Bali. We reaped the financial benefits of the fall of the Rupiah. For all practical purposes, Indonesia was on sale for 2/3 off. We were amazed at the relatively philosophical acceptance by most locals of the total decimation of their monetary system. The price of a 50 kilo bag of rice was of more concern to them than the latest stock market figures. In the tourist areas prices seemed stable, so the turmoil was mostly in the rural areas where just a few rupiah increase in cost could prove devastating to a family. In Yogyakarta we hired a becak driver named Wayan to peddle us around for a couple days. A becak is a large tricycle with the driver/peddler seat in back and a little seat in front with just enough room for 3 Indonesians, or 2 big American butts. Wayan’s wife and kids lived 100 kilometers away and he could only afford to go see them every other week. He slept in his becak, which he parked right in front of our guesthouse every night. He would peddle us 5 or 6 km around the city to see the sights, wait for us while we did our tourist thing, then take us home again. We paid him 20,000 Rupia, or US$2 for his time, which was about three times the rate a local would pay. If Wayan hadn’t “bilked” us, he might not see his family for 4 weeks. He is the kind of guy that is hurt the hardest when tourists don’t show up because of what they read in the newspapers back home.

But our friend Gary Wendt didn’t let all the stories of riots and high priced rice get in his way. He flew out to meet us in Bali and helped us take advantage of the weak Rupiah for about 2 weeks. We kicked around Bali then went to Gili Meno, a wee island known for its coral reef, its turtles and its famous mushrooms. Gary scuba-dived; we snorkled; we all relaxed and watched sunSETS.