Sabah of Borneo: from city to jungle to a homestay

Selamat Datang (welcome....yet again!)
note: Malaysian and Indonesian are so similar they don't admit it but it's practically the same language!!

I made it to Borneo when I could have easily landed in Cambodia! The check-in guy had given us back the wrong tickets so that Marg had mine and I hers. Luckily, she realised while chatting and fumbling with the ticket pouch on our way to Kuala Lampur. So in the end my backpack and I made it to Kota Kinabalu.

It was dark by the time I got out of the airport and was glad I had pre-booked a transfer to the hotel. The taxi driver was very humble and helpful. He pointed out the main attractions along the way like the mosque and the museum then also gave me a map of KK (Kota Kinabalu) for free. Sweet as .....

Asia Hotel is situated in 'Asia Complex' - a maze of narrow streets in-between building blocks, which streets served an abundance of fresh and cooked food for fully cladded and Ramadan-starved locals. The hotel was nothing grand quite small and tight actually but good enough for a couple of nights.

Next morning I was up and wondering in the main streets of the capital. Thankfully, it wasn't as smoggy and chaotic as Jakarta in Indonesia. There were a number of shopping malls along the way and hotels including a Hyatt just on the seafront facing the Tunku Abdul Marine Park; cluster of hilly green islands stretched along the deep blue coast. I checked out the phone shops for a local SIM card, the bookshop for a book about the 'Land below the Wind' then scouted for any open warungs for some food. There were only Chinese, of course.

I caught a taxi to the State Museum situated just out of the city. It wasn't one of the best I had visited however the heritage cultural village more than compensated for it. The rainforest grounds around the building hosted different typical long houses on stilts. I was looking forward to spending a couple of days in one of them.

That evening I toured the outdoor food markets which lined the coast of Kota Kinabalu. They were the best I had been to so far. There were a number of stalls for each type of fruit; bananas, coconuts, mangoes etc. A whole section just made and sold ABC - the locals favourite sweet slush made of crushed ice, pink and green syrup, condensed milk, corn kernels, macaroni (pasta), sounds awful but actually delicious. I bought one and sipped it out of a thick straw from a black plastic bag tied up by a rubber band at the top, just like the locals had it.


I enjoyed the sunset over the water then later ventured over the other part of the market. The fresh fish sellers yelled at the top of their lungs it an attempt to beat next door competition. My eyes feasted at the sight of such an array: snappers, prawns, sting-rays, calamari and so many other exotic types. Further up, the Fillippino market was one big smokey aroma as every type of fish was being BBQed.

The group started gathering in the tiny hotel reception area. Suddenly, a skinny, short and dark-looking local emerged out of the lift and beckoned us to go upstairs in his room, where there would be more space to hold the first team meeting. Mohd Hanafiah Abd Hamid, better known as Hana, summarised our journey in-between fits of chuckles. This was Han's typical way of delivering a speech. I think it was his way of musking his nervousness before embarking on an adventure or activity of which we were were oblivious too not having already experienced it before, of course. He later took us for dinner at a local warung close to the hotel.

We were a mix of nationalities split between couple and groups; two couples and a bunch of girlfriends from the UK,two other girlfriends from the US, then there was a West Aussie guy and myself.

Early next morning we huddled in the hotel's reception with our backpacks and waited for the taxis which were on ramayana time, that is, late. The heavy rain pelted on us as we walked to the bus then back to a Chinese restaurant for breakfast. None of us were that hungry for fried rice or noodles but the traditional dum sums (steamed buns) filled with red bean, butter, chicken or pork were to every one's liking.

The coach was air-conditioned and had a tiny toilet at the back which made the whole vehicle stick badly of urine throughout the five hour journey. Later that afternoon we were dropped at the side of a main road and walked with our backpacks to a tiny village leading to the banks of the Kinabatangan river. The village was called Batu Puteh. Right at the very end of the village, on the river's bank edge, was MESCOT's centre - a conservational and ecotourism cooperative which organises forest habitat awareness projects as well as homestays. www.mescot.org

We were welcomed by the young staff who had prepared us a lovely lunch of noodles and homemade sweets in the open space; a rooved wooden floor overlooking the jungle and river. The only enclosed room was the kitchen and the two toilets. Stomachs full we were then introduced to our whereabouts, MESCOT'S mission and our agenda for the next two days. Ina, and her assistant Lina made excellent jobs out of the several tasks performed from guides to cooks to organisers.













Later in the afternoon we prepared for the jungle. First we soaked our skins in DEET then made sure we were covered in layers of clothing from head to toe. Us girls even wore our socks on top of our trousers as an extra protection against leech bites. We were such a laughing site there was definitely no room for sex appeal! Next we packed our daypacks leaving our bigger backpacks behind. We loaded our bags alongside food, hammocks and other camping stuff on one of the river boats and jumped onto the adjacent one.
We were motored down the river and in about half and hour got to the disembarking point - a narrow muddy space in-between the trees on the river's bank. We created a human chain, unloaded the stuff and started marching into the thick jungle. It was exciting as much as nerve-wrecking. I was fascinated by the surroundings, finding it hard to believe I was actually there at the same time keeping an eye at the pair of feet infront of me; checking for blood suckers.

