Running After The Deer
Jun. 29th, 2009 12:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeThe Honduran President has been kidnapped and exiled in Costa Rica. Isn't the world an interesting place?
In the same vein, when you think Islam, you don't think Indonesia yet it is the country with the largest Islamic population in the world (200 million). As befits an Islamic country, the 6am call to prayer was what woke me up this morning and I must say that it is very impassioned and pleading. Indeed, in my sleepy haze, I almost felt the urge to go to the mosque myself, such was its power. I went back to bed though and woke up when the lunchtime prayers were announced. The loudspeaker was very loud and was very imminent in my room. It is another great thing about being in a foreign country.
Today I decided to take things easy. I still haven't completely recovered from the jet lag and my blisters needed a day of rest. Thankfully, they have all but dissipaited and tomorrow we plan to see a lot more of Yogyakarta. Today, however, I did manage to get into town and look around the main shopping street - Jalan Malioboro. This is effectively a high street but the hustle and bustle is far unlike what you get in the UK. Here, market stalls traded outside conventional shops and a lot of them were selling Batik, the traditional cloth and artform here. What Batik is, is a pattern or design that is crafted with wax. You dye a piece of leather a certain colour and then cover over the bits you don't want dying. You then dye it a second colour and then melt the wax off to reveal the original first colour. You repeat this process until you get the design you want.
My friend didn't go and learn Batik today due to a confusion regarding a motorbike and people wanting her to go somewhere unknown so she decided to go into town with me. She is from Sri Lanka and so blended into the fabric of society here quite well. Meanwhile, with my goofy shorts and pale skin, I screamed Westerner to everybody and many people gave me inquisitive looks. Still, everyone was friendly although sadly a lot of people wanted to sell me something after discussing things with them for three or four minutes. Usually, they wanted me to visit their Batik gallery (particularly the guy who asked if I was from Yorkshire lols because "his wife comes from there"). Still, the inquisitiveness is all par for the course I guess and it's great to be of interest to so many people. This is particularly true of the kids here, who like saying hello and practicing their English with me.
The market was very lively, in fact it was more lively than anything I have seen in England at 7pm on a Sunday evening. I was tempted to buy a Batik shirt but thought I would look very silly - the locals can pull off the look but out of context and out of place, I think it would be a fashion faux pas. I am going to buy some street vendor food tomorrow - a lot of it looked undercooked and I fear food poisoning to be honest. It wouldn't be all to pleasant here.
The marriage between West and East is interesting. The rise of the Internet (which is everywhere here) and American fast food outlets sits uneasily with the traditional Indonesian life. I guess it's the way the world is going - you can't expect countries to not develop and to remain in poverty based on a view of colonial whimsy - a situation where you would like traditional life to be preserved simply so you can visit it. And indeed the fast food outlets are different here too - Dunkin Donuts (which we don't have in the UK incidentally), have a Durian Donut here, which tasted pretty wretched admittedly. Still, the preservation of traditional life would be great too.
My friend and I also got on a cycle taxi, which, after haggling (even though it is relatively pointless as a ride into town still costs less than $1), was an excellent way to see the city. We darted through little side streets sampling local life. The locals smiled at us as if they were happy to see us, which was quite flattering I guess. We also learned that there seems to be no traffic laws here. If you are walking and want to cross the road, my advice would be just step out into the oncoming traffic and walk at a steady pace. The hope is that the cars and numerous motorbikes will avoid you. Equally, the cycle taxi guy was determined to get us to the hotel so he went against traffic at certain points. It was all rather scary but we did manage to stay alive. Just. The road being used by cycles, motorbikes, cars and horses, creates an element of organised chaos that is unique in this part of the world. We were going to get a horse and cart back but they were going to charge us Rp80,000 ($6.30) for the privilege. Even though that's nothing in real terms and in England you wouldn't begrudge paying it, we still wanted to haggle them down to a lower price and couldn't do it. It's amazing how being in a country for such a short amount of time can foist a huge cultural change on you.
Food wise, I wasn't particularly adventurous today. We went for brie and tomato toasties at a local bar for lunch after my friend woke me up at the ungodly hour of 2pm. Jet lag has affected me that much. This evening I tried roast chicken Indonesian style, which is a local specialty. The glaze was honey and it was quite nice. I also got to try a traditional salad that is smothered in spicy peanut sauce, which was another delicacy. It was great too. The tampe, dipped in sweet chili sauce was nice too - vegetarian and created out of beans. My friend also told me grizzly tales of when he ate dog in Vietnam, suffice to say I will spare you the details here.
After eating, we headed to a bar for a few delicious refreshing Bintangs. They actually add sugar (gula) here to sweeten it up. It is excellent in the heat (although I hear that London is going to reach the same temperature as here tomorrow - 32C). We also saw a few gheckos climbing on walls and street signs - they are so cute. The toilets in one of the bars was a squat toilet with no flush - you had to pour water down it and hope everything would go away. It was an interesting sight as most toilets here are now of the conventional Western kind. Speaking of toilets - I also saw a Hotel Ibis here - note what I said about globalisation and homogenisation.
