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Published: September 6th 2011
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Sunday 31st July
Woken about 8ish by the prayer call from the worlds 3rd largest mosque.
Went by train Jokartakota and wondered around Kota-once the hub of Dutch colonial Indonesia, there are even lines of bicycles around the square.
At Taman Fatahillah I became surrounded by a group of Muslim girls who asked for several group photographs. So cute!
A little bit further around the square I have some more group photographs with different kids and also catch a couple of fellas taking pictures of me. I believe it is my height as I definitely wasn't as pasty as in China.
We walked down to the chicken bridge, shouldn't have bothered and walked back to the square again where the children were waiting. Their guide asked if we'd help them with a school homework project. Of course!
Where you come from? What is your name? You like Indonesia? What is your favourite food in Indonesia?
After each child we had an individual and group photograph. The guide then asked me to remove my sunglasses and as I took them off the whole crowd of kids went "ohhhhhhhh!" in unison. Slightly anxious I looked at Michelle then realised it's my
green eyes. I giggled, then the guide translated that I laughed like the ghost of Jakarta. Maybe it was my skin!
We said bye and walked back to the station only to be chased down by a trio of girls wishing to ask us the same questions and have a photograph. I believe we maybe the only two people interviewed by the entire class and our photographs are all over a countryside school wall. I loved it...I would never have had the confidence to approach anyone at 12 years old.
We made it back to the main square and wondered over to the Mesjid Istiqlal mosque. It wasn't what I had imagined and at times very clinical. The guide (who asked for an astronomical tip) explained that it would hold up to 200 000 people tomorrow night for the 1st day of Ramadan prayers. All I kept thinking about was the parking! Everyone drives in Jakarta and is extremely reluctant to use public transport so it must take hours to get out...hungry people as well when the sun goes down so I imagine road rage is a bitch.
Michelle and I had to cover up in massive bath
robe type dresses whilst walking around the mosque...I did find it funny when a man interrupted his prayers whipped out his mobile phone to take a picture of me. Without permission...quite brazen in the middle of the mosque! RIDICULOUS!
Stayed in a zest pit of a hostel. There are no words!
Monday 1st August - Ramadan begins
Bought lots of food to sneakily eat on the long train journey to Jogjakarta. A lovely way to see the vast landscape of Java; the city, villages, rice fields, mountains and unfortunately rubbish dumbs where people and children work collecting plastic. 😞😞😞 9 hours later we arrived and walked to our hostel. No sink, no hot water, no toilet roll; the standard bathroom in Java.
Tuesday 2nd August
Walked to the Kraton. Michelle and I weren't very impressed as the treasures aren't very well displayed and to be honest it looks like an old ladies crockery cupboard.
In the evening we went to the Parawisata Open theatre to watch the Ramayana performance aka a Rama and Sita Indonesian ballet. The show started at 8pm and for the first 8 minutes I was on track, having read the script 5
minutes before hand but after that not a clue! There were so many characters that I don't remember learning about with Mrs Van Teutem! The dancing was very delicate from both the male and female dancers but the best on stage were the children monkeys who went completely off script and started climbing and dancing on the roof and at one point charged at a man head first into his goolies. That certainly made the audience laugh.
Wednesday 3rd August
Up at 4.30am for the hour drive to Borobudur. Very impressive. It is built from 2 million stone blocks in a massive symmetrical stupa wrapped around a small hill. Spent a hour wondering up and down and then in the car for another hour to Prambanan. I preferred this relic. It was built about 50 years after Borobudur in the middle of the 9th century. Eight minor and eight major temples stand in the highest central courtyard. 244 temples remain and one is currently being restored.
It is dedicated to Shiva and it tells the story of how Lord Rama's wife, Sita was abducted, and how the monkey god Hanuman and the White monkey general Sugriwa find and release
her. Don't remember that in R.S either.
Exploring a little further afield I felt like it was just me until the international builder manners kicked in and wolf-whistled from the peak of one of the temples. Made me jump out of my skin.
Thursday 4th August
8am bus from Jogya. Arrived in Probolingo at 7.30pm. Another 2 hours on a death bus to reach the hostel at the base of Mount Bromo.
Friday 5th August
Up at 3.30am to wrap up extremely warm for the climb. It was so dark with only the stars to guide us. True to form we were a little off track and had to be yelled at by a man on his donkey to go to the right volcano. Had to climb some ridiculous steep steps before we reached Bromo. Totally worth it. Saw a lovely sunrise over the great crater which seemed to be smoking whenever I wasn't taking a photograph. Michelle also accidentally sacrificed a brand new pair of sunglasses to the depths of Mt Bromo and had to be clawed back from climbing over the barrier to try and get them. The locals looked on bemused and asked if she
would like to offer a bouquet of flowers to Bromo. She was not impressed.
On the coach to Denpasar from 8.30am until quarter past twelve. Midnight. We were so miserable by the time we got off and the first greeting...."taxi?!" Do one mate!
Found a super cheap room and tried to stretch our bodies back into some normality having been squished onto half seats all day. They had taken the normal seats out of the coach and replaced them with smaller seats...not a single westerner fit on a seat. The driving was also horrific, amplified by the lack of drink and food for all drivers on the road due to Ramadan. I wouldn't do it again.
Saturday 6th August
Woke up to find we were without a shower. We were greeted with a dustbin of water and a scoop. No wonder it was so cheap. A dustbin to wash in! No thanks! Moved onto Kuta sharpish.
Watched the All Blacks smash the wallabies and were subjected to all sorts of ridicule for cheering on NZ accompanied with cocktails. Life was good!
Sunday 7th August
Day on the beach followed by free drinks and a quick dance
at Sky bar. Conclusion: It's pretty fashionable to dislike Kuta as it is a tacky party town but it is what it is. Indonesia's equivalent of Benidorm I suppose.
Monday 8th -Thursday 18th August
Have a massive row with Michelle a take a few days apart.
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