We got to the campsite which was just a small cleared area with some felled branches turned into benches and a piece of canvas dangling from the trees around. Our guides spread out another piece of the fabric on the floor on which they later lay food and drink. We dumped our stuff and were taken to the dorm. A few steps away from the main campsite, situated at the edge of a lake was a regeneration area full of young trees. Ina and crew showed us how to set up our hammocks for the night. After some juggling and messing around with ties and ropes and some aid from Han, we were ready to be taken on another boat trip further down the river while the crew prepared dinner. The fresh breeze lulled me to sleep as my skin heaved with heat and perspiration under the layers of clothes. I was stirred by calls of animal sightings; hornbills, herons, proboscis monkeys, silvertails amongst others.

We marched back to the camp again this time in pitch black as dusk fell upon us. The only lighting at camp were lanterns and torches. Our senses pitched high every time we went off to the loo a few metres away from camp. The crew had kindly dug a whole in the ground, placed a roll of paper beside it and stuck a garbage bag on a branch for our convenience. I had oversighted this set up completely thinking that we could use any of the area along the roped pathway away from camp! Whichever, wherever and however we did it we were anyway exposing our private parts to moths, leeches, spiders,mossies and whatever other crawling or flying insects where around.

No dramas until Emma suddenly shrieked the hell out of everyone at dinner as she sighted a tiny leech on her long white (supposedly anti) leech socks! "Get it off! Get it off!" she yelled. Sounds worse than it actually was.

There was only one particular incident. Corinne had noted a huge looking worm on the table. We peered into it and jerked back the second we realised it was a thumb-thick leech. "Wonder whose blood it's full of?" Cor enquired. It only took Han seconds to find out. He pointed at Chris stained T-shirt. Chris hadn't even felt or realised the blood sucker was dangling off the side of this stomach!

That evening we dinned on rice, chicken and veggies and drank tea from the huge boiling kettle over the open fire.

Dinner and teas over we were invited for a night hike. Not that everyone was keen at the idea, however.... We carefully treaded over leaves, branches, roots and god knows what, amongst the tall trees, straining ears and eyes for abnormal noises and movements. I kept my torch rays onto the ground, a bit sceptic of where I put my step. At one point, as our guide stopped to explain creatures of the night we could encounter and was busy flashing his torch light onto trees feet high when I caught sight of a hoard of scurrying ants round our feet. I tapped on his back and asked him what they where, keeping my light on the ground. The second he looked he yelled, "Fire-ants! Run!" and before I knew it he vanished. Needless to say, we followed.
In the jungle every living creature is as large as you would see it under a microscope, so that, lizards were reptiles, spiders big as the palm of your hand, leaves half the size of a human being. To our disappointment, at the same time relief, we didn't bump into some wild animal.

Back at the camp, scathe free of leeches or other insects we tempted our luck with a visit to the squat loo before bed. I prayed I wouldn't have to get up during the night; wrestling out of my cocoon without falling onto a heap of crawling insects below me; undoing my walking boots, which I tied to the tree, without dropping them; finding my head torch and not having to pee in utter darkness.... Oh, so many thoughts! I took a deep breath and lay like a mummy letting the gentle breeze rock me to sleep.

I managed quite a good sleep actually until the crew woke us up at 7am for a morning walk. Sleepy-eyed we tracked the same track we did the previous night. Was wondering whether they were sceptic of tackling new paths in the jungle. In any case the scenery looked different, of course. This time we could see the huge trees and what they were made of.

Breaky of noodles and tea we took off upstream back to MESCOT centre. We unloaded the boats and got back on them as our crew took us for a cruise further up the river. The sun was hot and burning but the journey wasn't void of life. At one point Han spotted an orangutan, lazily perched on the branch of a tall leafless tree. It was the only time I'd seen one out in the wild as in not in a reserve.

We had a change of clothes but no shower back at the Centre then the crew dressed us in aprons ready for our cooking lesson. We had to cook our own lunch according to the menu provided. Michelle and I chose to try out the pineapple curry with Fatima.
Our cooking skills lacked the grace and dexterity of our chef of course, so it took us ages to peel and finely chop pineapple and potatoes. We stirred them and other ingredients: chili, coconut powder, fish sauce and fried garlic in a wok....mmm smelt yummy! Thanks to everyone we had a lovely lunch which included mango salad, fried fish, rice and pawpaw for dessert.

After lunch crew and all staff at MESCOT changed prepared for a stage performance. We enjoyed a show of traditional dances of women, men and couples as well as the changes in colourful costumes accompanied by the gamelan band. After the show we tried our hands at it. So I played one of the bigger gongs and together with Corinne and Michelle we tried to co-ordinate a rhythm between us under the orchestral instructions of the elder woman who led the all-young boy band along the entire show.

