A good idea if I may say so myself

So I’ve decided to keep doing something that I kind of started when I went to Indonesia earlier this year. It’s a way to make sure that I get an even deeper taste of the culture of the countries I’m going to, since it’s true that I am kind of sticking to the tourist track in most of the places I’m going (not that that means there are loads of tourists on this track to begin with). I’m going to read books either set in or written about the country I’m in, as well as a few for general reading about travel and Southeast Asia.

Frankly, I think this is going to be incredible. It started in Indonesia when I read “Map of the Invisible World” by Tash Aw. It’s set during the upheaval of the country’s bid for independence from the Dutch and is a really interesting depiction of the views of native Indonesians as well as whites who “feel” Indonesian and actually support independence, too. It gave me a really interesting perspective on what’s led to the current events in Indonesia (which aren’t great, with Merapi exploding, tsunamis smashing into Sumatra, the government being accused of corruption, religious fanaticism, etc. Sorry, Obama, but I don’t think Indonesia is a model for all Muslim countries to follow).

So here’s my reading list for this trip (nearly all of them have been downloaded to my laptop because I have Kindle for PC—hooray for technology!):

General:

Holidays in Hell: In Which Our Intrepid Reporter Travels to the World's Worst Places and asks "What's funny about this?" by PJ O'Rourke (for when I need some humor)

Travel Writing 1700-1830: An Anthology

A Tramp Abroad and Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain (not sure which one I fit into...)

Recommended: Book Lust to Go by Nancy Pearl--the go to lady for what to read, just wish I could download it

General SEA:

All About Coffee by William Ukers

Piracy, Turtles and Flying Foxes by William Dampier

Malaysia:

Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan

Recommended: Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw (enjoyed his book about Indonesia: Map of the Invisible World) **Debating: it's pricey to download

Malaysia and Australia:


A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

Australia:

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (because in Australia you MUST read Peter Carey and about Ned Kelly)

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (I would guess it's given out at the airport, but downloaded it just in case)

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale (for Tasmania)

Australian Legendary Tales by K. Parker

Recommended: Eucalyptus and the Songlines, as well as Death of a River Guide (for Tasmania)

Indonesia:

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

Max Havelaar by Multatuli (expose from a Dutch East India Co officer)

Krakatoa: Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester (have to buy it somewhere)

Gold and Fishes by Donna Carrick

Borneo:

The Airmen and the Headhunters by Judith Heimann

Almayer's Folly by Joseph Conrad

Singapore:

King Rat by James Clavell (Rat--the other white meat)

(Was going to read West From Singapore by Louis L'Amour, but Amazon's summary just sounded too ridiculous)

Philippines:

Found in the Philippines: A Woman's Letters by Charles king

Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) by Jose Rizal

Recommended: When the Elephants Dance by Tess Holthe

Laos/Cambodia:

The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (a mystery set in Laos)

The King's Last Song by Geoff Ryman

Jungle Girl by Edgar Burroughs (Cambodia's female Tarzan!)

Recommended: When Broken Glass Floats--Growing up Under the Khmer Rouge

Vietnam:

The Quiet American by Graham Greene (you have to read it in Vietnam!!

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (already read Going After Cacciato)

Thailand:

Tuk Tuk To the Road by Jo Huxster (2 girls go across the world in a tuk tuk--love it)

The King and I by Anna Leonowens (duh)

Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap (short stories)

For the flight home:

American Notes by Charles Dickens

English Writers on America by Washington Irving (he sticks it to the hacks in Britain in the 1800s making America look bad--fitting for today as well?)

Leia Mais…

Animals in Bali: Loud, Painful, Cute, and Delicious

I had thought I would sleep-in today. I thought I might have a late breakfast and read a bit before taking a bike around town and having a leisurely dinner. And then the roosters started. At 6am. By 7 the hotel owners and their kids were up and talking loudly (they never seem to be indoors). I’m trying to think when the last time was that I really had a good lie-in. Does getting up at 9am count?

