The time is 20:30. I have just done the big comeback from Singaraja, where some shopping was done with Ketut, his trouble and strife and the billy lids
I had bought a cool disco outfit with padded shoulders for rp. 65,000 later to be modified into a temple trackie jacket and dacks just like the ones worn by the locals. The padded shoulders are necessary as my shoulders slope considerably. Actually I was sacked from my job as a postman because the bag kept slipping off my shoulders
I had also bought some clothes for the billy lids, a very bonza dress and knickerbockers. How grouse they looked in those outfits.
Ketut turned south from the coastal road, driving the car like Peter Brock and high tailing up a chicane. We were on our way to a galungan, what the hell was that I asked!
A lot of people were present when we arrived at the place of the galungan. I was the only tourist however I didn't look like a tourist in my disco outfit, just pretty cool. We were in a sort of open-air courtyard. Directly to the left of the courtyard a small gamelan orchestra was playing, traditional instruments producing the unique sounds of Indonesian traditional music. In front of the musicians a rectangular square was left vacant Did I say that? Squares aren't rectangular! Oh well, a rectangle was left vacant then.
At the right were some tables with benches and chairs in front of them and young women standing behind, selling all kinds of food, fruit, lollies, drinks and fags. We sat down at one of the benches and had some ‘teh pahit' I like things pahit. The billy lids drank happy ade. The dark sky above me seemed to twinkle with thousands of stars and with the teh I just drank I felt like a twinkle too.
After a while, people started to gather around the square shaped like a rectangle. (Did I say that again?) with the gamelan orchestra. Ketut explained that a dance called the Joget was about to begin. You beauty! I thought, how timely was that! buying my new disco outfit with the shoulder pads.
The Joget dance is a very sexy dance and is intended for everyone to have fun. A young woman, with an hour glass figure, starts the dance and very soon the audience get right into it with loud vocal applause and encouragement. As the dancer moves around wiggling her hips like Shakira other dancers join in.
The girls then dance close to the men in the audience while holding a selendang (like a long scarf) They place the selendang around a man's shoulders, (I knew my padded shoulders would come in handy!) and draw the man onto the dance floor. The man is expected to mimic the dancers moves which attracts loud cheers and roars from the audience.
In the beginning I was standing to the back of the audience but because I have such a big head shaped like a ripe tomato I was seen by the dancers and pushed forward. The shouting and pointing to draw the dancer's attention at me intensified more and more, and yes, I started to get quite excited and nearly blew my load!
Soon I was in the middle of the square, rectangle, whatever.... the roars, laughs and cheers of the audience all around me, the selendang around my fat neck. I danced like John Travolta, I mean I did the egg beater, the flipper and just for a fun a spot of break dancing. I was the coolest dude on the dance floor. Finally I was bugged, and collapsed on the floor, sweating and thirsty, being complimented and patted on the shoulder pads. I sat down with Ketut's family again for a drink but there must have been something very interesting happening outside because they looked the other way when I sat down.
Well another great day in Bali, and the girls seem to love me. I'm sure this has not been my last Joget or my last story.