THE CHILDREN OF KELIKI

Pak Pande (lucukan namanya!) asked us where we would like to go. We asked him to take us to the craft villages. We spent some time at the wood and painting villages, but bought nothing. We stopped barely 5 minutes at the silversmith as Tar and I weren’t keen on the pieces. We were actually discouraged by Pande from buying at these places because according to him things are cheaper in Tegalalang. Since, we were charged by the hour, we asked Pande to skip the other villages, and take us to Tegalang. He recommended that we go to Keliki first to visit a traditional Bali house, as it is just outside Tegalalang. We agreed.

You know, when Pande said “traditional Bali home”, what conjured in my mind was a beautiful home resplendent in everything Bali, from the garden to the furniture; similar to the ones I have seen in lifestyle magazines. But to that Balinese man, it means the home where the regular Balinese live. It was indeed a simple house with several quarters shared by 2 or 3 households with a common prayer area and kitchen. These are poor people. They do not have a garden or a fountain which I thought were standard features in a Bali home. Instinctively, I took out the Apollo cakes (that I wanted to give to Giri, then Pande) and gave to the hostess, “For the children”, I said. She thanked me and placed the box on the table. She quickly returned with 3 cups of strong coffee (homegrown and home-brewed, memang kao!). Sampai saya balik, bebudak tu langsung tak gaduh nak sentuh kotak tupun. Admirable!

There were indeed many shops in Tegalalang. They lined the 2 or 3 km road offering all kinds of stuff; a shopper’s heaven. But since time was the essence, we only stopped at shops that sell items on our shopping list i.e. frames and bowls. Pande clocked 4 hours and 45 minutes, so we paid Rp 285,000 to the hotel. Tar went straight to her massage and I to a next door hotel to arrange for our accommodation for the night. I have tried to extend our stay at Tegal Sari, but TS was fully booked. Have I known Tegal Sari was soooo nice, I would have reserved for two nights. According to Pande, throughout his 4 months tenure at TS, the hotel has always been fully occupied.