Last night I went out with Michelle, long term volunteer, and Meme (remember Meme's Disco Angkot?) for a meal in a restaurant in Bitung fish market. Usually when we go out to eat there are vegetarians - such a damn nuisance! - so we can only go to more up market places, a bit boring and often empty, that have a range of meat free dishes and don't serve dog or cat.
The fish market cafe was bustling and we had fish and chicken and some really hot sambals and lots of beer.
Except Meme who is a Muslim.
One thing I love about Indonesia is the Indonesian sense of humour, and here they really appreciate my jokes.
Always a good measure of a truly civilised country.
I have not laughed so much for a long while.
Dr Dian has now left and returned to Java, but before she left she gave me a copy of her collection of keroncong music that she had on a memory stick.
It is all the good 'ol stuff, including, of course, Bengawan Solo.
Here is Rebbeca Pan's English language version that reappeared in 2000 in Wong Kar-wai's beautiful film In the Mood for Love.
The fish market cafe was bustling and we had fish and chicken and some really hot sambals and lots of beer.
Except Meme who is a Muslim.
One thing I love about Indonesia is the Indonesian sense of humour, and here they really appreciate my jokes.
Always a good measure of a truly civilised country.
I have not laughed so much for a long while.
Dr Dian has now left and returned to Java, but before she left she gave me a copy of her collection of keroncong music that she had on a memory stick.
It is all the good 'ol stuff, including, of course, Bengawan Solo.
Here is Rebbeca Pan's English language version that reappeared in 2000 in Wong Kar-wai's beautiful film In the Mood for Love.
The English lyrics are terrible, the Indonesian is a lovely description of the river Solo flowing down to the sea. Here is a version by the legendary Hetty Koes Endang.
I have been luck in my last week. Yesterday I saw the hanging parrots and today I had a good view of the montor lizard that for the past few months I have only heard scuttling through the undergrowth and dry leaves. It was only a small one, about a meter long, but very nicely coloured in cream and grey, and very bright and alert. Unlike some of the older lumbering monsters.