Kira arrives!

Monday July 27, 2009 9:57pm

It’s quieter tonight. After the heavy rains, it got noisier at night –some kind of frog came out of hibernation, or went into heat, or god knows what, decided to thank the froggy gods for so much rain I guess. For whatever reason, every night for a few nights, after the heaviest of the rains, the choking sound of their croaks was layered over the top of the already considerable Balinese wildlife caucophony and it was harder to sleep. It hasn’t really rained in a few days now, and tonight we’re back to the locusts and the regular frogs and the crickets and the geckos and whatever else.

My comforter has disappeared. Which is ironic, because I’ve always thought the thick comforter on my bed was kind of odd given how humid it is here. I’d often wrestled with it in the night, trying to find the balance between the comfort of it’s weight (hence “comforter”) over me, and kicking enough leg or arm out of it’s cover to make it cool enough to sleep. But now that it is gone, I miss it. The day after Austin left, the housekeeper changed my sheets. I was sort of sad about that because I lost his smell on the pillows, and grateful for it as well. I took it as a sign of compassion from the housekeeper, like she understood the psychic implications of sleeping alone in a bed you had shared with someone you love but who is gone. It seemed better that she changed the sheets after he went home, so I could reclaim my bed for myself, not sleep every night in the ghost of his presence. I realize this is probably NOT why she chose to change the sheets when she did, but was grateful for it anyway. But she took my comforter to wash it as well. It needed a good wash, because it had spots of blood all over it from my leg wound. But it hasn’t returned. I asked about it yesterday and they told me that it has been too rainy, so nothing will dry in the humidity. While I understand that, really there isn’t another comforter I can use? Anywhere?

So tonight, we will improvise. We! Kira is here! I picked her up from the airport today and have spent the afternoon with her showing her around Ubud, catching up, talking about best friend stuff. She’s currently showering and getting ready for bed, which makes another reason why its great that the sheets were changed, because who wants to sleep in the bedding of a couple? But doubly inconvenient that the comforter has absconded, because who wants to sleep on a bed with no covers, especially on your first night in a strange place with strange sounds, sharing a bed with someone who is not your husband?

Tomorrow is the cremation ceremony everyone has been preparing for all month. One of the villagers died recently, and so they have a big cremation ceremony to burn an effigy of the body (they bury the real body nowadays). We will attend, in ceremonial dress, which I am excited about. This is a very big deal, everyone will be there, and it’s a pretty neat opportunity to witness real Balinese culture in action. Beyond that, the day is unplanned. Kira is feeling like a trip to the spa would be nice and what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t oblige her? My guest is ready for bed. More soon.