As a grand finale we were presented with tiny handmade beaded baskets each containing two sweets as a token of appreciation just for being there. We then danced traditional dances together with the crew. Was quite fun and touching!

Later Lina announced the families with whom we were spending the evening and night. A mini-van picked us up and before taking us to our respective homes we were dropped by a makeshift volleyball pitch. The younger villagers were waiting for us and looked prepared to win the game probably another one out of a permanent tournament with foreign teams. We didn't do that bad!

Olivia and I were welcomed by Tiah Kawanit, an old short woman covered from head to toe. She lived in a long wooden house on stilts with a long veranda. Inside the house was quite large and spacious. Wooden partitions made out a lounge area, two small single bedrooms, a main bedroom and a huge kitchen. Despite the basic setup and furniture it was quite luxurious compared to previous homestays I had experienced. I wasn't expecting a bed (&) room all for myself, to say the least!

Tiah prepared a jug of sweet tea and some custard pastries. We tried to carry out some conversation but she barely knew any English and us any Malay. Her 2-year old grandson kept us a bit busy though. At one point an elderly looking man, who myst have been at least twice Tiah's length, entered the house. He must be the grandad we thought. He had a very dark complexion, skin hanging in delicate folds over his body. He gave us a big grin causing his eyes to disappear into his wrinkles. He muttered something probably a welcome, carefully balancing a fag on the edges of his mouth. Nor he did know any English. However, he was a kind gentleman and kept us entertained by showing us an old promotional DVD of MESCOT. (Yes, they had a TV and DVD!!!) The granddaughter and grandson played on the coach as their aunt, comfy in pyjamas nibbled on some biscuits from her pocket. It was quite a funny situation which became a bit uncomfortable when Tiah gave us dinner and the rest of the family shut themselves up in the main bedroom to avoid any temptations and wait until the early hours of the morning to feast over the single meal of and for the day.

At one point Tiah said "Mandis?" (which meant would you like to have a shower/bath?) The invite sounded like manna! We hadn't showered for days and we stuck of jungle. I accepted willingly. This was too good to be true. I had the best hose-piped cold shower ever. The bathroom was nothing other than another room with a huge tin tank. The squat loo was a solitary confinement a boardwalk away from the bathroom.

Bedtime releaved us all from starring and smiling at one another. I slept well hardly hearing any noises from the family's early breakfast or late dinner.

Next morning Tiah prepared us egg and fried noodle for breaky. She's such a kind-hearted woman. We said our goodbyes before which managed a couple of photos despite her shyness.

We set off back on the main road which continued its way to Sepilok Reserve where the orangutans where waiting to be fed at 10am.

The orangutans were sprawled on a platform raised high up on a tree but in good view of the spectators' platform. A lousy looking ranger sat in the middle with a bucket full of food from which the orange-coated creatures helped themselves.














I went for the second feeding later in the afternoon with Corinne, Denise and Chris. I walked ahead of the others and was the first to get to the viewing area. This time the attention wasn't on the feeding platform. A crowd of people, some seated on the floor, gathered around something. It was a pair of orangutans. One of them was sprawled on the floor while the other was playing with a huge leaf almost giving shelter to the other. I managed a couple of photos before they walked away on realising that all the attention was deviated towards a pair of hornbills on the a tree.

more about Sabah of Borneo .....don't miss out!

Nicky
X

Bali

Salamat Datang! (welcome ...again!)

You can't help not miss the numerous temples and shrines and statues of brahma, visnu and shiva in every nook and corner. Nor can you avoid bumping into a ceremony when driving along the streets. Hinduism in Bali predominates over everything including tourism. People are just besotted by the gods.

Back in Java we took a 4-hour train from Probolinggo to Bangyuwangi - the most easternly point on the island and from there got the ferry to cross the canal to Bali. As we waited for the train we watched the goats prancing along on the rails, which we had to walk over ourselves within the next few minutes to board the 'luxury' train. To our luck we had first class seats again, which meant more leg-room and air-conditioning, which didn't work! When we got to the ferry, becak (bike rickshaws) men cycled our backpacks to the entrance as we walked beside them. The ferry boat was quite big but almost close to the point of collapsing. Its tired deco characterised by broken chairs, dirty floors and toilets and a windscreen-smashed lifeboat through which a weed plant was blooming with life.

We landed in Bali and yet another 2-hour drive took us to Angsoka Hotel at Lovina.

We were only metres away from the lovely beach. A quick shower and change of clothes quickly revitalised us. We met for dinner at the 'Jasmine Kitchen'; a tiny but pretty restaurant in one of the narrow streets beside our open-plan hotel. I tried the tuna fish in banana leaves and the black pudding. Not quite my fav but nice. Then Michael, a friend of Intrepid and the laundry man came about proudly displaying a range of colourful luck charms made out of carefully joint shell and coconut husks. He quickly won us girls over them. I ended up getting two. I just fell in love with their philosophical meaning which he described as "We're all sons and daughters of the same mother. There's are no distinction between black (symbolised by the brown coconut skin) and white (the sea shell)."

