1 Diving in Bali Indonesia, an unforgettable story

 In 1982 I worked as an English speaking tour guide, but during my spare time I learned Italian language by my own method autodidact using English – Italian; Italian – English dictionary and grammar book.. I spent about 2 hours a day to learn it, sometime early in morning, in the afternoon and sometime late at night. I succeeded to keep in my mind 2 words a day but I found much difficulty in learning the grammar because it's very different with my mother language Balinese and Indonesian, but I insisted to meet successfully. Daily, week by week and month by month, and ….. finally I got it.

In October 1982 one of my friend who run a travel agent in Bali asked me to handle his clients, they were Italian and speak a bit English. That was my first time to practice my Italian tongue. When I met them at Bali International Airport, the first question I must answer was “where is the best place to dive”. With honesty actually I didn’t know the answer, but I promised them for the good news the day after.

I visited my friend’s house and meet Bli Monyoh, a fisherman live in Sanur the village on the southeast coast of Bali. I knew he was a good fisherman and very smart in shooting fish, diving with his own talent using very simple dive equipment.

We discussed diving places and he told me that in order to discover most pleasurable dive, must visit 2 o 3 different places of the fascinating underwater world among the coral reefs. Mr. Bli Monyoh viewed his Balinese calendar to see a good day to go to the sea. My clients were crazy about dive.

The first day he brought us to Semawang at Sanur by his outrigger sail boat. Located ahead of Sanur Tourist Beach. Dives at a couple of meters depth was rewarded by beautiful underwater panoramas, table and trophy shaped coral and sponges, a thousand of colorful fishes swim by in kaleidoscopic profusions. I'm not a swimmer or a diver, I just sit on the boat and prepared the needs when they go up. Was a wonderful day.

The second day Bli Monyoh brought his companion a smart diver named Agung Toya, together with them some gun (exactly an arrow) unwound by a strong rubber band made of tire. Before living Sanur, Bli Monyoh laid an offering and perfumed incense ahead of a temple and prayed to God. Along the road about one and a half our drive, he stopped several times for praying where there are temples for God’s blessing, safety and luck. Even before touching the water he did so.

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