parading around

i had just returned from a lovely ceremony in the mountain and was wondering what i would do for the rest of the day, and a woman that works at a resort in the area stopped by to use the toilet and asked if i would like to join her and some guests that are going to the independence day parade in singaraja, an hours drive away. since i say "yes" to everything, i was off! she said i could get "made up" in the meeting room and they will leave in half an hour. i was still dressed in my temple clothes because of the ceremony, and asked what i should wear, and she said that i look fine like that. so off i went, having no idea what kind of parade, what kind of "made up" and with who....but who cares?!

as i arrived at the meeting hall, a 10 minute walk from my room, i saw 2 balinese women putting the "final touches" on the manageress, and one of the german women guests. i had never really seen people seriously making up other women, so it was fascinating seeing with what seriousness and detail and professionalism they were shaping the eyebrows with a tiny brush, and all the layers and shades of the eye shadow. the manageress is a beautiful woman, but was even more so all made up! i wanted to look like that too! i hoped the same older woman would put my make up on too. i was the last one they had to do, and they both worked on me at once, so that i would be ready "on time" (even though it really does not exist in bali!). it was fun...i can't say i thought i was beautiful, but i definitely was "made up"; red lips, dark eyebrows, white face make-up, and some blush on.

we met a few minutes later to pile into 3 little vans and off we went.(well, the "off we went" part included sitting in the van for 20 minutes waiting for the third van to arrive....i think they always like to do everything together, even drive 3 vans to the parade "together".) the hour drive was filled with interesting conversation with other foreigners that were staying at the resort (some women teaching at international schools in java, an english couple of which the man had lived in bali for the first 6 years of his life, 3 of which were spent in jail during the years of occupation here, a few women from germany, and a new zealander). no one knew where we were going or what we were doing. so i asked the manageress. it turned out that even though independence day was the day before, they were having a parade today, there would be floats from all the villages in the north, and my village would have a float from the resort, looking like a bamboo shack and they needed us "tourists" parading next to it and doing yoga on it, and lots of little blonde german kids sitting on the float, to show how "tourism" is part of the villages image. with only 2 small real resorts, it's hard to call it a tourist village, but why not? and we would be walking for 5 km. okay....

when we arrived on the boulevard where the parade was to begin, it was already lined with people on the sidewalks, and many of the floats and performers; gamelon groups, musicians that play on bamboo instruments, women dressed up in temple clothes with big flower offerings on pedestals on their heads, a rock band, and...a group of "lady boys/transvestites"! that were absolutely fantastic! we were dropped off in our place up front and proceeded to wait in the sun and heat for another 1 1/2 hours until the parade began.

but it was funny...i realized the balinese love all this pomp and circumstance (whatever that means...but i think it has to do with parades) and that getting each group in its' place, and in "two"s and with a space in between, and the lists, and the signs, and who is first and and and...was a riot. we kept thinking we were starting the parade, and then one of the "helpers" would tell us to stop advancing, and wait. when i asked someone what is going on, i was told that the masked dancers from my village hadn't arrived yet, so they were waiting for them. the parade could not begin. hmm....okay...and an hour later we were all, (hundreds of people from villages, floats, and all the onlookers) still waiting for the masked dancing troupe to arrive. no one seemed to mind. i was speaking with a young englishman about it and he said that it reminded him of the year he and his wife spent in india working, and they too were supposed to participate in many ceremonies and parades as part of their work, and the same thing would happen there, and it was clear to all the indians that if the parade was supposed to start, it would have started, and the fact that it hasn't begun yet, means that it is not supposed to, regardless of the fact that this parade was meant to start at 2 and it was now 3:30...

the masked dancers arrived, accompanied by their gamelon orchestra following them and me and the other 7 "resort" representatives were to follow them. i was happy that at least we would have nice music the whole walk! and we began. i saw all of the crowds of balinese men women and children 4 deep on the sides of the road as we walked by and i thought, "let's have some fun!" and i told the 2 tourists besides me that all we have to do is wave and say "ha-llo" (hello) and it will bring smiles and a great response from everyone. and to demonstrate i waved a big "hallo"....and no one responded! that was a surprise...we all laughed...guess i had a bit of ego in there, and needed a quick dose of humility...

