2012
Off to a wedding in Bali
12 October 2012
Big day today! I'm off to a wedding this afternoon! Serendipitously (how I love that word!) I am in Bali when my ex-AFP student, Mike, is getting married at a villa down at the coast. I taught Mike Indonesian over a couple of years, one on one, a few years back, and he was one of the most amazing students I've ever taught. I attended his first wedding in Adelaide in 2008, but sadly that marriage did not last. He met his new bride, Peng while working for the AFP on Christmas Island. She was born there and was a teacher at the local school. They now live in KL where Mike is a private investigative consultant. Not sure what that work involves, but hopefully I'll find out more today - though his wedding is not the best circumstances to catch up with someone you have not seen for two years. (Mike worked in Canberra then Jakarta for the AFP on people smuggling after he finished his lessons with me.)
Time to write a bit more on the festival before I set out for the wedding:
I met some of the writers I had translated for the festival's published bilingual anthology, one of whom, a jolly Catholic priest from West Timor (who wrote a humorous story about tape recorders proliferating in his village, creating a hideous cacophony) gave me an enormous hug on being introduced. Alas, I did not get to the main session where the writers were speaking as it clashed with the book club breakfast event I had booked. However there was a launch of the anthology at which I spoke, Pam Allen too, and the writers read from their works. Was unable to stay for the whole session though, as I wanted to get to Shamini's launch too. Have been to all of her launches - each festival, a new Inspector Singh murder mystery. Had already read this latest one set in Mumbai.
Time to write a bit more on the festival before I set out for the wedding:
I met some of the writers I had translated for the festival's published bilingual anthology, one of whom, a jolly Catholic priest from West Timor (who wrote a humorous story about tape recorders proliferating in his village, creating a hideous cacophony) gave me an enormous hug on being introduced. Alas, I did not get to the main session where the writers were speaking as it clashed with the book club breakfast event I had booked. However there was a launch of the anthology at which I spoke, Pam Allen too, and the writers read from their works. Was unable to stay for the whole session though, as I wanted to get to Shamini's launch too. Have been to all of her launches - each festival, a new Inspector Singh murder mystery. Had already read this latest one set in Mumbai.
On the Saturday night of the festival we took time out from events like the poetry slam and instead had dinner at Havana, the Cuban restaurant, and watched the waiters and waitresses, four couples, perform synchronised salsa routines. Fabulous! It was a quiet night in terms of patrons, so they were not busy. Great Cuban band of Balinese musicians too. The decor is old Cuba and an evening there is of course nothing to do with being in Bali. But I love it! So did Anne and Pam, but, alas, Hilary missed out as she was still unwell.
Just a few more days in Bali. Home Sunday morning. Today Jazz's mum is taking her to the north coast, mainly to see the homeopathic doctor for a check up, but for a bit of a beach holiday too. The driver will bring her back on Saturday afternoon in time for us all to leave for Sydney that night as Jazz is coming to Sydney again for the October school holiday break.