On the road again...
Apr 3, 2017 15:06:25 GMT
Post by questa on Apr 3, 2017 15:06:25 GMT
In 3 more days I will be in Indonesia again. This will be a whirlwind trip with another woman from my Indonesian Language class. We will stay 3 nights at my friends' homestay, then 3 with her friends. Short flight to Lombok Island to visit the families I knew from my 2 years living there, staying 3 nights then after a short flight back to Bali we leave at midnight for home.
Every time I go back I have mixed feelings. The rapid spread of unwise development and crass copies of beautiful art and craft items are destroying the very things that made Bali beautiful.
Water plus rice is the foundation of the original religion mixed with Hinduism centuries later. Now the water is being drained from the rice terraces to irrigate the golf courses for the rich. However...all the kids go to high school, many to universities, electricity and piped water are reaching to the hamlets and who am I to deny the people the same technology and desire for 'stuff' that I have myself.
Lombok is an Islamic island. Normally it is peaceful and the women only wear hair coverings when they go out of their village. Over the last few years tensions have built, developments have taken what arable land they could and many farmers have taken the money, spent it and now are in a poor state. I fear that the Chinese (Christians) are going to be in for more trouble like we had in my time there...they have the money and are seen by the Muslims as cheats.
Yet it is a beautiful island and I am longing to go back again. Who? Me Crazy?
Every time I go back I have mixed feelings. The rapid spread of unwise development and crass copies of beautiful art and craft items are destroying the very things that made Bali beautiful.
Water plus rice is the foundation of the original religion mixed with Hinduism centuries later. Now the water is being drained from the rice terraces to irrigate the golf courses for the rich. However...all the kids go to high school, many to universities, electricity and piped water are reaching to the hamlets and who am I to deny the people the same technology and desire for 'stuff' that I have myself.
Lombok is an Islamic island. Normally it is peaceful and the women only wear hair coverings when they go out of their village. Over the last few years tensions have built, developments have taken what arable land they could and many farmers have taken the money, spent it and now are in a poor state. I fear that the Chinese (Christians) are going to be in for more trouble like we had in my time there...they have the money and are seen by the Muslims as cheats.
Yet it is a beautiful island and I am longing to go back again. Who? Me Crazy?