Too Hippie For SquareTown, Too Much of a Square For Hippie Town

Square Town 

I often felt uncomfortable in my former skin.  I did not like wearing suits.  I did not like pretending that I was impressed by expensive cars or clothes.  I had my one fancy purse, that I bought years ago.  I never wore expensive shoes.  I always bought clothes on sale.  I knew I was saving money for experiences and not stuff.  

Most of all, I knew I did not belong in corporate America.  I did not like to play the game, to engage in the office politics.  It was a game I played pretty darn well, but did not like myself for it.  I owned too many buddhas, and wished for a different life.  I wanted to explore yoga more, listen to Balinese or Indian music, light incense, and engage in other similar activities. 

I often felt like too much of a hippie for this world, this Square Town.  I was a little too round.  When I announced my plans to finally leave the profession, one of the partners said he heard I was running away to join an ashram.  Close, but not quite. 

Hippie Town

On the other hand, I am not so idealistic to swear off things like money.  I made good money, I saved it, and as a result I am able to live a different lifestyle now.  Part of this lifestyle involves buying flowing pants and skirts, and wearing multiple bracelets and necklaces, one of them with a sitting buddha image on it.  Did I mention the buddha tattoo on my back?  And the other one on my wrist that reads “fearlessness” in Sanskrit.  I get more and more hippified as I continue down this path of perpetual traveler and digital nomad.  

Then, I arrived in Ubud, originally an artists’ colony that developed around the Balinese culture and the Hindu spirituality that exists in central Bali.  The town’s tourist focus now includes plenty of restaurants for vegetarian, vegan, and even raw food.  There are health food stores, supplements, green juices, detox programs, and plenty of healing initiatives.  It is easily the most “hippie” place I have been to.

I signed up for classes at the Yoga Barn.  I started to explore classes at the Yoga Barn, which can be both physically intense, as well as a bit more spiritual than I was used to at home.  I became more used to chanting Om and Shanti, and was trying a lot harder to focus on meditating.

Early on, I attended an afternoon Sound Healing class.  I had an unlimited pass and wanted to make the most of the various classes.  It was a master class, with a half dozen healers playing percussion, using Tibetan bowls and crystal bowls, and many instruments I had just never heard of before.  There were even a few didgeridoos. The leader wore a shiny brown satin two piece outfit, with a Native American beaded belt.  He had long, flowing hair, and plenty of necklaces.  Most of his brothers and sisters dressed similarly, other than the one percussionist from San Francisco.

We started the class by singing in a group - all about love and the world.  I felt slightly uncomfortable, and not just because I am a terrible singer.  Once we were told to lay down and just listen to the sounds and the vibrations of the music, I felt more comfortable.  At some point in the class, I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder, to the point that I could not get comfortable, and I needed to roll over into a fetal position.  I was not sure if that was the “healing” or what.   In the end, I am glad I went, but at first it was a little too much for me.  I have attended a few more sound healing classes, and in each one this pain in my left shoulder has occurred.  It probably has something to do with healing, or energy flows, or meridians.  Maybe there is some merit to this stuff.  But, I remain skeptical.  

Tibetan Bowls at Sound HealingI enjoy the spirituality of the Balinese culture of offerings and temples.  There is something different about this island, and this town.  Perhaps it is an energy, or merely a history and culture that concerns itself with evil spirits and honoring the ancestors.

I am settling in to life in Ubud a little more, becoming more used to the sing alongs and Sanskrit chanting.  I am becoming a little more comfortable with being in such a chill place.  We burn incense all day at the villa, I have been using an essential oil called “bliss,” and we even bought some healing crystals.  Hook, line, and sinker.

Most of all, I try not to judge other people.  The sound healers and other yoga teachers all have one thing in common - they are entirely comfortable with who they are as human beings.  Which is not something I can say about most people back in the “real” world. 

But, I still wonder, am I a little too square to fit into this hippie town?  And, if I am too much of a hippie for the world I left, where do I fit in?

Balinese Blessing of a Harley Davidson

After our Balinese purification ritual in Tampak Siring, we hopped on the back of the motorbike for the 30 minute drive back to Ubud.  I was soaking wet from top up, but we both were able to change into dry bottoms for the ride back home.  I assumed my shirt would dry on the way, in the open air of the motorbike.   

As we inched closer to Ubud, the weather turned.  It started to drizzle, and ultimately the skies opened up.  Balinese motorbike drivers pulled over to throw on massive ponchos.  We pulled over to put the camera and phones under the seat to keep them from the deluge.  We were officially soaked head to toe, for the second time that afternoon.  It was as if we were purified once again.

When we arrived back at the villa, all I wanted to do was use the bathroom and change into dry clothes, before ordering a pizza and curling up in bed.  But, we got to experience another uniquely Balinese experience - the blessing of a motorbike.

I am well accustomed at this point to the Balinese daily offerings.  I have seen women weaving together the palm leaves to make the offering basket.  I have seen women place flowers, fruits, and other items into the small basket, and then place them on an altar, the ground, cars and motorbikes, often lighting incense as well.  We have seen the special offerings for the holidays of Galungan and Kuningan as well.  Our friend, Komang, has placed offerings on our rental motorbike, or near it, to bless us and keep us safe while traveling the roads here in Bali.

