Indonesia's Islands

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INDONESIA’S ISLANDS—field notes from the journal of guide Donald Lyon. October 19-November 3, 2009

Day 1 (October 19, 2009) Sanur and Denpasar, Bali: As it does every day in Bali, the sun rose at 6:30. Our little band, almost complete, was stirring. Robyn Searl (Beijing, China), Marlin and Edna Owen (La Miranda, CA) had arrived on the 17th and were old Bali hands at this point. Yesterday Chris Kogut (Pittsford, NY), Ronnie Levin (Williamstown, MA) and your humble correspondent (YHC, aka Don Lyon) arrived in the afternoon while Bonnie Hegge (coming from Nairobi, Kenya) and Deanna Alderman (Arvada, CO--where Bonnie normally lives,) arrived in the evening. Jim Treat (Walnut Creek, CA) would arrive this afternoon. Visas at the airport were just a matter of standing in line at the airport and paying the $25 fee. Some relaxed last night with a soak in the bathtub warm sea and a swim in the pool at our pleasant Perigata Resort hotel here in Sanur. YHC hired two vans to take the eight of us (so far) into Denpasar for the museum which is laid out as a traditional Balinise compound. Some of the artifacts had been collected by the early European painters who had come to Bali in the 30's. It did give us a sense of what was to come--especially the textiles such as ekats and batiks. While we were able to photograph everything, the lighting was poor and our best images were of the staff relaxing on the shaded porches. At the central market or “pasar” which is open like a parking garage, the more redolent items such as meat and fish, fruit of every description are on the ground floor while fabrics and hardware were up stairs. It was a great introduction to the friendly Indonesians who never complained that we were blocking the aisles and sticking our cameras in people’s faces and not buying very much. We sniffed the durian, captured scenes of vendors dishing up bowls of nasi goreng (fried rice--the national dish) and fish ball soup, and practiced the fine art of bargaining with rupiah--9400 to the dollar. We are feeling the heat and humidity of this sea level, equatorial city and all agree to return to our sea side hotel for a late lunch and/or afternoon at leisure to explore images among the tropical foliage--plants like one normally sees in the dentist's office and brilliant flowers such as frangipani (plumaria), hibiscus and heliconia. The beach here is sheltered from the surf by the reef a 100 meters off shore but is colorful with out rigger canoes pulled up on shore. Bt 6:30 sunset, Jim had arrived and we nine had a wonderful fish dinner at the hotel restaurant along with large bottles of Bintang--Indonesia's most popular beer.

Day 2 Bali to Java: 7am breakfast—already hot on the beach for us northlanders. Some shots of the bougainvillea-like plants call Peragata (the name of our Inn). Most of us walked down the beach to where colorful outrigger canoes were beached.




Tropical foliage patterns and designs were other options. At 10 AM Merta, our Floressa guide collected us for the ride to the airport. The 80 minute flight passed several gorgeous volcanoes on the right—including Merapi (8800 feet) and it’s twin—both ready to blow at any time. At Yogyakarta we were met by a beaming Happy who remained true to his name as our guide for the next three days. Our lunch restaurant doubled as an eclectic art gallery. Better food than art. We checked into the Yogyakarta Plaza Hotel about 2:30pm and had the afternoon at leisure. At 3:30 Jim, Ronnie, Robyn and YHC taxied to the Pasar Beringharjo for a few hours of meeting the people more than shopping.. The decrepit bicycle trishaws with their colorful scenes painting on the big fenders kept YHC busy. Tired drivers lounged creatively across the benches waiting for customers. Down the back alleys people posed and joked with us while we began to get into the rhythm of the Javanese life—ie, relax, no sense in rushing about like mad dogs . Dinner at the hotel was excellent. Paul Edmundus, manager of Floressa, and an old friend of YHC for the past 20 years, was our host for the evening and generously treated us all to drinks, including some very creative cocktails.

Day 3 Borobudur: Decisions, decisions—whether to start the day with an omelet cooked to order or rice porridge with a dozen different condiments. On the coach at 7am today. Paul was there to see us off. We made a stop at a Chinese cemetery on a hill and also to see snake fruit or “salak being packed for the wholesale market. Creasing the side then squeezing the snakeskin like fruit opens it to reveal seeds covered with sweet white flesh. By 9am we had arrived at the great 8th C. Buddhist temple on a hill. It’s seven layers represent ever-higher standards of life. Happy showed us the bas reliefs that represented lives not lived properly—drinking, smoking opium, consorting with lascivious women all fell into this category. According to the interpretations of the bas-reliefs, a good massage could put one on the road to recovery. We explored for almost two hours, soaking up the heat radiating off the black volcanic stone. Reaching into the bell shaped stupas to touch the carved images of Buddha was sure to bring good luck. YHC had his reflector to shine golden light into the darker recesses. Returning to the elegant grounds of the hotel on the edge of the edifice a masseuse offered foot massages, eagerly accepted by Edna, Jim and Ronnie. A small temple nearby with a lovely pink frangipani housed the ashes of the Sailendra dynasty rulers who built Borobudur between 750 and 850 ad. Our third temple stop was at Mendut where important visitors paused for purification rituals before visiting Borobudur. The 9’ Buddha seated inside is carved from a single piece of stone and is unique in that his feet rest on the ground instead of being in a lotus position. Bodhisattvas Lokesvara is on the left and Varipana is on the right. Bodhisattvas are like saints—men who have reached a state of enlightenment but choose to stay on earth to help mankind rather than proceed to Nirvana. The security guard had a large piece mirror to reflect light into the small temple—“terima kasl!” The great banyan tree was here and the hanging “vines” invited swinging. Lunch was nearby in an elegant pavilion. We took the long way home through the countryside, stopping for rice terraces and palm trees with the sun setting behind. Back to the hotel by 4pm. Dinner tonight was at an outdoor pavilion where the presentation was as elegant as it was delicious. Ronnie and YHC were dropped off at the Shadow puppet museum where a performance was in progress. Chairs were set up on both sides of the screen so one could watch/photograph both the shadows on the screen or the puppet master at work with his water-buffalo hide puppets, the 20 member gamelan orchestra and all of the behind the scenes effects. Most of the audience chose to watch the behind the scenes portion. The play, as usual, was a scene from the Ramayana epic. Ronnie found the perfect shadow puppet for a souvenir and we taxied home for a well deserved sleep. Even though the story is derived from Hindu creation myths, shadow puppets were a favorite of the Moslem Sultans who still retain a royal puppet master. Even though the capitol of Indonesia is in Jakarta at the western end of Java, there still exists a Sultan who retains sovereignty over the Yogjakarta environs and exerts a powerful moral force over the island.

Day 4. Prambanan and vicinity: Out at 7am to drive NE of Yogja towards Prambanan Temple complex. Our first stop was at the village of Plaosan—known locally for tofu and tempe production. Happy also showed us how a small tree fruit was processed to make a sundried snack—quite tasty. We boarded local horse-carts called dokars to ride to nearby rice paddies where women cut the rice with their small knives so as not to offend the rice spirits—the animist traditions remain. The men follow-up with their sickles to cut the straw. The village is surrounded by temple ruins including the restored mausoleums of King Rakai Pikitan (Hindu) and his queen (Buddhist) who were among the builders of Prambanan from the 8th to 10th Centuries. These structures contain both Hindu and Buddhist figures as Hinduism was replacing Buddhism during this time. On to Prambanan where four large temples are dedicated to Shiva, Brahma, Nandi (Shiva’s vehicle, the bull) and other Hindu figures. Over 250 smaller temples are in ruins while these four are undergoing extensive restoration after the 2006 earthquake. In this region, most of the homes of ordinary people, such as our guide Happy, were destroyed, too. He and his wife camped out for two years while rebuilding. The black volcanic stone and washed out sky was a challenge, along with the chain link fences around the construction site, but we managed to get some images of the shapes of the temples and some of the bas reliefs that detail stories from the Ramayana. The best images were from afar, through the trees and foliage of the nearby park where we had our lunch. Afterwards we drove back into town to see how batik cloth is made at Raradjonggarang Factory—women were applying the hot wax to the cloth. At Tom’s Silver Factory we captured a demonstration of how the shadow puppets are made and painted using buffalo hide. The staff put on a short performance for us, which gave us some good images from both sides of the screen. Happy gave each of us a booklet on his favorite city, the old capitol and independent city state of Yogjakarta (he was the writer). Back to the hotel by 5pm—a full day. Dinner at the hotel where again the food was excellent even if the entertainment provided by songstress and piano overwhelmed our efforts at conversation.

Day 5 Yogjakarta to Mahakham River: By 7am we were headed for the airport and soon we were winging over Java and the Java Sea to Balikpapan, capitol of East Kalimantan. Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, also home to two states of Malaysia and the small country of Brunei. We met Lukman, our local guide and boarded our van for the 2.5 hour ride to the Mahakham River at Loajanan near Samarinda. We stopped for drinks and snacks to go—along with a bunch of bananas. Not much to photograph along the way so we made good time. Our boat is a double decker with 12 cabins, two bathrooms and air conditioning—imagine! We sit down to a late lunch of chicken and fish—first of many delicious meals on board the Mahakham Queen, as we re-christen her. At dusk we stop in Tenggarong to purchase beer and soft drinks for the journey ahead. It is 7pm now, dark with twinkling lights from the communities along the river and the last call to prayer this Friday eve. The Mahakham Queen chugs upriver against the surprising strong current. We make ourselves at home, test the showers and decide that unheated water is not necessary given the heat of the day. Dinner of soup, salads and fish from the river is delicious. With the AC off and windows open YHC finds the night quite comfortable and mosquito free. The chug chug of the big diesel engine lulls us to sleep.