So at 8 I got up and had breakfast on my veranda (amazing—kopi, scrambled eggs w/ veg, toast, fruit salad) and planned my day. Since my blog has been an absolute mess this trip, I decided to take the morning to try to make some kind of sense of it then rent a bike and see what I could see this afternoon. Tomorrow I’ll take a motorbike east and the next couple of days I’ll ride north, east and west. Then I fly out the evening of the 23rd. Four days left. *Sigh*

And I think I’m going to try to spend most of those four days alone. I think it will be good for me, seeing as in Singapore I’m surrounded by people all the freaking time. But then there’s also the fact that I need to challenge myself to start feeling more comfortable being alone. Sitting on my veranda eating breakfast I thought to myself, “I should go to a cafe, get a coffee, and work on my blog.” It took me a few minutes to realize that I already had a cup of coffee and my laptop sitting right in front of me. I realized then that what I was craving was the bustle of a coffee shop: I wanted to be around people so I didn’t feel so alone. Honestly: I had to force myself to sit alone for more than 2 hours.

But as it turns out I don’t think I’ll be able to be alone, even here at my cottage, because the children soon start up a rousing game of soccer at the courtyard next to my bungalow, a woman comes to place a tiny offering on the veranda, the hotel owner offers me tickets to tours and cultural shows, his wife tells me about how she can do massage, and two artists walk up and offer to show me their “style”: “If you like, you buy. If no like, no buy. Okay, I show you?” As politely as I can I say that this is my home while I’m in Ubud and that I’m here in my ‘home’ to be alone, so no, I’m not interested in looking.

The weather is really mild today: slightly overcast, a drizzle from time to time, about seventy degrees, perfect for biking. So I’m going to sign off for now and get to it.

**8 hours later**

Somehow an innocent little bike ride through the city turned into a trek through the jungle, stumbling upon a forgotten temple, and a hill sequence that would make my spin instructor proud. Oh, and falling off of my bike. While standing still. But first things first.

I headed out to the east to see the Goa Gajah and Yeh Pulu temple complex and almost immediately regretted not paying 15,000 rupiah ($1.50) more to get a motorbike. The hills were worse than I was expecting, I’m more out of shape than I expected, and the cars just don’t care how close to you they get. At the temple I paid and got a dirty sarong to cover my thighs (since my shorts didn’t) then started to explore. One of my favorite parts was a ‘field’—for lack of a better word—of rock piles. I don’t know what they were for or how old they were, but the rows were quietly impressive and the contrast of the green moss growing on the grey and white stones made a beautifully touching contrast. I wish I could decorate my condo in such relaxing hues. There was also a cave you entered by walking through a carved mouth, silly faces cut into the rocks, a huge statue of Buddha that fell and crumbled long ago, and tiny forests of ferns growing on the ledges carved into the pillars.

If you follow the signs towards Yeh Pulu, you end up scrambling over boulders and nearly sliding down the hill into a river, clinging to vines and trees as you go. It’s a rather messy and sweaty affair, but the end result is worth it. First, you walk past a small temple that looks like any other along the road, but then you walk/fall a ways further, cross a bamboo bridge over the river, walk through a small cave, and come to a section of the river where you can swim into cave temples. IT IS BEAUTIFUL. The water is neck-deep, though, and moves quickly and if you lose control you could be swept down over some boulders. In the end I decided not to attempt it, but it sure gives me something to do the next time I’m in Bali.

I trekked all the way back to my bike and decided to ride south, towards the galleries and homes I saw from the van on the way here. It’s a lovely, relaxing ride and the peace and quiet makes your heart happy; twenty minutes after leaving Ubud you find you’re smiling softly and breathing deeply and contentedly without even realizing it. There are small alleyways to explore, temples peeking out coyly from behind half-open gates, colorful paintings hanging on nearly every building, kids running around in their yards, and houses beautifully decorated with intricately carved walls. Taking a turn down a quiet side street, I find a group of ducks happily splashing in a rice paddy—I secretly picked out which one I wanted for dinner—and just beyond that is a turn in the road from which you get a jaw-dropping view of a temple and a river far below. As soon as I step off my bike, though, and leave the road to take a photo, I’m attacked! Red ants absolutely swarmed my feet and for about 30 seconds there was a lot of screaming and swatting and stomping going on; the only photo I took was from my bike as I sped away!

