Bali has been so wonderful that we have decided to stay for awhile.  We had to come to terms with the fact that the kid’s schooling has not gone as well as planned and that teaching while moving around so much was just not working.  We realized that if we didn’t get working on the schooling, they would probably fall behind when we return. Bali is an ideal place to settle down for the duration of our trip as it has a large expatriate English speaking community with good schools.  In addition, it is centrally located for short trips to Australia and China.  The people here are wonderful, both locals and expiates, and we have made many new friends.  Bali has many facets and even three months is not enough time to really appreciate it all.  We found a small villa near the beach with pool and staff and have enrolled the kids in school.

The only dark cloud on this adventure was the rioting going on last week in Jakarta and other parts of Indonesia.  We went to the airport to reschedule our tickets to Auckland but the airport was jammed with people trying to get out.  We went to the bank to open an account and people were lined up taking their money out.  Because of bank closures in Jakarta, the ATMs on which we had been depending for cash were only sporadically working.  Then at breakfast one day, we heard from an expiate that demonstrations were scheduled two days later in Denpasar and Kuta in Bali. The Kuta hotel we were staying at decided to close until after the demonstrations.  They advised their guests to find other accommodations outside of the populated areas.  As we walked the streets that night, windows were being boarded up and the air was tense with anticipation.  Suddenly, the political upheaval was coming home.

Seeking advise, we visited a few of our new expiate friends and encountered somber meetings where everyone was talking in hushed tones about what they were going to do.   Rumors were all over the place.  Some said that an army coup was in the making and that this would result in battles between various army factions.  Others thought that there would be a deadly showdown between the army and the students like Tieniman Square.  About half of the expiates we talked to were leaving the country.  Many of these were long term residents.  The ones that were staying were all lying low for the three “hot” days and stocking up on food and supplies.  The stores were starting to run out of food, and no new deliveries were coming down from Jakarta.   The local money (rupee) was dropping by the day and dollars were king.

While there had been a lot of violence against the Chinese community because of their conspicuous wealth in this region, there had been none against any “Anglos”. The concern was that an all out civil war would cause widespread looting.  In Jakarta, all of the major supermarkets and over a thousand private homes had been looted.

We could have still left.  We had our tickets and the airport was still open.   We thought long and hard.  We talked of the many people in history that didn’t get out “while the getting was good”.  We couldn’t believe how bad our timing was.  In the end, we decided to stay.  We
figured we were in no physical danger and everything we owned we were already carrying with us anyway.  We quickly moved into the house and stocked up on what money and food we could find.  We noticed that troops were now stationed around the local supermarkets, banks, and other likely targets, including Suharto family owned businesses.

Piper, our budding teenager (just turned thirteen), had been after us to take her dancing.   So, the night before the planned demonstrations, we danced the night away at the Hard Rock Café.  It was filled with foreigners, most of who were completely unaware of what was brewing for the next day.  Watching the people jumping to the loud music, one could not help but think of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

The next morning we turned on CNN and waited. The Army was out in force and the opposition leaders, fearing bloodshed, wisely decided to call off the demonstrations.  The crisis had passed. The next few days saw Suharto resign and the political maneuverings
begin.  The political unrest is certainly not over, but the chance of violence has greatly diminished.

So here we are.  Practically alone in our island paradise since the tourist traffic dried up overnight.  The real losers, as always, are the people.  They now have a nearly worthless currency, rising costs and no tourism income.  The hotels, restaurants and beaches are empty.  The other night, we had a wonderful lobster dinner right on the sandy beach near our house, with a backdrop of a beautiful sunset and crashing waves.  Empty tables and an abundance of under utilized waiters surrounded us.  The bill came to fifteen dollars.

Through it all we have still managed to play tourist and see the sights.   We’ll catch you up on that aspect with our next postcard.  In the mean time, check your calendars and schedule a trip to visit us ($900 round trip from San Francisco via Singapore Air).  You’ll be as enchanted with Bali as we are.

- Ken, Sherry, Piper and Skyler

              
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