Indonesia

The Day After Nyepi: A Time for Family


The hotel is deserted this morning – everyone is out early after the enforced stay-at-home of the day before.

We are also of a mind to get out and do more exploring and head out as soon as we finish breakfast. Although it is still the holiday, the 3rd day of Nyepi is a day to be out, visiting family. Many of the people we have talked to tell us that they will go today to visit relatives in distant parts of the island – it can take 3 or more hours to get to some of the more remote areas on this island of 3 million or so people.

We walk down to the beach – past more percalang, still on the job for the final day of the holiday. We walk north along the beach, past the vendors selling everything – watches, jewelry, clothing, chess games, kites, sodas, beach chairs, beach massage, pedicures – until we are away from the hustle. As we walk farther, we approach a resort that we know will be the Oberoi, the first big hotel built in this area.

We finally get to the street our hotel is on, which we have now figured out is nicknamed either Club Street or Drink Street and turn onto it. We are hot and hungry, but again we find that most of the restaurants remain closed for Nyepi. (We had already discovered that there are many internet cafés along this street, but they were closed for Nyepi on Saturday morning and are all still closed today.) We know, having passed it earlier this morning, that the restaurant right at the beach, Gado Gado, is, in fact, open, and so we make our way to the beach, to sit on their deck and enjoy the view as we dine. We have an excellent meal, and with everything in, it runs to 260,000 rupiahs, about $40 Canadian. We linger on the deck, savouring the view, long after we have finished our meal.

After swims and visits with Bev and Janet, who are leaving this evening, we head out at about 8:30 to find some dinner. Little is open, but we pass a café full of people and so decide to give it a try. The menu is limited – the only item they will make tonight is nasi goreng, a noodle dish. We order a beer to go with it and have quite a pleasant meal. The price is certainly right – two nasi goreng and two big beer, for 58,000 rupiahs, about $9 Canadian.
Just after the Oberoi we turn toward land, and walk along the street that goes out to the main road – our intention is to walk a big square, ending up back at our hotel. We understand that this road is nicknamed Eat Street, and we pass many restaurants, most still closed for the last day of Nyepi.

At the main street, we turn south and walk past shop after shop, almost all still closed.

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