Indigo, tjaps, and tjantings

A lovely table linen made by the Tjok Agung Batik workshop.

Our hostess was late picking us up this morning for our day in the Tjok Agung batik workshop in Pejeng. No matter... We sat at the foot of the Campuan steps as motor scooters, taxis (large Toyota vans, mostly) and assorted other vehicles raced by in death-defying maneuvers. It is amazing what can be carried on a scooter, but that is another post.

The most amazing thing was meeting two tiny women who were going up and down the 93 stone steps with loads of what appeared to be dry cement mix balanced on their heads. Each time they went by we exchanged pleasantries, as one of our number is conversant in Bahasa Indonesian.

They made 4 or 5 round trips as we sat at the taxi stand. Finally, our driver, Ibu Agung, wife of the workshop owner, arrived and whisked us off to Pejeng. The workshop was full of the familiar smells of fermenting indigo and smoking wax, and we soon were choosing fabric and tjaps (wooden or metal wax stamps) for our projects.

A young man demonstrated the finer points of stamping, and we all managed to wax a scarf or two and a table runner. Then we watched the first of several dips in the indigo.

The pieces were pale green as they emerged from the dye bath, then turned light blue after exposure to the oxygen in the air. Several dips are required for a medium blue.

After a quick lunch and some shopping in the Tjok Agung showrooms, we each waxed a third bit of cloth and were ready to head home.

When we were finally dropped at the foot of the Campuan steps we were pretty exhausted and ready for an early supper at the Ibu Putra Warung at the top. As we sat sipping our fresh lemon juice, our friends with the baskets of cement mix passed by and waved through the hedge.

While we were sitting quietly waxing our cloth, these two women had spent the entire day carrying heavy loads up and down the 93 steps! They were still at it when we finished our meal.