A Random Textile Factory
It wasn’t in the little itinerary booklet the company provided us with, but we made an excursion to a textile factory while we were in the Jimbaran area. The workers paid very little attention to us. I know they get a fair amount of visitors because another group went through right after us and we all ended up on the sales floor.
Suzie’s House 472 : Abashed Trash
“Winnow! What kind of a word is winnow?” Big Jim Zemple stood up in the dumpster. He waved a book he’d found that had “winnow” in the title.
“Well, isn’t that kind of what we are doing? I think…?” Boney Bonny reached for the book.
Back to School
The totally random picture above is a bus stop on Rinca Island. It reminded me of the shelters built by ranchers for their children to wait in for a school bus.
13 Statues in Bali
We just drove past. Your guess is probably as good as mine. I kind of recognized some Hindu characters that I already talked about here. They tended to run on the large size.
1.
Suzie’s House 471 : Baggage
“Really?” Drew gave Walter a long, hard look as they walked up the street to where he had parked. He could swear the old man had just said he killed his own best friend during the Viet Nam War, but he couldn’t be sure. There had to be more to the story.
Soda Drinking Bats
Tourists and tour guides feed Fanta to the bats in the Subek area. It was fun to watch, but I have mixed feelings.
Hive Minded
“There’s something wrong. Wrong, I tell you!” Matt swung his bottle of beer around dangerously. He nearly nailed a barmaid as she dashed past.
“You always say that, Matt.” Old Man Matheson leaned back so he wouldn’t get clipped.
“It’s just…” Matt shrugged. “The city’s got a sound. You know? A kind of buzz. Only lately it’s been a different kind of buzz. They say the North and the South poles are going to flip. Maybe they already did! We’re all dead already. We just don’t know it.”
Matheson shook his head sorrowfully.
“You get it. Right? It’s the wrong kind of buzz.”
“You can say that again.” Matheson walked away.
The Challenge: Write a story in 100 words or less
The Hub: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The Photo Credit: Janet Webb
Rice Terraces Between Lovina and Jimbaran
Between Lovina and Jimbaran the volcanic soil coils around to form steep hills. Indonesians have industriously terraced them into a unique combination of rice paddies and irrigation system.
The irrigation system is called subak. It is woven into the landscape and the culture of Bali. UNESCO World Heritage protects the entire subek area.
Rice is first planted in a small nursery area within the fields. This is because many seeds won’t sprout. Rather than letting large patches of field fall fallow, the plants are grown to a certain height, then transplanted into the rest of the field.
They are transplanted in small clumps of seven seedlings per bunch. with about a foot around each clump. This is all done by hand. It’s back-breaking work. And talk about pruney toes!
Actually, lets start at the beginning of the process.
Suzie’s House 470 : Last Laugh
“Sadistic bstrd,” Walter muttered to himself.
“What?” Drew leaned forward a little, though the lower part of his shoulders still touched the back wall of the sound room. He gave Walter a concerned look.
“What? Oh, no. I was just thinking.” Walter half way smiled in the hopes that Drew would let it slide. There was no way he wanted to explain what was going on in his head right then.
Tourist Trap
On the way to Jimbaran we ran across the strangest tourist trap I’d encountered. It consisted of a way side pull out and this ram shackle tower.
If you set foot on the tower, for instance, should you feel you need the extra height in order to get a good picture of the scenery below, then someone will run out and demand that you pay for the privilege.
My thought was that they’d have to pay me to be willing to go up on that thing. But that’s just me.
On the Boardwalk
“I heard you and Liam went on a date.” Alicia glowered at Sally.
“We just went on a hike. You didn’t miss anything.”
“Didn’t you go on a boardwalk somewhere? I wish Liam would take me on a boardwalk. Window shopping, holding hands, maybe stopping somewhere for an ice cream. It would be like a dream come true for me!”
“Not this boardwalk. We went bird watching in the marshes. Part of the trail is wooden. I wouldn’t even really call it a boardwalk. Knowing you, it would be more like a bored walk.” Sally grinned.
The Challenge: Write a story in 100 words or less
The Hub: Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The Photo Credit: Adam Ickes
