So all of us ETA’s had to go back to West Java for fingerprinting and picture taking for our Indonesian ID cards, which meant that we were once again put up in a outrageously fancy hotel complete with a giant curving marble staircase and complementary bath salts. More ridiculousness of the sort that ensues when over 30 Americans get together in a huge city in a foreign country. That night at around 3:30 am, my good friend Eric, (who loves whales) and i walked around this park containing a huge monument ingloriously referred to as Sukarno’s final erection, which i call the giant flaming erection. we see that there is part of the gate keeping us out that we could easily roll under, we roll and are eventually staring up at the white monument lit from below, makes me think D.C., and morning birds are soaring around and around and he sings Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins which was pretty perfect.
Thursday - ridiculousness, a club owned by the President’s son, and a very very happy birthday to my buddy Dan!
Friday – another daring escape! Kevin rouses a somewhat less than enthusiastic me out of bed and we’re off to meet Eric in Bogor, a town an hour train ride to the south of Jakarta. Bogor is also called the city of rain so I was full of joy when the huge drops began splashing down! We arrive and find Eric at peace in huge amazing botanical gardens, Kebun Raya. 80 hectares of winding overgrown paths, twisty vines, awe-inspiring root systems, streams, forgotten fountains, lotus ponds, orchid houses, more than 15,000 species of trees and plants and a, are you ready? A skeleton of a blue whale!!! We were only there very briefly though because we were off to the sea... A long bus ride interrupted by a scree CRAsh that turned out to not really do too much damage but certainly was startling and we had all been wondering how long it would be before we saw a crash because the traffic is so crazy shaky dense here.
photos by kev
Then a loooong night in a small beach side bungalow in the small fishing village of Pelabuhan Ratu. The power was out in the whole town which at first seemed a blessing because we arrived at night and could only hear the ocean waves and were enchanted by romantic idea of candlelight and such. The heat quickly became an unfriendly reminder of how dependent we still were on electricity. With no AC (why conditioner and not a much more obvious air cooler or chiller) and too many mosquitoes to open any windows, we were trying in vain to not touch each other while continuously debating the great sheet dilemma- too hot with the sheet, too many mosquito bites without it.
At some point in our fitful attempts at sleep i noticed the power was back on so we cranked up the AC and turned on the lights for some mosquito hunting. What a sight, the three of us laying there motionless in silent apprehension and intense focus, hands in the air, frozen in position, only our eyes furtively scanning, scanning. .. a buzz! A dark dot darts by! the furious clapping begins! At first we are fairly unsuccessful but we eventually honed our skills. I quickly became Mikaela the Merciless, mmm i don't exactly remember the others but lets say Kevin the Killer and Eric the Enforcer. This went one for quite some time as we were always sure we vanquished our last tiny foe but then a whirr and WHAM we’re back into action!
Quite inconsistent, my moral dilemmas regarding the taking of insects’ lives. Like how i will quickly build a small raft and life jacket for a single drowning ant but if a swarm of them invades my kitchen i quickly and somewhat regrettably show too little regard for their lives.
At some point in our fitful attempts at sleep i noticed the power was back on so we cranked up the AC and turned on the lights for some mosquito hunting. What a sight, the three of us laying there motionless in silent apprehension and intense focus, hands in the air, frozen in position, only our eyes furtively scanning, scanning. .. a buzz! A dark dot darts by! the furious clapping begins! At first we are fairly unsuccessful but we eventually honed our skills. I quickly became Mikaela the Merciless, mmm i don't exactly remember the others but lets say Kevin the Killer and Eric the Enforcer. This went one for quite some time as we were always sure we vanquished our last tiny foe but then a whirr and WHAM we’re back into action!