Next morning as the others were having a good lie in, Chiara and I shot out at 5.45am. We wanted to see the dolphins out at sea for sunrise. The skipper of the narrowest boat I've ever sat in (thankfully I'm not a big girl!) took us out of the beach for a good hour or so. During which I got lots of nice cold water showers!


Suddenly, we saw a about five dolphins sprout out of the water in an ensemble. Only to see them again after another ten minutes or so. They only allowed themselves a one-second show at a time. Pity! I was dreaming of actually swimming with them. Well, at least the sunrise over the hilly land behind and beside us was great. Back on shore, soaking wet we changed and had breaky before lazing between veranda and pool for the rest of the day. That evening we were invited over for dinner at another Intrepid friend. Ibu Wayan and her family lived a few metres inland from the posh and tourist set up beach front. We had to find our way in the dark amongst endless tall palm trees. Her house with huge covered veranda was actually on the water which we could only hear not see in the dark. A large table was spread out displaying plates of food, big bowls of rice, bottles of water, cutlery and plates. We gulfed in. Yummy! It was selling time after that as members of her family desperately tried to sell us batik clothing, sarongs, paintings etc...



Next day Pete, Marg, Mich, Chiara and myself set off to discover the water wonders of the island of Menjangan. It was about an hours drive then about 20 minutes by boat. We anchored by the rest at the shores of the deserted island and our guide took us snorkelling. We were in waters' heaven! I think it was even better than snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef! The sea cliff offered an abundance of colourful fish and coral. Not to mention red and blue starfish. WOW! An hour and half just flew by so quickly but enough to burn our back and shoulders and well build an appetite. Unfortunately, there was no time for another snorkel after lunch as we were bound to head to Tirta Gangga that afternoon. On our way we came across a funeral which looked more like a Spanish fiesta! Our next hotel was up in the hills amongst the rice fields, in other words, far away from the beach. There wasn't anything special in the whereabouts except the Water Palace at the centre of the village.



Next morning after hiking through rice fields again we ended exploring every carved nook, statue and pool at the Palace's garden. The rice fields were themselves decorated with shrines and checkered apron covered statues of gods. Amongst them double-bent farmers with their ox and cows paid their earthly dues. We met a bunch of workers under a wooden shelter and took photos with them as we waited for the sheet of rain to stop.



After visiting the Palace, I decided to do a bit of exploring on my own. I ended up having a mango lassi in an al fresco restaurant. The owner was friendly on conversant in English. He told me he met many foreigners, of course and also took quite a few of them on top of the mountain. He then showed me an extract from the Rough Guide were he was mentioned for both his restaurant and mountain expeditions. He carried his cute looking two year-old son in his arms as his pretty young wife bustled around the empty restuarant. I sat there, read a bit of my book then decided to head back to meet the others for lunch.

Sally and her mum were about to cross the round to the warung at the side of the main road. I decided to join them as the rest of the group went to fetch a restaurant back at the village. It was a great lunch; panoramic view of the fields and home-cooking at its best. We had bakso which is a clear broth with balls of chicken meat, bamboo shoots, some other veggies, beans and crushed peanuts and chili. Followed by dessert, campur susu; slushed ice topped with condensed milk topped with mung beans, pink and green syrups, jello and everything sweet! Best slush I had ever tasted :)



We set off after lunch. Ubud was only two hours away. We lengthened our journey by stopping at a huge temple. We could only access the surrounding grounds as a ceremony was taking place inside. We still had to dress up in beaded necklaces and sarongs held tight by orange sashes around our waist. We were sweltering in the heat and admired the well-attired families walking in with their baskets full of goods offerings.



Ubud is one long stretch of a road decorated with dainty little shops amongst shrines, temples and Balinese-styled hotels. Artini Cottages had large spacious rooms around the garden and pool. We couldn't help a bit of window shopping and a swim in the pool that hot afternoon.
Later, I joined Michelle and Marg for dinner afterwhich we met the others to go watch a local performance. We entered the small courtyard of a temple, each side with walls decorated with stone carvings of gods. A huge candle stand was the only prop on stage. A chorus of men in nothing but a hibiscus flower in their hair and checkered sarongs around their waists, entered stage humming tunes. Then one by one the protagonists of the act made their important appearance. The short-version of the Ramayana was followed by a dance performed by two teenage girls in trance. Their eyes were shut and yet they danced in synch to the female choir. This act was followed by another astounding one. A man, again in trance, danced over burning coconut husks....ouch! He didn't seem to feel a thing. When he was sat on the floor at the end of the performance a priest dripped water into his cupped hands and prayed over him. The man woke up from his trance but took ages to get up from the floor, sweaty and breathless as he was. Finally, a member of the crew gave him a bottle of water and was soon up on his feet grinning at the audience from cheek to cheek. I still wonder how weird things to us seem to be pretty much business as usual for these people.

