We flew back to Bali and took a bus to the far western edge to squeeze in a visit to the island's only national park before heading farther west to Java. Those volcanoes you see in the background are actually on Java, it's that close.
Anyway, our bus drove right onto the car ferry heading from Bali to Java. We got off and enjoyed the half-hour crossing on deck.
Where there is smoke, there must be volcanoes (and cigarettes): Java
So, Java is Indonesia's most populous island (though not its largest--that's Sumatra, the next one further west). It has Jakarta, the capital, and several other large cities. We had hoped to visit Mount Bromo, in eastern Java, but it inconveniently decided to start erupting that week, putting the kibbosh on that plan. So our first stop there was Yogyakarta (usually pronounced more like "jogjakarta") in central Java. Yogya is supposed to be the cultural/intellectual capital of Java, so we took it upon ourselves to visit some historic sites and artistic performances. (And go to a carnival!)
First up, historic site. Borobudur is an enormous Buddhist shrine from around the 9th century. It was abandoned in the 14th century, as Islam took over as the area's major faith, and was "rediscovered" in the 1800s and restored in the 1900s. It has six levels, hundreds of Buddha statues, and thousands of storytelling relief panels. It is so big that we couldn't even fit it all into one photo!
Buddhist pilgrims are supposed to circumnavigate each level of the structure three times, but of course we just ran straight to the top. The top level has all these beehive-like structures, each containing a seated Buddha inside.
Back to high culture: We went to a Wayang Kulit shadow puppet show. We actually learned all about this traditional Javanese art form last year during our visit to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Museum (remember that post?) in the US, where we said "One day...sometime next year...we will see these puppets in action!" And so we did.
The puppets are made out of buffalo leather and are incredibly intricately designed and painted by craftsmen, many of whose families have been making them for centuries. (The best ones cost around $200 each in case you were wondering--and yes, they'll airmail them to America. No, we didn't buy one.) Here are some puppets, ready to perform scenes from Hindu epics, like the Ramayana.
Right outside of the Gambir train station is The National Monument, Monas, also known as Soekarno's Last Erection. Apparently, the former leader erected (heh heh) many monuments around town, which now have funny nicknames (kind of like the statues around Dublin, Ireland, as I recall).
Anyway, about two minutes after we entered the garden cafe for lunch, the heavens opened and drenched the park for about an hour. Rainy season in Indonesia...guess that's why it's so green.
Luckily for us, the rain stopped in time for us to get home, get on our finest (OK, only clean clothes) and get a taxi to the nice expat part of town for our only fixed appointment in Jakarta--dinner with my cousin's husband's parents! They have been living and working in Jakarta for the past four years, and were wonderful enough to invite us (and all our laundry) over for a serious Tex-Mex feast (and good machine washing), despite us never having really met before. They are big travelers, too, and it was terrific to see their photos and hear their stories about some places we've been and many we hope to get to someday. And it's always really interesting to see what expat life looks like in a city you've just been visiting as a tourist (and to see what said city looks like from a 17th-floor balcony--NICE). So here we are with our Jakarta buddies Terry and Linda--thanks again to you both!
The next morning, we got a bus to Java's west coast, and let me pause here for a moment to tell you about this bus. If the bus from Bali to Yogya was one of the nicest we've taken in 60 countries, then this one had to be one of the worst. Sure, we've been on a lot of dirty buses with no AC and only half a seat per adult butt. We've been on buses that stop about every three feet, trying to rustle up more passengers even though the aisles are already heaving with standees, making a trip double in time. We've been smoked on in buses, and we've been overcharged. But never before all of these things at once to quite the extent as we experienced on the public bus from Jakarta to Labuan.
I think the smoking was really the worst--the rest of it I can forgive, but the smoking you just can't escape, even if you stick your head as far out the window as it can go. Though it also really got our goats when we found out later that we'd been charged double for the privilege...
Anyway, we did finally arrive at our destination and manage to book a boat for the next day to take us to an even greater source of smoke: Krakatau volcano!
We had both read Simon Winchester's terrific book "Krakatoa" this year, about the 1883 massive eruption that blew apart Krakatau volcano (which sat in the Sunda Straits between Java and Sumatra), killing tens of thousands of people and with the amount of ash it discharged into the atmosphere, changing the world's climate for years and even making sunsets more psychedellic worldwide.
"Wait," you say. "If the eruption blew the volcano apart, what is there to go and see now?"