Quite inconsistent, my moral dilemmas regarding the taking of insects’ lives. Like how i will quickly build a small raft and life jacket for a single drowning ant but if a swarm of them invades my kitchen i quickly and somewhat regrettably show too little regard for their lives.
photos by kev
Saturday - We awake to ocean waves and brightly colored fishing vessels, hang around long enough for a morning dip and to appreciate the craftsmanship of the boats and take off for more scenic beaches. i could not believe that after almost a whole month living in this island nation this was my first chance to hear, smell, taste and feel the ocean! we took some angkots and ojeks (motorbikes) to an awesome black lava rock shore covered in crashing waves and crabs and we scrambled up the cliff above, Karang Hawu, also carved by lava flow, to a sea goddess shrine. Pelabuhan Ratu is where Nyai Loro Kidul resides, the malevolent goddess of the sea who takes fishermen and swimmers down to her undersea lair. You can’t wear green on the beach unless you want to fall prey. The shrine was a small room filled with offerings and several chanting supplicants, with the walls covered in paintings of the sea goddess and her sea dragon. pretty amazing.
photo by kev
Then another ojek ride to nearby Cipanas hot springs. There, steam bursts out of cracks in the river rocks and boiling hot water sprays, creating a hot river that downstream mingles with a cold river. It was pretty crowded up above with indos but downstream, if we ignored the cleaning of raw fish and occasionally pooing in the waters in the distance (we convinced ourselves the heat was killing everything) it was amazing and lovely. The currents carried hot water to relax us and then cool waters to refresh us in somehow perfect harmony.
photos by kev
photos by kev
By late afternoon we made it to a small surf town called Cimaja. It was paradise, hardly any tourists save for a few salty surfers and a completely undeveloped beach covered in rocks the size of juicy mangoes. As the fierce surf rolled out the rocks tumbled over other another in a beautiful clamor. we enjoyed a few beers at the bar in our small surfer hostel run by an exuberant expat and then called it a night.
photos by kev
Sunday- Dusk and dawn beach time everyday.
Eric left us for jungle adventuring the next morning while kev and i lolled about longer. explored further reaches of the beach where mango rocks and dinosaur eggs eventually succumbed to sand. there were many great lava rock boulders in the waters, some of them breaking the surf to make a huge tidal pool lagoon area where we floated about and sunned ourselves on the rocks as mermaids. contentedly contemplating crawling clambering coal colored camouflaged crabs, crafty claws clenching crevasses, climbing cliffs casually. I of course got very sunburned as i always do the first time i am out all day under the searing tropical sun, too stubborn to use sunscreen until too late.
Eric left us for jungle adventuring the next morning while kev and i lolled about longer. explored further reaches of the beach where mango rocks and dinosaur eggs eventually succumbed to sand. there were many great lava rock boulders in the waters, some of them breaking the surf to make a huge tidal pool lagoon area where we floated about and sunned ourselves on the rocks as mermaids. contentedly contemplating crawling clambering coal colored camouflaged crabs, crafty claws clenching crevasses, climbing cliffs casually. I of course got very sunburned as i always do the first time i am out all day under the searing tropical sun, too stubborn to use sunscreen until too late.
photos by kev
We retreated back to cold beers and lazy naps and were later treated to free fresh delicious sautéed fish and prawns by our host. That evening at the ocean’s edge the palms trees silhouettes exploded against the fading sky, lit up by flashes of lightning and it was wonderful until i realized i was wearing green pants, oh no, retreat!
photos by kev
Monday- One last early morning at our paradise beach. My sunburn turned out to actually be a blessing because saying bye to the beach was less bittersweet. Back to Bogor (bus broke down on the way) for a full afternoon at the botanical magical gardens i mentioned earlier. orchids galore, an abandoned fountain, enthralling roots, a good bye to the blue whale skeleton and so much more. Rode economy train back to Jakarta which was surprisingly great. Sat cross-legged on floor in front of open doors, cityscapes and rural lives whooshing past, sunset flashes through trees, endless silver shining upside-down turnip mosques. We found ourselves wishing we could travel the whole country in the same manner, catching intimate glimpses while the rest slips past. Vendors hopped on board at each stop offering wares ranging from carrot shredders (walked as shredded live demo) and fireworks to picture frames and stickers (i admit, i was tempted). A woman weaved her way through the crowded aisle singing while her husband staggered under speakers behind her. Watched other trains depart with a crowd of young indo men casually sitting on the roofs! Foolishly dangerous, but i am sure quite a rush. Apparently police here shoot paintballs at them to get them to stop.
photo by kev
Arrived in Jakarta, another fun night of bules (foreigners) together and then back to Gresik the next afternoon.
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