Moving about in the dark.
During the recent Nyepi, (Silent day) celebration in Bali, I had a chance to sit in the dark.
This would not be considered normal for me. Here I was on Nyepi in a villa that was situated in Nusa Dua almost the southernmost tip of Bali. It was a bit out of the way but perfect for the Silent day celebration. However, there were rules. One light on in the bedroom at max or one light on anywhere in the house at a time. This seems simple enough… Yet we are used to lighting our way as we go. Kitchen, living room, bathroom and so on. Trying my best to adhere to the local standards I went back and forth with one light on at a time and on occasion using my phone’s flashlight. This is easier said than done. Get a glass of water, grab a snack, or use the washroom all with one light on at a time. Kind of like a game as I went from room to room.
Sitting in the dark.
I was told the internet may or may not be working. However, for the most part, it did. There were minutes here and there when the system was probably overloaded more than anything.
Now I did have a pool… But a pool in the dark was a little scary. What if something is in the water swimming beside me and I didn’t notice? The light on the phone was adequate but made it feel like a horror movie.
It is a great time to think and sit back. Chill, relax and get settled in for a night of little to no communication with the outside world. It was nice. Nice to disconnect and not worry about content to post or the next blog to write and no TikTok live to think about. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing all of that. Today was great to reconnect with the world on social media but it was good to have a break as well.
The villa.
I took the picture in this post of my room in the villa. It is the living room and dining area of the villa I rented. I love this place because it was better than the pictures.
Something rarely exceeds expectations but here I was. In this wonderful spacious place that I had for 3 days and two nights. It was a great place that felt airy, light, and homey. It was completely private and quiet, except for one bird that seemed to not shut up all night. I don’t know what it was, but it was the only thing that bothered me.
What I loved about the space was that it was light airy and comfy. The air conditioning worked, the water was hot and the toilets worked.
The crazy cooktop.
The only other thing that was odd was the cooktop. This over-engineered piece of crap always needed the pot on it. I assume it was an induction unit and was so complicated to use that even engineering gave up on trying to get one side to work.
Turn on, turn on the heat while tapping on this plus sign and raise to temperature to 1000, degrees Fahrenheit or whatever level, and hope for the best. One side had a concave featured spot for a wok, but no wok was to be had in the villa.
Unless the metal was touching you would get an error message. A useless contraption and if I could remember the name of the manufacturer, I would certainly mention them here. But the night was peaceful and I had what I needed so there was no need to be upset. What I love about this photo I took was that my night was complete, quiet, and very peaceful. many people cannot live without sensory input… Or think they cannot. Yet I am and I was completely okay with not being anywhere online for a night and chilling in this wonderful space.
Zsolt Zsemba 