Day 6 On the Mahakham—Muara Muntai to Tanjung Isuy and Back: Lovely day even with the 30 minutes of rain in the afternoon. We had tied up at Muara Muntai during the night. After breakfast Lukman and a local man showed us around this town of about 7000 souls. The “streets” are a boardwalk of heavy iron wood planks giving it the look of a western movie. The boardwalk serves to raise the town above flood level. Shots of people on their porches, kids sitting on parent’s motorbikes and the cemetery at the edge of town. At the elementary school we were invited to provide a lesson. Our offering was “Itsy Bitsy Spider” pantomimed by us and let by Marlin, our resident conductor. They came back with the Indonesian version which referred to tree branches instead of water spouts. We are asked to take a group picture of the 32 students and teachers. Unfortuantely no one there is able to receive e-mailed images but they ask that we send pictures to: Tk. Mawar, Jl. Mulawarman RT. IV, Muara Muntai VLU, KEC. Muara Muntai, Kab. Kutai Kartanegara, Kaltim. Indonesia 75562. Several more songs went back and forth before we went back to the boat for a quick wash before boarding three Ces (pronounced Chess) long tail boats (with canopies and back rests for us westerners. We cruised south for two hours through the shallow lakes and canals of this rice growing region. Vegetable gardens and fishing platforms line the waterway and egrets are plentiful. Jabiru storks stand somberly next to houses where they are tethered, raised for their feathers. At Tanjung Isuy we sit down in the new long house to eat our box lunch sent from the boat—tasty and appreciated. YHC cuts a rattan vine symbolically protecting the community from evil spirits with a very sharp machete and the welcoming ceremonies begin. Rice harvesting and planting dances, a shaman curing ceremony dance is very colorful. Some of the costumes combine the bark fibre doyo cloth and ikat cloth which is tie dyed before weaving. Jewelry is often old Dutch guilders for the women and boar’s tusks for the men. Ikat weavings and rattan carry baskets are purchased. We are among the Banuaq Dayak people—very gracious. The ride back included an eagle, troop of Proboscis monkeys, swallows and more. Even if we did not get great images of the birds it was wonderful to see many of the more than 500 species of birds that live here. Gorgeous light as we return to our mother ship and cruise further up river. It is very peaceful and quite wonderful to sit out under the stars—we can see the Southern Cross—and breathe in the scented air of Borneo.

Day 7 Melak then down river: Early this morning we tied up at Melak, some 325 kilometers up the Mahakham River. At 9am we walked along the quay, capturing images of people bathing, washing dishes, preparing food—all the aspects of daily life. There is a busy market here. The call to prayer from the big green mosque or masjid reverberates through the town. We loaded into two Kijangs (SUV’s) and drove deep into the interior to Kersik Loway Park where there are many unusual plant species including the fabled Black Orchid. We did not have high expectations as this was the dry season but our local guide managed to find us three blooming specimens. They are mostly green with black centers but are very lovely. Other orchids, less showy, are here, too, in this white sandy scrub land. The carnivorous Pitcher Plant was deep yellow with a trap door to seal in any insect that managed to climb up to the top in hopes of escape. Our next stop was the old long house at Eheng Village, built in the 60’s and perhaps the last functioning long house in East Kalimantan where several families still lived—semi communally. Carved notched logs served as ladders. This is a center for rattan basket weaving. We captured the weaver at work and then walked down the road where more baskets were offered and a street fair was in progress with food stalls, hardware, and local crafts for local use. The local cemetery has carved and painted coffins on platforms. By 2:30 we are back on the boat washing up and then a delicious meal of fish, green beans, shrimps and watermelon. The Captain turned the Mahakham Queen around and we head back downstream—going about four times as fast now—with the current. Showers, cleaning cameras, deleting mistakes and relaxing in the pleasant shaded stern of the boat. The sunset, like yesterdays, is quite lovely—with ISO’s up to 1600 or higher we blasted away at the tropical tree line and villagers washing off the sweaty heat of the day wave back from their docks cum toilets and wash houses along the shore.