Next morning I couldn't resist the shopping temptation! I walked along the stretch of road and if that weren't enough I went to the open market where I ended up buying souvenirs for my dears back home. I then filled up a box with all the goodies and dashed to the friendly post office. That night we had our farewell dinner as it officially was the end of the trip across Java and Bali. Sally took us to a lovely posh restaurant for the occasion where we enjoyed exotic cocktails and desserts too.

After a few goodbyes the next morning I made my way towards the small bus station and got a bus to Kota, which is about an hour away from Ubud. I was kind of expecting what to find. And I only decided to go there cause, well I had a day to kill and was sick of shopping and secondly, was curious for the Aussies' sake.

The main road was full of top brand and designer outlets. Further down the beach, lined with hotels and Aussies everywhere you turned, the place looked just like another beach in Sydney, Bondi II, perhaps?!??! Then I came across one of the memorial monuments in honour of the bombed victims. The marble piece gave little condolence whatsoever. Luckily, the executions of the actual bombers happened about a month or so after I was there so other than that life was a shopping spree, a surf board, a sundeck and a tequila sunrise. I was glad to find a number of warungs along the beach so I had a delicious lunch of one of the best gado gado (veggies covered in peanut sauce) I had tasted in Indonesia. Tired of walking about and along the beach I headed back to Ubud for a lavish 'cream bath' (head and shoulder massage and hair treatment) of aloe vera. Then to my excitement I thought I would be in time to make it to the wayang (puppet) show at the Puppetry Museum's open air theatre. Well, I did make it on hourly time but was out of lunar time as there were no puppet shows in full moon!



So, I ended up watching yet another version of the Ramayana with only a handful of other tourists. Oh well, was a good day after all. A quick dinner of nasi goreng (fried noodles) in the tiny cafe across from our hotel saw me in bed quite early that night. It was goodbyes to Indonesia the next morning as I, together with Marg and Gaby headed for the airport. My next destination was Sabah in Borneo via Kuala Lampur. N X X X X

Travelling Java...Yogya, Seloliman & Mt. Bromo

Selamat datang! (welcome!)

After Jakarta and Pangandaran we travelled on to Yagyakarta otherwise known as Yogya. We headed for the bus terminal from where we got a public (luckily air-conditioned) bus which drove us for about four hours were we then stopped at Cilacap for a quick lunch. It was back on the bus for the rest of the afternoon then on mini-buses which got us into the heart of Yogya. It was quite a scenic journey of valleys, terraced fields and acres of palm-oil plantations - an endless controversial discussion. Sadly most of Indonesia has been deforested whatever is left will be chopped down to to feed numerous families. Unfortunately, this not only contributes to the green house affect but throws wildlife and eco-systems in jeopardy. The classical example being orangutans which habitat is shrinking even further.

Back at Yogya town, our hotel was squished in one of its quaint narrow back streets, full of everything to make the tourist feel comfortable away from home; lavish coffee shops, art galleries, souvenir outlets, western cuisine restaurants and internet cafes. Tired as we were Sally took us to Via Via a few metres away from Delta Hotel for dinner. On our way back, Marg, Helen, Sally and I couldn't resist the temptation to enter the Civet Coffee shop. The extravagant kopi luwak, as known in Java, is made from coffee berries which have been chewed, digested and defecated (i.e. poohed) by the Asian civet (weasel looking-like animal). It's considered to be one of the top gourmet coffees and is therefore very expensive. I only tested my sense of smell, mmmm....lovely aroma, yes seriously! Marg and Pam indulged in a cup but to their disappointment it tasted disgusting. So long for the scent of it then.



Next morning our local guide Arnott and his crew cycled us in becaks (bicycle rickshaws) around Yogya starting at the palace of Mr. Spock look-a-like Sultan. Later he took us to a batik (printed cloth) art studio where us girls lost track of time! Next we paid a quick visit to a wayang (puppet) workshop where I finally got to buy my buffalo-skinned 'Romeo'. Was very happy indeed! (Ah, wish it were as easy to find your true Romeo in real life!!! :)
We stopped for a refreshing mango lassi at an art-deco photo-studio/restaurant just outside the bird market. We walked around the maze of narrow alleys full of cages. Just the sight of all those birds and reptiles made us scratch. The crystal clear pools at the Water Castle sparkled in our eyes as the sun bet hard upon us that early afternoon.









But our day was not over. Arnott took us to the batik factory or rather workshop. We were all fascinated by the whole process; intricate designs which are traced out with wax pens. After several consecutive washs to get rid of excess wax, dye was applied to the remaining blocks within the patterns. Fantastic works of art.










We lunched at a pendang, a local restaurant which you find everywhere like McDonalds in our world - only this was home-cooking :) A cheap but delicious meal of jackfruit curry, tempe, tofu and rice.

