "that Budgie needs a girlfriend come to my place after work", and that afternoon Ketut and Yannik rock up to our place with not only Ketut but a blue budgie we named Yannik the two love birds.
Then there were three, but we really wanted a bird that we had picked and who was again an exceptional singer so we bought Nyoman the Muray Batu and we were complete....or so we thought.
Nyoman having his daily bath.
Wait there's more....
Just last week Yannik told me that she had dreamt of us having a canary and another bird I said go and tell Ken!! After a few days she asked Ketut "why canary not come to Jaklin?" weeellll yesterday our tiler Uncle Wayan arrived with his wife who was talking to Yannik and she said " eh the tourists like birds will they have ours it's Sakit" (sick) and that's how Made arrived, can you believe it!!! Made is not a Canary but a green little critter who is a Frugivore and only eats fruit no crickets.
So there you have it five birds and still waiting for a canary to drop in any day now.
To have a caged bird or not? Ken and I both love birds and think that they should be free, so why do we have them??? They bring us joy that's it simple and selfish. At the moment I'm attending a Buddhist study group and I'm sure the fellow students would not approve especially after I told them that I got great satisfaction out of "zapping" the flies with the battery powered tennis racquet! I have since stopped this practise as I now have more of a consciousness to all living things but I am struggling with letting go of our beautiful birds and....my love of bacon. Somehow I cannot see myself as a Buddhist.
Ok signing off now until next time
Love J
And it's good night from Wayan, Made, Nyoman, Ketut and Yannik.
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