It really is amazing how very communal the lifestyle is here.
When we got back from the river, Rongos and a few other guys told us that if we wanted to shower (because city kids like us don't know how to take a proper bath in the river), the tempat mandi was just along that path there - just look for the blue roof. So off we went in search of the bathhouse with the blue roof.
We found it, and there was a middle-aged lady dressed in a sarong standing outside.
"Is this the bathhouse?" I asked.
"Oh, sure!" she replied with some amusement.
And then we realised that the 'bathhouse' was actually her home. Gosh. Good thing everyone was so candid and friendly there, otherwise I'd have been majorly embarrassed.
It turns out that only 2 or 3 of all the houses in Muk Ayung have piped water, and although most people bathe in the nearby river, anyone who needs a built-in shower is welcome. Now just imagine that happening in KL: someone turns up at your doorstep with a towel and shampoo, walks right up to your doorstep and into your bathroom - unheard of!
It's rather sad how people in urban areas all over the world have grown so ownership-centric and wary of others. Of course, it's necessary, otherwise you'd just get conned by everyone. But that's sad too. Society was probably meant to live more happily.
When we got back from the river, Rongos and a few other guys told us that if we wanted to shower (because city kids like us don't know how to take a proper bath in the river), the tempat mandi was just along that path there - just look for the blue roof. So off we went in search of the bathhouse with the blue roof.
We found it, and there was a middle-aged lady dressed in a sarong standing outside.
"Is this the bathhouse?" I asked.
"Oh, sure!" she replied with some amusement.
And then we realised that the 'bathhouse' was actually her home. Gosh. Good thing everyone was so candid and friendly there, otherwise I'd have been majorly embarrassed.
It turns out that only 2 or 3 of all the houses in Muk Ayung have piped water, and although most people bathe in the nearby river, anyone who needs a built-in shower is welcome. Now just imagine that happening in KL: someone turns up at your doorstep with a towel and shampoo, walks right up to your doorstep and into your bathroom - unheard of!
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| The family of the 'bathhouse', waving goodbye to us as we were leaving the next morning (the blue roof isn't visible in this picture though!) |
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