The Benefits Of Sickle Cell Anaemia
Jun. 28th, 2009 12:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeToday has been a massive culture shock as I flew from Singapore to Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In many ways, Singapore is a gateway to SE Asia - it has clusters of the culture but ultimately it is a Western economic city. The same is not true about Indonesia and the city I am now in.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country on Earth and is home to more Muslims than any other. Hearing the call to prayer as I was walking around the city centre of Yogyakarta was both evocative and slightly haunting in equal measure. It was a great thing to experience. The same can be said for walking through the old walled sultan palace, which is now home to many Indonesian families whose homes are typified by their open front nature. Indeed, all shops are like that here too, giving it a feel that is typically sub-Saharan African be it in SE Asia. It is great to walk down the street and see food vendors intermingle with companies dealing in automotive parts. The frontices and businesses all look like they could belong in colonial Africa, such is their style and the shoddy design of their signs.
I must admit that Indonesian customs was jovial and very friendly. First I had to queue up for a visa, which cost USD10. I then had to get myself and my bag disinfected in a special machine to screen against the H1N1 strain of swine fever. I must admit it was a strange experience but walking out into the hustle and bustle of Indonesia, the feeling was ultimately rewarding.
Hailing a taxi into town, we soon realised that the accelerator and the horn in this city are very closely linked. Equally, no one stops should you want to cross the road so you just have to chance it, hoping that your steady speed will ensure the numerous amout of motorcyclists won't crash into you. Also there are no seatbelts in the back seats of cars. We could have got a horse and trap around town - they are frequent - but we decided to walk it. Plus the tarpaulin sheets that run between the horse's ass and the carriage to collect any faeces was somewhat offputting.
Walking into town, we were subjected to harassment from some of the localswho believed that as we were Western, we had money. They were offering us taxi rides for very cheap prices but we wanted to walk around the town ourselves. In doing so, we heard the Muslim call to prayer twice - at 3pm and 6pm - and it was evocative yet eerie at the same time. We also looked around the old Sultan's residence, which is now a large football pitch surrounded by Indonesian housing. It was great to get lost amidst the streets and meet new people - particularly the eldery cat lady who summed up typical Indonisean life.
Yogyakarta is odd as it's a combination of the modern and the traditional. Many shop fronts spill out on to the streets and many of the homes are merely shacks (for this reason, a lot of the town was destroyed in the earthquake that hit the region in 2005 - some homes are yet to be rebuilt). Tire shops and mechanics vie for business next to food emporia and this market feel creates a unique sense of social buzz that is hard to replicate anywhere else. This contrast couldn't be more true than in the downtown area of the city where market stall workers hawking fresh satay sticks (on a tray balanced on the vendor's head), sweets with icing and sugar made on the spot, fresh fruit sellers and donut sellars in the shadow of an air conditioned mall that contains McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC and a whole host of big fast food chains that eminate from SE Asia.
My hotel is owned by an artist who showcases his avant garde pieces in the lobby. The garden outside is lush and verdent, with many songbirds in cages adding to the atmosphere. There are two house cats, both of whom I have seen with mice in their mouths as the night has worn on.
I ate strips of beef from a Japanese fast food chain whilst in the loudest mall imaginable. They were doing something for kids as there was a 9ft dragon sculpture sat right in the middle of the centre. I also tried donuts, battered vegetable thingy and battered banana from a donut seller in the market area. I also got to sample Batik - an artform that involves using wax and melting it to create pretty patterns on cloth and wood. It is a local speciality and one my friend is going to learn how to do tomorrow.
Other stuff about Singapore I didn't get round to mentioning includes the existence of two bars.
The first one is in a posh end of town and is the adjunct of a hotel. Here, angels are the theme and the barmaids dress as angels. The wine cellar is actually a wine tower in the middle of the bar and to get the wine that is requested by the clientelle, they attach themselves to zip wires, whilst wearing their angel wings and 'fly' to the relevant wine bottle.
The second bar is called C Clinic and is modelled on a hospital. So you can sup cocktails through an IV drip (which you suck rather than inject into your veins) whilst sitting on chairs that look like golden wheelchairs. My friend is a nurse - suffice to say it disturbed her.
