2007vacation

This trip was a first in many respects. We took a night flight which was wonderful—a chance to sleep before we got here. We stayed at the Ibis Manggu Dua Hotel in the middle of Chinatown and across from the Mal Mangga Dua—very handy. It was also the first time coming to Indonesia but not going to Kalimantan. I hardly felt like I was really here—so strange being in Jakarta and not knowing anyone. Ransung arrived the following day and that made things seem more normal, to speak Indonesian, catch up on news etc. I convinced Brian to take a bajai to go find a “supermarket” and he was duly impressed with Jakarta from a bajai’s eye view—about exhaust-pipe level with bigger vehicles, rattling up and down alleyways etc. A not-to-be-missed experience.

The day Ransung arrived we went (by bajai) to “Sea World” which is a large and very nice aquarium in Jakarta. We were able to touch sea turtles, stingrays and photograph a lot of different sea species. The following day we took a wildlife safari tour—drove east to Bogor, drove through the wildlife park which was very well done with animals as close as safely possible (ie. tigers loose outside the car window). We fed llamas, zebras and other animals carrots through the car windows and tossed peanuts out to the macaques and others. The “Baby Zoo” was a walk-through of baby animals and some not babies, including the chance to take pictures with a tiger cub, orangutans and others, pet a hornbill and more close encounters of the wild kind. In the central area of the park were camels and elephants to ride (if you were small) or touch and pet if you were not. All in all it was the best place so far to really experience animals.

Next day we flew to Bali and that was our shopping day—drove to Ubud, where I had been once sometime around 1972, and saw the making of (and bought) wood carvings and batik. When I was last there, 70% of the island was planted to rice—now, 70% of the population is in the tourist trade. We had to make a special effort to drive to where we could see rice terraces, where years ago, rice terraces were about all there was, with little villages here and there. We stayed in Udayana Eco-lodge which was out in the country from Denpasar, quiet and peaceful with birds and frogs instead of traffic noises.

We happened to be in Ubud on the last day or so of the Hindu year 1928. Each village was involved in the making of immense (10-20 feet tall), colorful, intricate, devilish figures with horns, fangs, long fingernails etc. that represented all the bad and evil of the past year. Then all the effigies were to be burned late that night to cleanse the evil and get a fresh start on “The Saka New Year 1929.” As we were leaving Ubud, we were able to watch a parade of these figures being moved on huge bamboo frames to the central burning point—it looked like half the population was out and it took many men to move all these things along. One was smaller, maybe four feet tall, and that one was carried by little boys, probably six or younger. It made me think of the book title “The Lost Boy.” A new generation growing up in darkness. The following day was Nyepi, a day of silence—everything closed down, no traffic, no one on the streets, no talking, no lights, etc. so it was fortunate that we left Bali when we did.

We were on vacation during Lent but despite discussions, we didn't give up anything. What we did do, seeing all the Hindu sacrifices and rituals, hearing the call to prayer broadcast every day in Java and seeing the green arrow on the ceiling of every hotel room to point the faithful toward Mecca, was to constantly be thankful for grace. I think we talked about grace every single day we were there.

Next day’s flight was from Denpasar (Bali) to Labuan Bajo, Flores. From the airport in LB (reminiscent of Supadio in Pontianak thirty years ago) we drove directly to the dock for an eco-tour, another first. We spent two days and a night on a little boat (partly covered deck and a bathroom of sorts) visiting first Rinca Island and then Komodo, mainly to see the Komodo Dragon but also saw monkeys, wild pig, water buffalo and a few birds, most all of them prey for the Komodo Dragon. Ransung and Brian had a chance to fish off the boat and each caught a nice big one. In between islands, we slept on the deck of the boat. For me, the best part of the trip was lying on my back on the front boat deck at night in the middle of the Flores Sea and looking at endless stars in the vast universe. Words are inadequate to tell of the glory of the incredible night sky, so limitless and yet so personal.

One really cool thing was seeing Bugis sailing ships--the Bugis tribe were traditionally pirates (that's where the term 'boogie-man" comes from), but we were told they now do a lot of diving trips. Their little ships were really beautiful.

