Good News Bad News

First the bad news. I am feeling pretty bad today, sort of flu like symptoms and probably the result of having pushed so much for the past few months and wearing this old bod down. Time for a rest.
The good news is that the wonderful owner of my guesthouse felt that I would recover faster in the poolside suite so he upgraded my room. It is too bad I am not 100% so that I could enjoy this luxury status.

Now in Bali

I finally made it to Bali. The bus ride was supposed to have been 16 hours but turned out to be 19. I am glad that the seat was quite comfortable and I certainly got to see a lot of the island of Java during the daylight hours. Thanks to a good book, some Sudoku puzzles and Ambien I endured the long ride. I requested the bulkhead seat which is just behind the driver so I was would be able to see a lot of the island. What I had not bargained for was also seeing the frightening close calls as we would pass slower traffic and cut back in to our lane barely avoiding head on collision after head on. Air travel in Indonesia is infamous (The national airline Garuda is not permitted to operate in Europe or North America) so I thought I was selecting a safer means of transport. I am not too sure of that now.


Bali is a much bigger island than I expected. I am staying in Seminyak, one of many beach towns on the coast. The traffic here is horrendous, not the idyllic scene I had envisioned, but I am enjoying myself anyway having met many interesting travelers and locals. Last night I went out bar hopping with some other guests from my hotel, and did not get home until after 2. I will stay here for a few more days since I really like this guesthouse and inside here is very peaceful--- a welcome respite from the town. I am sorry to say up to this point Bali is not an enchanting island as I had expected. There is still Ubud, a mountain town where Balinese culture is supposed to be well preserved.

Off to Bali

Today I will depart at noon on a 16-18 hour bus/ferry trip from Jogjakarta to Bali. Bali is the destination that has been so elusive in the past so I am happy that it looks like I will finally make it there tomorrow morning. I am hopeful of greatness and expecting mediocrity so that I should not be disappointed. The long ride is a bit daunting but it seems the optimal way of getting there. I have booked a bulkhead seat and i hope that makes for a comfortable trip.

A couple of days ago I mentioned some shopping therapy and I bought some "Crocs" because I thought it was too good a deal to pass up. Once again I found out if it is too good to be true, it is. What I thought was costing me $9.49 was actually $94.90 as I found out upon checking my bank statement. There are so many zeroes involved when using Indonesian rupiah (One dollar equals about 9000 rupiah) so I have learned to be more careful when converting currencies, again. This makes these damn Crocs some of the most expensive shoes I own so you can bet I will be wearing them and wearing them and wearing them.

Borobudur and Prambanan

Beautifully preserved bas relief depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha. Here the people rejoice at that their king has a son who was later in life to eschew his royal status and become an ascetic. This is one of my favorite pictures from trip. Here Buddha looks out over Merapi volcano which recently erupted (October 28-November 5) wreaking havoc on the surrounding area and killing over 400 people. The van I took to get to Borabudur and Prambanam had to make several detours around lava covered roads.

Two of Indonesia's most famous historical sights are located a short distance from Jogjakarta and I was able to tour both in one long day. Pickup from my hotel was at 0500 and the gate in front of the hotel had to be unlocked for me to get out. Pretty damn early for a vacation morning, especially since I am staying in a cold water only guesthouse. Can you imagine a cold shower before 5 AM?

Getting up early was well worth the benefits and I and the one other tourist in my small group I had Borobudur almost to ourselves. As I mentioned a day ago this was a Buddhist shrine from the years 750-850. The bas relief on the supporting walls are in beautiful shape having been buried in volcanic silt for nearly 1000 years. Breakfast of toast, jelly and coffee was served after this stop, and I supplemented mine with a yummy veggie omelet.

The second major sight of the day was Prambanan, an Hindu temple devoted to Shiva, the primary Hindu deity. Historically this shift from Buddhist to Hindu reflected the intellectual and religious evolution in Indonesia. There are so damn many deities in Hindu that I think I will never figure it all out. I have learned some interesting stories about their gods if anyone cares to listen when I get home.

