July 22, 2021

 I am discouraged to find today upon reading this week's edition of the Sanur Weekly that the Sanur Weekly may soon not be distributing any print issues at all. As can be readily guessed, this is a direct result of the continuing COVID pandemic and the virtual erasure of tourists from the island, which of course make up the lion's share of readership of this little English language publication. No readers, no advertiser; no advertisers, no money. 

So damn. I look forward to reading the paper every week and I enjoy the tactile experience of actually holding the paper while I read it and sip my coffee, as opposed to having to scroll through all the eye-tiring online stuff. Moreover, it's the only print newspaper left in Bali, as far as I can tell. Once upon a time, I read the Jakarta Post and Kompas every day, but now those too are gone, thanks again to COVID. 

Anyway, we read today of the scheduled removal of dozens of well-established and well-known beach traders, small local warungs, and some some small bars and restaurants due to something called the "Sanur Beach Arrangement Plan". This is sad, given that these little places represent the last of quaint old spots on the beachfront. Kind of like putting up one giant strip mall instead. 

Out in Denpasar, a certain man man Nyoman seems to have tasked himself for some time in removing road blocks set up by the police for enforcement of COVID restrictions. The 41 year old man was caught in multiple videos removing the barriers, apparently as some sort of protest against government policies restricting movement during this emergency period of lockdown. Nyoman is under arrest at this time, but has posted a final video in which he apologizes for his actions.

Unemployment has soared in Bali, obviously, and in Indonesia in general, but it is not only the people who are hurting. It seems that the monkeys in Bali's Sangeh Monkey Forest are facing hard times as well due to the lack of tourists and therefore a lack of funds to feed them. 

I gathered a bit of news in my own little neighborhood too during my evening walk today. In chatting with Jason, the fellow American who lives halfway up the street from my place, I discovered that only two of the seven neighborhood puppies will stay here, the rest being set to go to some sort of animal shelter (which is probably a euphemism for 'gas chamber'. This is strange to hear, because I had previously heard that all of the puppies were accounted for by one or another person in the neighborhood. It seems now, however, that only I and one other person, I know not who, have ended up with a puppy. Too bad. They were all pretty sweet little dogs. 

Secondly, Jason shares that Lina, the woman who lives in the house next door to mine, has been diagnosed with COVID. I certainly had not heard this anywhere else, so I will take this news with a grain of salt until hearing it from the horse's masked mouth, so to speak. 

Lastly, the large python snake which has been previously spied either in the drainage ditch at the far end of the street or in the wide, jungle-like field that verges on the street, was spotted yesterday in front of my house. Delightful. Perhaps he is hunting puppies.