we continued to walk along and some of the kids would wave, and we would wave back. what usually happens to me several times a day, is that i pass balinese and don't want to be intrusive and so i just keep my glance forward and they are always the ones to giggle and say "good morning" or "hallo" or "cuckoo", or whatever....and then i answer them happily, but i tend to wait for them to initiate, out of my western "politeness" and possibly low self worth; not wanting to bother them, or make them feel they have to say hello to me even though we don't know each other. but the opposite is in fact the truth; that they do not have the same kind of invisible borders we westerners have, and i think they really do believe we are all "one", so if you pass someone, you would naturally say hello to them, since they aren't invisible!

as we continued i decided it was a good opportunity for me to dare and initiate hello with all of them, so for the next couple of kilometers that's just what i did, and enjoyed smiling and waving my hand, and yelling "hallo!" and getting smiles and waves and hallos back! at one point the same fellow that had been in india said that he feels that what he really wants to do is go up to the onlookers and "slip me 5!" with them! and so he did, and they were thrilled and roaring with laughter each time.

for some reason i like parading around...i have no idea why, just like it. i soon realized that most of the smiles and waves and laughter i was getting was because these people from this city don't really see western women dressed up balinese style, and it simply made them laugh! who cares! let them laugh...we're all having fun. the old old toothless women would give me a big smile of approval, the younger ones thought i was such a site with my burgundy brocade see through blouse and sarong and short curly hair. the german women next to me had short geryish hair that the make-up women at the resort had attached a big black bun to her hair in the back so she would look typically balinese. it was also a bit humorous, so when the people were pointing (no...they do not point with their fingers, which they consider to be very rude, but with their glance or intention) and laughing i was not quite sure whether it was at me or her! but all the attention was lots of fun.

at one point the "helpers" who were wearing red and white polo shirts and training pants and gym shoes, were kind of merging with us "tourists" as they tried to speed us up a bit, and i saw i wanted to have all the attention and not get swallowed up by them, but what to do? these helpers were men and women, my age, just doing their job. i think at one point the parade was at a stand still for some reason, and while the band was playing i started imitating the balinese dancers that i had once seen. this made the helpers and the crowds roar. and always one to "ham it up", i continued once we started parading again.

one woman helper next to me was especially enthusiastic and kept egging me on each time i thought i would stop. we became chummy, her giving me "live" balinese dancing cues with her feet or hands or shoulders, and i would take it from there. i was focused on doing my best, and trying to remember all those balinese women dancing that i had seen a few days before, and what were the beautiful movements that "made the difference" between the special ones and the mechanical appearing ones? i tried. and the truth is, no matter what i did the thousands of people on both sides of the road, on balconies, on statues, on roofs, on sidewalks, were all pointing (without fingers :) ) and laughing and having a good time watching me. no longer did i have eye contact with all of them, but was busy trying to make sure my bottom was swaying in tempo, and my hands were flowing and my shoulders were alternating, and my feet were keeping the beat, and the sweat, just poured, and i was loving it! what a way to walk the last 3 kilometers!

the musicians in front of me realized at some point that the masked dancers were tired and no longer moving about, the wheels on some of the carts holding the instruments as the musicians played, were falling off and so each time another musician left the band, and that what was left was to keep up a nice beat and the crowds could at least have fun watching me...so they too kept smiling and egging me on to dance to the beat. my "personal trainer aka helper" was really into it and tried to get me to do "erotica" (the only word i understood in all she had spoken to me, but was unable to improvise) every time she saw i suddenly added some shoulder movement. but who was i compared to her! she was great, but too shy, and dressed in the polo shirt, baseball cap and training pants, was not much of an attraction. so what was left was just to try and find the subtle elements of the eyes, the neck, the fingers, that make balinese dancing so special. when she wasn't busy fanning me as i danced for the crowds in the parade, or getting the cameras focused on me, she was laughing and enjoying her new protege!

2 hours later the parade ended, we laughed and said our goodbyes, and a good time was had by all, without a single word of common verbal communication but lots of body language and laughs, parading around.