Bali 2011: The Feeling Like I Never Left

Če me je lani uščipnil vonj dišečih palčk, sem letos ob prihodu dobila občutek, kot da nisem nikoli odšla. Kar se je lani gradilo, je letos zgrajeno. Kar je lani bilo, je morda letos dobilo novo podobo, nove najemnike, ali povsem prazne police. Trije žerjavi krasijo ragled nad Kuto. Bintang majice so enako popularne in po parih dneh sem lažje prenašala dva piva v želodcu, kot eno majico na obešalniku.

S sprehodom mimo scene snemanja, kar je izgledalo kot ena od pocukranih indonezijskih limonad, me je spomnila na lokalno TV ponudbo, ki sva jo zvečer preletela v prijetno ohlajeni sobi. Nekaj kanalov z Gmelan glasbo in tradicionalnim plesom, nekaj kanalov z limonadami, ki jih prekine le L’Orealov oglas za šampon, nekaj kanalov s talk showi in veste kaj, še en kanal, ker tudi Indonezija ima Talent. Pri tej oddaji, se tudi prodajalec v samopostrežni ne da motiti. Ne da bi pogled umaknil z ekrana, nama je vrnil drobiž do rupije natančno.

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Last year, the smell of burning sticks reminded me, I was really here, but this year, I felt like I had never left. Quite some things are different from last year. What used to be a construction site, is now finished. Three large cranes fill the skyline of Kuta. Some shops are gone, new once opened. Bintang t-shrts are ever so popular and after a few days, I couldn’t stand a sight of them.

A walk past a filming scene of what looked like a typical Indonesian soup opera, reminded me of their TV channel assortment. A few channels with Gmelan music and dance, a few channels of their soup opera, a few channels of talk shows, a channel covering Indonesia got talent and BBC World News.