印尼记遊（八）
Travelogue in Indonesia 08

在巴厘岛羁旅已八日，应观览之名胜古迹，俱告如愿，便决定明日动程 ⻄赴泗水(Surabaia)。

四月十日一早，即派人往订⻜机座位。结果需分为兩批而走，这也是无可奈何的事，故決定庆光、子平、金裕、锡君、丕才，一位响导及周曾 钧七人先行，剩下凤美、城梅、丽君、潮光与我五人断后。

为了明天要走，不愿再作远道奔波，所以议定今天就在附近乡镇村落， 画画园林⻛景。由近而远，每村庄逗留以一点半钟为限。这样，我们居然也描画了四个乡村。

巴厘岛的乡村，帶有浓厚的中国农村⻛味，那厚厚的泥墙，墙顶上覆蓋以茅草，村民就在土墙內养猪种菜。家庭大的，还建有茅塔或石塔，这就代表祖宗神位。较富有的家族，那塔就建得較高，但最高者亦不能超过十一层。每家⻔前多铺石级，旁有涼椅。傍晚时分，村民多都在此纳涼，听古。这里多山地，村舍均依山势而建筑，高低曲折。有蜿蜓的石级，断续的泥墙；茅塔古树、丛竹阴森，溢出了葱葱郁郁的色彩。这里的村民，都是日出而作，日入而息。那古朴仁厚之⻛，安闲自在之境， 真如世外桃源。我们只有啧啧叹赏！男女老幼⻅到我们这画人，好像都是老朋友似地，即不惊奇，亦不拒人千里。有时我们的同伴要求这些纯朴的姑娘作为临时之模特儿， 她们也很爽快地答应，并无絲毫忸怩羞涩之态。显⻅她们都已习惯於此的！

一路山径古树，奇花异草，纷覆道旁;到处溪流铮淙，如奏雅乐。我们行经其间，美术之观念油然而生。行行重行行，亦颇称快意!我们正在专心作画之际，不知是谁喊了一声：「你们瞧!」大家都停下画笔，抬起头一望，只⻅一群妇女，上身胸乳毕露，下围着一纱笼，头上顶着水壶，漫步走來。她们的神态竟是那么地安逸悠闲，大概都是从附近的溪流浴罢；归来的吧！我们便沿着她们的来路走去，经过曲折的山径，渐行渐闻水声，就在一座脚下，我们发现了巴厘的伊甸园！

溪水由山上激流而下，经阳光之照耀，灿烂无比!山下有碧潭一泓，澄澈⻅底。水流下注，触石⻜ 溅，色如白霜，音调绝佳。那露出水面的石笋，形态各异：有的尖锐，有的圆滑，有的如刀削般地平坦。那些妇女们就这样东一堆，⻄一群地裸露着全身在溪流中沐浴洗衣。男的聚集在上游，女的在下游，各有自己的天地。那些妙龄的少女，下水洗澡时，手势非常敏捷利落。她们双手挽起纱笼，入水愈深，则纱笼挽得愈高，及行至水深处，猛地往下一蹲，便將紗笼由头部脫出，纱笼一出手，全身都浸入水里，旁观者既无怯看到究竟，纱笼亦不为水所湿，这种工夫真令人赞赏不⺒!那些年纪较老的，则不顾一切，大大方方地站在那里将沙笼脱去，赤裸裸地任人观赏，满不在乎。因当地政府不准画裸体人像，所以我们也只好面对着这群贵妃出浴的佳景，望溪兴叹了！此时，半轮红日已遥遙下 坠，红霞万缕，逐日下落，此景此情，真如一幅绮丽的名画，不似尘世间所有矣！

六时半：我们径赴谢君之宴会，一张⻓⻓的餐桌坐满了三十余人。这是一席极丰富的巴厘菜式晚餐， 大家吃得既饱又醉。席间，谢君谈起本地画家所面对的困难；美术用具无处购买，因物质缺乏，影响作画情绪甚巨！

席散，我们都坐在谢君家的客厅里聊天，谢太太忙着收拾，等她出现在我们眼前的时候，兩手正托著十个小紙包，谢君说:「这是太太的礼物，每人一包，作为紀念，现在请你们打开来看看！」於是大家部怀着惊奇的心理，一 重重的拆开，原来是一条手织围巾，各人的色彩各殊，但纤丽绝美则同。 我更蒙谢君馈赠木雕人像一尊，真不知將如何感谢他呢!九时:我们分散到市上去溜跶，十时返旅舍休息。 (八)

In Bali for eight days, we successfully visited all the famous landmarks and historical sites we had planned to explore. We made the decision to head west to Surabaya on April 10th.