Last night, we went to the Prambanan Temple, just outside Yogyakarta to see the Ramayana Ballet. The temple is very similar to the famous Ankor Wat in Cambodia. It is a Hindu temple and is made up of six towers all crafted out of sculptures of Hindu gods. In front of this, where we were, there was a stage where we watched a ballet of the story of Ramayana. With the bats flying across your line of sight and bugs dropping mysteriously on your head, it was a memorable setting to watch one of the most famous stories of the Hindu faith. It has been adapted to reflect Javanese sensibilities yet it still remains faithful to the initial story. I won't go into detail on what it entails as that would take forever but, effectively, it's a love story based on war and vengeance. There are also bit characters involving a deer, a monkey and an ape tribe so even the furries in us will be amused.
The ballet lasted two hours and was performed amidst the sounds of the traditional Gamelan orchestra. This involved drums, cymbols and the Eastern timps that you may have seen or heard about. Before entering the stage area, there was a group of people performing traditional Javanese music and it was fantastic to hear such traditional art forms come to life. There was also a stall where you could buy leather puppets of the characters from the ballet (Rama and Dewi Shinta mainly) - puppetry is massively popular here and I hope to see a traditional shadow puppet show - a wyang - before I leave.
Watched with an explanation of the story, the ballet was fantastic The backdrop was perfect, the costumes were bright and lively and the dancers were talented beyond belief. Towards the end of the first half, they literally set light to the back of the stage. The light involved with the dancing, as well as the fire and the Temple backdrop, made that moment one of the most perfect of my life. It was exhilarating. I also had Cheese Crackers and a free soft drink I bought at the kiosk, which made me happy too. And don't worry, I do have that on film so I may be able to upload it for you at some point in the future.
With firm plans made for the next three days, hopefully I will get out and see a lot more of this beautiful country and the people who inhabit it. It has been a shock to the system so far but a welcome one. I think I will be coming back here next year :-)
P.S. I have lost weight since I have been out here but now I have found the local beer and discovered it is so good, I fear that weight will soon be coming back. I tried Bali Hai earlier, which is okay, but is still nothing compared to Bintang :-)
P.P.S. In Indonesian Malay, "air" is the word for water, which is confusing.
P.P.P.S. I am the last one up in the hotel now. I have noticed that the proprietor of the hotel sleeps outside on the step should any visitors want to book a late night room. Fantastic.
In the same vein, when you think Islam, you don't think Indonesia yet it is the country with the largest Islamic population in the world (200 million). As befits an Islamic country, the 6am call to prayer was what woke me up this morning and I must say that it is very impassioned and pleading. Indeed, in my sleepy haze, I almost felt the urge to go to the mosque myself, such was its power. I went back to bed though and woke up when the lunchtime prayers were announced. The loudspeaker was very loud and was very imminent in my room. It is another great thing about being in a foreign country.
Today I decided to take things easy. I still haven't completely recovered from the jet lag and my blisters needed a day of rest. Thankfully, they have all but dissipaited and tomorrow we plan to see a lot more of Yogyakarta. Today, however, I did manage to get into town and look around the main shopping street - Jalan Malioboro. This is effectively a high street but the hustle and bustle is far unlike what you get in the UK. Here, market stalls traded outside conventional shops and a lot of them were selling Batik, the traditional cloth and artform here. What Batik is, is a pattern or design that is crafted with wax. You dye a piece of leather a certain colour and then cover over the bits you don't want dying. You then dye it a second colour and then melt the wax off to reveal the original first colour. You repeat this process until you get the design you want.
My friend didn't go and learn Batik today due to a confusion regarding a motorbike and people wanting her to go somewhere unknown so she decided to go into town with me. She is from Sri Lanka and so blended into the fabric of society here quite well. Meanwhile, with my goofy shorts and pale skin, I screamed Westerner to everybody and many people gave me inquisitive looks. Still, everyone was friendly although sadly a lot of people wanted to sell me something after discussing things with them for three or four minutes. Usually, they wanted me to visit their Batik gallery (particularly the guy who asked if I was from Yorkshire lols because "his wife comes from there"). Still, the inquisitiveness is all par for the course I guess and it's great to be of interest to so many people. This is particularly true of the kids here, who like saying hello and practicing their English with me.
The market was very lively, in fact it was more lively than anything I have seen in England at 7pm on a Sunday evening. I was tempted to buy a Batik shirt but thought I would look very silly - the locals can pull off the look but out of context and out of place, I think it would be a fashion faux pas. I am going to buy some street vendor food tomorrow - a lot of it looked undercooked and I fear food poisoning to be honest. It wouldn't be all to pleasant here.