The following morning after our return to Labuan Bajo we left to drive to Riung, which isn’t that far distance-wise but over a narrow one-lane road full of potholes that twists and turns in every direction while going up and down mountains. It was definitely a full day’s driving, around 12 hours. In Riung, we overnighted in Nirvana Eco-lodge and early the next morning took a little boat to a mangrove-covered island where thousands of fruit bats live. We could see ones with babies clinging to them flying overhead and also an eagle flying among them unsuccessfully looking for breakfast. Brian had a chance to wade in among the mangroves in (the vain) hope of finding a mangrove snake and for some close-up video of the bats in the branches above. After that we boated to another island for snorkeling and a lunch of baked fish. Ransung and I went beach combing and found more fabulous shells than we could carry—small sand dollars, sea urchins, a starfish, different corals, and many shells I couldn’t identify, large and small. Since the island was in a protected area we couldn’t take any of them with us, so we made a big arrangement of our treasures and took a lot of pictures, leaving them to the sea when we left.

Upon our return we had one more night in Nirvana and then left the next morning on the road to Maumere in east Flores. The road was pretty much like the road to Riung, adding very mountainous terrain, passing several volcanoes, inactive (hadn’t erupted in a decade or two), active (always smoking) and active and watched. We passed chocolate and vanilla growing, villages perched on steep mountain edges, cows, horses, and goats tethered on the roadsides, big rocks in the road, and landslides that nearly blocked the road with dirt, gravel, and boulders the size of small cars. Part of the road ran along the southern shore of Flores beside the Savu Sea, and in one place there was a stretch of shoreline full of blue rocks. No one could tell us what these rocks were or why they were in just this one place, but the beach was full of them, ranging from different shades of blue to purple to white, a few patterned with a small black stripe or black florets. The people in the area collect the blue ones to sell.

The next morning we flew back to Bali and stayed at Udayana for one more night. After dark there was an immensely loud chorus of frogs from the several ponds in front of the lodge, and Brian was able to use the night vision capability of his video camera to get some really great footage of the various kinds of frogs. The different and distinct tones, rhythm etc. of each kind of frog was amazing, especially since they didn’t even seem to notice they were being filmed.

For some reason there was some confusion about our departure date from Bali, and when we went to the airport we were told our tickets were for the prior day. We were able to change our 11 AM tickets (already full that day) for 5 PM, so we checked all our luggage and took a cab to Kutu Beach on the Indian Ocean in Denpasar. The beach was a total tourist trap, but we could say we’d been to the Indian Ocean, Brian found a piece of sculptured roofing tile in the surf, I found a dead puffer fish, and Ransung found coral he could take home and got to watch men surfing before we hosed off the sand and took a walk around town. One thing that hasn’t changed about Bali is the idols that are everywhere and the offerings that are served up constantly at every turn. You have to watch your step on the sidewalk, in doorways etc. to avoid stepping on these little flat leaf boxes filled with decorative food, flowers, incense, and an occasional cracker and after-dinner mint. There was a temple facing the beach, with a large table in front heaped high with hundreds of these little offering boxes. In addition, they were down by the beach and in the presence of many, many (even on top of the head of one) idols. The offerings are on the dashboard of most cabs and in every imaginable place, and you constantly see people coming out with fresh offerings all day long. In a sense they are very pretty and artistic, but they represent totally empty hope.

Back in Jakarta to the Ibis Mangga Dua Hotel where we went across the drive and got our pictures all developed and divided up so Ransung could take his home. We also took one last shopping spree together, to the Sarinah store which has two floors of batik, woodcraft etc. and we helped the Indonesian economy along with gifts, souvenirs, and clothes for Ransung, who also took home his dream souvenir of a cell phone.

Next day we took Ransung to the airport with two stuffed pieces of luggage (he’d had one half full when he came) and with a goodbye hug and “I love you” he disappeared through the departure gate, leaving Jakarta seemingly quiet, empty and lonely. Brian and I went from the airport back to Starbucks and to Sarinah for a last—last—shopping trip, and the following morning checked out, told Jakarta goodbye, and after a final—really final—shopping spree through the airport, again left Indonesia, as always wondering when, or if, I will return.