The Christmas Spirit lives in Canggu, Bali — pandemic be damned! — even in the Bali adaptation of a green pine Christmas tree. An ex-pat has to look far and wide though, to find commercial Christmas in Canggu (pronounced “chan-goo”), a major coastal town in southern Bali. However, Santa Claus and all the fa-la-la are here, in isolated bule spots. Yes, the hunt is worth it for those who dream of Santa and candy canes, with just a little Jesus thrown in.
Written December 25, 2021. Note: “bule” is the local Indonesian term for Caucasian people. Bule is NOT an insult; but can sometimes be used dismissively or with contempt. Examples: “What else could we expect from a bule?” or in the local parlance, “bule tolol!” (stupid bule!) The category of “bule” generally is not derogatory. However, the term derives from the Javanese word for “albino dog.”
I am Zephyr Carlyle, travelogue author, and 2021 is my first year in beautiful Bali! Among all the other Bali delights, a great joy was to be Santa’s helper earlier today. Spreading Christmas cheer was actually a mixed learning experience. A week ago, I went out and bought Christmas presents and hunted around until I found critical supplies: gift boxes, wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, and gingerbread men (used as ornaments on boxes). I really tarted up the gifts. Each present got a separate tissue paper wrapping, before it went into the box. I then did a Martha Stewart on the gift box itself – [foreign readers, don’t worry about it.] I gave a couple of over-wrapped gifts to traditional Bali folks who had been kind to me. The whole delivery and presentation of the gifts was not understood. The gift receiving was not received in the spirit of Christmas gift giving. I had to get past the doubt, and confusion, and of what-the-heck is this bule doing? Then, we got to a very polite version of: What the hell is this multicolored box with all this strange junk on it? Once we threw out all the ribbon, bows, and gift wrap; the gifts were appreciated. The gingerbread man on the box was not a good idea. They were seen as weird. If you think about it, gingerbread men are weird. However, they were large cookies; freshly baked at a bule restaurant, and wrapped in plastic. I put one gingerbread man on each box. I hoped the ginger cookie would be given to a kid (or adult) to eat, but no. They were thrown out.
Later on Christmas Day, I attended a Hindu Ceremony at a local temple. Among other things, I saw this display on the left. I was confused by what all this stuff meant. I had no idea; except that the table baskets in the foreground are canangs, or flower offerings. Cultural context means everything.
I found more success as Santa’s helper at Serenity Eco Lodge, my guest house. Remember, cash is king. I walked around today, Christmas Day, with a fatty stack of envelopes. Each envelope had $3.50 in local currency,(50,000 rupiahs – hard to believe the currency conversions). Fifty thousand rupiahs, or $3.50, is probably half a day’s pay, or at least that is the going rate. I handed a gift envelope to every employee I encountered — lobby receptionists, restaurant staff, massage ladies, gardeners, maintenance, back office people – everyone.
Notice that restaurant staff and massage ladies were on my “nice list.” Serenity Eco Guesthouse has a spa and an attached vegan/raw food restaurant, Alkaline. I get a vegan breakfast as part of my housing. Alkaline has a delicious breakfast. They serve tasty local fruits, Bali bread, vegan crepes, etc, plus local cuisine. For Christmas breakfast, I had: mung bean porridge, steamed pumpkin with coconut, and lemon grass infusion (think: tea) — delicious! But sigh: I miss fried eggs and buttered toast in the morning; bad habits die hard.
I do not know if this Santa’s helper gig was a good idea. The Serenity staff seemed to like it, though. The restaurant server, below left, has a wonky face, but the envelope is visible. The photograph on the right is more representative of the workers response. They all had BIG smiles when receiving their Christmas gift. Balinese generally are not real emotive face-wise. However, the Serenity staff always provides service with a smile. Today, many went beyond smily to become cheery and bubbly, at least for a minute!
