Ubud lies in central Bali, an artist town nestled near the hills. The villages which surround this bustling little community are serene rice paddies stationed with meditative farmers in bright clothing who shuffle along the winding earth paths between paddies with massive harvests on their heads. Snaking amid the narrow and often precipitous paths are drainage ditches which channel the water from paddies. The occasional drainage ditch is spanned by a 10 to 20 foot grey PVC pipe, which further augments the complicated flow of water between sections. Nothing entertains a Balinese rice paddy farmer like watching a tourist trapped in the paddies attempt to traverse one of these drainage ditches by crossing along the "balance beam" created by the PVC pipe. It's easy at first glance to confuse some of these pipes for metal. And trust me, a plastic pipe cannot bear the weight of someone like, for example, me. My five foot swandive into the drainage ditch was refreshing and educational.

© Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli