Hi
Further to what I wrote earlier today- people who want to donate from e.g England or Japan can make a tranfer to the following account. In fact anyone can do this if they want- we have opened up a special account at an Indonesian bank.
The main detail you need is the SWIFT CODE and ACCOUNT NUMBER which is for International transfers-
That is - BNINIDJAXXX
Account Number - 0102938973
Bank office - BNI (Bank Nasional Indonesia) UGM Yogya
The account name is- Sdr Samuel Maxim Icklow
Another good day today - lots of blankets, kerosene and food being sent to remote areas. Loads of NGO's have started arriving too.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Donations
To people who already donated to my personal account thankyou. People who are donating to the general account of the Director can you please either tell me via a comment on the blog or using my email.
This is a request from the Director so we have some degree of accountability about where the money is coming and going.
Thanks.
This is a request from the Director so we have some degree of accountability about where the money is coming and going.
Thanks.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Aid 5
Ok, so far from friends and family I have received $400. Other ACICIS students are receiving similar amounts, so multiply that by 40 and you have a lot of money. We have sent out more convoys today and they are being well received, we have even been thanked on the radio.
The account details to donate money are in the post below.
Thanks everyone for your care and concern. I am fine. But there are a lot of people who aren't.
The account details to donate money are in the post below.
Thanks everyone for your care and concern. I am fine. But there are a lot of people who aren't.
Panic at the End of My Street
This was about five minutes after the first screams of "Tsunami". I was terrified that if there was another aftershock people would come streaming up my street and overtake my kos. It is the tallest building in the street.
Monday, May 29, 2006
I am Ok - Breathe On Sister Breathe On
Hello everyone. First you all know, through my dad that I am ok. Saturday morning privided 2 of the most terrifying experiences of my life- first 57 seconds of magnitude 6 earthquake and 2 hours later, crazy panic as people fled from an imaginary tsunami. it wasn't clear at first how severe the damage was, and I did contemplate leaving on Saturday afternoon. However, yesterday I headed out with some friends to Bantul. We spent a lot of our own money on buying food, water, medicine to take to the people down there who have lost everything. The pattern of devastation is random, buildings stand with no damage next to piles of rubble. I went to a refugee camp and what I saw was so sad. However amongst all the horror the people down there are still smiling. Aid is filtering through and international NGO's are getting in slowly. Sadly, the Indonesian Government response is, as yet, not very visible.
Today we have set up emergency response convoys to start sending medicine down to Bantul and also to Prambanan and Klaten which are badly damaged. Between us we put together 12 million rupiah or about $1500-1700 dollars. By we I mean the ACICIS students, along with other international students here. We have put together a letter which i have attached to this post with account details should you wish to donate some money. Rest assured every single cent will go toward helping people, as our only interest in asking for this money is to help the community that has been so generous with us while we have lived here.
I just got back from the hospital and donating blood. They are in desperate need of blood. Circumstances at the hospital are mixed. There are people in the corridors and walkways, but all seem to have water and food and none seemed to be in pain. It was surprisingly clean, and people are calm.
As for the rest of Yogya, people are getting back to normal. Shops are open, and in my area at least, there is hardly any damage. And of course, I have my exams starting tomorrow. Though I am not sure what standard our teachers are expectin given that all the international students are pretty much out in the field helping people.
Will try to upload some photo's and elaborate more on what has happened. Rest assured- I am fine, I am healthy, I am now able to go to sleep without leaving the door open and light on and my kos is a fortress where I feel very safe. Luv you all, miss you all. Please read the letter below.
Dear Friends and Family
As you would all already know, Yogyakarta and surrounding areas have been severely affected by a major earthquake early Saturday morning. Medical supplies, water and food are severely lacking in those villages which have still not been able to receive emergency assistance.
There are currently many emergency efforts being organized. If you have already donated thank you! – you have probably already saved some lives.
For those of you who would like to make a direct contribution now, we at ACICIS (Australian Consortium for In Country Indonesian Studies) in conjunction with other international students are currently coordinating an emergency response effort to organise direct relief to the most remote villages which are currently receiving little assistance. We are purchasing supplies that we think are most needed, based on information from those of us who have visited those areas, and advice from other contacts here.
At this stage, we believe supporting ACICIS directly is the most effective way to support our efforts because we have a committed team of young Australians on the ground, with language skills, knowledge, and local contacts. We are also coordinating our efforts with other groups and organizations.
ACICIS students are spending all the personal cash we currently have in our bank accounts, but are desperately in need of more. If you are in a position to donate funds, it would be greatly appreciated. A few Australian dollars can make a big difference.
The easiest way for us to get cash to buy medical and other emergency relief supplies is for you, our family and friends, to make transfers directly to our Resident Director’s account in Australia. This avoids unnecessary fees for transferring to foreign accounts, and avoids the confusion of receiving transfers to a number of different accounts. Phil King, the Resident Director, will be able to supply an account statement to show that all funds arriving into this account have been spent in the next few days.
The details of Phil’s account are as follows:
Philip King
Illawarra Mutual Building Society (IMB)
BSB: 641 800
Account No: 200171941
Keep in mind the time lag on bank transfers- at least one day, so please make the transfer as quickly as possible. We would appreciate if you could forward this email to those you think may want to help.
Yours faithfully
Adelle
Today we have set up emergency response convoys to start sending medicine down to Bantul and also to Prambanan and Klaten which are badly damaged. Between us we put together 12 million rupiah or about $1500-1700 dollars. By we I mean the ACICIS students, along with other international students here. We have put together a letter which i have attached to this post with account details should you wish to donate some money. Rest assured every single cent will go toward helping people, as our only interest in asking for this money is to help the community that has been so generous with us while we have lived here.
I just got back from the hospital and donating blood. They are in desperate need of blood. Circumstances at the hospital are mixed. There are people in the corridors and walkways, but all seem to have water and food and none seemed to be in pain. It was surprisingly clean, and people are calm.
As for the rest of Yogya, people are getting back to normal. Shops are open, and in my area at least, there is hardly any damage. And of course, I have my exams starting tomorrow. Though I am not sure what standard our teachers are expectin given that all the international students are pretty much out in the field helping people.
Will try to upload some photo's and elaborate more on what has happened. Rest assured- I am fine, I am healthy, I am now able to go to sleep without leaving the door open and light on and my kos is a fortress where I feel very safe. Luv you all, miss you all. Please read the letter below.
Dear Friends and Family
As you would all already know, Yogyakarta and surrounding areas have been severely affected by a major earthquake early Saturday morning. Medical supplies, water and food are severely lacking in those villages which have still not been able to receive emergency assistance.
There are currently many emergency efforts being organized. If you have already donated thank you! – you have probably already saved some lives.
For those of you who would like to make a direct contribution now, we at ACICIS (Australian Consortium for In Country Indonesian Studies) in conjunction with other international students are currently coordinating an emergency response effort to organise direct relief to the most remote villages which are currently receiving little assistance. We are purchasing supplies that we think are most needed, based on information from those of us who have visited those areas, and advice from other contacts here.
At this stage, we believe supporting ACICIS directly is the most effective way to support our efforts because we have a committed team of young Australians on the ground, with language skills, knowledge, and local contacts. We are also coordinating our efforts with other groups and organizations.
ACICIS students are spending all the personal cash we currently have in our bank accounts, but are desperately in need of more. If you are in a position to donate funds, it would be greatly appreciated. A few Australian dollars can make a big difference.
The easiest way for us to get cash to buy medical and other emergency relief supplies is for you, our family and friends, to make transfers directly to our Resident Director’s account in Australia. This avoids unnecessary fees for transferring to foreign accounts, and avoids the confusion of receiving transfers to a number of different accounts. Phil King, the Resident Director, will be able to supply an account statement to show that all funds arriving into this account have been spent in the next few days.
The details of Phil’s account are as follows:
Philip King
Illawarra Mutual Building Society (IMB)
BSB: 641 800
Account No: 200171941
Keep in mind the time lag on bank transfers- at least one day, so please make the transfer as quickly as possible. We would appreciate if you could forward this email to those you think may want to help.
Yours faithfully
Adelle
Friday, May 26, 2006
Polygamy in the Key of White Knickers
OK- I am only going to offer you an abbreviated version of the mountain story to supplement my 11 ½ steps to mountain climbing heaven/hell, as we did it nearly a week ago and I have other stuff to talk about.
Basically what happened was this. We left at 1pm to head in the direction of Mount Ungaran by AC’d bus. We arrived at 4pm in a little town at the foot of the mountain and changed transport to mini-vans. They were rather useless transport as with 10 Aussies in each they continuously stalled on the steep bits (being a mountain that was most of it) and we had to unload, run up the hill and get back in.
We stopped at base camp 1 to focus on the mammoth task ahead, drink coffee, eat instant noodles and rest. It started to absolutely p down with rain at this point which was a rather depressing prospect- scaling a mountain in torrential rain, erm no thanks. Anyway, it stopped about half an hour before set off time. We then climbed for three-four hours (the easiest bit by far) until we got to Base Camp 2 which is a kampung/village half way up the mountain. It’s a shame I will only ever see it by night as it sounds pretty interesting- don’t ask me why but there are 60ppl who live there- and if a baby is born someone has to leave, and if someone dies someone has to move there. Don’t ask why I have no idea- all I know is it is an easy place for the Indonesian Government to conduct population census.
Anyway we stayed there until abt 1.30 am. I had about an hour’s sleep, and several coffees, and more instant noodles. We then set off in our two groups hiking up the mountain. I should mention here that I was listening to music all the way up, on the first leg it was a combination of Madonna and Hottest 100 2005. On the second leg I was listening to an 80’s mix given to me by Ray, and was as such scaling cliffs with such classics as Grease Is The Word, Now That We’ve Found Love by Heavy D & The Boyz (yes hello keith), as well as classics from Tiffany, Bananarama, The Cars, Duran Duran and New Order. I am not sure because I had a backpack on my back, but it is likely that people trekking behind me launched such projectiles at my back as Tango wafer biscuits and Silver Queen chocolate wrappers. They probably reached breaking point when I started singing Ghost Busters. Oh my goodness, and how could I forget, Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News was in the mix too. (I am listening to it right now hence the absent minded additions to the list!) Hey mum, what is the song that goes “"Oh I-I, I'd do anything that you want me too-oo-ooo, but I can’t go for that, no can do, no, I can’t go for that, can’t go for that, no can do”. I am sure Aunty Helen or Uncle Kevin will know if you don’t. That’s in the mix too. Such a comprehensive memoir of 80’s cheese.
Anyway, back to the mountain. So this leg was tough. Lot’s of climbing up rocks. Lots of lactic acid. It wasn’t aerobically tough, but physically tough. And the worst bit is, the Indonesian strategy for keeping us moving was to say “only 15 minutes more”. When they continually say it for the last 2 hours of the climb, it induces murderous thoughts of death by strangulation…… whoops, did I write that. Only kidding. It makes you love them even more.
So we got to the puncak, the top, at about 4.30am. Apparently for the last half an hour everyone in the first group who was already at the top could hear me squawking and/or singing 80’a music. It’s nice to know my voice carries that far! It wasn’t overly cold at the top, but the problem is that you are doused in sweat and that makes the wind feel freezing. I deliriously changed my clothes, and at this point, a clean pair of white knickers that I didn’t even know I had in my backpack fell out, and were discovered at the door of the tent by our Indonesian guides, whom I found out hours later, threw them around for a while and then threw them onto a nearby tree. Delightful. Anyway, we watched sunrise, ate more instant noodles, drank Milo, coffee and other goodies, and at about 8am (no sleep for me) commenced the descent.
All I will say about the descent is this- 3 and a half hours, ½ dense jungle, ½ on a path on the edge of a cliff suitable for passage by such animals as goats and dogs, not people, 100% of the path made of clay, me falling over so many times I lost my sense of humour and almost cried (if it wasn’t for Ryan I would have probably set up a camp there and stopped descending, living a solitary mountain life forever), last half an hour descending in torrential rain, a hand covered in leeches after touching some weird plant. It was tough. I am now in a position to reflect on the descent and say that it has somehow strengthened my character, however there are now 5 days, a 90 minute reflexology massage and a "night out" between me and the mountain.
Anyway, it was good, although I threw away the yellow jacket that you may have seen in the photo’s because it resembled the loin cloth of a mud-wrestler. Lucky I bought it second hand for $1.
So that was that.
Oh I forgot to mention that the night before on the Friday night, myself and the band (as yet unnamed) played 4 songs at Bintang (Passenger-Powderfinger, Holy Grail again, Ku Tak Bisa and Steal My Kisses- Ben Harper). As a consequence I had a mild hangover on the climbing day because of the confidence beer I drank prior to singing….. hehehe.
Since last weekend a few things have happened. A week has passed. I have just three weeks left in Yogya. I had my last class for uni and have exams next week. I completed my 1500 word assignment for International Security, excerpted below. (Yes, I am not just here climbing mountains and singing in bars……. I actually know how to write stuff!) Although according to Agnes, my assignment bore the hallmarks of a student who has tried hard to make the best of their limited vocabulary. I am still unsure if that is a compliment or an insult…… Last night I ate in a restaurant owned by the leader of Polygamy in Indonesia. I am not sure what you do to become the leader of polygamy, aside from having 4 wives, but nonetheless that was what the menu said.
Polygamy is an interesting issue to talk about here. Nearly everyone here thinks that men who use the Koran as justification for having multiple wives is mis-interpreting the actions of the Prophet Mohammed, whom I believe took his other wives because they were widowed and therefore he was doing them a good deed by protecting them from stigma that existed at the time. Hardly anyone agrees with it, and it is hard to carry out I think, while still being true to the Koran which demands that each wife be treated exactly equally in terms of love, maintenance, companionship etc. Anyway, the restaurant guy clearly thinks he can do it, although no-one I speaks to thinks he can.
Ok enough random ranting.
To my wonderful, one-of-a-kind grandparents who have just set off on their round the world trip. Selamat jalan, hati-hati, I love you lots and have an absolute ball.
And I am going to start copying Keith and Becky and do “what I am listening to”:
Haste 80’s mix (at this very moment, Phil Collins- Invisible Touch), Portishead-Dummy, Massive Attack-Blue Lines, random drum and bass, and some hot Indo trance.
And this is the proof I can "do Indonesian"
Menurut Buzan, Weaver & de Wilde “security is about survival”. Tegasnya, proses sekuritisasi akan terjadi kalau pemerintah nasional (atau aktor sekuritisasi lain) mengatakan bahwa ada ancaman atau existential threat untuk sesuatu yang harus dilindungi, yaitu referent object.
Esei ini akan mempertimbangkan isu terrorisme dan cara isu ini sudah disekuritisasikan antara Australia dan Indonesia. Terutama, tindakan-tindakan dan kebijaksanaan pemerintah Australia sebagai securitising actornya dalam hubungan dengan existential threat ini akan diperhatikan. Walaupun referent object di Australia yang menghubungkan terrorisme masih kurang jelas, kalau kita melihat speech actnya yang sudah dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Australia, proses analisis ini menjadi lebih sederhana. Dengan kata lain, speech act yang dikatakan oleh Pemerintah Australia mengungkapkan fokus dan tujuan-tujuannya.
Basically what happened was this. We left at 1pm to head in the direction of Mount Ungaran by AC’d bus. We arrived at 4pm in a little town at the foot of the mountain and changed transport to mini-vans. They were rather useless transport as with 10 Aussies in each they continuously stalled on the steep bits (being a mountain that was most of it) and we had to unload, run up the hill and get back in.
We stopped at base camp 1 to focus on the mammoth task ahead, drink coffee, eat instant noodles and rest. It started to absolutely p down with rain at this point which was a rather depressing prospect- scaling a mountain in torrential rain, erm no thanks. Anyway, it stopped about half an hour before set off time. We then climbed for three-four hours (the easiest bit by far) until we got to Base Camp 2 which is a kampung/village half way up the mountain. It’s a shame I will only ever see it by night as it sounds pretty interesting- don’t ask me why but there are 60ppl who live there- and if a baby is born someone has to leave, and if someone dies someone has to move there. Don’t ask why I have no idea- all I know is it is an easy place for the Indonesian Government to conduct population census.
Anyway we stayed there until abt 1.30 am. I had about an hour’s sleep, and several coffees, and more instant noodles. We then set off in our two groups hiking up the mountain. I should mention here that I was listening to music all the way up, on the first leg it was a combination of Madonna and Hottest 100 2005. On the second leg I was listening to an 80’s mix given to me by Ray, and was as such scaling cliffs with such classics as Grease Is The Word, Now That We’ve Found Love by Heavy D & The Boyz (yes hello keith), as well as classics from Tiffany, Bananarama, The Cars, Duran Duran and New Order. I am not sure because I had a backpack on my back, but it is likely that people trekking behind me launched such projectiles at my back as Tango wafer biscuits and Silver Queen chocolate wrappers. They probably reached breaking point when I started singing Ghost Busters. Oh my goodness, and how could I forget, Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News was in the mix too. (I am listening to it right now hence the absent minded additions to the list!) Hey mum, what is the song that goes “"Oh I-I, I'd do anything that you want me too-oo-ooo, but I can’t go for that, no can do, no, I can’t go for that, can’t go for that, no can do”. I am sure Aunty Helen or Uncle Kevin will know if you don’t. That’s in the mix too. Such a comprehensive memoir of 80’s cheese.
Anyway, back to the mountain. So this leg was tough. Lot’s of climbing up rocks. Lots of lactic acid. It wasn’t aerobically tough, but physically tough. And the worst bit is, the Indonesian strategy for keeping us moving was to say “only 15 minutes more”. When they continually say it for the last 2 hours of the climb, it induces murderous thoughts of death by strangulation…… whoops, did I write that. Only kidding. It makes you love them even more.
So we got to the puncak, the top, at about 4.30am. Apparently for the last half an hour everyone in the first group who was already at the top could hear me squawking and/or singing 80’a music. It’s nice to know my voice carries that far! It wasn’t overly cold at the top, but the problem is that you are doused in sweat and that makes the wind feel freezing. I deliriously changed my clothes, and at this point, a clean pair of white knickers that I didn’t even know I had in my backpack fell out, and were discovered at the door of the tent by our Indonesian guides, whom I found out hours later, threw them around for a while and then threw them onto a nearby tree. Delightful. Anyway, we watched sunrise, ate more instant noodles, drank Milo, coffee and other goodies, and at about 8am (no sleep for me) commenced the descent.
All I will say about the descent is this- 3 and a half hours, ½ dense jungle, ½ on a path on the edge of a cliff suitable for passage by such animals as goats and dogs, not people, 100% of the path made of clay, me falling over so many times I lost my sense of humour and almost cried (if it wasn’t for Ryan I would have probably set up a camp there and stopped descending, living a solitary mountain life forever), last half an hour descending in torrential rain, a hand covered in leeches after touching some weird plant. It was tough. I am now in a position to reflect on the descent and say that it has somehow strengthened my character, however there are now 5 days, a 90 minute reflexology massage and a "night out" between me and the mountain.