A quick power nap energised me for the big event of the evening. We had bought tickets for the Ramayana Ballet performance show. This took place in an open theatre, situated outside of the large Hindu temple in Prambanam.
We watched the temple transform from day to nightlight beauty as the sun descended. Needless saying, the sight took me back to Angkor Wat in Camobodia. After a buffet dinner with the best possible panoramic view of the Temple we went backstage to 'meet & greet' the actors who were busy dressing up in lavish costume and make up. Exciting! The performance was based on a complicated story plot with a multitude of characters dancing or rather twisting fingers and feet to the beating of the gamelan music. We enjoyed the performance and the story which unlike Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending :)

The Borobudur was the highlight of our next day's tour. It's enigmatic. I had never been in a Buddhist temple before other than monasteries and this was huge. It's said to be the biggest one in the world and dates back to the 8th century. It's built as a one large stupa which resembles a giant mandala. The story of Buddhist cosmology is carved in stone along a stretch of 5km clockwise around the temple. Each of the 7 levels spiral closer to Nirvana. At the top of the 3 terraces there are 72 large Buddha sit in latticed stupas. I just sat up and meditated for about half an hour.

That afternoon Marg, Gaby, Pam and myself hit the open market along Jalang Malioboro. Got a few good bargins one of them a batik dress which was fab :)
After lunch we had a posh ice-coffee and chocolate cake at 'Ministry of Coffee'(!) in one of the narrow street behind our hotel. Oh, such westernised luxury in the middle of Yogya, couldn't help it!

In the evening, we did dinner at one of the sit-on-the-floor restaurants again along Jl Malioboro. They had very traditional food, delicious BBQed chicken, sambal (chilli), tofu etc... The best part of eating at such open restaurants was the live entertainment provided by young musicians. Initially, we were thrilled by two guitarists playing re-editions of popular rock ballads. A solo artist performed after them but wasn't that good. I quickly gathered some tips from everybody around the table thanked him and anxiously beckoned the next group of musicians who were highly spirited and played Spanish and 60's classics with bass, guitar, drums and wonderful en chorus voices. Excellent!

Next day was another long travelling day this time to Mojokoto, most noted for Mt. Penanggungan, an active volcano. We were taken to PPLH (an acronym standing for a very complicated name to an environmental educational centre) situated in a village called Seloliman. Sally, Becky and I went for a walk uphill towards the mountain until it got dark but just enough for us to see a scorpion cross the road on our way back. Our bungalow had three comfy beds with mosquito netting and an open-air bathroom. Interesting concept, i.e. that of sitting on a western toilet and bathing in a shower out in a garden. This however we shared with the friendly wildlife too, of course. Our prince frog made sure we were safe for the night as he didn't budge from his guarding post just behind the toilet!!!

The Centre's staff team cooked delicious organic meals from produce they grew in the grounds around the bungalows. Rich fertile soil of course, being at the foot of the volcano.



Next morning we were taken for a good hike around the rice fields. At times there was hardly any space where to place a foot. Rice fields are only segmented by a narrow mould of mud. But was a splendid day and so was it for a group of kids bathing naked in a shallow stream. On our way we were invited for a strong cup of tar coffee by an old lady who spent the whole day crushing coffee beans with a huge pestle and mortar. She looked very old and couldn't speak a word in English but she did let us have a go at it. The shack she lived in consisted of one room full of pots & pans, a big table which served as her worktop and restaurant and some benches along the wall. A fire burnt in the corner making the whole place a little bit too warm for comfort.

After a good shower and yet another hearty meal we set off up into the mountains. Our next destination being Mt. Bromo, another but sleepy volcano.

Luckily, it was dark when we got to Yoshi's hotel or rather Adams' Family Hotel!
The place was grim and thick with brown wood furnishing. The rooms around the garden where of exquisite taste (not!). I shared like a joint twin-room with Michelle, Sally and Becky. It looked like something out of Flintstones. The others' could not stop describing the art & deco of their rooms. Marg and Pam in particular, whose room apparently was an old office with two beds. No one had an appetite that evening. We were all excited for next day venture which would start at 3am in the morning.

We met in the lobby. Luckily, it wasn't that cold. We still tucked ourselves in beanies, jackets, fleece and gloves. Jeeps took us further uphill until an hour into the drive we got to the viewing point. There were lots of people with whom we waited in darkness. Then dawn broke through revealing one of the most spectacular vistas ever. Three volcanoes stood tall infront of us. Out of the three only Mt Semaru was awake, throwing thick smoke into the clear thin air.
Having taken photos of the breath-taking scene we set off to climb to the rim of Mt Bromo.



Our guides took us to a barren ash-covered bit of land from where we started our walk. In no time our shoes (luckily there was no wind) were covered in ash and horse pooh! There were many locals trying to hire their horses to take tourists up to the hill. After that it was a 'stairway to heaven' to get to the summit or rather rim of the volcano. I peered down into the deep crater and saw huge puffs of smoke emitting from the heart of it. Oh! so it is kind of active! Well, apparently the locals hold ceremonies to quieten the fiery spirits less they decide to erupt. They throw their offerings such as chickens, flowers and whatever produce while praying to the gods for peace!

