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JAVA: Surabaya...Graffitti & Submarines.
Long final breakfast...breathing in the majestic beauty at the Ijen Resort...one last time...aahh...now have to return to Surabaya...and infernal traffic.
I think Fandi our Guide was happy to go...pretty boring for him to hang around for several days...sometimes only seeing us for meals...Hady our driver happy to see us again...and then there was the music.
When we travel I bring along compilation CDs of my favourite Blues & Rock tracks...Fandi singing along...Hady happy to rock along...we happy as our previous guide Joe preferred Javanese temple music..!!!
Down to the coast...waving to the poor souls on that island close enough to wave to...known as Bali...suckers...you can't swim over to this side...the current is against you...sailing craft and happy swimmers on this side...suckers..!!!
Stop at one of the beaches for another fish meal...the one where a large fish is fried and sits on its splayed abdomen smiling at me...dripping with sweet & spicy sauces...and yet another iced strawberry juice...yumm.
Past the massive Jawa Power Station...powers the island and its 145,000,000 or so.
Looking out for Probalingo...got to get a shot of that billboard of Wanted Terrorists I saw on the way from
Bromo...too dark then...through cities or towns...that smoke...a demonstration...burning car tyres on a cross road...too many Police around for me to raise my lens.
And after hours in the APV...Hady stops...there's the billboard...its raining...bugger it...I want the shot...now the challege is to not get run over!
Arrive in Surabaya...to our hotel...Hady returning to Banywangi...Fandi staying at his home...we on our own until morning...probably just as well.
The guy at Reception wearing a Chinese hat for Chinese New Year...me showing off my limited Mandarin...unfortunately our only amiable meeting.
Our backpacks taken to outside our Superior room...door opened...the porter can't pass me to bring in Den's pack...squeeze past...if the packs are in here we can't get to the bed...where do I put the cameras...only space is the window sill..."F****!!!"
Talk about not enough room to swing a cat...couldn't fit a cat in here let alone swing it...time to visit my friend at Reception...but this time it'll be in English..!!!
Made me pay the difference...between what the Tour Company had paid...Deluxe also minature...Junior Presidential Suite comfortably adequate...nice bathroom...flat TV.
Breakfast included...lower ground floor in a Restaurant...omelette rolled and rubbery...is this fresh
?..."Yes just cooked now"...two further proved they
were rubbery & reheated...and that was the best available...even the toast was inedible...I'll eat anything...my mistake!!!
Fandi collected us for our Surabaya Tour...first stop to be the Arab Quarter...supposed to be shades of Mecca or Moroccan souks...but when we arrived...looking for a spot to park...my gut erupted...I need a toilet...and fast...like now...like urgent...like very urgent..!!!
Got to a service station...just in time...the toilet is blocked & overflowing...buckets of water not assisting...other cubicle locked...can't wait...yuk..!!!
Never got to the Arab Quarter as it turned out...sudden heavy storm late afternoon on our way back just as we arrive...we'll give this a rain-check!
Down to the docks for the old wooden cargo vessels...Kalima Old Harbour with traditional schooners of Pinishi...talk about packed to the gills...cranes and workers everywhere.
The Sampoerna Cigarette Museum...fascinating history of tobacco in Indonesia...this the Number One Brand...great collection of its cig packs shipped around the World...they even have those yukky Warning pictures on some.
Upstairs the Souvenir Store...extraordinary batiks and artifacts...all with the Sampoerna brand.
Up here one wall was glass overlooking rows & rows of women rolling the hand-made cigarettes called
"kretek"...moving their hands so fast RSI is a real risk...they
stop...exercising in unison...then back to rolling...others collecting & packing.
The sign said
"No photographs without prior written permission"...so I had to ask.
"You need written permission from the company in Jakarta" I was told...mmm...sounds like a
"NO"!. A really cool Art Show in the next building...floating male heads...shaped like sperms...camels in quirky poses filling one room...must tell the Travel Camel...heaven for him.
The Cheng Hoo Chinese Mosque...I was looking forward to this one...me being a member of the 1421 Society...in memory of Zheng He...the eunich muslim Admiral that led the Chinese giant junks to India, Africa and maybe beyond...been to its counterpart in Malacca...and traces in China.
The Iman took a shine to us...insisting I take photos inside...even of worshippers...and of him...probably objectionable to
aspiringnomad...he having spiritual aversion to pics of persons praying...particularly from behind!!!
Yet guys txting instead of praying...is there no place or times Javans are not txting???
Back into heavy traffic...on our way to the Submarine Museum...and...then I saw it.
Now this was a
"Climbing Volcanoes & Reaching Enlightenment at Borobudur...Someone has to Do It Tour"...our first trip inspired by Travelblog...and I had just seen the image that could
A QUITE MOMENT
The Iman at Cheng Hoo Mosque embrace a Thread...Graffitti...the best I've seen in Java.
Submarine Park to our right...Graffitti to our left on an unobstructed wall across eight lanes of heavy traffic...planning how I can return to catch a photo...yep...I'm a comin' back!
The Tour inside the Submarine was great...one of the original submariners...enjoyed our genuine interest...Javans squeezing past...not interested in history or information...me collecting their discarded rubbish...and returning it to them outside the exit...I'm sure they are grateful
..."Oh I left that inside the submarine did I..?" "Fandi...I'll meet you back at the car...I'm just nicking over there for a photo of some Graffitti...how do you get out of here?" So I headed off...came to a canal...the road on the other side beyond a high wire fence...can't recall how I got across...then crossed the eight packed lanes...
BUMMER...DRAT...someone has parked a van in front of the Graffitti wall..!!!
I've come this far...
I'll have to find the owner...and get it moved.
I'm on a mission for Travelblog...and those bloggers...they always find a way...don't they!!!
Adjacent to the Graffitti wall was a 4 to 5 storey office building...an insurance company...ask these men washing a car in the foreyard...no English but pointing to the building.
I enter
the Ground Floor...No I'm not a customer...No I don't want to make an appointment...No I don't want to wait to see a Manager...
"I just want your help...do you know who owns the van outside? Its parked behind that wall." She wasn't that keen to help.
"Why do you want to know? What van?" "Please come with me and I'll show you"...others coming to check she is OK...great...more the better...lead them out...show them the van...not sure if I should tell them I want the van moved so I can take a photo...
OK I'll tell you...so I pulled the Travelblog card.
"I've travelled all this way to photograph this wall...and someone has parked in front of it..!!!"
Now they have seen the urgency...can we find the owner of the van.?
After a conference on the ground floor...one goes upstairs...returns with a young man with a set of keys...take him to the vehicle...arrange he move it while I photograph the wall...then you can put it back...me acting as if I'm doing him as much of a favour as he is doing for me...worked a treat!!!
Battle back across the road...exhilerated I had achieved my quest...been gone a fair bit longer than expected...scarcely reached the other
side
...and just like in the movies...
"David...Over here"...car door opens.
"Where have you been?...we've been round the block 8 times...we saw you once...then you disappeared." "Oh...sorry about that...I was just taking some photos of Graffitti for Travelblog...and they are...beauties..!!! Relax & Enjoy,
Dancing Dave
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Another great blog Dave :D
I thought I saw some hairy faced guy waving at me while I was on Bali!!! So it was you!!! I can't swim but if I had known it was you I would have made my best attempt to doggy paddle across and share a Bintang or 12 with you. Java certainly is the place to be! Bali is a dump and has little to offer, maybe with the exception of its graffiti. But now it seems that even the graffiti on Java gives Bali a serious run for its money! Enough said ;)