P.S. I have drank the bar dry of the local beer Bintang - which is refreshing and sweet in this warm weather. So I am on to Heineken - which is less refeshing and sweet...
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country on Earth and is home to more Muslims than any other. Hearing the call to prayer as I was walking around the city centre of Yogyakarta was both evocative and slightly haunting in equal measure. It was a great thing to experience. The same can be said for walking through the old walled sultan palace, which is now home to many Indonesian families whose homes are typified by their open front nature. Indeed, all shops are like that here too, giving it a feel that is typically sub-Saharan African be it in SE Asia. It is great to walk down the street and see food vendors intermingle with companies dealing in automotive parts. The frontices and businesses all look like they could belong in colonial Africa, such is their style and the shoddy design of their signs.
I must admit that Indonesian customs was jovial and very friendly. First I had to queue up for a visa, which cost USD10. I then had to get myself and my bag disinfected in a special machine to screen against the H1N1 strain of swine fever. I must admit it was a strange experience but walking out into the hustle and bustle of Indonesia, the feeling was ultimately rewarding.
Hailing a taxi into town, we soon realised that the accelerator and the horn in this city are very closely linked. Equally, no one stops should you want to cross the road so you just have to chance it, hoping that your steady speed will ensure the numerous amout of motorcyclists won't crash into you. Also there are no seatbelts in the back seats of cars. We could have got a horse and trap around town - they are frequent - but we decided to walk it. Plus the tarpaulin sheets that run between the horse's ass and the carriage to collect any faeces was somewhat offputting.
Walking into town, we were subjected to harassment from some of the localswho believed that as we were Western, we had money. They were offering us taxi rides for very cheap prices but we wanted to walk around the town ourselves. In doing so, we heard the Muslim call to prayer twice - at 3pm and 6pm - and it was evocative yet eerie at the same time. We also looked around the old Sultan's residence, which is now a large football pitch surrounded by Indonesian housing. It was great to get lost amidst the streets and meet new people - particularly the eldery cat lady who summed up typical Indonisean life.
Yogyakarta is odd as it's a combination of the modern and the traditional. Many shop fronts spill out on to the streets and many of the homes are merely shacks (for this reason, a lot of the town was destroyed in the earthquake that hit the region in 2005 - some homes are yet to be rebuilt). Tire shops and mechanics vie for business next to food emporia and this market feel creates a unique sense of social buzz that is hard to replicate anywhere else. This contrast couldn't be more true than in the downtown area of the city where market stall workers hawking fresh satay sticks (on a tray balanced on the vendor's head), sweets with icing and sugar made on the spot, fresh fruit sellers and donut sellars in the shadow of an air conditioned mall that contains McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC and a whole host of big fast food chains that eminate from SE Asia.
My hotel is owned by an artist who showcases his avant garde pieces in the lobby. The garden outside is lush and verdent, with many songbirds in cages adding to the atmosphere. There are two house cats, both of whom I have seen with mice in their mouths as the night has worn on.
I ate strips of beef from a Japanese fast food chain whilst in the loudest mall imaginable. They were doing something for kids as there was a 9ft dragon sculpture sat right in the middle of the centre. I also tried donuts, battered vegetable thingy and battered banana from a donut seller in the market area. I also got to sample Batik - an artform that involves using wax and melting it to create pretty patterns on cloth and wood. It is a local speciality and one my friend is going to learn how to do tomorrow.
Other stuff about Singapore I didn't get round to mentioning includes the existence of two bars.
The first one is in a posh end of town and is the adjunct of a hotel. Here, angels are the theme and the barmaids dress as angels. The wine cellar is actually a wine tower in the middle of the bar and to get the wine that is requested by the clientelle, they attach themselves to zip wires, whilst wearing their angel wings and 'fly' to the relevant wine bottle.
The second bar is called C Clinic and is modelled on a hospital. So you can sup cocktails through an IV drip (which you suck rather than inject into your veins) whilst sitting on chairs that look like golden wheelchairs. My friend is a nurse - suffice to say it disturbed her.
P.S. I have drank the bar dry of the local beer Bintang - which is refreshing and sweet in this warm weather. So I am on to Heineken - which is less refeshing and sweet...