The marriage between West and East is interesting. The rise of the Internet (which is everywhere here) and American fast food outlets sits uneasily with the traditional Indonesian life. I guess it's the way the world is going - you can't expect countries to not develop and to remain in poverty based on a view of colonial whimsy - a situation where you would like traditional life to be preserved simply so you can visit it. And indeed the fast food outlets are different here too - Dunkin Donuts (which we don't have in the UK incidentally), have a Durian Donut here, which tasted pretty wretched admittedly. Still, the preservation of traditional life would be great too.
My friend and I also got on a cycle taxi, which, after haggling (even though it is relatively pointless as a ride into town still costs less than $1), was an excellent way to see the city. We darted through little side streets sampling local life. The locals smiled at us as if they were happy to see us, which was quite flattering I guess. We also learned that there seems to be no traffic laws here. If you are walking and want to cross the road, my advice would be just step out into the oncoming traffic and walk at a steady pace. The hope is that the cars and numerous motorbikes will avoid you. Equally, the cycle taxi guy was determined to get us to the hotel so he went against traffic at certain points. It was all rather scary but we did manage to stay alive. Just. The road being used by cycles, motorbikes, cars and horses, creates an element of organised chaos that is unique in this part of the world. We were going to get a horse and cart back but they were going to charge us Rp80,000 ($6.30) for the privilege. Even though that's nothing in real terms and in England you wouldn't begrudge paying it, we still wanted to haggle them down to a lower price and couldn't do it. It's amazing how being in a country for such a short amount of time can foist a huge cultural change on you.
Food wise, I wasn't particularly adventurous today. We went for brie and tomato toasties at a local bar for lunch after my friend woke me up at the ungodly hour of 2pm. Jet lag has affected me that much. This evening I tried roast chicken Indonesian style, which is a local specialty. The glaze was honey and it was quite nice. I also got to try a traditional salad that is smothered in spicy peanut sauce, which was another delicacy. It was great too. The tampe, dipped in sweet chili sauce was nice too - vegetarian and created out of beans. My friend also told me grizzly tales of when he ate dog in Vietnam, suffice to say I will spare you the details here.
After eating, we headed to a bar for a few delicious refreshing Bintangs. They actually add sugar (gula) here to sweeten it up. It is excellent in the heat (although I hear that London is going to reach the same temperature as here tomorrow - 32C). We also saw a few gheckos climbing on walls and street signs - they are so cute. The toilets in one of the bars was a squat toilet with no flush - you had to pour water down it and hope everything would go away. It was an interesting sight as most toilets here are now of the conventional Western kind. Speaking of toilets - I also saw a Hotel Ibis here - note what I said about globalisation and homogenisation.
Last night, we went to the Prambanan Temple, just outside Yogyakarta to see the Ramayana Ballet. The temple is very similar to the famous Ankor Wat in Cambodia. It is a Hindu temple and is made up of six towers all crafted out of sculptures of Hindu gods. In front of this, where we were, there was a stage where we watched a ballet of the story of Ramayana. With the bats flying across your line of sight and bugs dropping mysteriously on your head, it was a memorable setting to watch one of the most famous stories of the Hindu faith. It has been adapted to reflect Javanese sensibilities yet it still remains faithful to the initial story. I won't go into detail on what it entails as that would take forever but, effectively, it's a love story based on war and vengeance. There are also bit characters involving a deer, a monkey and an ape tribe so even the furries in us will be amused.
The ballet lasted two hours and was performed amidst the sounds of the traditional Gamelan orchestra. This involved drums, cymbols and the Eastern timps that you may have seen or heard about. Before entering the stage area, there was a group of people performing traditional Javanese music and it was fantastic to hear such traditional art forms come to life. There was also a stall where you could buy leather puppets of the characters from the ballet (Rama and Dewi Shinta mainly) - puppetry is massively popular here and I hope to see a traditional shadow puppet show - a wyang - before I leave.
Watched with an explanation of the story, the ballet was fantastic The backdrop was perfect, the costumes were bright and lively and the dancers were talented beyond belief. Towards the end of the first half, they literally set light to the back of the stage. The light involved with the dancing, as well as the fire and the Temple backdrop, made that moment one of the most perfect of my life. It was exhilarating. I also had Cheese Crackers and a free soft drink I bought at the kiosk, which made me happy too. And don't worry, I do have that on film so I may be able to upload it for you at some point in the future.
With firm plans made for the next three days, hopefully I will get out and see a lot more of this beautiful country and the people who inhabit it. It has been a shock to the system so far but a welcome one. I think I will be coming back here next year :-)
P.S. I have lost weight since I have been out here but now I have found the local beer and discovered it is so good, I fear that weight will soon be coming back. I tried Bali Hai earlier, which is okay, but is still nothing compared to Bintang :-)
P.P.S. In Indonesian Malay, "air" is the word for water, which is confusing.
P.P.P.S. I am the last one up in the hotel now. I have noticed that the proprietor of the hotel sleeps outside on the step should any visitors want to book a late night room. Fantastic.
