For The Price of a Cup of Tea

It was my first time to go travelling alone for holiday. Bali has known to be an international tourism destination. As an Indonesian who never been there before, I have no other better reason not to go there. With all the ceremonies going on and tradition which are being kept by the local, I struggled to decide who I am in the Island of God, as they call it so.
Bali has so many things to offer, from its culture to the landscape of nature. It is like finding treasures in one place. No wonder Bali attracts people from all over the world to come. But somehow my mind was mixed up and teased by the visual of reality when I saw more foreign people than locals from place to place.
On one fine day, I went to Ubud by a shuttle bus. A very short pant and tank top were my statement that day. It was a quick decision considering the functional aspect: the weather. It was hot though you can feel the wind breezed. I was not sure if it was a proper outfit to wear but I finally decided to put aside the norm. I fought my own paradigm in dressing up.
Arrived there very early in the morning, it was a little bit foggy. I could still hear bird’s sound chirping. A few cars and bikes passed by. I grabbed a map and walked to the north. As I walked, I saw Balinese women preparing ‘sesajen’ for the Gods and put them on the pedestrian side in front of their houses and store – Balinese does this every morning. They seemed like ignoring my presence and focused on what they do. I remembered a friend of mine warned me not to step on ‘sesajen’ because they have this belief that we might get bad luck if we step on it by purpose. This made me fully aware while I was walking. I never wanted to mess with other’s belief and culture. Especially when I feel that I am one of their parts, I respect them.
Time passed by, it was already around 10 am and people started their activities. That time, walking on pedestrian precinct became a very different experience. It was like walking on catwalk. You got the attention as they offered you services, from taxi to massage. As they started to call me, I lost my sight and accidentally stepped on one of ‘sesajen’. I saw some of them noticed me. I was panic at the moment and all he asked,“Taxi, Miss?”
Oh, I was a stranger.