Nyepi Day is upon us again. Silent Day in Bali. Sunday, March 14th. The word is that the internet will once again be killed for the duration of the day, same as last year. This seriously limits entertainment on a day when one can otherwise do nothing--no lights, no noise, no going outside of the house. And for me there will not even be any eating to speak of, which is the activity chosen by most in the face of nothing else to do, because, you see, I still don't have my teeth.
But as the day approaches, I am thinking of last year and realizing that this was the first that we really understood the seriousness of the COVID pandemic. Last year, Silent Day was extended for some days beyond Nyepi (I've forgotten how many), and even after that, a partial shutdown continued, with many businesses closed completely and others operating only in a limited manner. At Starbucks, for instance, one could only get takeaway coffee. All the tables and chairs were stacked in corners. The beaches were closed as well, as were, of course, the beachfront establishments. We suddenly understood that this was a major threat and that indeed many people would die. And there was really nothing we could do about it. Nor did we imagine that it could possibly last for more than a year.
Happily, the situation looks much better this year. Businesses are open again--those that did not go out of business altogether, anyway. The beaches are open. People are out and about, pretty much as normal, although of course masks are required. Tourists will begin to come back in come early April--the brave, anyway; the careless. It's not a destination I would chose, given that recovery, vaccine distribution here will no doubt be a slow process.
In any case, I am as usual trying to think of what I can do on Sunday, and this is actually more perplexing than usual, as I spend most of day these days watching YouTube and movies on the laptop. And eating.
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