 

In the end, though, the trip was utterly relaxing and I didn’t even mind having to ride uphill to get back to the city. I pushed myself hard and rewarded myself with a delicccccious dinner: babi guleng from Warung Ibu Okay. Two minutes after ordering, out came a bowl of rice covered in deliciously marinated braised pork from different parts of the pig: some white meat, some dark meat, liver, intestine (I’m guessing), and of course a piece of fried, crackling skin. I’ll admit I did skip what I thought was intestine and the skin, but the rest was absolutely delicious. The meat was so tender you almost didn’t have to chew and the spices did a little dance on your tongue. Amazing. And I don’t even like pork!

It was a quiet night after that. A quick shower then off to a cafe where I sat and typed and enjoyed a delicious cinnamon roll. I have to admit, it’s not the 'real' Indonesia that hard-core backpackers brag about visiting, but it’s still nice to spend the evening in an exotic country eating new foods and listening to a foreign language. True, the wireless internet feels a little like cheating, but only a little.

Leia Mais…

Travel day...and goats

So getting to the ferry this morning was actually fairly uneventful. As the desk clerk from my hotel on Pulah Weh and I walked to the motorbike 'taxi' they had lined up for me, I ran into another couple of girls who were leaving, as well, and of course a few goats climbing around a picnic table, so I jumped in the car they (the girls, not the goats) had hired and ended up paying ten thousand less than I was going to for what would have been an excruciating 40-minute motorbike ride, no doubt. The ride was a wonderful way to say goodbye to Pulau Weh; the bends in the road create amazing vistas as you go up the mountains and I got to see everything I loved about this place one last time. My only disappointment was not getting a picture of a tsunami warning sign, which is unexpectedly adorable.

After that came the great unknown: would there be tickets to Jakarta available at the airport and would they be more or less expensive because I was buying them at the last minute? Either way, I've lost all sense of the conversion rate to either Sing dollars or USD. At Aceh's very modern and elegant airport, I bought an airplane ticket to Jakarta and then on to Surabaya for a mere Rp 1,733,500! For which they only accept payment in CASH. That was an interesting trip to the ATM. But the good news is, I still have over 19 million rupiah left in my bank account!

I decided to fly to on to Surabaya in east Java because I'm drafting a new travel plan that is a bit more relaxing than the previous one. Instead of heading from Jakarta in the west and exploring the giant island that is Java, my new plan is to go east to Bali and the Gili Islands, with a stop at the volcano Gunung Bromo on the way. I'm doing this because I figure I can either spend a week hurtling across Java, cramming in sights rather than enjoying them OR I can go where the relaxation is basically guaranteed and keep diving and riding motorbikes. A pretty easy choice. And with the new semester rapidly approaching, I'm anticipating enough stress as it is without trying to hurry through and "enjoy" my vacation. Oh, and I hear there are cute boys at Bali on occasion.

Now by dinner so far so good. My flights were uneventful and I have to give Lion Air some credit; they're fairly punctual, haven't lost my bag yet, and the staff are helpful and speak good English (even if one of them was wearing 3 shades of green eyeshadow at once). If only they hadn't jacked up the cost of my flight by 50% for buying it in person...

The bus ride through Surabaya was the most entertaining part of the day by far. The vehicle basically became a performance venue whenever we stopped. There were teenagers with guitars and harmonicas, men selling food and rubber toys that flash and bounce around, hawkers carrying large metal tins of even more food, and at some point someone was trying to sell me what was either a pair of castanets or an odd looking toy car. I say no to everything, although it's not without some difficulty when it comes to the "Batman masker".

It was actually this bus ride that cemented my decision to change my itinerary. I took it as a sign from God that during the 100m walk between the airport shuttle bus and the local bus to Gunung Bromo no fewer than 15 people walked up and asked if I was going to Bali. The real reason was that there were tons of night buses headed that way, but, whether you believe in him or not, God does work in mysterious ways and fortune favors the bold so it's off to Bali I go.

