In the country district where 1 grew up, money was scarce droughts and bushfires frequent.

Then extremely quick, Colin McPhee compares the Balinese music to the Javanese music as day and night. He says that Javanese gamelan is soft, shockless of resunance. In strong contrast Balinese gamelan stands out dramatically in its hard metallic vitality and the almost feverish intensity with which the newer music is performed. Third, the position of the legs is usually open and low, even to the point of squatting. In some dances however, the legs are very straight.

Any day is a lucky day to arrive in Bali. Lucky you arrived today - big temple festival this afternoon. Lucky you arrived today - full moon tonight. One of the charms of Bali is that you can never put toe in the place without running head-on into a spate of festivals and ceremonies.

The agent I consulted on my first trip to Bali could give me little information. Oddly enough, I did not make a booking through her. There are shops galore in Bali, but not all selling is done indoors.

Anyone who is squeamish, will you stand up and be counted and pass on to the next chapter. This is a gusty tale of greed and guts, so brace yourselves. Long, long ago, there lived a man and his wife who were so poor they had nothing whatever of any value. Nothing, that is, except their baby daughter, whom they loved very dearly.

Time is a universal commodity. Throughout the world people chase the fleeting, feet of time. The charlady checks the clock for knock-off time. Business moguls set their faith in Greenwich Mean Time. Bucolic farmers go beserk at the mention of enforced Summer Time. And then, of course, there is that oft-quoted, unfathomable mystery - Bali Time.