Bali Aug / Sept 07
It seems so long ago but seeing the new moon a couple of nights ago soon reminds me it was a month ago that we left for Bali.
Didn't ask for extra baggage allowance because I usually prefer to purchase in Bali rather than try to impose on the airlines. Found we were 4kgs over & they wanted to charge A$7/kg. Luckily we had a friend checking into Business Class at the same time & were allowed to combine with them.
Plane left on time & arrived in Denpasar 15 minutes early.
At Santika we had been upgraded to a double queen Bungalow complete with butler which was fabulous for the 3 weeks. The new pool area is great (apart from the lack of overflow drainage), plenty of new pool lounges so no fights. Caught up with all the usual staff, especially Abdi who has looked after us so well for so many years. Also met up with Susani who used to be on the front desk but has been in the Sales Dept for a couple of years so is seldom seen. She is a superb asset to the hotel.
Spent the first 3 days simply doing virtually nothing apart from swimming, sleeping & eating.
Saturday 18th was my first visit to any of the schools and it was a real buzz to be able to present 11 bikes to kids from their sponsors plus catch up with the Batts who were also meeting with their kids & giving them bikes also.
Went onto another of the schools (SD 3 Sobangan) & caught up with one of our own sponsored girls. This was a surprise for her as she wasn't expecting us until the following week. They have a fabulous Librarian at SD 3 who is also their English teacher.
With the rationalization of schools in the area, the Education Dept have now decided to rename another couple of our schools. SD 3 Sembung is now SD 2 Sembung, and SD 7 Sembung is now SD 3 Kuwun.
Had more friends arrive during the next week and spent some time touring around just a little for a change. Tripped into Denpasar to show them around Jlns Sulawesi and Hasnaruddin with all the materials & gold and then thru a lot of the residential areas. Got some orchids from Flora Bali to bring home. They were no problem with Customs in Oz. You can bring in up to 6 flasks before they are deemed to be commercial quantities. Each flask contained probably about 30 plants.
The next Saturday was the day for all the kids of the Pelangi Anak-Anak Bali program. The theme was Pasar Tradisional or Traditional Market. Each of the 7 schools had set up stalls where you could purchase food. The children were all given play money to spend and it was good to see who had sponsors there share it with them.
There were around 30 sponsors there and all were given sarongs to wear.
The day was full of entertainment provided by dance groups, singers and musicians of all types and ages. Apart from the International Bali Gamelan Band, all came from within the villages.
Once again, free health checks were provided for all villagers. We had quite a number of doctors on hand plus the Apoteks to provide any prescribed medicines.
Two years ago rubbish was a big problem at the grounds and we wanted to start tackling the problem. We had enough rubbish bins on hand to give 4 to each school afterwards. At the end of the day the grounds were extremely clean. They had placed all the rubbish in the bins. Unfortunately, I saw they then carted the bins over the road & emptied them into someones plantation before throwing some leaves over them. Oh well......we tried.
The day concluded with pig chases with 4 young pigs being won by the students who managed to be first to catch them. What happened to them afterwards is unknown.
On Tuesday 28th we had sunset drinks with a lot of forumites at the Pantai Restaurant. Unfortunately we could stay too long as we had friends flying out that night & had promised to have a last supper with them, but it was good to be able to match a few more faces to names.
During the next week I checked out three libraries we had provided to schools past Bedugul. The final results varied from tremendous for the children down to very poor and I think the outcomes reflect the dedication of the teachers. We will resolve those issues.
Back at Sobangan, this teacher-dedication is also reflected in the number of students at SD 3 in particular. In Year 6 there are 22 students. These numbers grow progressively to 43 students in Year 1. Not one student has dropped out in those years but we now have a situation of needing to have two Year 1 classes for the first time. Some of the extras have come from surrounding schools because of the high standards set.
On our third Saturday visit, we had been invited to the home of one of our girls we have sponsored for three years. After spending some time at the school we drove to Mitha's house a couple of kms away. She proudly gave the royal wave to all her friends on the way. We had previously asked about her Mother & Father only to be told that she lived with her Uncle & Aunty. The full story though, was that the compound consisted of her grand-parents, her Uncle & Aunty, plus her parents together with a brother & sister she had never spoken about, or listed on the questionnaires we had given out. We were made most welcome & treated to snacks and had a great time talking to everyone. The compound was spotlessly clean & nestled into a beautiful jungle setting. What a privilege it was to meet the extended family.
The following night Geraldine and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with friends and Rotarians at a home in Nuansa overlooking the airport back towards Kuta. What a fabulous outlook.
However, it all comes to an end eventually and after a few more days of sun & lazing by the pool we boarded the Garuda flight and departed on time back to Perth. It all seems a distant memory unfortunately.
I haven't had time to upload the photos to webshots yet but will do shortly.
Cheers
Noel