Anyway, it was good, although I threw away the yellow jacket that you may have seen in the photo’s because it resembled the loin cloth of a mud-wrestler. Lucky I bought it second hand for $1.
So that was that.
Oh I forgot to mention that the night before on the Friday night, myself and the band (as yet unnamed) played 4 songs at Bintang (Passenger-Powderfinger, Holy Grail again, Ku Tak Bisa and Steal My Kisses- Ben Harper). As a consequence I had a mild hangover on the climbing day because of the confidence beer I drank prior to singing….. hehehe.
Since last weekend a few things have happened. A week has passed. I have just three weeks left in Yogya. I had my last class for uni and have exams next week. I completed my 1500 word assignment for International Security, excerpted below. (Yes, I am not just here climbing mountains and singing in bars……. I actually know how to write stuff!) Although according to Agnes, my assignment bore the hallmarks of a student who has tried hard to make the best of their limited vocabulary. I am still unsure if that is a compliment or an insult…… Last night I ate in a restaurant owned by the leader of Polygamy in Indonesia. I am not sure what you do to become the leader of polygamy, aside from having 4 wives, but nonetheless that was what the menu said.
Polygamy is an interesting issue to talk about here. Nearly everyone here thinks that men who use the Koran as justification for having multiple wives is mis-interpreting the actions of the Prophet Mohammed, whom I believe took his other wives because they were widowed and therefore he was doing them a good deed by protecting them from stigma that existed at the time. Hardly anyone agrees with it, and it is hard to carry out I think, while still being true to the Koran which demands that each wife be treated exactly equally in terms of love, maintenance, companionship etc. Anyway, the restaurant guy clearly thinks he can do it, although no-one I speaks to thinks he can.
Ok enough random ranting.
To my wonderful, one-of-a-kind grandparents who have just set off on their round the world trip. Selamat jalan, hati-hati, I love you lots and have an absolute ball.
And I am going to start copying Keith and Becky and do “what I am listening to”:
Haste 80’s mix (at this very moment, Phil Collins- Invisible Touch), Portishead-Dummy, Massive Attack-Blue Lines, random drum and bass, and some hot Indo trance.
And this is the proof I can "do Indonesian"
Menurut Buzan, Weaver & de Wilde “security is about survival”. Tegasnya, proses sekuritisasi akan terjadi kalau pemerintah nasional (atau aktor sekuritisasi lain) mengatakan bahwa ada ancaman atau existential threat untuk sesuatu yang harus dilindungi, yaitu referent object.
Esei ini akan mempertimbangkan isu terrorisme dan cara isu ini sudah disekuritisasikan antara Australia dan Indonesia. Terutama, tindakan-tindakan dan kebijaksanaan pemerintah Australia sebagai securitising actornya dalam hubungan dengan existential threat ini akan diperhatikan. Walaupun referent object di Australia yang menghubungkan terrorisme masih kurang jelas, kalau kita melihat speech actnya yang sudah dilakukan oleh Pemerintah Australia, proses analisis ini menjadi lebih sederhana. Dengan kata lain, speech act yang dikatakan oleh Pemerintah Australia mengungkapkan fokus dan tujuan-tujuannya.
Last Day of Lectures
Sophie (from Germany) and I pretend to study on the last day of Uni, whilst actually checking out the World Cup Timetable and organising a party at which we can gratuitously slander the efforts of the opponents of our respective nations..........
Actually, I am lying, we were contemplating the finer points of the memper-kan affixation...
Anyway, it was the last day of uni on Wednesday, and we celebrated accordingly later that night..........he he he.
Actually, I am lying, we were contemplating the finer points of the memper-kan affixation...
Anyway, it was the last day of uni on Wednesday, and we celebrated accordingly later that night..........he he he.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Five and a Half Reasons NOT To Climb A Mountain
1) Over 36 hours with only one hour of "sleep" and 11 hours of climbing.
2) It's bloody cold at the top.
3) Leeches
4) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you have not slept for 24 hours.
4.5) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you are exceptionally uncoordinated and spend the majority of the 7Km falling over, and/or sliding down on your backside.
5) There is a lot of pain the next day.
5.5) It is not a good way to prepare for writing a 1500 word assignment, in Indonesian, that is due the day after you get home.
Will tell the whole story when I have finished all my exams and assignments. Glad I did it, but my new philosophy on mountain climbing is "Yes, it's an option...... but not one that I end to choose again." Ha ha ha. I suppose you aren't surprised. I have some cool photo's though!
2) It's bloody cold at the top.
3) Leeches
4) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you have not slept for 24 hours.
4.5) Trekking down 7Km of slick, wet clay is actually not very good fun, especially when you are exceptionally uncoordinated and spend the majority of the 7Km falling over, and/or sliding down on your backside.
5) There is a lot of pain the next day.
5.5) It is not a good way to prepare for writing a 1500 word assignment, in Indonesian, that is due the day after you get home.
Will tell the whole story when I have finished all my exams and assignments. Glad I did it, but my new philosophy on mountain climbing is "Yes, it's an option...... but not one that I end to choose again." Ha ha ha. I suppose you aren't surprised. I have some cool photo's though!
Five Reasons To Climb A Mountain
1) Nice view from the top
2) Good for the muscles
3) Happy feelings of accomplishment
4) Pleasant group bonding experience
5) Did I mention the nice view?
2) Good for the muscles
3) Happy feelings of accomplishment
4) Pleasant group bonding experience
5) Did I mention the nice view?
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Merapi and Me
This is the volcano that is currently erupting!
And in other news I am climbing a mountain this weekend. I will surely die I am so unfit!
And in other news I am climbing a mountain this weekend. I will surely die I am so unfit!
Monday, May 15, 2006
Fortune Finds Me Fit and Able
Thus far in Indonesia, I have to say that there are few things from which I derive as much simple pleasure, as riding along on the back of a motorbike through the rural areas of the province of Yogyakarta, with my walkman in my ears. For some reason this combination of circumstances turns me into a goofily happy passenger.
Imagine escaping the city limits of Yogyakarta, experiencing an almost instant drop in temperature, cool wind rushing over your skin, picturesque “countryside” on all sides and a beautiful clear blue sky, shining sun and the silhouette of an angry angry volcano punctuating the view to the east.