But this was not just any old Honda or Yamaha motorbike.  It was a Harley, and the largest one I had seen.  It was so wide and so long and so heavy, that when the owner was trying to move it for the ceremony, Made, one of the villa employees struggled to push and pull it into place.

The owner of the Harley was the owner of the villa, and he gathered with his family just after dusk, with a Balinese priest to bless the Harley.  It is generally quite common to have a blessing ceremony for a motorbike in Bali, and they re-bless the bike every 6 months.  But this seemed a bit excessive. 

The Harley was covered with a gold colored cloth.  The priest sat cross legged, chanted, and rang a bell to bless each of the items that were used in the blessing, including holy water, rice, and the offerings themselves.  The offerings included baskets upon baskets of fruit, flowers, treats, and incense.  There were stacks of them.  

As the owner sat cross legged on the ground, checking his email and taking phone calls, the women in the family, his wife and mother, took turns walking around the bike, sprinkling the water, throwing bits of rice, and waving blessed palm leaves over the bike.   Like much of Bali, this was the perfect combination of ancient Balinese Hindu tradition, mixed with the modern day conveniences of technology and ridiculously expensive bikes. 

It continued to drizzle, and although I was itching to get inside and put on some dry clothes, it was interesting to see the ceremony. The entire ceremony lasted thirty minutes, and we were there for all of it.  The family was welcoming, allowing me to take pictures and film, even if it was dark.  Afterwards, the wife offered us fruit from the offerings. When we took 2 pieces, they just kept filling my hands with it.    

So, in one afternoon, we were purified at a Balinese temple, purified again on the back of a motorbike, and then watched a purification of a Harley Davidson.  Only in Bali. 

Bad Juju, the Rule of Threes, and Purification in Bali

We simply love Bali, but it has not been an easy go for us.  During our first visit in 2009, after a week on the island, we received news that Eric’s father was ill.  We immediately returned to the US, and he passed a few days later.  

Regardless, we ended our first RTW trip with a month back in Bali.  We had much better luck, with no significant incidents.  It is where I started to practice yoga and we even met an Asian celebrity, Chef Wan, on our last day of our RTW.  We fell in love with Bali during that trip.

A Return to Bali

This being our third trip to the island, we hoped for good luck.  I came to Ubud to practice yoga, followed by 3 weeks completing a yoga teacher training workshop.  Prior to starting the training, it became clear that the program I choose was not right for me.  Handling this issue with the teacher of the program was another story, and led to an emotional week.  I withdrew from the program, and found another one better suited to me.  I will return to Ubud in August.  I came out pretty Even Steven, but it was a struggle nonetheless, and started to taint our experience in Bali. 

Things started to get back on track.  We were eating healthy and not drinking.  I was practicing yoga at least once a day, and completed 48 classes in my first 30 days of my own yoga boot camp.  I felt healthier and stronger than I have been in a decade. 

Bad Juju - Everything Happens in Threes

Then, things started to go awry.  I took an evening yogi class with a master yoga teacher, which ended with me covered in mosquito bites, despite taking proper precautions.  A few days later I woke with a crazy sore throat, and had a fever for a few days.  Before the sore throat healed, I broke my tooth and ended up at a Balinese dentist.   

In the grand scheme of things we have not had significant problems here in Ubud, but it has not been as blissful and peaceful as we had hoped.  It just wasn’t easy living.

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.." - John Milton

I heard that Bali decides whether you can stay on the island.  Often times people become sick, get into a motorbike accident, or end relationships shortly after arriving.  I do love it here.  We are returning in August, and are thinking about the possibility of making this a long term home.  But, I am getting flashbacks to the TV show Lost.  Is the Island in control of our future?  Are these signs we should be listening to?

In Need of Purification

The island of Bali is intensely spiritual, as is exemplified by its numerous festivals and offerings, and Ubud’s reputation as a center for healing.  We figured what better place to explore our bad juju than in Bali.  When speaking with our friend Komang, we talked about our bad luck, explained about juju, and she offered a solution.

She drove with us out to Tampak Siring Village to the Pura Tirta Empul.  It is a temple dating to 926 A.D., with pools of sacred water that hold curative properties.  Komang took us there for a purification ritual.  We wore our sarongs.  Komang brought us the appropriate offerings, walked with us to the sacred pools, gave us detailed instructions, and even acted as our photographer.  

I have always wanted an experience like this.  To engage in a bit of spiritual culture.  But, I am always one who is afraid to intrude, never wanting to be rude to devotees engaging in their religious ceremonies.  Komang eased the way.

This was a truly special experience.  We were waist deep in cool water, with dozens of Balinese who were looking for purification as well.  Everyone was welcoming, so long as we smiled.  We followed the crowd, listened intently to Komang’s instructions, and emerged soaking wet, a little chilly, and hopefully purified.  

I would like to believe that this was a successful purification - that we have changed the course of our bad luck.  In the end, only time will tell, as the Island decides whether we can stay.

For the complete experience, check this out: