Bike Wash

Stopped at the carwash place this morning to have my motorbike washed and was greeted by a delightful band of young men from the island of Sumba, all working at the carwash. Moreover, they were all related--brothers and cousins and so on. Each wanted to introduce himself in person and shake my hand  and chat while the bike was washed. Here in Bali, they don't have the automatic carwash places--you know, where your vehicle goes through on a conveyor belt and gets mechanically sprayed and soaped and brushed and rinsed and it may be that you don't speak to a single person in the process. No, they have actual guys that wash the bike or the car with their actual hands and hoses and sponges and towels. For a motorbike, the charge is 15.000 Rupiah--about a buck-twenty. Of course, they wanted to know all about me, where I was from, whether I had children and how many; and of course they wanted to tell me all about themselves and about Sumba. I have met a number of people from Sumba in the past who have come to Bali to work, for Sumba, as the young men explained, is much less lightly populated than Bali, much less developed. Kuno was the word they used, meaning old or antiquated. They tell me that the waves in Sumba are higher and that the beaches are natural and pristine. Really, it sounds rather nice to me. I'd kind of like to go there if I ever get a chance--which is something, because usually I don't want to go anywhere!