Day 8 Lekak to Balikpapan: During the night we arrived at the new village of Lekak Kidau just upriver from Tenggarong. These are Kenyah Dyak people resettled here after fires devastated their traditional lands ten years ago. CARE is involved in this resettlement effort. We explore the village finding scenes with the headman’s daughter and her child in a traditional beaded baby carrier. A half dozen of the oldest residents agree to pose for us in traditional clothing (and undershirts). Both men and women had stretched ear lobes--two women had ear lobes stretched to their shoulders. Most were in their 80’s. In the nearby paddy, women used the short knives to cut the rice. These Kenyah Dyak are Christian but the small knives were used to avoid offending the rice guardian spirits—why take chances? The very youngest kids in their classrooms were practicing drawing within the lines. Back onboard the MV Mirador Duga (the rightful name of our vessel) we continued our downriver course, in a rush now, to capture river life—our time had been too short. The last Bintangs had been consumed—“Cheers” again to Jim our Bintang benefactor. About 2:30 we were in Loa Janan again where our adventure had begun. With great thanks (and tips) to our wonderful cook, her husband for his excellent laundry services and for the three man crew who kept the whole show afloat. We then squeezed into two brand new Kijangs for the drive back to Balikpapan. We made a stop to photograph black pepper plantations. Palm oil nuts and pineapple grow along this stretch of East Kalimantan, too. The road is excellent, these days, but the amount of traffic has increased ten fold, too, making for slow going. In Balikpapan we are staying, uncharacteristically at Le Grandeur Hotel on the sea front. All admitted that the 4-star comforts are pretty nice. Dinner at the oddly named Atomic Restaurant where the duck was excellent. We looked forward to our spacious clean rooms and the chance to spread out after ship board life.

Day 9 East Kalimantan to Celebes: Morning at leisure—quite a concept. Ronnie is off for a jog on the beach, Robyn sees more of Balikpapan than she intended in her quest for the post office. Leisurely and delicious breakfast for all. Monsoon downpour floods the streets but not our spirits as we wade to the ATM. At noon we said goodbye to Lukman, our quiet but steady guide. A small box lunch was offered as we boarded the flight over the Makassar Straits to the southern tip of Celebes—previously known as Sulawesi. Many places in Indonesia are readopting local names and discarding the Bahasa names that had been imposed by Suharto under his nation building campaign. Makassar, formerly Ujung Pandang, was a major trading center under Dutch occupation. We meet Risal, our Torajan guide who has two Mitsubishi Vans waiting for us. We set off up the coast making a few stops for Bugis ships moored in the river and the very friendly people—most Bugis shipbuilders and fishermen. Marlin competed in a tire rolling race and came in first in his age group—way to go Marlin! The setting sun came too soon and we missed some good areas as night fell (our flight was several hours later than originally planned). We drive on in the darkness to Pare Pare and Bukit Indrah Hotel. The name means beautiful mountain but that would not be revealed until tomorrow. The power was out in much of our simple hotel and the rooms were stifling but the staff brought candles and soon we were relaxing with dinner. Other little oddities about the hotel served to mind us about priorites off the tourist track. The dinner was good—the beer cold—all was well.


Day 10 Pare Pare to Torajaland: The sun came up as scheduled and illuminated the city below us from our vantage point on the beautiful mountain. A simple breakfast of cold eggs and rice (those priorites again) and we set out to explore the waterfront, hoping to discover some shipbuilding activities or at least the catch being brought in. Not much happening today but images of the flotsam and jetsam on the beach was instructive regarding modern consumer societies problems. We watched a small catch of fish being readied for sale then headed up the mountains. About 11:30 we stopped at a hillside café and belvedere with beautiful views over the rugged hills of limestone. The great gash of erosion on the mountain here earned it the name of Yoni Mountain. In the next town was an eroded towering peak that might be called Mt. Linga. We stopped and chatted up the local kids , happy to practice their English and be photographed. As we enter Torajaland the scenery changed dramatically. Traditional Torajan houses with upturned reed roofs (Tongkonan), terraces of rice paddies to regulate the flow of water, cocoanut palms and water buffalos repeated itself over and over as we drove deeper into this nominally Christian/mostly animist region. Lunch was ginger chicken cooked in a bamboo tube—hmmmn! We elected to go exploring so Risal directed our two vans way off the main roads to a village of semi-deserted Tongkonans (traditional houses). A few old folks including one splay toothed woman who was just delighted to meet us all and pose with her teeth stained red—but with a fruit and not betel, though she also chewed betel and drank tuak (wine from palm tree sap) when she could get a hold of it. The old houses and rice barns were great subjects and atmospheric backgrounds for our people pictures. The light was fading as we stopped to walk through several villages looking for interaction with the locals. YHC purchased a pint of tuak at the village “pub” and for another 5000 rupiah (50 cents) purchased the bamboo mug. We pulled into the Torajan Heritage Hotel after dark. All the amenities here bring out the best of the Torajan culture including our rooms which were built like traditional Tongkonans but had all the comforts of a modern hotel room. The ikat fabrics on the walls were museum quality pieces.