This was my Saturday afternoon. The planets truly aligned, so instead of the afternoon rain blowing in at 2.30, an almost Adelaide-esque sun poked its face from behind a cloud and stubbornly shined until it set.
Saturday also happened to be the most important day for the Buddhist faith, that is the Waisak Festival, which celebrates Buddha’s birthday, day of enlightenment and his reaching of Nirvana. Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world converged on a point one hour from Yogyakarta which is one of the most spectacular and important pieces of Buddhist architecture in the world : Borobodur.
So Alana, Willy, myself, Ida and two other of Alana’s kos friends decided to join the pilgrimage. It really is a lovely ride from Yogya to Borobodur. We met a little misfortune however, because being improperly informed on the logistics of the roads that were open on the day, we arrived at the normal entrance and were told we would have to dismount and walk for 5Km. Instead we took an alternative route through a village which involved riding along on the narrowest of roads, crossing a river on a bridge reminiscent of an Indiana Jones film and also negotiating impossibly steep hills with the motorbikes. However it was also incredibly fortunate that we were forced to pass this road as we were able to stop with a perfect vantage point of Gunung Merapi, which that day began to erupt (I told you the planets aligned). I have some really good photo’s of the Mountain on the photostream.
Anyway we eventually passed the village and had a relatively clear run of traffic until we reached the main road into Borobudur, at which point traffic slowed to less than a crawl and it felt like we were going to be trapped in a throng of revving motorbikes for the rest of the day. Luckily, after half an hour of literally moving about 10cm a minute we made it. The journey took 2 hours, but it was of course, half the fun!
We walked up to one of the gates only to find that it had closed 1 minute earlier! So with just one gate open we had to walk for about 2 Kilometres along with all the other people who had been locked out but still wanted to make it in for the final ceremony. We got in eventually, and although there was literally thousands and thousands of people there, there was an unusually calm atmosphere, especially for a crowd in Indonesia! Being just about the only two blondes in the whole place apart from the odd backpacker, there was never any risk that Alana and I would lose our friends. We literally stuck out a mile. We listened to some of the ceremony and took photos of the monks, and then as the sun was setting we sat down to take some pictures of Borodbodur itself. Unfortunately we were unable to climb it because it was a special day, but we are going to return to get a proper look at the stonework which is spectacular even from a distance.
We then walked around the entire perimeter and as it got darker, we turned around to see a perfectly full shining moon. Absolutely gorgeous. The day could not have been more perfect. We waited for around half an hour just soaking up the view (Borobodur is perched atop a hill which is one side bordered by enormous hills and greenery, and on the other two mountains, one of them being Merapi.) Just as we were about to leave, there was a sudden burst of activity as all the pilgrim monks rounded to corner and descended upon the place for the evening function. I have a few photos of this, including one of the four token Tibetan’s who were there!
Anyway, the ride back was also trafficky but we were all so pleased at how the day had turned out, (even the Indonesians who had been to Borobodur before) that it didn’t matter.
So that was the weekend. However as you have no doubt heard, the volcano has started to erupt and last night from the roof of my kos we could see lava being spewed out from the top. Let me just repeat that- I saw lava! It is an amazing sight, and we are really lucky because the weather is so clear right now that even during the day the view is unobscured. I am perfectly safe. We would have been evacuated if not. So no worries, and you can all stop sending me SMS’s! Hahaha! I got 3 yesterday!
Oh and just quickly, I was a bit of an erupting volcano on Friday night. Alana decided to have her hair chemically straightened and I decided to get highlights done again. We went to the salon we have been to before. I was there 5 hours because the first guy, although he clearly understood my instructions, had no clue on what he was doing and gave me a head that was all the colours of the bleaching rainbow from bright white to golden yellow. I told him in no uncertain words that I was not leaving until his er, error was fixed, at which point the manager decided to provide me with a more competent hairdresser who proceeded to do a nice job, that is, after he dyed over the mistakes from the first idiot. Oh, and I also sang “Holy Grail” in Bar Bintang later that night with the band. All I will say is that dutch courage is a double-edged sword- it gave me the nerve to get up there, but also clouded my memory just enough that I missed a whole verse. Heh heh heh.
BTW- go Crows!!!!! Yeeeehaaaa!
Ps- Becky did you pick the Joanna Newsom reference in the title???!!! Injokesareusgituloh! Thanks 4 the phonecall btw even if the connection was dodgy!
Imagine escaping the city limits of Yogyakarta, experiencing an almost instant drop in temperature, cool wind rushing over your skin, picturesque “countryside” on all sides and a beautiful clear blue sky, shining sun and the silhouette of an angry angry volcano punctuating the view to the east.
This was my Saturday afternoon. The planets truly aligned, so instead of the afternoon rain blowing in at 2.30, an almost Adelaide-esque sun poked its face from behind a cloud and stubbornly shined until it set.
Saturday also happened to be the most important day for the Buddhist faith, that is the Waisak Festival, which celebrates Buddha’s birthday, day of enlightenment and his reaching of Nirvana. Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world converged on a point one hour from Yogyakarta which is one of the most spectacular and important pieces of Buddhist architecture in the world : Borobodur.
So Alana, Willy, myself, Ida and two other of Alana’s kos friends decided to join the pilgrimage. It really is a lovely ride from Yogya to Borobodur. We met a little misfortune however, because being improperly informed on the logistics of the roads that were open on the day, we arrived at the normal entrance and were told we would have to dismount and walk for 5Km. Instead we took an alternative route through a village which involved riding along on the narrowest of roads, crossing a river on a bridge reminiscent of an Indiana Jones film and also negotiating impossibly steep hills with the motorbikes. However it was also incredibly fortunate that we were forced to pass this road as we were able to stop with a perfect vantage point of Gunung Merapi, which that day began to erupt (I told you the planets aligned). I have some really good photo’s of the Mountain on the photostream.
Anyway we eventually passed the village and had a relatively clear run of traffic until we reached the main road into Borobudur, at which point traffic slowed to less than a crawl and it felt like we were going to be trapped in a throng of revving motorbikes for the rest of the day. Luckily, after half an hour of literally moving about 10cm a minute we made it. The journey took 2 hours, but it was of course, half the fun!
