Breeze or Malaria?

Our driver, Mede, phoned Maday, the owner of Nirwa Homestay in Ubud, for directions and Maday met us at the main road. Maday (accent on the last syllable) was on his moped and took our backpacks and road ahead to his home. We followed......................... up the hill for approximately 30-40 yards, then along a drainage ditch for about 2 blocks. I struggle for the right words because it isn't really a ditch but more of a runoff or artery coming from the river, so it's fresh water, but it's only about 3' wide.

The path that runs along the ditch is anywhere from 2-4 feet wide, depending upon the location, and flanked by a wall on the other side. Of course, the pavement/pavers/dirt is uneven, so you must pay close attention to your footing or you might fall into the ditch.

P- How did he pass down this little path on a moped?

G- I don't know. Once he rounded that curve I couldn't see him. And I haven't seen our packs in the water, so I guess he managed with those on his bike too.

P- It's unbelievable!

G- Look up ahead, someone is standing in the ditch washing their clothes.

P- I guess that's a designated clothes washing spot because it's the only place with a concrete slab about waist high.

G- Shit, it's hot. When you phoned didn't Maday say it was cooler in Ubud?

P- Yes, he did.

G- Well he lied.

When we reached the home, the path lead up at a steep angle to the front gate. We then climbed a flight of steps, in varying heights, with one being particularly high. Maday lead us through an inner courtyard full of tropical plants to our bungalow #3. There was a nice porch with 2 chairs and a table and our own laundry drying rack. The bungalow was a large room with a queen size bed, desk, big wooden chair, separate single mattress on the floor and attached bathroom. The bathroom was spacious and the shower was big and modern with just a half wall separating it from the toilet area. The sink, on the wall opposite the shower head, was a stone vessel on a counter top. Overall we were very happy with the accommodations.

We chatted with Maday, closed the door and windows to keep out the mosquitoes because it was dusk, and set off to get a bite to eat.

G- Phyl, be careful on this sidewalk. Your little foot could easily slip into the grate on the drains.

P- Thanks. I've been watching that. Damn, this is a workout just walking on the sidewalk. Why does the damn thing go up and down like this? The streets flat.

G- I have no idea but it is quite the workout.

P – I just keep telling myself... “Asian diet, Asian diet....”

As we walked down the sidewalk, we passed shop after shop and at each shop encountered a shopkeeper who asked us if we wanted to come in or buy whatever they were selling. We smiled and said 'no thank you', but it was quite the mental workout to watch your footing and decline the offers of each and every shopkeeper.

G- I'm sweating.

P- Me too and I'm not all that hungry because our lunch was so big.

G- I'm not that hungry either, but we need a little something. I don't want rice. What can we get?

P- There's a store, let's go see what we can buy.

After perusing the store, we settled on peanut butter, bread, & yogurt. We needed something different and that's all we could turn into some kind of a meal. We returned to our bungalow, via the winding footpath, and were thankful it was not yet dark.

G- Dear Gawd!!! It is stifling in here. Open all of the windows and leave the door open for a while.

P- Oh yeah, because that's gonna let the cool breeze in?

G- At least it'll let some of the hot air out. What made us think it would be cooler here?

P- We're idiots!!! It's hotter here than along the coast.

G- “Too cool for air con”, my ass!!!

P- I'm going to stand under a cold shower. I can't eat when I'm this hot.

After a cool shower our body temps were low enough to sit on the bed, under the fan, and eat our dinner without sweating. Barely. It had been a long day and by 9:00 pm, we were ready to go to sleep.

P- Do you think we can sleep without the mosquito net? I haven't seen any mosquitoes since we returned. (The words had barely escaped her lips when a mosquito landed on her nose.)

G- (smacking her in the nose) Um, I think not. What better place than surrounded by rice fields to get malaria.

P- Damn! If we close the mosquito net around us, it'll block the breeze from the fan.

G- Decisions, decisions................. breeze & malaria or protection & heat ............I think I choose protection. I'm a safety girl.

P- Sweet Jesus! I might prefer to take my chances.

G- I'm leaving the windows open and there are no screens. I think it's the right choice. What sense does it make to lock the door when there is an open window right next to it.

P- None, but I think we're pretty safe at the end of this path, up the steps and at the back of the courtyard.

We pulled the mosquito net around the bed and tucked it under the mattress. Within a few minutes, we fell into a warm, sticky coma.