Should any friends from Malang read this you will be pleased to hear that there has been lots of Om Toming over the last week or so. I prefer Pak or Tuan but I've got used to it.
Bercanda aja!
Tom in the The Republic of Mimpi and Lost in Sea of Sand |
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Should any friends from Malang read this you will be pleased to hear that there has been lots of Om Toming over the last week or so. I prefer Pak or Tuan but I've got used to it. Bercanda aja!
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Curiosity has led me to order Chicken in D'Basket. Older readers will remember this as 1960s pub food. Though not the D'. Sure enough the chicken has arrived in a basket with a slice of tomato, a slice of cucumber, a small dish of mayo and eight small chips. Oh, and an accompanying bowl of rice. The chicken is good but I will have to ration the chips and start with the rice. As this claims to be Japanese food it comes with chopsticks. Now to start. After so much nasi goreng and mie it is good to eat western style again. Last orders for kretek. Please email or comment. To 'lump', pronounced loomp, Is a new English word to mean to pretend to ride a horse. Remember the knights lumping at the beginning of Monty Python and the Holy Grail? It is from the Indonesian for hobby horse. As we did not get to climb the volcano we plan to see a kuda (horse) lumping ritual and go fishing instead. More later. The Kuda Luming was a much grander affair than the one I saw in Jogja but less exciting because no one went into a trance and ran amok. Though the costumes and music were spectacular with representative groups from towns all around. Today Dian took me to the market to buy some films and dangdut music, and the on to a workspace that made enceng gondok. An invasive water lilly that like Japanese knot weed in the UK is causing environmental problems. With typical Indonesian ingenuity the weed is used to make bags, chairs, tables, mats and all kind of things. I have bought a few small things to take back. Today we took the bus instead of a motorbike and I always enjoy riding the buses here - unlike back home! -, even the Trans Jogja. Perhaps I should add oleh-oleh are the small gifts you are expected to bring back with you. Having trouble posting to the blog. Yesterday I wrote about the joy of eating snails at the Hill of Love, but it does not seems load. I'll try this Last night at about midnight Ronald took me to see wayang kulit in nearby village. We were late so had to race through the empty streets of Salatiga on his bike. But in fact we were not late at all and as a cultural performance the wayang was not good. Ronald pointed out that it was not a traditional story and not a full gamelan. The puppets too were new, though beautifully pained. It was still interesting for me though, especially to look at the audience, who were few and mostly local bigwigs. I wouldn't like to guess how many would be there at four the next morning when the performance ended. Today we visited Gedong Songo in a hired car. Gedong Songo is an ancient temple complex on a hillside and though five temples can be seen it is believed that there are still several more to be discovered. I took pictures with my camera and forgot to take any with the iPod to post here. So if you are interested ask me when I return. The temples are somewhat like those on the Dieng Plateau but there are subtle differences. I must compare photos when I return. There were two interesting female deities, one I think was Kali and the other may have been Parvati. I don't remember any female gods at Dieng. There are no wonderful carvings, statues or huge temples like Prambanan or Borobudor but even for anyone not interested in archeology the place is worth a visit for the wonderful setting, the volcanic hot springs and the farms of flowers, tobacco, coffee and so many other kinds of plants and shrubs. And the spectacular views. Overall I think it is the most beautiful place I have seen in Java. The bus ride from Jogja to Salatiga was beautiful once we got out of the city. Green rice paddies with cloudy volcanoes in the distance. The Transport made good time until we were just outside Salatiga where there were roadworks and traffic on the small road slowed down to a crawl. Before I left Mbak Charly's I had a long chat with the Ibu and the receptionist. Two Italian women, mother and daughter - mother with tattoos and both riding hired motorbikes. Not that that tells you much. I'm just giving you the picture. - had complained that Raphael, a two year old, had made too much noise and they could not sleep. They suggested his mum, the receptionist, should give him a good kicking. An outrageous thing to say in any culture. But in Indonesia. We decided, in a sweeping generalisation, that all Italians were sombong and tidak sopan. Basically orang2 kasar. Strange as it is the British who have the reputation of not liking small children, the Italians are supposed to love them. Dian and Ronald took me out for a delicious nasi goreng Jaw, which we are on a mat spread out on the pavement . I mean we sat on the mat. We actually ate off plates. English is a difficult language! I am very touched that Dian and Ronald don't mind spending time with an old bule like me when they could be out enjoying themselves with their friends. Today I explored Salatiga. Unlike Jogja it is easy to walk around the centre of town. I like it very much, it has a wonderful market and plenty of excellent warung and none of the hassle of a tourist town. My hotel is comfortable enough. Mandi and fan and a great view of the volcanoes. The only downside is that there is only wifi in the foyer. But that's nothing to complain about. I have just lost my description of the journey back to Salatiga and my welcome by Dian and Ronald. Perhaps I tried to add to many pictures. So I'll try another time. So for now here is just a picture of my hotel. Waiting for the Transport to pick me up from Mbak Charly's. Recommend this place to anyone visiting but it helps to have some Indonesian. The use of language in signs is always interesting and here are a couple for you to puzzle over. Pelan means slow. |
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