I will tell you: Anak Krakatau, or "son of Krakatau." In the 1930s, a new volcano started to emerge from the sea (eep!) and continues to grow at the crazy rate of a few meters a year (eeep!), regularly smoking and sputtering. In only 80 years, it has formed a whole new island, complete with trees and wildlife, and you can charter a little fishing boat there to go check it out.
Which is what we did. Even though the oceans had been kind of rough lately. And, um, Anak Krakatau recently became more active than usual. Maybe not our smartest move ever, but we lived!
After two hours on windy, choppy seas (during which I learned--twice--that you can indeed get slapped in the face with your own vomit if conditions are right), we finally pulled up within view of the little monster of a volcano, which I was kind of resenting at that point. It is undeniably quite impressive and stark looming out of the ocean, though.
We did snorkel nearby, though, in the shade of what's left of "Mama Krakatau" (one side of the volcano is still standing, now grown over with trees). There's some nice coral and fish there. And the seas were much calmer for the trip back to Java. It was an expensive and often uncomfortable outing, but it was very cool to see the volcano up close. (That's mama on the left, baby in the middle, as we sped away.)
When orangutans attack: Sumatra
Sumatra is Indonesia's biggest island, and is the one that seems to get hit with the most natural disasters. If you're reading in the paper about a tsunami, or an earthquake, or a flood, or an eruption in Indonesia, chances are it's happening in Sumatra.
But, that's where the orangutans are! So, that's where we went.
But, no more public buses for us. Medan actually has some very affordable shared taxi services for tourists that will take you to the area's attractions in AC, nonsmoking comfort. Well, most of the time the AC works, and most of the time the driver refrains from smoking in the car...in any case, that's how we got around.
We spotted these kids riding atop their school bus on the road to the rainforest. Don't fall off!
Jungle trek, jungle trek,
From Bukit Lawang!
See the monkeys, see the birds,
see orang-utan!
True to the song, first we saw the monkeys. This guy is a Thomas leaf monkey, and was just hanging out on a branch near the trail with some of his buddies nearby. Cute!
Andy and I were completely in the dark about her existence, but our chief guide, Dani, knew her as soon as he saw her. Blocking our path with her baby on her back, she wanted our food, Danny knew. He threw her our fruit scraps to try to placate her, as she's been known to bite people (leaving them with facial scars, lost fingers, etc.) when she's pissed off. So, she ate the food...then she attacked Danny anyway. We were backing away from her with the second guide, when suddenly she and Danny were ON THE GROUND in a clench, rolling around. We went from being scared for ourselves to being terrified for Danny. Luckily, he was able to jab her in the eyes and whack her with a branch, which sent her up a nearby tree, but not before she'd bitten both of Danny's hands. He still had all his fingers, but there was blood all over the ground.
Our group dashed past on the trail, then stopped so another tourist with a first aid kit could disinfect and wrap Danny's hand. But Mina didn't give up so easily, and we had to book it down the trail farther and farther as she continued to track us for about five minutes more before finally giving up. We later found out that she ended up biting a tourist later that same day.
Danny went back to town for medical treatment that night and was back with us in the morning, far more chipper than I would have been if a crazy ape had just tried to bite my hands off.
Of course, Mina is this way because she used to be someone's pet and was surely not treated very well. Attempts to release her far from humans have failed so far, so her reign of terror looks set to continue. If you Google "Mina orangutan" you will find all sorts of stories, and even videos, from people who've had, um, encounters with her.
Anyway, we have a few pictures of Mina from before she attacked, but weirdly, they refused to load online when we uploaded photos the other day (hm...). So instead, we'll leave you with pics of another orang with her baby who came sniffing out of the forest when we gave Mina our food scraps. Unlike Mina, she was gentle as could be.
Check out the little baby hands and feet!
17,000 islands...we set foot on seven. Had to leave a few for next time.
Great that you guys got to wash your clothes properly. I've been wondering about that, lol, and how nice of the lovely couple to invite you over. That Loft room you stayed in looks lovely, but I wonder about bugs and mosquitoes? lol that lean-to does look like a homeless person's. That shot of you guys on the volcano is lovely, and how sad about the orangutan, can't they re-locate it? I mean some place really far, like days-on-a-truck away? Anyway, just wanted to say that I really love your posts and pictures. My comments would be too long if I were to address everything I oohed and aahed about. Have fun! I mean more than you already are, lol.
ReplyDeleteOh and THAT toilet gave me the heeby-jeebies. I would have bathed aoutside at midnight and gone in the bushes, sorry. I know it was cheap and all but they could have cleaned it a bit, surley?!
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