It's Not Gawga, It;s Yogya

This evil prince in one of the gamelon performances at the Sultan's palace today was eventually slain by the good prince, an unusual twist to a familiar tale.

Eight dancers performed a beautiful and graceful dance that was so soothing that I almost went to sleep. I was wishing for a hammock.

These were some street performers who seemed to be going in and out of businesses dancing a bit and I expect dispensing blessings and collecting money. Where I saw them was, oddly, a tire shop.

I am now in Yojakarta, a city whose name is easily confused with the name of the capital, Jakarta. The common practice here is to call Jojakarta Yogya and the pronunciation is just about the same as we locals say "Gawga," as in "Gawga Bulldogs." I am still not in love with Indonesia which is pretty disappointing after so many years of anticipation, but my opinion is improving. I indulged in a bit of shopping therapy this afternoon and tomorrow I am booked to visit Borobudur, an 6-7 century Buddhist temple and Prambanan, a Hindu temple from 8-10th centuries. I was at the Sultan's Palace here in Jogya today for a self guided tour and also a show of some classical Javanese dance which was very graceful and tranquilizing and I nearly fell asleep. Things are looking up.

As far as the shopping therapy, it was a rainy afternoon and I ducked into a comfortable dry shopping mall. I ran into a "Croc" shop and decided to try some on and walked out with 2 pair. I had long ago decided not to wear "Crocs", but the price was irresistable. I hope not too many people laugh at me! Once my purse strings were untied I continued shopping in the outdoor market where I ran into a few very unusual local crafts.

Train to Jojokarta

Having my fill of Jakarta I took the train to my next destination, Jogjakarta. This was a long ride and I was happy that I had just started rereading "The Haj" by Leon Uris and that I had a new book of Sudoku puzzles to keep me entertained. I got to the station 45 minutes ahead and I was lucky to meet an English student who explained to me the announcement that we were delayed. It took me back to my working days, and they were pretty good about updating the delay reports even though I could not understand. I was glad not to be the one having to deal with misconnections.

Instead of 0845 we actually departed about 1030. The ride and seat were comfortable and the scenery was lusciously green. (Yes, Ellen, it really was green this time!) Vendors boarded at some stops selling local foods and I enjoyed some banana leaf wrapped goodies along the way. We made up time and despite the delay I got to my destination of Jogjakarta only an hour late.

Jakarta, Indonesia

I know many people reading this would not be in line to join the Obama Fan Club, but he is naturally a very popular figure here in Indonesia where he spent time as a boy and also a country he has visited since being elected. In my travels over the years I have never experienced such an affirmative opinion of our country like I have since we elected our present leader. Even those who do not like him must appreciate what he has done for the image of the USA as a land of opportunity.

I was sightseeing one day and said, "Hello!", to a group of school kids. Suddenly I was surrounded and everyone wanted to know my name, where I was from, how old I was, etc. They were so cute that I had to take a picture, well actually many pictures as the group kept swelling. As I said goodbye, my hand was tired from so much high five-ing.

When I was in elementary school we used to get "Weekly Readers" each week (DUH!) and I remember reading about President Sukarno from Indonesia. I had to do a bit of research to refresh my memory about him but he was a communist leaning leader in the 50's and 60's. What is most impressive is that he was a figure of such importance that I knew the leader of another country. Who knows who the president of Indonesia is today? Not I!!! Anyway he was something of a "New Dealer" here and created many government projects to improve the economy. This is the National Monument, also known as Sukarno's Great Erection.
(In case you haven't figured it out, this should caption the second picture.)

I went into a restaurant for lunch one day and after I sat down they put a plate of rice in front of me and then all these dishes were set down. I wasn't terrible hungry and I asked how much all this was going to cost. They explained that I only paid for what I ate. The bill was around $6 and the food was only so-so.

