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.

Last Day of Lectures

Last Day of Lectures
Originally uploaded by adelvice.

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.