We walked up to one of the gates only to find that it had closed 1 minute earlier! So with just one gate open we had to walk for about 2 Kilometres along with all the other people who had been locked out but still wanted to make it in for the final ceremony. We got in eventually, and although there was literally thousands and thousands of people there, there was an unusually calm atmosphere, especially for a crowd in Indonesia! Being just about the only two blondes in the whole place apart from the odd backpacker, there was never any risk that Alana and I would lose our friends. We literally stuck out a mile. We listened to some of the ceremony and took photos of the monks, and then as the sun was setting we sat down to take some pictures of Borodbodur itself. Unfortunately we were unable to climb it because it was a special day, but we are going to return to get a proper look at the stonework which is spectacular even from a distance.
We then walked around the entire perimeter and as it got darker, we turned around to see a perfectly full shining moon. Absolutely gorgeous. The day could not have been more perfect. We waited for around half an hour just soaking up the view (Borobodur is perched atop a hill which is one side bordered by enormous hills and greenery, and on the other two mountains, one of them being Merapi.) Just as we were about to leave, there was a sudden burst of activity as all the pilgrim monks rounded to corner and descended upon the place for the evening function. I have a few photos of this, including one of the four token Tibetan’s who were there!
Anyway, the ride back was also trafficky but we were all so pleased at how the day had turned out, (even the Indonesians who had been to Borobodur before) that it didn’t matter.
So that was the weekend. However as you have no doubt heard, the volcano has started to erupt and last night from the roof of my kos we could see lava being spewed out from the top. Let me just repeat that- I saw lava! It is an amazing sight, and we are really lucky because the weather is so clear right now that even during the day the view is unobscured. I am perfectly safe. We would have been evacuated if not. So no worries, and you can all stop sending me SMS’s! Hahaha! I got 3 yesterday!
Oh and just quickly, I was a bit of an erupting volcano on Friday night. Alana decided to have her hair chemically straightened and I decided to get highlights done again. We went to the salon we have been to before. I was there 5 hours because the first guy, although he clearly understood my instructions, had no clue on what he was doing and gave me a head that was all the colours of the bleaching rainbow from bright white to golden yellow. I told him in no uncertain words that I was not leaving until his er, error was fixed, at which point the manager decided to provide me with a more competent hairdresser who proceeded to do a nice job, that is, after he dyed over the mistakes from the first idiot. Oh, and I also sang “Holy Grail” in Bar Bintang later that night with the band. All I will say is that dutch courage is a double-edged sword- it gave me the nerve to get up there, but also clouded my memory just enough that I missed a whole verse. Heh heh heh.
BTW- go Crows!!!!! Yeeeehaaaa!
Ps- Becky did you pick the Joanna Newsom reference in the title???!!! Injokesareusgituloh! Thanks 4 the phonecall btw even if the connection was dodgy!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
That Bird Has Flown
Good evening. I have now been in this country for 3 and a ½ months. It occurred to me today that there are loads of crazy things that happen around me, some not so crazy but still pretty weird, whose impact have been dulled by the passing of that time. With about 5 weeks left in Yogya before I move on to Jakarta, I have been reflecting once more on the many peculiar phenomena which are inherent features of daily life in Indonesia and in the life of foreign students generally.
For a start, I have mentioned on numerous occasions the fact that I have friends from many countries here including Japan, Germany, Korea, Turkey, New Zealand. The peculiar thing about our friendships however is that, excluding obviously the English speakers, we all speak to each other in Indonesian. Of course, that is probably rather an obvious thing to most of you, however picture this scenario; a bunch of Australians, Japanese, Koreans and a German go out for dinner and spend the whole evening speaking Indonesian. White people and foreigners generally already get stared at anyway by Indonesians without needing to draw further attention to ourselves by speaking their language in their absence! They seem to find that scenario rather hilarious, but in a nice way.
Another dominant lifestyle affecting characteristic of this place is the weather. I wake up in the morning usually to a clear blue sky and it feels about 30 degrees by about 9 am. However, more often than not, I get out of class in mid-afternoon and it is torrentially down-pouring which inevitably means, in a country with an average sewerage system, motorbikes as the dominant form of transport and a generally erm, flexible attitude to time, the only way to deal with such conditions is to either make friends with someone who has a car, or wait. An example- on the way to the movies the other day in a period of 5 minutes, a massive storm developed and purged itself with equally impressive speed. We were on Ben and Sophie’s motorbikes at the time and had no option to park them in the middle of nowhere and huddle under the eaves of a translation shop and plough through the usual questions (where are you from? Why are you here? Etcetc) with the owner. We waited for an hour and when eventually decided to resume to journey, still ended up quite soaked. You have no choice but to wait. I am developing remarkable patience in this country.
Other circumstances that require patience….
The bus continues to provide me with great amusement. A new phenomena that I have observed is the proclivity of the driver to just randomly stop for a rest and drink a cup of tea or chat to his fellow bus-driving mates for as long as he sees fit. This seldom occurs when I am on the way to campus (thankfully, because I rarely allocate enough time for such unexpected occurrences in my morning schedule) but often happens on the way home when I am about 1Km from the kos. I always have to toss up whether to just get off and walk or hope that his conversation is sufficiently boring that he drinks his tea quickly and gets moving!
It occurred to me the other day also, that when we all go home to Australia we are quite likely to develop psychological paranoia about being ignored by the people around us, because we will be able to once more walk down the street and not have anyone care less about where we have come from (Dari mana?), where we are going (Mau ke mana?), are we studying in Yogya (Kuliah di sini?) and why we are walking alone (“Kok sendirian?). It is absolutely mustahil, impossible, to go anywhere incognito in this place.
I went down to the bakery near my kos today, “Parsley” to buy some bread and realized how that although I used to find it weird to see cheese and chocolate used in the same baked good or to see for example cheese as a topping on cake, I hadn’t even thought about it for 2 months as being anything other than normal. In Bandung, where Brownies are apparently a specialty, they make a cheese version. (Ew). The absolute over-sweetness of everything here would also be normal if it wasn’t for the fact that I am constantly reminded when I smile at myself in the mirror how bad my teeth will be when I get home. The default taste of hot drinks here (Milo, Coffee, Tea, Green Tea) is hyper-sweet. Out of control, cavity-inducing, stomach churning sweet. Alas, being an adaptable creature and one who is not prone to being fussy, I have learned to accept it. This is in lieu of other options other than the rather unpalatable, “don’t have a drink” option.
Oh and by the way, I eat rice and sambal (chilli sauce) for breakfast. Did I already tell u that? The girls in the kos think it is hilarious. But they all do it too.
Anyway, that’s a pot pourri of random tidbits that I always forget to put in other posts.
