New Year's Eve in Bali

A quick post we'll make just to comment on the absolute crazy madness of masses of bodies everywhere, fireworks going off in full force for about six hours, and a full moon lighting Kuta Bay.

(Pictures will follow once the hotel gets their little Year 2010 password problem fixed! :) )

An absolute sea of fireworks were exploding, all along the miles of beach, almost like the Wave in a football stadium, boom!---down to the south, then moving up ... here... then there... up to the last explosions to the north end of the beach, and then all over again!

Thousands and thousands of people, and, of course, one must specifically note the roving packs of shirtless, drunken, "friendly," raucous Aussie lads who were just going down the beach and street from beer store to bar in their spirit of New Year's revelry. Ahh, can't wait for Australia.

And the Blue / Full Moon made the evening skyline really gorgeous and almost surreal.

And, oh man, the Indonesians are just nuts for noisemakers of all sorts, creating a nonstop cacophony of horns and whistles all along the beach!

As a final note, it was really odd seeing images of Auckland, New Zealand celebrating New Year's about five or six hours before we did on Bali. And, of course, we here on Bali got to New Year's thirteen hours ahead of Philly, friends, but I think everyone's caught up now, so Happy New Year, everyone!!!

The sights, sounds and smells of the developing world.....

K: Every time that I visit a developing country, I am aware of the heightened sights, sounds and smells that surround me. And I have to say that it invigorates me and makes me feel very alive.

First there is the mass of humanity that might seem crazy as cars, vans, bicycles, rickshaws, motor scooters, horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians, and even dogs all vie for road and sidewalk space. Oh, and the traffic doesn't necessarily flow according to any normal traffic rules. There is an incessant honking such that you can't be sure which vehicle or scooter is producing the noise. But somehow it all works. There doesn't seem to be any accidents or any angry motorists. It just flows as it flows.

The various sounds start before daybreak and continue well into the late evening. The sound of the city here is quite different than at home. There is the constant traffic noise and honking of vehicles, and the sounds of people who are out in the streets communicating with one another, selling their wares and just living their day-to-day lives.

And the smells.....the pervasive smell of cooking, all day. In Indonesia it is the local warungs, or food stalls, that line the sidewalks and provide the local population with many of their meals. I keep smelling the sweet sauce of the grilled satays and various local fried delicacies. It all smells so wonderfully delicious if only our western digestive system were strong enough.

In praise of the beer
Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur - the New Buddha!
Borobudur
Borobudur Buddha


V: Wow! Borobudur is simply magnificent! What a wondrous structure of ornate craftsmanship, inspiring engravings, and a place with a palpable 'feel' of serenity, reverence, and antiquity! I've never been anyplace like this, and it truly is fantastic.

I really, really enjoy driving, as Karen knows from our cross-America trek. I have no faith at all in my ability to be able to drive in Indonesia. Absolutely certain that I would mess up the 'flow' that seems to bizarrely work very well here for all the vehicles and contraptions, motor-powered and person-powered, that share the roads. I can never, would never, drive in this country.


Sights: Borobudur - about 40km from Yogyakarta is the world's largest Buddhist temple. Built from 2 million block stones in the 8th century AD, the structure forms a massive stupa. Six square terraces form the base and are topped by three circular terraces. All-in-all, there are more than 500 Buddha images. The reliefs on the walls depict the story of a world dominated by passion, evil and desire, where the good are rewarded by reincarnation as a higher form of life, and the bad by a lowlier reincarnation.

Bites: Jimbaran seafood restaurant. We purchased fresh giant prawns, crab and fish by the pound and ordered it to grill in Indonesian chili or pepper sauce. Washed down with the ubiquitous Bitang, it was delicious.

More restaurants ought to allow you to point to a bin or an aquarium case and pick your specific fish or shellfish and buy it by the pound! Yummy, and grilled to perfection.

Borobudur

Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, and the Sultan

Plaosan Temple	Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple	Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple	Viggo in becek (bicycle transport)
Loaded ScooterCycle in Yogja	Buddhas

K: Today we toured the first of the historic temples in the Yogyakarta area -- Prambanan. The temples were built in the middle of the 9th century to commemorate the return of a Hindu dynasty to Java. Beautiful examples of Hindu art adorn the walls of the temples. At the time Prambanan was built, Java had been ruled by Buddhists, and there are examples of Buddhism throughout the temple area. Today Java is predominantly Muslim, but it wasn't until at least the 13th century when Islam was introduced in western Indonesia.

