In Reply to: Tjampuhan, Ubud posted by mayo on Monday, 16. August 1999 at 17:12 Bali Time:
For those of us States Side there is an article on Ubud in the August edition of 'The Atlantic Monthly' The writer, Jamie James, stayed at the Tjampuhan(his spelling. For those who can't nip into Chapters and take a peek here is a taste of what he has to say.
The hotel...."is a funny old place. Much of the romance of the bamboo and teak-finished rooms derives from inadequate lighting.The service is a little erratic too. There was no stationery in my room so I called the front desk to ask for some. Ten minutes later a man appeared at my door under a dripping umbrella, holding two sheets of writing paper as limp as boiled cabbage leaves".
The article continues about Ubud and it's history and culture.
The last paragraphs relate to Wayan his 'room boy'.
"Wayan told me that he must say goodbye because he had to go to a cremation: his brother-in-law had been killed in a landslide at his outdoor studio on the bank of a river. His wife Wayan's sister was four months pregnant. When I offered my condolences, he shrugged and said, "It was God's will. Good bye sir and have a happy life".......
Have a happy life: of course it was meant as a pleasantry. But, I reflected, a man whose job it was to collect hibiscus flowers at dawn, in a river gorge in Ubud, and who could cope with the tragic death of a twenty two year old with such equanimity, might have some idea of what that means".