It is supposed to be raining season in Bali now. The season was supposed to have begun in late October or early November and end only in early March.

In past years, approximately at this time, we are enjoying the warm and dry weather somewhere in Thailand while heavy downpours cover the island of the Gods.

However, when rain arrives, it has been sparse. It is a rain consisting of moderate, thin and light drops falling for about three hours maximum. This brief respite also happens only once every three or four days, usually when the heat from the bright sun has caused a more than a number of heat related illnesses.

Quite a far cry from the rain of past years, which was thick, fact, relentless assault of torrential water dumped for eight hours at a stretch, four days in a row.

Then, if you headed out, you had to bring a towel to dry off plus an extra set of clothes and footwear to change in to.

What is happening here in Bali, where the much anticipated and welcomed raining season is all but disappearing? Could the island also be suffering the effects of climate change?

While rain is inconvenient for office-bound employees on work days, and for well-groomed couples meeting for a date night, it is essential for the livelihood of the Balinese. Many of them still rely on agriculture for a living and use free running water for their daily needs such as bathing and laundry.

Although there is an ingenious irrigation system used in the rice fields here (this deserves a separate entry on its own), if occassional rain does not keep the fields irrigated, the rice saplings are unable to develop fully. Spice and coffee plantations also rely on the seasonal rains for irrigation before the next planting cycle starts.

For the average Balinese, especially those living in higher lands like Bedugal and Ubud, they collect water that flows direct from the mountains and hills for everyday chorse such as bathing and washing. It is not uncommon to find a Balinese lady standing in the ditch with water arriving at her waist either washing the family’s laundry or soaping herself as the water runs by. This water is also used to wash their dishes, water their plants and clean their home compounds.

For expatriates here, depending on which part of Bali we have settled in, some of us rely on ground wells for water that is used in the home. In our home, the water pumped up from our ground well is used for washing dishes, doing the laundry, general cleaning and bathing. Whenever there is insufficient water in the well, we have to substitute with the water from gallon bottles, which are normally used for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth.

Personally, I love the smell of rain and the cool respite it brings. There is also something rejuvenating about rain – it is almost like a symbolic thing that washes away whatever that was bad or bothering me, while refreshing me at the same time. Rain always makes me feel more awake in my thoughts and feelings, so the lack of it at this moment is sorely felt by me.

As I look out of the window while rounding off this entry, dark clouds are gathering over the space of sky ahead. Hopefully they will open up before evening ends, so that we have a cool night’s rest tonight.