I left after my last writing to meet the car.
The woman who was going and had walked by much earlier was still sitting there in the center of the family compound arguing with Dewa about a price he’d given her for the tour she wanted to do the next day. She’d been up there at least 15 minutes. Her tone was “TELLING” and aggressive. Asserting is one thing, being aggressive in a country that just doesn’t do that is being rude. I could feel Dewa shutting down, withdrawing and having little interest in working with her. She was telling him how he should run his business, telling him how much he should charge, telling him he difference between what he offers and what the “trek” business offers and how much less his price should be. She was pushing back at everything he said and forgetting that she is a guest in this culture and country. I didn’t really want to ride in a car with her all afternoon.
Abruptly, the conversation changed and Dewa simply said, “go talk with your friend about the tour today, I have an appointment with Larry” and started to get up to leave. They hadn’t been talking about today but the day of trekking she wanted to do the next day. Dewa honestly told her he was uncomfortable talking with her, then she would go talk with her friend that lived here, he would tell her something, then she’d come back and it wouldn’t feel right. He stood, asked me if I was ready and we were off.
On the way out, he asked me if I wanted to go by car of motor bike. I was’t comfortable taking the motor bike still feeling so mellow and relaxed from the session with Eddy. We headed to the car. Dewa told me, “anything you want to pay, if you want to pay, for gas will be fine”! We got in the car and he vented a little bit about the experience, she talks to much and it’s confusing, etc.
So here I was not wanting to be on the motor bike, in a car with Dewa, avoiding the impending rain and having a delightful guys afternoon out!
We had a great guy afternoon riding through rice fields, past temples and to the coffee plantations! I learned about how the rice crops are determined by the local traditional organization called Subak. They determine the planting and size of crops by availability of water. Different stages of rice planting and growing demand different amounts of water. One Subak is planted in harmony so the entire crop has the water it needs for the period of growth it is in.
The coffee tasting was great, we stopped for a couple gifts I’ve been looking for on the way back, and it was a great afternoon with just the two of us. I’m not sure if that woman is even still here?