In Reply to: Just Back Report posted by gita on Thursday, 1. July 2004 at 17:44 Bali Time:
Answering some of the forumites...
1. "bule' is a Indonesian slang for foreigners, especially Caucasian.
2. Most of our drivers told us about Seminyak (perhaps Kuta, Legian area included?Don't know for sure though...) to be haunted (maybe haunted isn't the right word. Beach or sea areas considered full of bad energy because there's a lot of drowning accidents in those area. The deadman soul is considered not 'clean' enough to ascended to heaven since it's not being cremated or being blessed at the temple for the body never been found. But mind you, this is from what I learn from my conversation with some of the Balinese I met, maybe you can find better explanation somewhere else). Most Balinese prefer to live near mountainous area since high places considered more sacred rather than lower land. Considering Mount Agung is a holy mountain I think this idea is quite make some sense.
Of course dropping tourist or to have a job in Seminyak area is OK, but not for building a holy temple maybe.
3. Yes, me and my family lived in Jakarta!
4. A lot of Jakartans loved Bali. Mostly they stay in Kuta-Legian area (Hardrock Hotel is the hippest place in Bali for most Jakarta families, and Sukowati is the place to go for shopping!).
5. There's a warning in front of the lumbung in Gado-gado restaurant which prohibit people from entering it. When you step into the restaurant, look on your right near the beach.
In Bali, or wherever else you go, when the locals are telling you not to do something better not ignore them. Sadly, most of accident happens to people who refuse to obey what the locals already told them. When my mom and her school back when she was a teenager went to Bali for a school holiday, her English teacher still entering a temple even though people already telling her she shouldn't because she's having a period. Later at the same day, she got possessed and it took several hours for the local priest to get her back to her old self.
But don't make this story stopping you to Bali!