Day 27 : the Agung Raka Bugalows in Ubud

Before the Bali bombings, there was 40% more staff working here at Agung Raka. It is off season now but still, you get the sense that this compound has suffered from the decrease in tourist flow since the first incident. The USA gov advises travellers not to come to Bali, which one would gather given recent events, our nation's doings internationally, and that Indonesia is over 80% Muslim. But our hosts here openly talk about the bombings and how they do not associate themselves or condone the acts. The Indonesians practice religious tolerance, just as other god-fearing people do, and they feel acutely how it affects their bottom line.

So, you can imagine a more magnificent time here at Agung Raka, when the outdoor bar wasn't shuttered, the pool was less furry, and the bungalows less...gone-to-seed.

The bungalow is nonetheless a character with merits--the building's foundation is made of hand-chiseled volcanic tuff, the tables have wooden butterfly joinery, there are blooming lilies planted in the bathroom, the floors are made of solid wide planks of locally milled tropical wood, and the balcony overlooks the neighbor's rice paddies.

But, J and I are no doubt outnumbered by the bees, geckos, wasps, and birds in the thatch and mortar, the occupants with whom we truly negotiate our stay. It seems if having no choice, a property maintains its grounds since its degradation would outpace that of the interior spaces. So, it takes 15 minutes for the hot water to heat up, the thatch routinely sheds on the bed and buzzes, chirps and chortles, the toilet tank chain snaps, and so it goes.