After the temples, we toured the Kraton, the palace of the Sultans of Yogya. There have been 10 Sultans of Yogyakarta. The current Sultan seems somewhat unproductive, compared to his predecessors. He has only 5 daughters and 1 wife, whereas his father had 8 wives and 45 children, and his grandfather 75 children from 15 wives.


V: Absolutely stunning to see these Hindu temples, of such grand scale, design, and craftsmanship! Yet I was deeply saddened that there was significant alteration and damage caused by the 2006 earthquake. I am glad that an international effort is attempting to restore these temples, designated as World Cultural Heritage Sites.

Yeah, the line of Sultans sure seem to stay "busy" in Yogya, my oh my! We were in a batik artwork shop near the Kraton yesterday, and there on the wall was a photo of the shopkeeper, numerous local dignitaries, Bill Clinton, and the Sultan. The shopkeeper was quite proud of that. And, yes, Karen purchased a very nice batik artwork, at another shop.
And an employee of the shopkeeper told me that "Chuck Noorish" was his favorite actor... so he referred to me as "Chuck Noorish"... for some reason.

What an interesting city Yogyakarta truly is, as part of our tour revealed several areas off the usual tourist beat that were quite interesting, revealing glimpses of 'normal' life for our Indonesian friends. I read recently that Jakarta may be rightly considered the business and governmental center of Indonesia, yet Yogyakarta is the 'soul', the pulse, the beat of Indonesia. I think we sense it, we can feel it. It is indeed a lively place at night.

Sips: Bali Hai beer. Not much of an improvement from Bintang. Wonderful choices for fruit drinks - carrot, orange and pineapple!

Bites: A most excellent 'Rentang Padang', beef bits soaked and cooked in coconut milk, with rice and nice, spicy-hot veggies was scrumptious.

Spoiled rotten..... on Emirates Air!

K: Who knew that international travel could be so enjoyable. Just give me my own personal entertainment system with more than 100 movies, TV shows and a terrific music selection. The food was plentiful and actually, really good. And the uniforms of the flight attendants were impressive. Emirates Air is absolutely my new favorite airline.



And do we ever feel rich here in Indonesia. I love getting 2,000,000 rupiahs out of the ATM. It certainly would be easier if they could lop off a few zeros from the currency. Thank goodness there doesn't seem to be any coins.



V: Wow! I don't know how any airline could be better than EmiratesAir. So many things to view and do on the plane, that, well, who could sleep on the first 12-hour flight, and then we had to explore Dubai's airport shops on our layover, (and Karen, why did we not schedule a night or two in Dubai??), and then who could sleep on the next 7-hour flight?? And really tasty cuisine, too! And the wine was "free"!!! Emirates Air rocks!



I was, fair to say, the tallest person on the plane. I seem to tower over the short, yet smiling and wonderfully friendly Indonesians. We are really enjoying the nice Phoenix Hotel in Yogyakarta. Relax today, and then tour some temples the next two days, and try not to get hit by zooming motorbikes everywhere!!!



Sights: The Phoenix Hotel, Yogyakarta. A beautiful, colonial style hotel built around 1900 as a private residence. It definitely has an old world feel.



Sips: Bintang Beer. Hopefully, there will be better flavors to sample.

'twas the night before the journey.....

..... and all the creatures, well... we were stirring. The bags were being packed with care, for the 20 kg limit was looming out there ... .

Our sleigh ride is taking us to Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand!

We await the 4:30 a.m. pick-up from our taxi, and the journey will begin with two train rides from Philadelphia to JFK International Airport. From JFK we fly to Dubai via Emirates Air and then a connection to Jakarta, Indonesia. We depart the US at 10:40 a.m. tomorrow and are due to arrive in Jakarta at 9:25 p.m., December 26. We will be in Indonesia until January 12. We will keep you posted on our adventures.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy Festivus, for the rest of us!



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