There is not too much I can think of to tell about Jakarta. I was expecting a sleepy, third world capitol but there was actually quite a bit of impressive modern architecture. Still the city was crowded, hot, polluted and very lacking in charm. I spent a two days there to plan my strategy for exploring Indonesia and I left with few regrets.

Something that strikes me odd, and it has since I was in Thailand, is that in all these countries -Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia - you drive on the left. Of course we drive on the right and we also walk on the right when in a crowd. Here there seems to be no such convention and pedestrian traffic, like motorized, is very haphazard. I am getting accustomed to looking left, then right before crossing streets, but each time I cross, I still say a little prayer.

One More From the Bucket List

I flew Tiger Air from Singapore to Jakarta. Flying on a confirmed ticket is an unusual luxury for me but the cost of this ticket was so low ($60) that I felt it a justified splurge. In this part of the world Tiger Air and Air Asia are low cost carriers that provide excellent cheap flights around the region.

Yesterday I was able to check one more box on my bucket list. After years of thinking about it and even one botched trip here back in the early 90's I finally got to Indonesia yesterday. I almost got here quite a few years back, but I only got as far as Hawaii when I realized the connections I had scheduled for myself did not take into account the IDL (International Date Line) and I would have something like a 48 hour layover in Guam. Yesterday I flew on a confirmed ticket from Singapore to Jakarta and I will be here for a few days. The city is really not that interesting but I need some time time to plan where I go next. The people on the other hand are just as welcoming and friendly as I have ever seen---all this in one of them dang Muslim - fied countries.

Melaka with Luc

That is one mean looking monitor lizard who seems poised to hop aboard the tour boat and enjoy some nice warm human flesh.
New friend and tour guide nonpareil Luc from Melaka. He is a Transformer aficionado and also a blogger. His blog is humorously named "Still Play with Toys".

I had seen fried oysters on various restaurant billboards around the city so that was my request for last night. I was not expecting the oysters to be stir fried and in a scrambled egg and rice flour melee, but it was so delicious that i forgot to take a picture until there were just a few scraps left. Needless to say, we cleaned the plate (actually paper) after this picture. The bowl contains a chili and vinegar dipping sauce.

While traveling to Melaka a few days back I happened to be sitting by a young Chinese man who was 3rd generation Chinese in Melaka. What a lucky break as Luc has turned out to be a good friend and tour guide extraordinaire. Since he works for a family business during the day we have been seeing each other every evening for dinner, and of course there is nothing better than going local when it is time to eat in a gourmand's city like this. Malay, Chinese, Indian and even Portuguese cuisines are popular here and we have explored most of them. Tonight is Portuguese.

The Melaka river bisects the city and yesterday I took an hour long boat tour. The canned narration was so-so but what was so interesting were the monitor lizards hungrily eyeing us passing tourists. My hotel is right beside the river and I hope that I do not run into one of those creatures in the hallway. They embody all things one fears inn cold blooded creatures, but they are rather beautiful.

Melaka, Malaysia

Tanoori chicken and naan My funky hotel in Melaka

Tricked out trishaws available for city tours

I have never been in a place with so many spellings. Melaka, Melucca, Molaka are but a few variations. This city dates from the 14th century when an Indonesian prince/buccaneer established a city here to commemorate a mythological battle between a white mouse-deer (whatever that is) and one of the prince's hunting dogs. The city flourished as Chinese traders settled in this port on the lucrative China-India trade route. In 1509 the Portuguese arrived with guns and missionaries and soon established economic, but not theological, control. The people remained Muslim. From their colonies in nearby Indonesia the Dutch began attacking the Portuguese and eventually took control in1807. A treaty between Holland and Britain in 1824 ceded Melaka (and the rest of Malaysia) to the British who were around until post WWII. I still do not understand the arrogance of those European countries trading, battling and bargaining countries around the globe like a game of Monopoly. Of course it seems the rulers of the smaller countries were often well rewarded for their cooperation, so no one was blameless in all these dealings.
Enough history for a bit! Melaka is famous for food and that's okay with me. Last night I had tandoori chicken and today laksa, a soup with coconut milk and lemongrass, and popiah, a fat spring roll stuffed with dried shrimp, carrots, chili, garlic and who knows what else. If reading that doesn't make you salivate, you must have just finished eating.
I am staying a a funky little hotel next to the Melaka river. There is a nice bar downstairs, the staff is very friendly, the room cool and clean. Unfortunately I think I will change tomorrow because of the bathroom, however. Instead of our familiar throne toilet this is Arab style with two footrests and a hole in the floor. It just ain't as easy to get up from that squatting position as it was a few years back. Hope that is not tmi.