Day 11 Exploring Tana Toraja: The mist is hanging in the palm trees and Tongkonans this morning. 6am breakfast and 7am departure to capture the soft early light and the pleasantly cool temperatures that we know won’t last. We drive into nearby Rantepao to find a cobbler who can repair the rips in Deanna’s duffle. He promises it will be done by noon. The hanging graves of Lemo are our first photo stop. Here, several galleries are carved out of the dense limestone and effigies (called tau taus) of the deceased are on display like dignitaries overlooking a parade ground. Vaults cut into the stone hold the actual remains or ashes. We photographed a new vault being excavated with simple hand tools. The carvers have workshops nearby which we visit to capture images of them at work. Some unauthorized shopping occurred, it was reported, but what is a photo guide to do? Next we drive along country lanes to reach a funeral of a wealthy woman who died last year. Bamboo structures like covered pavilions have been erected for the 500 plus mourners in attendance. YHC purchased two cartons of clove (kretak) cigarettes as a token of our appreciation to the bereaved family who welcomed us with tea and snacks and gracious personal acknowledgements. A procession of trussed up pigs are carried through the receiving line. We follow, photographing the people who joke and laugh and seem delighted that we are there. Grand daughters of the deceased are dressed as princesses. They are absolutely beautiful in their finery and makeup. We stay for about two hours of the three day event. Lunch is in a pleasant garden setting on the edge of Rantepao. Next we stop at Lodi’s Shop where museum quality ikats are woven and displayed. We photograph the spinning and the weaving as well as the tie-dying with vinyl tape used to prevent absorption of dye these days. Deanna’s bag was ready--$2 for the excellent work done! Off now for the burial cave at Tampang Allo where the kids carried our tripods and water buffalo were washed. Babies (before teeth) were interned in a tree at Kambira with the idea that their spirits might rejoin the living world through the leaves—though this funeral tree now was dead, too, from too many internments, it appears. In the gloaming we worked our way home, capturing the man and his son with their roosters and other scenes.

Day 12 Toraja Views: Out at 7am again thanks to our hard working breakfast staff that comes in early to prepare coffee and other items for us. Our goal this misty morning is the high views over terraced rice paddies from Tinimbayo. We made a few stops for views with Tongkonans and water buffalo. Villagers chisel tombs out of the rock truck sized boulders that dot the landscape. The views from the top were a bit washed out by 9am but we sat in the warung beside the road, enjoyed a coffee and trained our long lenses on the scenes below to isolate a few good scenes. Kites (raptors) circle overhead. The road here is treacherous and we were glad to have two small vans rather than a coach. Our drivers are real pros, too. The better terrace shots were on the way down. We walked several portions to get the right angle, looking for patterns and lines. Coffee beans and Cacao pods grew along the roadside. At a blacksmithing village machetes were being shaped, tempered, sharpened and affixed with a wooden handle for local use as all purpose axe and brush cutter. They sell for $25 so represent a major investment for a Torajan man. Back in Rantepao we lunched again at the same Celebes Restaurant offering the same time tested dishes from yesterdays feast. From 1-3:30 at leisure to enjoy our wonderful Toraja Heritage Hotel—worthy of a photo essay itself. Short stop in Rantepao for souvenirs and ATM’s, then we drove to Londa where there is a quite fantastic burial cave partially open to the elements where coffins are suspended from the rock overhang. Deeper inside the cave, skulls are arranged on ledges like a charnel house and coffins molder in dark corners. Our lantern boys are a great help in the dark and irregular surfaces of the cave floor. The best images are of them illuminating the grisly scene with their Coleman type lanterns. It was a truly macabre experience the day before Halloween. In the gloaming, now, the local men brought out their favorite roosters for grooming and chatting about great cockfights past and future. It was Italian night at the hotel with fresh pasta and the usual decadent deserts. The lemon tart received a 10 from the judges.

Day 13 Toraja, Celebes to Ubud, Bali: Departures at 6:30 from our wonderful hotel. Toraja is at its loveliest in the early morning mist but we had a plane to catch. WC stop near Mt. Noni. Our two drivers Burang and Charles are very skillful as we descend the high plateau down to Pare Pare for lunch at our old stomping grounds at Bukit Indrah Hotel. We cruised south with a stop north of Makkasar for the fantastic dried fish hanging like mobiles from the roadside shops. Split open in mirror reflections of themselves they look like Japanese fish prints or piscine Rorschach tests. The heat is intense and hits us like a blowtorch after the relative coolness of the highlands. We arrived at the airport just one hour before our 4:30 flight. Upon arrival in Bali we were met by Paul and turned over to Windy, our Bali guide, for the drive to Perwiti Resort in Ubud. 7:30 arrival and 8pm dinner at the hotel. Elegant seafood beautifully presented! Some mosquitoes in Ubud but netting and the electric mosquito coils keep them at bay.