Note that above I am wearing a standard-issue, Hawaiian-like outfit. Commonly, I wear more traditional Indonesian batik; but this shirt is a mixed breed – Balian and Hawaiian. This outfit is my absolute minimum dress. I usually wear sneakers, old man white socks (mid-calf), my sombrero, and long pants on the uncommon “cool” night or special occasion. On dress-up days, I even wear “European shoes” – regular leather shoes (Rockport brand.) Traditionally, Indonesians wore no shoes: totally barefoot. Remnants of this shoeless tradition survive in daily life today.
Yet, I always wear far more clothes than MANY bules here among the “20 or 30 something”, hipster, Canggu set. For bule men, clothes on public streets and stores can consist of a pair of shorts or gym trunks – that’s it. Everything else is optional; including flip flops. Barefoot is part of the local tradition; but still, so is wearing a shirt. To be honest, bule men commonly wear shorts and t shirts, or a wife beater, or perhaps a shredded athletic t shirt; but the t shirt is just an optional fashion statement. [Just in case: On the East Coast USA, a “wife beater” is called a “guinea t” – guinea being a derogatory term for Italians]. Youthful bule women follow the adage, “flaunt it if you got it.” Many of the bule women here, “got it”. The full gamut of tropical fashion saunter down the street and into shops: tropical wear from grunge to respectable; to “Ohh, that’s nice”; to “Really? Focus up on this one” – a parade of curvy, female flesh. This half naked, or three-quarters naked, look is inappropriate — and that is a value judgment. Bules can “let it all hang out” in topless and nude beaches world-wide; BUT it is disrespectful in Bali. The Bali people are very modest in dress and behavior. This flaunting of naked flesh is considered an insult by the locals to the Balinese people and culture. The Bali people, who are so kind, never say anything. They just let it roll by [except for the extreme bikini babe bimbo highlighted below]. This disrespect by foreigners feeds into any mild contempt for bules. Think I am exaggerating? Watch this:
These few photos show the clearest examples. I see this on the streets everyday, but only from some of the ex-pats; just the “bules tolol!” (stupid bules!) I took the photographs below, except as noted.
I always ask before I take photos of Bali people. The response is always to encourage me to take photos, even if we are at Temple or during Ceremonies. Sometimes, I offer small money as a thank you; especially if the photo subject looks down and out. The money is always refused, sometimes dismissively with a frown and a hand chop in the air. I stopped offering money for photos.
I take no pictures of local bules badly dressed. What would be the response if I go up to a half-naked, woman stranger: “Can I take your photograph?” What would her guy say who is standing next to her? As to the men: the sometimes cocky demeanor and the swagger; plus the testosterone/steroid level, all combine to keep me at bay. On my first day in Bali, I went into a pharmacy. In the cough drop section, I looked over and saw Junior Hulk standing mid-aisle facing me. He was totally bald, barefoot; wearing only his shorts and an angry expression. His muscular body glistened with oil, or was it sweat? I was relieved to know that Junior Hulk was on our side. He had a big chest tattoo with the letters: USMC (United States Marine Corps). However, when he lurched towards me, I beat a hasty retreat.
Contrasting Informal Bule Attire below. Who Wears Comfort Better — The Other Bule or Me?
Above: Photo by Octa. Author Zephyr Carlyle in traditional Bali batik. This is a bule outfit using traditional textiles. I have never seen a local wear matching batik shirts and shorts or a stupid hat.
These same skin exhibitionists are commonly seen flying by on motorbikes, often just scooters. Along with the many other motorbikes, all bike drivers weave in and out of traffic while dodging the cars and trucks. Naturally, the underclad will not wear the required safety helmet. All these bimbos and bimbettes need to do is have even a modest vehicle accident; and they will learn the meaning of “road rash” — or worse.
Bonus Eye Candy (for some): And it is not just the women – bule men like to strut their stuff, too. A modern catch phrase is: “farm to table”; but this guy is “beach to salad section” Photo not by me.
Every missive is a better entertainer than the last one.
You make Bali jump out of the text and live. You turn on their culture like Christmas lights.
MORE!
ROSS GANDY
What an informative (and funny) update. Glad to hear how things are going with you and your adventures in Bali. I’m so glad you had a fun Christmas and shared your culture with your friends, a true cultural exchange. Happy New Year Zephyr!