Early in the morning on April 10th, we sent someone to book our flight tickets. It turned out that we needed to split into two groups for the journey, which was an unavoidable circumstance. We decided that Keng Kwang, Tze Peng, Kim Joo, Son Choon, Phee Chye, a guide, and Zhou Zengjun would leave first, while Foong Moi, Seah Boey, Lih Juin, Teo Kwang, and I would follow later.

Since we were departing the next day and didn't want to undertake another long journey, we decided to spend today drawing the scenic landscapes in the nearby villages. We planned to limit our stay in each village to about an hour and a half, starting with the closest ones. Surprisingly, we ended up sketching scenes in four different villages.

The Balinese villages had a strong resemblance to Chinese rural life, with thick mud walls, thatched roofs, and villagers tending to their pigs and vegetables within the walled compounds. Some of the wealthier families had thatched or stone towers, representing ancestral shrines. The taller the tower, the more prominent the family, but no tower could have more than eleven tiers. Stone steps were often laid in front of each house, accompanied by shaded seats. In the evenings, villagers gathered here to relax and socialize, enjoying traditional music and storytelling. The hilly terrain contributed to the unique layout of the villages, with winding stone paths and meandering mud walls. Ancient trees and bamboo groves provided ample shade and added to the overall picturesque quality. The villagers, who lived by the rising and setting of the sun, seemed to epitomize the serene and leisurely atmosphere of an idyllic world. We could only admire the scene.

As we moved from one village to another along mountain paths, we encountered exotic flowers and plants lining the roadsides. The meandering streams glistened and produced the sound of melodic music. We were inspired by the artistic potential of this serene environment, and our brushes danced with delight. Every step we took felt like a joyful journey!

While we were engrossed in our painting, someone suddenly exclaimed, "Look over there!" We all stopped, looked up, and saw a group of women, their upper bodies exposed, wearing only a sarong around their waists and carrying water pots on their heads. They were strolling casually toward us. Their demeanor was so relaxed and carefree that we assumed they had just bathed in the nearby stream. The women, regardless of age, walked gracefully and moved with agility. They would raise their sarongs as they waded deeper into the water, and when they reached the deepest part, they would squat down, allowing the sarong to fall over their heads and into the water. It was a seamless movement, and neither they nor the sarong appeared to be affected by the water. We could only admire their agility and grace. These women seemed completely at ease, as if this were their normal way of life.

Continuing along the winding mountain path, we marveled at ancient trees, exotic flowers, and cascading streams that surrounded us. The artistic inspiration was abundant! As we immersed ourselves in this natural beauty, we were unaware of the passage of time.

At 6:30 PM, we attended a dinner hosted by Mr. Xie. The long dining table accommodated more than thirty people and was laden with a sumptuous Balinese feast. We all enjoyed the rich and delicious food, leaving the table both full and content. During the meal, Mr. Xie spoke about the challenges faced by local artists in obtaining art supplies, as the lack of materials often hindered their creative inspiration.

After the meal, we gathered in Mr. Xie's living room for conversation while his wife busied herself with tidying up. When she finally appeared before us, she had ten small packages in her hands. Mr. Xie announced, "These are gifts from my wife, one for each of you as a souvenir. Please open them!" With a sense of excitement, we carefully unwrapped the packages to discover that each contained a handwoven scarf. They were all of different colors, but equally exquisite. Additionally, I was personally gifted a wooden figurine by Mr. Xie, and I couldn't help but wonder how to express my gratitude adequately.

At 9 PM, we dispersed to stroll through the local market. At 10 PM, we returned to our hotel to rest.