indo needs ya

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but i certainly dont need indo...hehe.

Im alive, in Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogja-karta).

I got here yesterday, and after being away for almost 3 weeks, i got a sudden, slight pannik attack. I have came to a realization...i have never every been completly alone for this long, in my life. My days are spent mostly in solitude, reading a book, or daydreaming, mostly of my gorgeous girlfriend, who for some stubborn reason, i decided to leave behind. Not only am i alone, but nobody speaks my damn language. So i went to call her, to get her to calm me, and the skype (a computer program that uses headphones and a mic to talk for very cheap to phones all over the world) was being screwy...which made my pannik attack almost take over. A few deep breaths, i found a phone card, called her, and everything calmed down in minutes. today i am feeling very optomistic. this definatly is the hardest thing i have ever done. Its going to make thailand seem like a walk in the park. Thank god i will have a friend soon. Being alone is over rated.

ok to the city.

All of the street names are so hard to pronounce. I am staying in Prawitonoman street. This place is very different than bali. I have hardly seen any white people, and this one young lady saw me at the bus stop, and started laughing histarically. I mean, i know im a tad goofy looking, but i didnt think it was that bad. Come to think of it, there are not many skinny big headed tall white people in indonesia, so that must have been it.

I went to the Brobodur budhist temple today, it was a trek and a half, i attempted to be a big boy and use public transit. Being lost in translation is tough, not as many people know english as i thought. But i made it (2 hour journey there and back), saw the temple (pics to come probably when i get to malaysia...not the best of connections here) walked around in it...its HUGE. one of the largest budhist temples in the world, the largest in indo.

Tomorro, i am going to the prabanan temple, also by public transit. its much closer to here, so by comparison of today, it will be alot easier. Then i take a night train (allllllllll aboard the night train!) to bandung. dont know much of it, but i am staying a night to do NOTHING but eat and sleep. gotta recouperate from all this tourist spending.

One thing i do like about this place for the most part is people leave you alone, sans the multiple offers for motor bike rides (took one yesterday, and got a nice tail pipe hicky on my right calf), horse rides or those 'carriage things where you ride in the front and some poor guy pushes you with a bike' rides (took one and the poor old man was going so slow i made him get in and i pushed for a while!!!), its ok. People cornered me at the temple, but thats expected. I found the best way to get away from people wanting to sell you stuff you dont need....is...RUN! saying no just doesnt work, they just think you are trying to bargain with them.

Well so far so good. thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts, its my goal to do this whole trip with no plane rides until i go home. wish me luck!!!

love ya

ty

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Comments

[Myles]

It a rick shaw dude the man pulled cart is a rickshaw and fuck do I ever want to ride in/Pull someone in those things. You know sometimes life requires you to be away from the pople you love the most. at least you went somewhere you wanted to go. My Granfather Married my grandmother then went to the Yukon to work (it was depression times) for four months...no phones just letters. The shit builds character. keep going buddy you'll be rockin with your lady in no time and you'll tresure these moments in the years to come. On a side note I wouldn't go traveling places like that alone you ballsy fuck.

[Crystal]

Luck ty! I will be there in 12 days, stay positive, have you tried ignoring the people trying to sell you things, I was reading that if you say ANYTHING to them they take it as a sign to be more persistant, but if you ignore them they will leave you alone. If this is true I dont know oxox

[Crystal]

Luck ty! I will be there in 12 days, stay positive, have you tried ignoring the people trying to sell you things, I was reading that if you say ANYTHING to them they take it as a sign to be more persistant, but if you ignore them they will leave you alone. If this is true I dont know oxox

[Maria]

Plane rides, and now you understand how I felt in Taiwan
Ty, this is almost exact verbatim of the song and dance I told people about Taiwan, I don't think they ever REALLY listened, as us humans don't, until it strikes a chord with us. When I moved to Kaohsiung people pointed at me every day (and probably kept the whole year but after 3 months I didn't notice). Men would yell things from windows , "HEY, OK" and children would say the mandarin word for "foreigner" to their parents. I was noticably marked foreigner, something I believe we all should go through. THis does not happen when we visit tourist resorts like Thailand, I think everyone should go through it. Everything was an adventure especially public transport (to which I got thrown off of for some still unknown reason). Some days I hated and I called home a lot! But looking back I miss and appreciate every detail and step of the journey. I was lucky though to have my roomate and wonderful friend, Natalie (and others I later met at my school) for those first isolating two months of confusion and things lost in translation. I am sad I won't be there for another month, but excited to embark on much miscommunicating and bliss when I get there, The days are passing and before you know it there I will be. I have some new research done on our trip and to avoid a place we will have to let go of North Vietnam (tooooo time consuming we'd need a whole other month), unless we get a plane. But the South is beach filled and beautiful, and I know we will be going back together. Much Love, Maria