The wedding was cool, if completely different from Australia. I was the only foreigner there apart from Taka, a Japanese girl and there were probably about 500 guests. The process is like this (at a Military Wedding at least), some talking and military plim-plom to start with and then everyone lines up to shake hands with the bride and groom. I can’t imagine what they thought when they shook my hand as they had never seen me before in their life! Everyone then converges on the food, eats as much as they can and leaves. It winds up at about 9.30 to 10.00. No dancing. Absolutely no drinking. All very matter-of-fact but cool nonetheless!
Not going to the Mountain this weekend anymore because ACICIS has organised a mountain climbing expedition for us all next weekend, so that combined with the expense of getting to Bromo, made Alana and I decide to hang around Yogya for the weekend instead. There is a big Buddhist festival on on Saturday, and given that one of the most important pieces of Buddhist architecture in the world is once hour from Yogya (Borobudur), I might head there instead…… Should provide some good photos!
Oh and I almost forgot- I met a Japanese girl yesterday called Naomi, who works for Mitsui (the Co. that sent me to Japan) and was an MPE helper for the 2003 group of Aussies who went! She will be posted to Jakarta in June so she is here learning Indonesian. How small is the world?!
Layta!
For a start, I have mentioned on numerous occasions the fact that I have friends from many countries here including Japan, Germany, Korea, Turkey, New Zealand. The peculiar thing about our friendships however is that, excluding obviously the English speakers, we all speak to each other in Indonesian. Of course, that is probably rather an obvious thing to most of you, however picture this scenario; a bunch of Australians, Japanese, Koreans and a German go out for dinner and spend the whole evening speaking Indonesian. White people and foreigners generally already get stared at anyway by Indonesians without needing to draw further attention to ourselves by speaking their language in their absence! They seem to find that scenario rather hilarious, but in a nice way.
Another dominant lifestyle affecting characteristic of this place is the weather. I wake up in the morning usually to a clear blue sky and it feels about 30 degrees by about 9 am. However, more often than not, I get out of class in mid-afternoon and it is torrentially down-pouring which inevitably means, in a country with an average sewerage system, motorbikes as the dominant form of transport and a generally erm, flexible attitude to time, the only way to deal with such conditions is to either make friends with someone who has a car, or wait. An example- on the way to the movies the other day in a period of 5 minutes, a massive storm developed and purged itself with equally impressive speed. We were on Ben and Sophie’s motorbikes at the time and had no option to park them in the middle of nowhere and huddle under the eaves of a translation shop and plough through the usual questions (where are you from? Why are you here? Etcetc) with the owner. We waited for an hour and when eventually decided to resume to journey, still ended up quite soaked. You have no choice but to wait. I am developing remarkable patience in this country.
Other circumstances that require patience….
The bus continues to provide me with great amusement. A new phenomena that I have observed is the proclivity of the driver to just randomly stop for a rest and drink a cup of tea or chat to his fellow bus-driving mates for as long as he sees fit. This seldom occurs when I am on the way to campus (thankfully, because I rarely allocate enough time for such unexpected occurrences in my morning schedule) but often happens on the way home when I am about 1Km from the kos. I always have to toss up whether to just get off and walk or hope that his conversation is sufficiently boring that he drinks his tea quickly and gets moving!
It occurred to me the other day also, that when we all go home to Australia we are quite likely to develop psychological paranoia about being ignored by the people around us, because we will be able to once more walk down the street and not have anyone care less about where we have come from (Dari mana?), where we are going (Mau ke mana?), are we studying in Yogya (Kuliah di sini?) and why we are walking alone (“Kok sendirian?). It is absolutely mustahil, impossible, to go anywhere incognito in this place.
I went down to the bakery near my kos today, “Parsley” to buy some bread and realized how that although I used to find it weird to see cheese and chocolate used in the same baked good or to see for example cheese as a topping on cake, I hadn’t even thought about it for 2 months as being anything other than normal. In Bandung, where Brownies are apparently a specialty, they make a cheese version. (Ew). The absolute over-sweetness of everything here would also be normal if it wasn’t for the fact that I am constantly reminded when I smile at myself in the mirror how bad my teeth will be when I get home. The default taste of hot drinks here (Milo, Coffee, Tea, Green Tea) is hyper-sweet. Out of control, cavity-inducing, stomach churning sweet. Alas, being an adaptable creature and one who is not prone to being fussy, I have learned to accept it. This is in lieu of other options other than the rather unpalatable, “don’t have a drink” option.
Oh and by the way, I eat rice and sambal (chilli sauce) for breakfast. Did I already tell u that? The girls in the kos think it is hilarious. But they all do it too.
Anyway, that’s a pot pourri of random tidbits that I always forget to put in other posts.
The wedding was cool, if completely different from Australia. I was the only foreigner there apart from Taka, a Japanese girl and there were probably about 500 guests. The process is like this (at a Military Wedding at least), some talking and military plim-plom to start with and then everyone lines up to shake hands with the bride and groom. I can’t imagine what they thought when they shook my hand as they had never seen me before in their life! Everyone then converges on the food, eats as much as they can and leaves. It winds up at about 9.30 to 10.00. No dancing. Absolutely no drinking. All very matter-of-fact but cool nonetheless!
Not going to the Mountain this weekend anymore because ACICIS has organised a mountain climbing expedition for us all next weekend, so that combined with the expense of getting to Bromo, made Alana and I decide to hang around Yogya for the weekend instead. There is a big Buddhist festival on on Saturday, and given that one of the most important pieces of Buddhist architecture in the world is once hour from Yogya (Borobudur), I might head there instead…… Should provide some good photos!
Oh and I almost forgot- I met a Japanese girl yesterday called Naomi, who works for Mitsui (the Co. that sent me to Japan) and was an MPE helper for the 2003 group of Aussies who went! She will be posted to Jakarta in June so she is here learning Indonesian. How small is the world?!
Layta!
Monday, May 08, 2006
Go You Mighty Crowz!
Go Adelaide! You bloody beauty!
Belting Port still feels good, even when there are no Port supporters here to give it to! He he he he!
Belting Port still feels good, even when there are no Port supporters here to give it to! He he he he!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Curiouser and Curiouser
Well I have been less than diligent with my blog lately, excepting the photo purge last week. I will try to rectify the situation a little right now.
It’s been a rather strange week. I spent the first part of the week, virtually four full days after I got back from KL, stuck in my kos, sick with flu and some weird fever thing. Took me a while to shake it, but I am on track again now. I rehearsed on Monday and Tuesday night with the ACICIS band that was playing at the closing of the soccer tournament on Wednesday. We practiced in a studio that cost a dollar an hour to rent. So much fun.
