Solo

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Arrived by long bus journey from Mount Bromo to Solo - great city, quite buzzing, not as crazy as surabaya...really big on the arts here.

visited the first of my temples (many more to come) Candi Sukuh & Candi Ceto - both very interesting stories behind them.

made friends with more local people helping me to try out the local foods & great fruit. very lucky to be able to attend a local wedding - relative of a friend here (trie). great to experience this - not like any other wedding i've been to (muslim-javanese). great traditional clothes & snacks, food & drink being passed around all day while testimonies go own from various members of family & friends. felt very welcomed & very much part of the family. people are very intrigued by my western look here...& seem to love the fact that i have a big nose...apparently it's beautiful!! thanks, does wonders for the confidence!...not! but i guess they do have much smaller noses, oh well..i'll live!

visited a beautiful waterfall...definitely the first of many to come!

went to see a few traditional dances (wayang orang - human puppets) - very unusual movements (literally looking like puppets in human form, but this is the traditional classic dancing) to mainly gamelan music set to plots from famous stories (often based around the the famous rama & sita story). basically often with a baddie of some form, a disagreement over power, extremely slow motion & very peculiar fighting to end. but all very intriguing to say the least. needs a lot of discipline & practise to be able to move the body in such precise & controlled ways..hats off to them!! i did have a go, but it's very different to salsa!!

loving the food here...much rice & veg & chicken with various sauces, & of course, lots of spice!!

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