This Time of The Year

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We don't talk about weather in Bali. That is not the topic that we'll discuss in our conversation. It's because the weather is always nice, so we talk about some thing else; job, politics, news, Oprah or the coming temple festivals. But once it gets so hot,  many people begin to say "It's hot weather to day, isn't it?"
It is very hot now in Bali. Even for Balinese people who are used to tropical heat for all their life. We are now in the rainy season (October to April), but normally we have rain on December to early January. That's the time when the temperature cool off a bit. So, this time of expecting the rain, the day can be so hot. It is 27 to 32 degree Celsius, with 70% humidity.
If you plan to go to Bali this month, please prepare lots of sun cream to protect your skin from sun burnt. And also, water, you need lot of water to prevent dehydration.
Balinese never get worried about sun burnt. But if exposed to too much sun light, our skin will turn darker. It will only come back to our initial color once we stop exposing our self to the sun light. (Sounds like chameleon). But Balinese will prevent this turning into darker colour to happen. Guess what, many of us, especially Balinese women, prefer to have white or clean skin than dark skin. "You're beautiful when you have clean white skin." That's the idea. This is the reason why whitener cream is one of the top selling cosmetics in our country.
Why clean or white skin? Well, probably because long time ago, the royal family always had white clean skin, and the peasants who worked in the rice field (being exposed to much sun light) had darker skin. The royal family, according to the folklore, is always said to be beautiful or handsome and had clean skin. I think this is the idea where white or clean skin is associated with beauty. 

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