methodology in a somewhat abstract manner let me pause a bit and pro-
vide a bit of background. I hope that this anecdotal information will help
to set the stage for the more theoretical and methodological discussion that
follows. Self-revelations by interactionists may break the standard “aca-
demic mold” but they can be useful (Athens, 2012). Without this experience
I might never have continued my examination of deep play and deeper play
in Bali. (I hope to also write about “deepest play” and spirituality!) My per-
sonal interest in Bali goes back a long way.
BACKGROUND: FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES
In June of 2007 I was walking along a busy road near the long stretch of
sand that forms the basis of Kuta Beach, one of the most heavily touristed
areas of Bali. It is a somewhat chaotic postmodern scene, with more motor-
cycles on the street than one can imagine if one has never been to
Southeast Asia. The Tuban beach area is relatively close to the interna-
tional airport and some tourists never get much further. Every Western
convenience is there, including Starbucks and Kentucky Fried Chicken. On
that day I happened to see a man in a white turban sprinkling water on a
wooden platform. I stopped to watch. It was very hot (38 degrees Celsius,
100 degrees Fahrenheit) but I was neatly dressed in a white shirt and a
clean sarong. I had just come from a language lesson and I had wanted to
show my language teacher respect. (Many tourists dress in very casual
beach apparel.) The priest, a man in his early forties, looked at me, a man
in his sixties, and beckoned me to come closer. I walked over to where he
was performing the ritual. He sprinkled me with holy water. He then placed
a mark on my forehead. We smiled, and he continued on his way.
Eventually I started on my way again, too. But all of a sudden a very
strong feeling of contentment ran through me. It was a kind of tingling
along my spine. I walked a bit more energetically. As I walked I started to
notice that all kinds of Balinese men were paying more attention to me
than is common.
There are many tourists on Bali; for the most part they do not stay long.
Therefore, most Balinese tend to ignore the tourists. But something was
marking me as different. It was not just a matter of taxi drivers or motorcy-
clists wanting me to take their cab or motorbike. It was also not vendors
selling food, or prostitutes hoping to entice a man walking alone. I did not
understand what was happening. But then I suddenly got it. The mark on
Geertz’s “Thick Description” and a Balinese Temple Ritual 87