And just to keep you totally up to date, I have reached the point in my journey where nothing I'm wearing matches: brown and goald trainers (covered in dust), black pants, red tank top and pale blue knit sweater.  Not my most stylish look, it's basically everything that was a bit bulky and would make it difficult to pack.  And another benefit: now I look more like everyone else around me!  And speaking of everyone else around me, why (?!?!) do they take it as a sign that when I sit alone, reading or thinking or writing or just enjoying the view, that I want them to interrupt and start an awkward conversation where their questions are spaced five minutes apart and they only understand half of my answers?  I'm here for some quiet and solitude, people, it's kind of the point of traveling alone.  I'm thinking of wearing an announcement on a sandwich board.

I arrived in Probollingo, the entry point to Gunung Bromo, around 9pm and had a lovely tour of the town from my front-row seat in the becak. This was definitely new: the double seat goes in front while the driver pedals on the bike attached behind. It seems like a pretty little town, clean and fairly modern, and there were even Christmas lights up in various shapes like stars, religious symbols and produce (no joke--my favorite was the chili pepper).

My driver took me to my hotel where I met a few people going up the volcano the next day. When I spoke to the hotel owner about joining their group, it was the beginning of an utterly ridiculous escapade that I just can't be bothered to write about until tomorrow. I have to get up in a couple of hours to go up the volcano (on a motorbike, again.  What the hell is it with me and motorbikes?!?!) and I need to get some rest before we meet at 2am.

Completely random side note: I'm not sure if I should correct them when people call me "mister", which happens about a third of the time. And an odd occurrence today: as I walked past an old man he rubbed his hand down my arm from bicep to wrist and broke into a huge grin. Now, I like to think I have soft skin, but I'm pretty sure this guy was thinking to himself Holy crap, I just touched a white lady!!! I gave him an appropriately repulsed look, but really I was wondering why he felt the need to do it. Does he want to brag about it later? Was he curious whether white women feel different? Is he just a horny old man? Beats me.

Okay, later gaters.

Leia Mais…

This is not how I wanted to feel on this trip

Okay, one last thing before bed.  This is really, really annoying: I've been in some kind of a funk for the last couple of weeks. I have zero energy. I want to sleep all of the time and I'm just not excited to get out and see everything like I was in India. Unfortunately, this is having a negative effect on other things. Reading over my blog posts they seem really boring and colorless. Also, it looks like a 10 year-old has been taking all of my photos. They aren't framed properly, I'm missing angles, I'm not zoomed in well enough, and there's about a hundred shots that I should have taken but just didn't.

Have I lost my passion for traveling or am I just exhausted from school? Maybe I needed more of an actual break where I did nothing before I started traveling again. This isn't exactly the most restful way to spend my holiday, so maybe I'm just burning myself out faster by not just spending a week in Bali. It's hard to say.

All I can say is that I'm sorry that the annals of my most recent trips have been so lame. I'm off to go take a bucket shower with freezing cold water to see if I can wake myself back up and shock myself into. Just don't think about how clean this water may or may not be, Lauren...

Leia Mais…

The German Side of Indonesia

Today I woke up feeling fairly well-rested, but I have a feeling I could have slept for a few more hours if I had the chance. Immediately, I was debating if I really wanted to do anything before leaving for Bukittinggi: my head felt heavy and I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I just felt slow and a bit uninspired.

One thing I told myself about this trip was that I wasn’t just going to go out and do something because the travel guide says to. I will try to make it to their recommended sites and restaurants and such, but I just don’t see the good in dashing out to see every little thing when I’m not really that interested. I keep thinking if I don’t see x, y, or z I might be missing 3 of the coolest things I will ever see and that later I’ll regret not making the effort. But let’s be honest, odds are good that it’s not going to be the most beautiful thing ever, and to regret not forcing myself to do something I’m not really excited about is just silly.

One thing I will get out of bed for is breakfast, especially if it’s free. Given the choice between fried rice and scrambled eggs on toast I take the former, and I’m glad that I did. It was a huge portion and really tasty, served with those curved rice chips that they love here. And then there it was: my first cup of REAL Sumatran coffee! You have to be a bit careful when you drink kopi, though, because it’s served very differently than in the US. The grounds are right there in the mug, ground extremely finely, and hot water is poured over them, so be sure to wait until they settle to the bottom before you drink. Most places leave out a sugar bowl and pretty much everyone adds a few heaping spoonfuls of it (including myself) because this is a strong brew. If you order kopi susu, you’ll get a sizeable serving of condensed, sweetened milk stirred in, which is how most locals do it, but I just can’t bring myself to drink that stuff. Blech.

