And finally, perhaps on of the most beautiful things about Bali is the health of its individuals. Here you don’t see the elderly cooped up in a living room in front of a TV. Here, they are healthy, walking around town, making art, still carrying things on their heads. The Balinese mothers start massaging their children as babies and being stiff is considered one of the worst things that can happen to you. Usually if you are unwell or even if you have broken a bone, you go to see a balian, or traditional Balinese healer. They usually work by donation which for the Balinese can be a chicken or a few eggs.

I had the experience of going to two balian while I was in Bali, and they changed my health and my life. The first one, Tjorkorda Rai, used a pointed stick to press points on my body, especially on my feet. He also used his fingers to press on my jaw and ears. It was actually quite painful, but he said he could tell that my salivary glands were blocked. He said that I had eaten more food because I was trying to get the taste. He unblocked them and tasting now has felt like the volume has been turned up. He also said that I had some problems with my pancreas and that he would fix that. I have always experienced blood sugar problems, but ever since going, I haven’t had the insatiable hunger that I used to have, or the light-headedness and dizziness.