Day 14 Out from Ubud: On the van at 8:30 after a delicious breakfast and some flower photography on the hotel grounds—scented yellow frangipani from the deck—suitable for a virgin’s ear. Red and yellow lobster claw heliconia and lipstick red hibiscus—to name a few. We drove to Batubulan village for the Barong and Kris dance. We arrived early just as the actors were applying makeup and preparing their elaborate yellow frangipani headdresses. A favorite shot is into the mirror of one of the actors applying eye makeup. The Prime Minister is a good subject as are the members of the Gamelan orchestra with their brass instruments and batik head pieces. We have front row seats during the five-act play, which ends with the Kris (dagger) Dance and the mass suicide of the actors. Luckily we had an English language synopsis of the acts. Next is the Bali Bird Park where birds from all over the tropical world are living in very natural surroundings. The Macaws and Parrots are sitting on branches a few feet away as we enter but it is the avian fauna of Indonesia that drew us here. Hornbills, Bird of Paradise (more than a dozen wildly differing sizes and plumage) are living in walk in aviaries where the photographer needs only patience to get a good shot. They have a few Komodo dragons, too. We are off to the mountaintops now and drive up to the crater of Mt Batur. Lake Batur is nestled below us as we lunch at the large buffet restaurant of Pembantan. Two peaks within the crater attest to later eruptions and that Mt. Batur could erupt again any time. Taking a new road traversing the crater we come to Pura Kehan which is preparing for their Prosperity Festival. Rumor has it that the procession will start at 5pm—we decide to wait. Lots of people and activities, including cutting up of pigs and making beautiful (?) displays with lard, cocoanut, etc. Several processions occurred as villagers arrived by foot or truck to bring offerings to the Hindu deities and spirits that are always lurking about in Bali. We worked our way back to Ubud with several stops for women creating an offering beside the road, the sunset through the coconut palms and villagers bathing in a stream at the end of day. Dinner tonight included pan seared wild tuna as an appetizer and pork ribs that were divine. Meals like these threaten to dilute the purity of the photographic quest but Marlin and Edna, among others, captured the dishes with their pocket cameras.

Day 15 Exploring Bali: Out at 6:30 am with breakfast boxes to go. We drove through the lush green paddy fields sparkling in the morning light. Our destination is Jatitulah rice terraces high on the mountain. Many villages have bamboo poles with hanging bamboo sheath pennants. They look like ripe rice stalks to YHC but Windy explains that they represent prosperity and the mountain from which all things flow. Even with our early start the light is a bit too bright and contrasty when we arrive but we walk out along the ridge to improve the foreground and vary the angle of light. A tiny bamboo cabana is the command post for the bird scaring operation for a quarter mile in every direction. When the rice is ripe someone would sit here and tug strings with bits of cloth tied on to scare off the marauding rice finches and other birds. We shoot for about 1.5 hours then have our box breakfast at a convenient roadside warung where coffee and cold drinks, not to mention toilets, are available. Another viewpoint and another stop. Then we begin to see more pictures as we drop further down the hill and the scene becomes more intimate. We walked through a village decorated with the festive bamboo poles. At Brambutan we stop at a wholesale vegetable market and wander among the stalls looking for patterns and people. Peppers, daikon radish and bok choy present themselves for inspection. Lunch is nearby at a pleasant pavilion restaurant overlooking other terraces. Driving down to Ubud we seek back roads and scenes from rural Bali. By 3pm we are back in Ubud at our pleasant Perwiti (Land) Resort with some shopping chores to attend to. Swimming, cyber cafes and the Monkey Forrest are other options. At 7:30 we meet for our last supper—absolutely delicious as have been all the meals here. Ronnie, Jim, Marlin and Edna will sleep well tonight while YHC, Deanna, Bonnie, Robyn and Chris prepare to leave at midnight for flights to Papua, departing at 2:30 am. Ronnie catches the Kejak or Monkey Dance performed each night in Ubud. Good night all-- safe trip home with your wonderful images.