KL

Everyone here refers to Kuala Lumpur as KL, maybe because it is shorter or maybe because Kuala Lumpur means "muddy river" in Malay. What they call a river is more like an unimpressive little stream. It is hard to believe that one of the world's most important cities is named for that little trickle. Perhaps there was more of a river in earlier days.

I really like this city. The people are extremely courteous and everybody smiles so it is quite more pleasant than Thailand. This is a Muslim country and that brings about the one thing I do not like here. Alcohol, even beer, is outrageously expensive. (A single can of beer is more than $2 WHEN you can find it in a store.) Muslims do not drink alcohol so it is highly taxed which affects the Chinese and Hindu populations who are already treated quite openly as second class. Today I wanted to buy a bottle of rubbing alcohol and that was not available. I settled for something called antiseptic and disinfectant spirits.

I spent over a week visiting my friend who lives here, but I do not want to impose more so now I am in a hotel in the center of town. I like being where the action is and I think I will stay around here a bit longer.

"Ummph" and the Cameron Highlands

This is how tea starts out. I always thought it came from the Lipton box.

Strawberries are another big crop in this area. I know I am far from home when I contrast "Self plucking" strawberries with "U Pick" peaches.

I enjoyed being relatively static staying with my friend in Kuala Lumpur, but after a Cameron Highland tea is well known and respected by tea afficianados. Today I visited the Boh Sungai Palace Tea Estate and toured the factoy where the tea we drink is week the road called and I packed my bags and set out. I traveled by train about 150 KM north to the town of Ipoh. I have learned that almost always public transportation is overly air conditioned so I wore long pants and long sleeves. This train, however, was a sweat box and I felt like I wasn sitting in a sauna fully clothed. I sweated all the way to Ipoh, a British colonial town, renowned for great food. I took a tax (expensive) to the hotel suggested by Lonely Planet. The hotel was dreary, the town not very appealing and I decided even before checking in that I would not stay long in Ipoh.

I bussed the following morning to Tanah Rata in the area of Malaysia known as the Cameron Highlands. What a difference from Ipoh. This town exudes charm and the guesthouse I picked is very sociable with a nice view of the verdent mountains. The elevation here is just about that of Denver (if my metric conversion is correct)and it is wonderfully cool. Well, actually almost too cool.

This is where the British, during the colonial days, developed a great tea industry, and now produced from green harvested leaves. It was a very ordinary tour with an extraordinary exception.

Did you ever think about where the word "ummph" came from? What I learned today is that in the 80's the promoters of Boh Tea wanted a word to describe their product. Well, they invented the word "ummph" meaning 1) something with a "kick", i.e., strength or impact: and 2)invigorating or refreshing. Whether this is true or not, I think it makes a pretty good story.

Happy New Year

Sunrise on 1-1-11 in Kuala Lumpur
Fireworks and skyline of Kuala Lumpur as the new year begins

I spent New Years with my friend Adil at his condo in Kuala Lumpur. You could not ask for a better view to see the fireworks than from his balcony. I took the above pic of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers (once the tallest building in the world but no longer) slightly to right of center. The following morning I woke up early and took a photo of the beautiful first sunrise on the year.

Our celebration was low key---a movie and a delicious Italian dinner at my friend's choice of restaurants. I am getting itchy feet and will start traveling again early next week. Perhaps Adil will go with me to Cameron Highlands where it is cooler and where tea drives the economy.