Back at Yoshi we packed, had breaky and took up in a mini-van down and round the Tengger Valley to the station. It was a gorgeous day, very inspiring and I just relished the fresh breeze in my face listening to oriental music on my ipod.

It was the beginning of yet another long journey and to a degree a new discovery - island of Bali here we come!



:)
X

A heron named 'Nicky'!

Ab's special motorbike was like nothing I had ever seen. The originally pale blue vintage vespa was decorated with deer's horns and a huge pair were actually designed as a security lock. Two small monkey skulls adorned the front and back of this warrior-looking chariot. The chariot came complete with scale-covered and Mohican's animal hair-styled helmet. To my heart's content Ab took me for short ride in his chariot around Pangandaran.

He headed towards the Park's main entrance. As he U-turned to go back we saw the silhouette of a bird at the doorway of the park ranger's office. Ab stopped abruptly and muttered something. I asked what was it and he said "It's a heron and I want to take it home to eat the fish in my pond - I have too many fish!" I noticed it had a ribbon tied to it's leg and Ab quickly realising that too continued, "it must be someone's. Probably the ranger's. But if I take it no one else will steal it(!!!)" "He knows me and I know him so it will be ok. I will return it back after it has eaten my fish!" Then. "will you hold it for me so we take it back to my home?" "Ok, I will try!" I gibbered. I was puzzled. Was I about to become an accomplice in a crime myself?!

It only took him seconds to snatch the birds and a few minutes later I was holding it by its beak and legs, precariously balancing myself on the vintage chariot which was speeding away from the robbery site. Poor heron, I could feel it's heart throbing hard in it's warm feathery body. I kept praying it keep calm and not shit on me!!! At the same time hoping I wasn't hurting or breaking it's legs with my tight grip. The beak felt very strong at the other end. As I was mentally absorbed by the whole situation, Ab whizzed through the main street. Then suddenly he yelled "Hide the bird! The ranger lives here!"
Hide the bird!!! How?!?!?! I was already barely managing to hold it in between myself and Ab's back! We finally got to his house or (should I say zoo?!?) I carefully dismounted from the scooter and handed the victim over to Ab. He placed in in the large bamboo cage already home to 2 roosters, a huge flying fox and a pond full of fish. The poor heron just started blankly at the the walls of its new home.

Ab took me back to the hotel where I eagerly recounted my story. The next day Ab was happy, "Heron is eating fish from the pond." he reported. Oh Good! So it overcame the shock of being captivated in the dead of the night, then. "What will you call it?" I continued, feeling like I put my foot in it my the end of the question. "What's your name again?" he asked. "Nicky." I replied. "Then I'll call it Nicky in your honor!" And so it was :)

Java of Indonesia

Hello!!!

So, from Land of Oz I decided to go to Indonesia. Why Indonesia? Well, first of all since I worked my arse off (in other words, heaps!) back in Sydney I could afford to travel to Asia again. I really wanted to go back anyways, since I had fallen in love with Asia after my travels to the East last year. Spoiled for choice I decided to tackle the East Indies, which are situated just above the Big Oz.
Going back to the question 'Why Indonesia?' well, it was a random choice to an extent. Actually, the only possible reason dates back 16 years ago! Well, yes, when I was still at school I had lots of pen-pals and one was from Indonesia; the most 'exotic' pal from my bunch, the rest were all European. Well, after some correspondence I discovered that I was actually writing to a boy not a girl! I couldn't have guessed in a million years given the (again) exotic name he had which obviously, gave no gender indication. And for some hack of a reason I had probably just decided that he was a she!! The worse thing is he had also sent me a photo of him with his friends - a bunch of brown skinned, dark-haired teenagers sitting on a wall. The photo was taken from quite a distance so that they all looked the same. My innocent 15-year old mistake probably cost me the correspondence since (probably) taking offense, upon my honest mistake declaration, he stopped writing :(

Anyways, intrigued by pictures about Indonesia's turquoise sea, bamboo houses and lots and lots of trees, I came across my excited research on receiving my first letter from Indonesia, and well, further and in honour of my pen-pal mishap I decided to visit the beautiful country. (Pity, I couldn't meet my long lost friend!)

