Who Turned the Tap On

If you ask anybody who has been to Bali, they will tell you it’s fantastic – sun, surf, shopping, a fabulous nightlife, and, a beautiful culture enveloped by stunning scenery.

However, there are times when it can have its moments. Take for instance today. I woke up to the sounds of rolling thunder banging on my eardrums like some heavy metal band. Candika had sought solace under the bedsheets with a death-grip on my left foot. When I finally managed to escape, I just had to see what the heck was going on.

The porch outside my room in the homestay was under siege by the swimming pool. I waded through and sat down on the only dry chair. Normally, I just walk six steps and dive into the pool. Now, all I have to do is walk into the pool!. The rain fell from the heavens incessantly.

“Hey, who turned the tap on?”

The rainy season is generally September through until the end of January. The other months are the dry season when it can become very hot and humid as Bali is only 8 degrees below the equator. The six-month rainy season just past delivered little rain, but, it sure made up for it today. I had to go out, things to do that couldn’t be put off to another day (don’t ya hate that!), people to meet, and of course Candika wanted to go shopping.

I changed backpacks to suit the weather – a small waterproof pack that holds the essentials – and this was my all-time favourite when the Gods decided to flood everything. Fifteen minutes into my sojourn in water world, my so-called waterproof pack that I’d had for years, decided to retire and allowed the rain to enter. Fortunately, my digital camera has a waterproof case, my notebooks didn’t and, neither did my vital lie of communication; the mobile phone. It sadly drank too much water, turned up the keypad and died.

So, it was off to the Nokia shop for mobile phone resuscitation:

“Rain has penetrated the inner core of my phone. Can you repair it and how much?”

“Huh?”

Stay calm Barrie.

“My phone is stuffed. It’s dead, carked it”

“Oh mister, your phone is wet”

Somebody turned a light bulb on in the man’s head!

“How much to repair the phone?”

“It’s a lot of work. Maybe Rp2,000,000”

Stay calm Barrie.

“I didn’t even pay that much for the phone”

“You want buy new phone?”

“Thank you. No. I’ll have it repaired in Australia”

Later. When the sun finally exploded out of the black clouds, Candika took the phone apart. She wiped every part with paper tissues and then placed it in the sunlight. My mobile phone is getting a suntan!. I had my reservations about Candika’s methods but it was successful and by sundown, I had my trusty mobile phone in hand shining with a new lease on life.

It was a clear night and as we stepped outside to go for a romantic dinner, on went the tap and, I searched in vain for Noah’s phone number.