Day 16 Wings over Indonesia: We left excess belongings with Windy as checked luggage is limited to 34 pounds on the Jayapura-Wamena flight. Over four hours across half of Indonesia and then we stopped at Timika, a jungle boom town near the south coast serving the Freeport Mines controversial extracting of gold and copper. Aboriginal groups protest the pollution of the water and exclusion from the land with out compensation. In Jayapura we meet Gantang, our local rep. Soon we are at the Senteni Indrah Hotel named after the beautiful island dotted lake here in the highlands above Jayapura. We drive down to Jayapura town to explore the beach where rusting Japanese and American tanks make their last stand. The kids are happy to pose. The bay is a forest of fisherman’s houses built on stilts over the water packed so tightly that they prop each other up. Young men are playing soccer with a ball so tattered and deflated that Chris decides to give them a new one with pump when we return. Jayapura is booming these days. We stop to pick up some toiletries and hit the ATM and are caught up in the vibrant raw city life—flashing neon and mud streets piled with construction materials. Dinner at our hotel is uninspired though the peanut sauce on the gado gado is very tasty.

Day 17 Jayapura to Wamena: Breakfast at 5 and 5:30 departure for the airport where Gantang had already checked in our bags. We begin to understand the wisdom of staying at the Senteni near the airport as Jayapura is over an hour away. One hour flight to Wamena where we are met by Herman, a school teacher from Sumatra with 20 years experience among the Dani. We dropped off the luggage at the Pilamo Hotel then visited the market where the vegetables were straight from the local gardens and as fresh as the morning. Dani women with their ever present string bags, called noken worn with the strap over the forehead and hanging across their backs like a shawl, preside over neat little piles of peppers, tomatoes, onions, yams, etc. The bags are woven from plant fibers and roots with the yellow fibers coming from orchids. Pigs and rabbits are for sale. Men are selling men’s stuff like home cured tobacco. We drove south of town and walked into a village, crossing two narrow log bridges. The villages are carefully fenced to keep the pigs in at night and pig thieves out. Each village is surprisingly tidy and often lined with hedges of impatiens and other tropical plants. The men and older boys sleep in a two story round hut while the women and children sleep in other single story huts and the cooking is done in long houses with each extended family having their own hearth. The women work the sweet potato fields and other vegetable gardens, 8-10 hours per day according to Herman. The men do the heavy jobs of preparing the gardens for planting but as the crops were in the ground, a half dozen men were at the village with handicrafts such as boars tusk necklaces and ammonite fossils to sell. Stone knives and penis gourds were offered, too. Back at the Pilamo by 4:30 as the light faded from this lush Baliem Valley. We explored the Handicraft shops near our hotel and chatted with the locals. Dinner at 7 at the hotel wasn’t too bad. Lights out at 8:30 for YHC. Whew!

Day 18 Wamena and Jiwika: Rain during the night freshened everything. Out at 8:30 after breakfast. We stopped at the market for some oranges and avocados for lunch and to check on the price of the orchid fibre shoulder bags—still 250,000 or $27, no sale. Then we drive out to Jiwika District. Our permits were checked at the Police Post while we photographed pink water lilies and the beautiful blue sky with white clouds. At the famous Jiwika Mummy Village we were introduced to the leathery blackened remains of the headman’s ancestor 7 generations back. From here we walked to the next village but were stopped by a Dani warrior in a his 20’ sentry post threatening us with bow and arrows. His attention was soon distracted by a marauding band from the other side of the valley who probably planned to kidnap some of the women working in the fields or maybe even run off with a pig—a dastardly act hereabouts. The guard called for reinforcements. The battle waged back and forth for some minutes until finally the marauders were all subdued. After a short Victory dance and exchanges of shouted “wau, wau” we were invited into the compound by Mario, a handsome man and brother of the chief. A feast of baked pig was being prepared. The year old pig was dispatched with an arrow. The ears and tail were cut off as a symbolic gift for the protecting spirits and the little fellow was cut into small pieces-- with a piece of bamboo! Fire was made with a rattan strap pulled back and forth through a split tree branch and a great fire was made to heat the rocks that would cook the pig in the underground oven lined with leaves, sweet potatoes and greens. We were invited into the Women’s Kitchen area where it was cool and dark with fresh straw on the ground. Later we entered the Men’s Hut for “Important Discussions” and we were asked to sing a song. Even without our conductor, Marlin, we did OK and our hosts were very appreciative. By now the pig was cooked and all of the villagers shared in the meal. We had our own box lunch to eat (thank goodness). Everyone had something to sell— noken (string bags) necklaces of seeds or boar’s tusks, stone knives and penis gourds. The gourds were growing in the compound and we saw how they tied a weight to the naturally curing gourd to make it grow straight. The practical purpose of wearing a gourd eluded even YHC. One has to conclude it is vanity though some of the larger ones were also used to carry tobacco, matches, money and other things which should be kept dry—and they couldn’t help but make an impression on the ladies. Since Dani men have no pockets, nor even pants, the gourd has it’s practical purpose after all. As much as we enjoyed being here, it was time to. Last minute transactions were concluded and we were given safe passage back to the Van. This evening, the papaya and the avocados from the market(with lime and sugar) were enjoyed for desert.