Anyway, we performed on Wednesday night. Much to my dismay I had to sing 2 songs in Indonesian as well as Holy Grail by Hunters and Collectors which was of course, far easier. It was all done on a very dodgy PA and I am sure sounded like rubbish, despite the polite support of the watchers! I had a great time, and we are going to start jamming every Monday night. All for fun. I am constantly amazed by the out-of-the-ordinary opportunities that are available to all of us. It’s really up to us how prepared we are to risk looking stupid as to how involved we get in this sort of stuff!
I had more progress tests this week, or as several people call them, regress tests! I think I went ok, but as I have said many times on here, my grades are not a huge concern as long as I pass……
Um, what else? Next week I have made plans with a few ppl to go and climb Mount Bromo in East Java and watch the sunrise. I will then be able to say that I have been to West, Central and East Java which is pretty cool…….
I went to the brand new Cinema in Yogya the other day with Alana, Ben and Sofie and watched Ice Age 2. I strongly protested having to watch a cartoon because I normally don’t like them, but it turned out to be very funny. The cinema costs the equivalent of only $3 so it’s a nice air-conditioned escape from the busy streets of Yogya with the cleanest toilets I have seen here, except for the one’s in that Jakarta nightclub!
Oh and I went to fashion parade last night which featured my friend Esther from ACICIS as a guest model, and five other top indo catwalkers, modelling gorgeous Indonesian style clothes with a modern twist- there were some absolutely gorgeous clothes and Alana and I are looking into ordering something. Some of the fabric was the most beautiful I have seen here. Esther, of course, was gorgeous too.
Tonight I am going with Agnes to a wedding ceremony. I have asked numerous times whether I am invited, to which the answer seems to be “no”, but apparently it is good luck here to have as many people at your wedding as possible, so I am actually doing them a favour by going as opposed to the other way around! Anyway, all of my clothes are entirely inappropriate so I am going to have to hope that they make some dress code exceptions for the white girl……..
Aside from all that humdrum stuff, many of you may not know that I am actually living at the foot of an active volcano (30Km away anyway). The topography between Yogya and Gunung Merapi, as the volcano is known, is such that Yogya is more or less protected from everything except the ash that will eventually spew forth. When we first arrived here, it was on a pretty high warning level, maybe two levels from the top. But about 2 weeks ago the threat took a “naik” that is a jump, to the top level. This essentially means that it is only a matter of time before an eruption. However, we have now been waiting so long for it to blow that it’s going to probably be a bit of a let-down when it actually happens. Between terrorism, bird flu, active volcano’s and diplomatic disagreements it is surprising that I manage to live such a peaceful life here really.
Oh and just quickly, wanted to say thanks for the parcels that I got the other day, one from my family and one from Lauren. So nice to get stuff in the mail! Especially with such desperately needed contents!!!!! Oh, and the Bonsai Potato kit from Lauren deserves an extraspecial mention, although I am yet to find a potato suitable to take up the challenge of being cultivated in the Bonsai style. I shall continue searching……….
It’s been a rather strange week. I spent the first part of the week, virtually four full days after I got back from KL, stuck in my kos, sick with flu and some weird fever thing. Took me a while to shake it, but I am on track again now. I rehearsed on Monday and Tuesday night with the ACICIS band that was playing at the closing of the soccer tournament on Wednesday. We practiced in a studio that cost a dollar an hour to rent. So much fun.
Anyway, we performed on Wednesday night. Much to my dismay I had to sing 2 songs in Indonesian as well as Holy Grail by Hunters and Collectors which was of course, far easier. It was all done on a very dodgy PA and I am sure sounded like rubbish, despite the polite support of the watchers! I had a great time, and we are going to start jamming every Monday night. All for fun. I am constantly amazed by the out-of-the-ordinary opportunities that are available to all of us. It’s really up to us how prepared we are to risk looking stupid as to how involved we get in this sort of stuff!
I had more progress tests this week, or as several people call them, regress tests! I think I went ok, but as I have said many times on here, my grades are not a huge concern as long as I pass……
Um, what else? Next week I have made plans with a few ppl to go and climb Mount Bromo in East Java and watch the sunrise. I will then be able to say that I have been to West, Central and East Java which is pretty cool…….
I went to the brand new Cinema in Yogya the other day with Alana, Ben and Sofie and watched Ice Age 2. I strongly protested having to watch a cartoon because I normally don’t like them, but it turned out to be very funny. The cinema costs the equivalent of only $3 so it’s a nice air-conditioned escape from the busy streets of Yogya with the cleanest toilets I have seen here, except for the one’s in that Jakarta nightclub!
Oh and I went to fashion parade last night which featured my friend Esther from ACICIS as a guest model, and five other top indo catwalkers, modelling gorgeous Indonesian style clothes with a modern twist- there were some absolutely gorgeous clothes and Alana and I are looking into ordering something. Some of the fabric was the most beautiful I have seen here. Esther, of course, was gorgeous too.
Tonight I am going with Agnes to a wedding ceremony. I have asked numerous times whether I am invited, to which the answer seems to be “no”, but apparently it is good luck here to have as many people at your wedding as possible, so I am actually doing them a favour by going as opposed to the other way around! Anyway, all of my clothes are entirely inappropriate so I am going to have to hope that they make some dress code exceptions for the white girl……..
Aside from all that humdrum stuff, many of you may not know that I am actually living at the foot of an active volcano (30Km away anyway). The topography between Yogya and Gunung Merapi, as the volcano is known, is such that Yogya is more or less protected from everything except the ash that will eventually spew forth. When we first arrived here, it was on a pretty high warning level, maybe two levels from the top. But about 2 weeks ago the threat took a “naik” that is a jump, to the top level. This essentially means that it is only a matter of time before an eruption. However, we have now been waiting so long for it to blow that it’s going to probably be a bit of a let-down when it actually happens. Between terrorism, bird flu, active volcano’s and diplomatic disagreements it is surprising that I manage to live such a peaceful life here really.
Oh and just quickly, wanted to say thanks for the parcels that I got the other day, one from my family and one from Lauren. So nice to get stuff in the mail! Especially with such desperately needed contents!!!!! Oh, and the Bonsai Potato kit from Lauren deserves an extraspecial mention, although I am yet to find a potato suitable to take up the challenge of being cultivated in the Bonsai style. I shall continue searching……….
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