Thread: An Incident Near Ubud.....

This incident took place near the village of Ubud in the early 1970s.

I had rented an isolated house on a hillside about a half-mile north of the village. It was a beautiful and serene place facing terraced ricefields; just below was a small compound of royal pavillons belonging to the Raja of Ubud and below that, a river.

A peaceful unpaved secondary road (more like a path) led to another village several kilometers distant. On a normal day, no more than two or three people took this road, and always on foot.

I had been living on and off at this place for nearly a year and was totally in love with its atmosphere. One afternoon, I was sitting on the verandah when I suddenly heard an incredible moaning and sobbing coming from the road below. After listening for a moment, I got up to see what was going on, but the cascades of vegetation on the path leading down to the road prevented me from having a clear view. From where I was and what I could see, the road appeared totally deserted. The sounds stopped occasionally, only to start again and again: a plaintive sobbing cry - it was a man's voice - and he sounded really in pain, or great distress, or both.

The voice continued for around fifteen minutes and then progressively faded out. The usual afternoon silence filled the air again.

I can't say that I was frightened, but at the same time - and I can't explain this - I also felt incapable of mustering the will (or was it the courage?) to walk down the steps that led to the road.

An unusal reaction on an island where it had been natural for me to be actively curious about everything....

Later in the afternoon I did descend, but only because I had to go to the village. I inspected the road beneath my place and everything looked normal, which made what I had heard even more unfathomable. I was determined to find out the reasons for such an unusual event.

After walking to Ubud, I went to see the 'authorities': the group of village elders who spent their afternoons in the shade under the trees chewing betel, smoking clove cigarettes and probably talking about the good old days when imbeciles such as myself were not there to pester them with stupid guestions.

They were more than ready for me, because after telling them my story and asking what was going on, several of them snickered in a strange way and said that the sounds I had heard were "just a guy with a bad toothache" and not to worry about it.

As ridiculous as this was, there was no other explanation forthcoming: they simply clammed up when I tried to dig for more information.

The next afternoon I returned to Ubud and ran into one of the men in the group. I again asked for an explanation and this time (was it because he was alone?) I got what I believe is the true story: in the 1960s, the government of Indonesia launched a wave of anti-communist propaganda. It eventually got out of hand and turned into a general bloodbath ('amok') with people murdering other people for all sorts of reasons often having nothing to do with politics. Hundreds of thousands of individuals were massacred, including one man who had been knifed to death on the road right below my place.

The old guy who told me this also added in a matter-of-fact way that the ghost of the victim manifested itself every year on the anniversary of the assasination and that every year a priest would go out and place an offering on the road to placate the unhappy spirit.

I have no reason to doubt the veracity of my informant's story, particularly since after walking back home, I noticed a carefully laid-out offering of flowers, incense and rice-cakes in the middle of the road, just below my house. The offering was renewed the following day.

Although such offerings are common sights on an island which is said to be populated by spirits, demons, ghosts and gods, it was the first and only time that I saw an offering of any kind placed on that particular road during the time I spent there.

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for sharing that great story. You won’t find anyone who lives here to doubt the “niskala” explanation of what happened to you here. Ceremonies and offering are still made to this day at the bridge in Campuan (Ubud), where many of the victims of the communist purge you discuss were simply thrown off the bridge while still alive to meet their death on the rocks below. It is said that the river ran red with blood for days.

As with the first story you heard, the toothache, the incidental tourist of today who runs into one of these ceremonies or offering being made under the Campuan bridge will not be told the real reason for this ceremony. The communist purge in Bali, after the failed coup attempt is a very, very dark time in Balinese history...and you’ll find it very difficult to find many Balinese willing to speak of that time.

Bali is full of other “niskala” stories, and as I said, any westerner who has lived here for any significant time, will have several of their own.

Thanks for sharing, and once again, welcome to the forum!

Thank you for your welcome, Roy..... I'm glad to have discovered this forum.

As I mentioned, I spent a full year on the island from 1970 -1971, which was some kind of all-time record at the time.

Followed several more years of travellng before I settled in Paris.

I'm originally from the United States (Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles) but have lived in France since 1973.

Bali (meaning Kuta - without paved roads and electricity - and Ubud - practically virgin territory as far as travellers went back then) totally turned my life around to the point that there
was no question of going back to my former existence in the States once I left the island.

I'll be soon be retiring from the life I made here in Paris, and will have the possibility of returning to Bali if I so desire. Despite the immense transformations to the places which I was familiar with, the idea appeals to me for many reasons - not the least of which is the strong feeling of closing the circle which began some thirty-five years ago.

Once again, I'm glad to be here amogst you - if only virtually for the time being.....

Best regards to one and all,


Jonathan

Paris, France

Welcome Jonathan and thanks for sharing this story. I hope you will be in Bali very soon!

Originally Posted by jogry blok

Welcome Jonathan and thanks for sharing this story. I hope you will be in Bali very soon!

Thank you for your welcome, Jongry!

And can you tell me (us?) where Dencarick is? :-)

Originally Posted by jogry blok

Welcome Jonathan and thanks for sharing this story. I hope you will be in Bali very soon!

Thank you for your welcome, Jogry!

And can you tell me (us?) where Dencarick is? :-)

Sorry for the double (triple!) post, folks, but I tried to correct a mispelling and.....

A pity that there's no 'edit' function here!

Welcome home Jonathan,

And thanks for sharing your experience with us.
Your innert passion for this isle is encouraging for new
comers like me. Reading what you have to say I wish
I visited this place years ago. But I guess better late than never.

You're right when you say that after one has left Bali they find it
difficult to adjust to anywhere esle. I have heard this from quite
a few people.

I do hope you will continue to share your past visions of Bali.
Now you can take the flag from Roy who has been holding it
up for quite a while, methinks he needs company and a break! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hi Mark,

My wanderings around the planet brought me to Wales as well as extended stays in both North and South India, which you mention in another post on the forum.

And did I mention West Ireland? Kerry....the Dingle Penninsula: quite special places.

I can't believe I've stayed put (relatively speaking) for so long in Paris!

Anyone want to trade a month or two above the rooftops (with an elevator) in Montparnasse for a room with a view in Ubud? No air-conditioning, walk-in closets, jacussi (or even electricity) required... :-)