However, I might have to do something: Iyeli is coming to meet me at 9 and she is really anxious to take me out to see and do things. But all I want to do is go back to bed for an hour and then sleep on the bus on the way to Bukittinggi. Well, I think I just decided what I’m going to do this morning: very little. I’m going to apologize to Iyeli, sleep for an hour or two, check-out, and be on my way.

**3 hours later**

Why do I insist on thinking things are going to be easier than they actually turn out to be? Why did I think that I’d be able to get a bus to Bukittinggi relatively quickly? Why did I think that it wouldn’t take nearly as long as it’s turning out to be taking? I either need to be richer or more pessimistic and only one of those is likely to actually happen...

Okay, I’m not thinking about it, instead thinking about how beautiful it is that in the distance you can see clouds wrapping around the mountains that are covered in jungle so dense that everything in sight looks greenish-grey. How sweet it’s been for people to comment on the shalwar khameez I’m wearing and compliment me for making the effort to “dress Muslim”. The waterfall we just passed. The amazing view over the enormous cliff just a few feet from the wheels below me...

But at least we’re making good time. I think I’ve got to hand it to this guy. I’ve been on a lot of shitty buses with a lot of shitty drivers, but this guy has to be the most lethal. Despite the small children on board and the evidence of recent mud and rock slides along the edge of the road, he drives through the rain at an excessive speed, swerving between lanes so severely that our heads are bobbing side to side like toys. He only alters from this practice when we come to a curve (which, on a 2-lane road going up and down hills in the jungle, is fairly frequently), at which point he is gracious enough to accelerate WHILE passing in the opposite lane. Love it.

But outside the window is where the best action is: this is one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever had in my life. The rain clouds have moved in, burying the top half of the mountains in mist and fog, teasing the viewer with occasional glimpses of foliage and bungalows. Sometimes the jungle comes right up to the edge of the road and you swear you see a shadow move through the trees. And then there’s the terrace farming, neat steps of green carved out of the hillside that almost make it seem like living in a village is relaxing and romantic.

Buses offer odd glimpses into other people’s lives and sometimes I find myself very annoyed by it. There are a million pictures I couldn’t take today because we were going too fast and I couldn’t get my camera out or it wasn’t in focus or whatever. And even beyond that I want to stop and investigate some of these places and talk to the people. No, I take that back. Mostly I just want to take out my camera, sit in the background, observe what’s happening and take photos. I’m not like some people, who want to get to know the locals and stay with them and that sort of thing. I enjoy the occasional conversation, but mostly I want to sit back and soak things in.

So I am now in Bukittinggi. Maybe it’s that it’s raining (and I lurvs the rain), maybe it’s the view (heavenly), maybe it’s the fact that there aren’t people shouting at me as I walk down the street, maybe it’s the fact that other westerners are staying in my hotel... something about Bukittinggi is immediately relaxing and I can tell that I’m not going to be in any kind of a hurry while I’m here. All I have to do is decide if I’m interested in a tour or not, where to go on my motorbike tomorrow, and how many hot, chocolate-cinnamon pancakes are a good idea for me to have (do yourself a favor and have one at the Turret Cafe when you come to Bukittinggi next time).

I ask Ulrich, the German who owns Rajawali, the hotel I’m staying in, if he knows anything about renting motorbikes, and he tells me I should talk to another young man interested in renting one. He’s staying upstairs, near the rooftop garden. Enter: Elias, a 25 year-old German guy who is traveling the world for a few years. We decide to walk around town a bit together and spend a few pleasant hours getting to know each other while checking out the zoo, the market, a game of some kind of football/volleyball hybrid, and a quick dinner. When we return to Rajawali we meet George and Elvis, a Brit and Norwegian riding motorcycles around the world for a few years, and it doesn’t take long to decide we’ll all hit the road together tomorrow for my first motorbike ride in Indonesia. I give myself until lunch to crash/fall over, but right now I’m just interested in falling into bed. So goodnight.

Leia Mais…