02/16/99
Summing Up Indonesia
Indonesia remains a beautiful and dark place. I continued the love/hate
relationship that I first started with the country 6 years ago. That
time it was 4 weeks in Java and Bali. This time, traveling in the
reverse direction, 6 weeks in Bali, Gili Air (small desert island off
the coast of Lombok, the next island west of Bali), Siberut Island, and
Sumatra. Not much seems to have changed in 6 years. Bali is more heavily
touristed, the other spots less so. Banana pancakes remain the
predominant breakfast food served at so-called Western establishments.
Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Mie Goreng (fried noodles), and Chicken Goreng
(Fried Chicken) remain staples of the traveler trying to avoid banana
pancakes.
Indonesians remain incredibly friendly. It can be exhausting or
entertaining depending on your mindset. If you appear in public you run
the risk of being relentlessly hounded by throngs of smiling faces all
shouting "where you from?", "hello, mister" (regardless of your gender),
"where you going?", and "how much you pay?".
One traveller we met called walking down the city streets, "going
Hollywood". Ted and I both got a laugh out of that one. After over 4
weeks in Sumatra, we could relate. In every city, in every town, on
every bus we were invited to join a family for tea, lunch, dinner, or a
night's sleep. We accepted several invitations, some whether we wanted
to or not. One family nearly held us hostage (promises of fixing up our
broken-down motorbike the ransom) until the rain and dark and sad sad
state of the roads forced our hand. We spent that night in a tiny
village, high up in the mountains of Samosir Island. The volcanic crater
Lake Toba stretched below us for miles in all directions. It was another
miserable night's sleep, spent shivering on a bamboo mat bed, but the
family kept us dry, fed us, and fixed our bike. The Indonesians can be
incredibly generous like that.
Sumatra had always conjured up images of deep dark jungles and primitive
peoples for me. On this level, it did not disappoint. We spent 8 days
slogging through the muddy jungle on Siberut, two Mentawai medicine men
in tow. They were tattooed from head to toe and dressed in traditional
loincloths pounded from the inner bark of the breadfruit tree. They
walked effortlessly barefoot through the mud and rain and chest-high
rivers while we Westerners slipped and slid, cut our foreheads open on
thorn trees, batted off biting ants, and gave up any hope of ever
getting our boots dry again.
At night, we stayed with families who spoke no English and maybe a
handful of broken Indonesian. Ted and I communicated in a twisted pidgin
of Bahasa Indonesia and the 10 or 20 Mentawai words we managed to learn.
The houses of these people are decorated with monkey, gibbon, and pig
skulls. They are raised on stilts, set generally in a sea or small lake
of mud. Having to go to the bathroom at 3 in the morning was a major
bummer until we realized we could just pee off the front verandah like
the Mentawai. The rain comes constantly to wash it away.
The Mentawai still live a largely traditional animist lifestyle despite
attempts by the government to make them conform to more modern ways.
They depend mainly on flour, which they process from the sago palm, for
their subsistence. Ocassionally pigs or chickens are eaten (roasted
whole over an open flame) following their slaughter for ceremonial
purposes. Monkeys are hunted by the men and are cause for a major
celebration whenever they are caught. Women, wearing banana leaf skirts,
hunt for small fish, crabs, and prawns in the rivers. As they move back
and forth, digging under stones, the leaf edges dangle in the water,
attracting the animals.
The time we spent with the Mentawai was a major highlight for me, seeing
first-hand how differently people live from each other, and connecting
with people with whom you can't speak or even really relate - an amazing
opportunity. The constant wet, bug feeding frenzy, and time spent with
roaches was all worth it.
Ted and I also got a chance to interact with some other traditional
jungle people of Sumatra, the orangutans at Gunung Leuser National Park
up north. One of two facilities for rehabitating orangs back into the
wild is located just outside the small village of Bukit Lawang where we
stayed. From our balcony, which overhung a fast-moving river, we saw
orangs of all shapes and sizes playing on the opposite bank. At the
rehab center's feeding station, we were able to get even closer to the
giant apes. It is incredible how humanlike their expressions are. And
the way they swing and hang from trees reaching 10 stories tall is
astounding - you realize quickly that their feet are really a second
pair of hands. In that respect, they are more octopus than man. This
point was made painfully clear to me when I was rushed by a young ape
while Ted and I hiked up to the feeding station. The obnoxious orang
grabbed the hem of my dress with his feet, the neck of my dress with his
hand and refused to let go. Ted had to put on an impressive
male-dominance display (complete with log and bushy tree branch) before
I was released.
All incredible adventures. It was some tough traveling though. I am glad
to be writing this from peninsular Malaysia, which is just across the
Straits of Malacca, but worlds away in terms of comfort level. I can
walk down the street here without going Hollywood. I can eat something
that has not been fried. The infected bugbites are finally healing. It
is a beautiful thing.
