Winter 2019 - 11. General Info Learned from Agung

11.  General Info Learned from Agung 

Hans and Our Guide, Agung

Agung, our driver, is a very astute man; he is married and has children. His English is excellent, we learned a lot from him while he drove us throughout Bali. His disposition and attitude is gentle. A smile comes easily to him. I like him. He is a smart man in his 30^’s.

We asked him life questions and as an example we asked how much a blue collar worker living in Bali makes per month and his replay was: A normal salary is about 2.5 million Rupiah a month (US $175).  I read later it’s a bit more, like $200 or so.

Basic schooling is given in Elementary School for a standard time period of 7 years…but you must pay for it, it’s NOT free.

Rice fields are harvested 3 times a year.  Bali could feed itself years ago, but today rice needs to be imported to feed the people (more people, fewer rice fields).

Very Wet Rice Fields

Gasoline is 7650 Rupiah a liter (US $ .53 liter) = US $1.89/gallon. The Indonesian Government substitutes the rest of the money on purchases of gasoline. So the Government pays half your transportation, let’s say.

The colored ribbons on top of a temple Red, White, and Black have the following meanings:

Red = Fire

White = Air

Black – Water

Electricity is the most expensive part of a family’s monthly budget. Agung pays 1.5 million Rupiah per month for electricity (about US $100).

Making Her Offering Outside Her Home

Nyepi Day. This is a day of total silence. Every 420 days this day happens. Please read the article to learn more. Most people stay inside their living space during Nyepi.

Offerings to the gods are made daily. A reflective moment is given to YOUR god each day. Full moons are special days in Bali. Houses, shops and buildings receive blessings during the full moon.

New born babies will be kept off the ground for about 3 months. The reason: when a person is born they come from the ‘other’ realm, the space in between. (Hindu Religions believe in re-incarnation and when a baby is born it is an ancient being that has returned). To place them on the ground where all the demons live would be very bad. The ‘soul’ will only settle into the baby after a while, so do not put a baby on the floor, give it some time until the soul has settled back into the baby.  Give the baby a chance to let the old soul settle down into it. (I understand that the soul settles into the brain through the anterior cranial fossa (opening) which is wide open with a new baby). New age ways of looking at a baby:  Cranial exercise.