Collegial conversations with a Balinese doctor.

A sublime and serendipitous setting I chose the gracious rural village of Penestan in central Bali as a retreat for the beginning of our family journey. Penestan is a sublime setting of tropical ridges of palm, papaya, and tamarind trees; rice terraces; and vibrant traditional village life, against the backdrop of distant volcanoes. Penestan is the cultural home of Balinese painters and dancers and where many romantic myths about Bali were born. A destination over the years for European artists and vacationing celebrities, Penestan has also drawn cultural scholars such as anthropologist Margaret Mead and Canadian ethnomusicologist and composer Colin McPhee. Our home for the first week of travel was a resort in Ubud, a collection of traditional guest houses set among the rice terraces. My intention was to leave medical life behind for a while, but the presence of a small sign, “Dr D. Swandewi,” next door to our teak villa intrigued me. I approached this small pavilion of a medical office and tried to imagine my Indonesian colleague’s medical life in the equatorial heat. What kind of health problems did Dr Swandewi treat and what was medical practice here like? When I entered the waiting room a young Balinese woman in a sarong greeted me and asked if I would like to see the doctor. I introduced myself, business card in hand, and quickly learned I was speaking to the doctor herself. This simple introduction was soon to lead to a fascinating week of collegial conversations.