On the night of Nyepi, I decided to sit at the table in the back yard and kind of surf around on the internet just for something to do. Technically, or not so technically, this was a transgression of a couple of the rules--no light, no use of electricity. I did not have the overhead light on, but of course there is the light from the laptop screen. Oh, also one is forbidden from going outside at all, so that was also a no-no. My back yard, however, is completely shut off from the world and can only be seen if someone happens to climb a ladder and peer over the wall--in which case, however unlikely, they would also be breaking the rules.
Anyway, the darkness was nearly complete. There are no street lights to speak of in Bali, except on the highway, and of course all the neighbors had their houselights off.
Now it happens that my kitchen, as with many Balinese kitchens, is outdoors in the back yard. And so as I sat with my laptop, I suddenly became aware of noises--thumpings and clangings and rattlings--from my kitchen area. The rats! Damn them! The nerve of these rats! I mean, I'm sitting right there and they have the nerve to rattle around on my kitchen counters and cupboards not four feet away from me! Dastardly! I could not see them, of course--but I sure as hell could hear them.
So, I'll be purchasing some sticky rat traps today. Hope you had a nice Nyepi day, Rodents. For some of you, it will be your last.
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