My Garuda (Air) plane landed in the jungle. Yes, the most urbanised jungle I had ever come across. Jakarta is a mayhem city suffocating in smog, humid heat, traffic (lots and lots of motorbikes), sweaty over-dressed people, mosques, high buildings, etc... It was a leap into the wild wild east the minute I left the hotel for a wonder that late afternoon. I just wanted to find Seojurno's (the ex-President's) monument called the 'Monas' or as referred to by the locals 'his golden d*ck'! The receptionist assured me it was 'very close to the hotel, 2 minutes away' when it was not, if you had to ask me. I walked very cautiously and dangerously at the edge of main roads, risking my life everytime I attempted to cross one. I took the road all along a train station then further along the endless gates of the park with only one narrow opening at the very end!
All sweaty, shaken and dazed from smog and glaring sun behind the low grey clouds, I got to the top of the Monas for a very grey view of Jakarta! Anyways, as Sally (our leader) later said Jakarta is what it is but also has some hidden gems, as the restaurant we went to for our first group dinner -it was the best museum of art & interior deco I had visited from the whole lot I toured that day!

The following morning the tour group left smoggy Jakarta behind and travelled for an entire day by train, local bus and becaks (3-wheeler passenger paddling-bikes) finally arriving and the now low-profiled beach of Pangandaran. The latter was hit badly by a tsunami in 2005 and most of the houses right infront of the eastern beach are in neglect. The central street though towards town, has been redone and hotels etc. all look pretty new. The one we stayed in was a beach resort haven overlooking the west beach.

We met Ab, our local guide the next day(which also happened to be the first day of Ramadan) and walked us around the National Reserve Pack at the south of the peninsula. We were met by scores of monkeys which seemed to recognise the man with the haversack full of food. The minute Ab started bringing out bits of melon and papaya we were surrounded by more monkeys as well a deers. Further into the Park, we also met and fed porcupines in deep dark caves, saw lots of bats in those too! To our luck we saw huge flying foxes in action; literally flying from one tree to the other. We were so taken aback and in awe that none of us even attempted to take a pic! Ab also managed to bait a scorpion from beneath a tree with some raw chicken and brave Marg actually held it in her hand.

That evening Sally took us for dinner to a local warung (or house-restaurant). It looked quite meagre and the muslim-women let us pick our food from the shelved counter, just like a buffet. Indonesian food is always served at room temperature except for the rice which is generally kept warm in a sort of food thermos. We just randomly picked bit & bobs from trusting our luck it was not too spicy but edible and good to eat. It was a good thing the tiny place was dimly lit so I could barely make head nor tails of what was in my plate. It turned out to be a yummy dinner actually, except for the chicken which made Pete sick for 2 days. Good thing I didn't go for that!
Marg, Helen (Sally's mum), Sally and I remained chatting after dinner as the others left for an early night. Then as we were making our way back to the Hotel, I caught sight of 5 porcupine thorns neatly displayed in a picture frame above the door of a house. I quickly pointed it out to the others and Sally replied, "Oh yes, this is Ab's house." No wonder! She then said that he and his wife invited her and Helen for 'something sweet' so Marg and I decided to leave them but Sally insisted that we'd go in with her. We were a bit reluctant not having been invited but the minute Ab caught sight of us from within he gestured for us to come in. And so Marg and I entered Ab's house or should I say zoo?

How and where to start describing it?!?! A mosaic pathway leading to the entrance of the house was lined with fish ponds and huge bamboo cages on either side. The ponds were full of fish differently sized goldfish. Amongst other farm animals (pigs, hens etc..) a porcupine occupied a cage while another housed a multi-coloured rooster, a less fancy one and a flying fox. He offered us to enter the cage to take a closer look at them and Marg and I wearily did so.
At the end of the pathway was his vintage scooter and a table with some chairs. He invited us to have a seat and taste his wife's sweet soto (or soup). It was a green liquid with jelly pieces, bit of orange sweet potato and mung beans. Even though it sounds (and didn't look very appealing!) it tasted yummy.
After that I couldn't resist a photo-ride on his scooter, helmet and all! The originally pale blue vintage vespa was decorated with deer's horns and a huge pair were actually designed as a security lock. Two small monkey skulls adorned the front and back of this warrior-looking chariot. The chariot came complete with scale-covered and animal hair styled helmet. At one point he managed to surprise me with an elongated skull. Could never have guessed it was a dolphin's!



The next day Ab first took us to the local market in town. I just love markets! Full of everything under the sun; colourful food to wooden handcrafts to the weirdest things ever; a huge blue stingray under a table, packets of fried grasshoppers and shocking pink & florescent green jelly!
Later we went to the puppeteer's house. While he carves Ramayana puppets out of wood his wife paints and decorates them. Puppets are big in Indonesia particularly as they are used to recount endless versions of Javenese Ramayana - a kind of eastern version of Romeo & Juliet only with a very complex plot and a happy ending!
Finally, we got the boat and cruised along the Green Canyon. We stopped for a lovely swim in the green water and even scrambled over rocks to get further into the Canyon but it was worthwhile in the end.

That eve we went for dinner at the fish market. Well, only a few stalls were actually open selling fresh fish, one of them was Sally's ever favourite. Although still full from a late lunch we still couldn't resist the big still-kicking mud crabs and huge tiger prawns.
Yummy and whoosh so expensive but worth it! :)



N XX X X
PS: don't miss a good read; "A heron named Nicky!"