Day 19 Wamena to Jayapura: Not a big photo day. AM at leisure to browse the art/handicraft shops. YNC was in search of the perfect ammonite fossils. 9am transfer to the airport for the 11am flight. Last minute purchases from the guys at the hotel door. There were many beautiful items utilizing bird feathers, even whole Greater Bird of Paradise skins but we did not want to encourage the capture of rare birds. One determined entrepreneur had a large green stone adze for $50 which he was sure we wanted. He accompanied us to the airport and finally reached a mutually satisfactory price with Deanna for the museum quality item--$35!! Herman gets us checked in which is quite an art with Trigana Airlines. Planes came and went while we held our place at the door so we could get window seats. 1.5 hours late, we were the first to board. Glorious clouds outside the window and meandering rivers down below. Several of us sat next to Dani women on their first flights and hoped they were as strong of stomach as of back on the bumpy flight over the mountains which was a real white knuckle ride for them. Gantang met us and took us to lunch at Rumia Makan Mickey where the specialty was chicken not mouse. Blistering hot here after we had cooled down in Wamena. The McArthur Museum is on the hill top overlooking the airport built first by the Japanese and enlarged by the Americans as the Allies made this their staging area for retaking the Phillippines in WW II. Bonnie’s uncle had spent several months in hospital here, recovering from the tropical diseases he contacted during those campaigns—hard to imagine the privations of waging war in this climate! We drove down to the waterfront to explore the fishing village in better light. Chris had brought a soccer ball and pump for the kids we had seen earlier playing with a ragged, half deflated ball. We chose a guardian for the ball and pump. One kid said he would now dedicate himself to the sport and we would see him in the World Cup someday. They all gave us a cheer—thanks Chris. Dark now—we said “good bye” and returned to the hotel for dinner—Gado Gado for YHC but club sandwiches for the others—seems the trip is over and all are thinking of home.

Day 20 Jayapura to Bali (and home): Sitting on this beautiful new EVA Air plane from Denpasar to Taiwan, cool (too cool) and clean, it is hard to recall waking up at the Sentani Indah Hotel where mediorcre is too charitable a description. Hopefully our memories of Indonesia will be colored by the rich traditions and varied cultures we have experienced rather than the vision of this tired colossus. Indonesia is a workout for the traveler with only three weeks to see five islands. Heat, humidity, vast distances, crowded roads and occasionally cramped vehicles added to the strain, but it is eminently worth the journey to have your eyes opened to the magic here. Gantang had picked up our bags and boarding passes while we breakfasted on toast and omlettes. The 9:30 departure was on time and soon we were enroute to Bali via Timiken, in the south of Western Papua. In Bali, Paul and staff from Floressa met us, along with guide Windy. YHC was escorted to the nearby International Terminal while Bonnie, Deanna and Chris transferred to Sanur Beach and the Perigata Resort for their last night—in Paradise. Robyn went along for the ride, awaiting her evening flight. YHC looks forward to hearing about your successes with your images and how you use them to help others connect with your experience. You are a great group of travellers—let’s do it again!

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Photos

Don Lyon in Iceland
image by Pat Martinson

Baby Orangutan
South Kalimantan Orangutan Sanctuary

Sulawesi
Bugi boat building village

Borobudur
6th C. AD Buddhish--largest in world

Komodo Dragon
Rinca Island, Komodo NP. 7' length, 200 ibs.

Luanbajo
western tip of Flores Island, popular diving & sailing

Borneo Dyak village
Rice Harvest dance

Mahakham River scene
East Kalimantan

Dayak Woman
East Kalimantan

Toraja Woman
Sulawesi-Toraja -Funeral

End of Day
Toraja (Sulawesi) relaxing with favorite fighting cock

Indonesia meal
chicken satays with papaya

Irian Jaya
Women may amputate section of finger in mourning for deceased family famber

Cooking Pig
Hot rocks cook pig in less than an hour

Jayapura
Slum kids were excited to get gift of new soccer ball

Jakarta kids
Old harbor scene

Dominant Orangutan Male
--the one on the left

Orangutan
Dominant male

Batik artist
She is adding wax to cloth to be dyed

Ahh--durian
It takes a real man to eat durian.

Comments

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two thumbs up
Way to go Don--you managed to add some photos and your field notes--your alter ego, at least is very proud.