Signing off for now ... Julie
jalondon@hotmail.com
01/20/99
Salamat Idul Fitri
Salamat Idul Fitri from Sumatera: a near modern world just generations
from the jungle. Some cities are huge with major shipping ports, NJ
style chemical plants, hills of coal. In these areas huge flames of fire
light the countryside night as oil procurement is priority one. Yet
there are still impenetrable jungles where wild tigers, rhinos,
elephants and boas roam, but you never see them. Monkeys flip in the
trees. Snakes slither beneath you feet. Squirrells eat coconuts. It's a
real crazy place
In the hills and away from the cities (the cities no one visits like
Banderlampung and Palembang, that we visited that offer a fascinating
insight into industrial urban Indonesia and also a free sample of what
is like to be Michael Jackson and Madonna walking down the street.)
we've found serene (well, alot of cars and exhaust) towns and villages.
In the southern hill town of Pageralam we walked around rice fields,
coffee plantations, along rivers and hills looking at ancient pre-Christ
boulder carvings and subterranean massive slab rock paining adorned
dwellings (were they houses, temples, hiding places? no one knows.) The
carvings depict warriors and elephants and water buffaloes and strange
african appearing men. Most of the megalyths are in the same spots
they've been for millennia. Most presume there are many more 'houses' and
carvings around the hillsides (over 3000 have been recorded) but no one
has really taken too keen an interest. Many sites we visited had not had
a visitor in a month!!
We have finally returned to a land with other westerners and it is nice
to move around in a somewhat more anonymous manner. As I am sure you are
all aware and have been respecting, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has
come to an end. Transport was crazy around here as everyone was rushing
in every direction to get home for the holidays. Shops have all shut. We
were so impressed what a high percentage of the population fasted. Folks
are serious about their islam, but do not go in for the hate or
submission of other faiths. Here in Western Sumatra there is still an
ancient matrilineal, machiarchical society even in the face of the Islam
and koran-based male superiority. Men around here still have to present
dowry upon marriage and then move to their wife's family. In fact they
used to have to sleep in the Mosque instead of their mother's home. The
matriarch controls all the money and bus and aggr. planning. Daughters
are auspicious.
Tomorrow Jules and I are heading out with a small group to Sibereut
Island (part of the Mentawais) off the W. central coast for 10 days. We
will be are the dark side of the moon in terms of communications. Sadly
we will have to visit with a tour group, but it's crazy tribal in there.
Stone age descendants that still chisel teeth, carve long boats from
single trunks, consult animal innards as if an almanac and wonder what
the hell tourists wanna see them for. There are plenty of corrupted
societies due to over tourism so we've approached very skeptically. It
sounds like the local sumatrans have a lot of respects for the animist
Mentawains are feel they too have a lot to learn. The real capper is
that about 20 yrs ago the govt decided they were embarrassed to have
tribal still in their "Developed" nation so they would pull their
children into proper school, stop the tattoos teeth carving and
monkey/pig/deer hunting and have them become farmers. REally grim stuff.
About 10 yrs ago people starting visiting and the govt was happier with
tourists than the 'shame'. Hopefully if the Muslim traders, hindu
traders, Dutch, Missionaries, Indonesians and Sumatrans could not
change these people, neither will we.
So hope you guys have a good couple of weeks. We'll check in again the
next 486/24.4 modem machine we find.
Regards to all. There is no limitation on reprductions of this emmision.
Ted
tedinasia@hotmail.com
12/31/98
And the journey continues!
Arrived in Denpassar, on the Island of Bali, 12/26 and went straight up to
an ancient culture rich city called Ubud. Though Muslim traders
prostyletised almost all of Indoneisa, Malay, Phillipines, et. al, the
island of Bali adopted Hinudism roughly a mellenium ago, and with it all
the arts, traditions and simple but ornate temples. It's really strange
seeing Ganesh monuments carved in the rock, lingams and offerings so far
from the Ganges.
Bali is really steeped in artistic, dance and musical heritage and
structures of all sorts are covered with ornate temple-like walls and
fantastic demons and heros.
Politically, there is no issue in Bali. though they are not taking to the
streets, the Balinese seem to be 100% anti-Seoharto/Habibe. They are sick
of them and want them out. The hero they raise is Sekarno (the first
president after independence) and his daughter, Megawati, who they wish
could come to power. "Mega" imposed upon stiring photos of her father are
on many cars and shirts and there is little visible support for the
exisitng regime. They say here it is the same all over the country. We will
see
After Ubud Julie and I went to Tulamben on the NE coast of Bali and saw the
watery grave of the USAT Liberty that was sunk by japanese torpedoes in '42
during the war and salved off to the Bali coast. It's stern lies only 10 ft
under the water about 50m off the beach so it was great for skin diving
without the hassle of scuba gear.
From there Jules and I split up. She's been to Bali before and instead of
going to another island (Lombok) I thought I should take advantage of
seeing more of Bali. So I have headed up to Lovina on the north coast for a
couple days. Today is new years eve and everyone (locals and tourists
alike) seem to be excited and "in-the-mood." Wouldn't you believe it, but
some Balinesian-Dutch kid has set up a free Rave to go all night on the
beach for locals and tourists and whoever.
I working on a 28.8 modem here and it's slow at that, so I better wrap this
up. We leave for Sumatra via Jakarta (DA-NAH!) the 5th. Hopefully get far
away from the christmas tourist masses
Besos
Ted
tedinasia@hotmail.com
