The Next Adventure

Well with less than two weeks to go before I set off for my second placement I have found time to set up my next blog. If you wish to follow time in Uganda please go to the following web address:-

 

http://ugandawithvso.blogspot.com/

Time to go home .. Time for reflection

20 May 2010

As I am about to exit Indonesia I though it was important to think about what I will miss and what I will gladly leave behind. Interestingly although I have been immensely happy here my list of things I will not miss had turned out to be quite a bit longer than the things I will miss.

Not Miss
Mandi – I do not mind the cold water but I miss standing under running water

Hand washing clothes

Oppressive humidity – far more disabling than the heat

Hello mister – the constant call as you walk down the street

The joint loosening roads

Six day week

Limited fruit

Screaming kids

Lack of discipline for children

Smoking in the office

Spitting – any where and everywhere and particularly prolific when people chew siri

Rubbish – so much food and water comes in plastic containers and people just discard them when the item is finished and it is not cleaned up so plastic waste is an increasing problem

The bed – I did eventually find where I could lye without having springs sticking into me!

Mosquitoes the high pitched whine and the itching after they bite.

The lack of post

Difficulty of internet connection Sambol – the hot accompaniment to all foods

Lack of meat and cheese – meat and particularly chicken was available but not in small enough quantities for one and generally very tough

Volume of music in bemos

Red tape

Lack of treatment options; particularly analgesia and anaesthesia in A&E

That once invited into the house people just browse your cupboards, fridge etc

The expectation of oleh-oleh – presents being brought back when ever you have left the island

Listric mati – regular power cuts
The animals leaving mess on my porch – I mop the porch morning, noon and night and still sometimes have to do it again
Jam karat – people come to a meeting when they feel like it not at the agreed time
Ants getting into all the food - just never seem to have enough plastic boxes and just because a packet is not open means the food is secure, a mouse will come and open it for the ants!
Rotten eggs – even from the best shops there will be an odd rotten egg in the tray
Electric shocks – go with over loaded sockets and poorly maintained wiring
Risk of seeing snakes in the house/garden
The assumption that I have lots of money because I am a Westerner

Will Miss

Squat toilet – just so much more comfortable to use

Gheckos
Heat

Colleagues – the staff at RSUD Baa have been so supportive Beauty of the island

Challenge of Bahasa Indonesia – it is so frustrating to have to go when my language skills mean I can chat for hours in small groups and am proficient at sms

Parties esp dancing

Tempe - a fermented soya bead cake; an excellent source of protein

Community spirit with neighbours – such a relaxed atmosphere with people wandering over to chat for a while then drifting off again

Sopi sessions – a
chance to drink and chat with a real cross section of men and towards the end women were joining to chat

Amount of free time I have – I have done so much craft work and read lots of books

Variety of fish

Friendliness of public transport

Nurses thirst for knowledge

Swimming in a warm sea

Markets – with fresh organic products

Fruit juices

Sun sets

Clearness of the night sky without light pollution – there are just so many stars up there!

Deserted white sand beaches

Challenge of riding the bike on unmade roads

Instant repairs – if the bike breaks down I know all I have to do is sit and wait for the next rider to come along and he will stop and get the bike going again – or sms a friend who will come and fix it.

There are still so many things that I did not find the time to write an entry on including:-

Food and eating places

My daily routine

Religion

Refuse disposal

Post office

Sunsets

Beaches

Animals and insects

Siri pina

Would I do it again – you bet I would; thanks to am amazingly tolerant husband 16 July should see me heading off to Uganda for a year. Details of my next blog will be posted shortly: watch this space!

Long ferry journey

14 – 16 May 2010

The earliest I could get a plane from Sumba was 21 May so I decided to take the ferry, so after 6 hours on a bus I arrived at the ferry terminal at 20:00. The first one to leave went to Aimere on Flores. I used my contacts from VSO to check if there was a flight from Ende within a couple of days of the ferry’s arrival. There was not so I decided to stay on the ferry as far as Kupang; a 36 hour journey; as there are several flights a day from Kupang to Bali.

As there had been no ferries for over a week this one was rather full and I was lucky to find enough floor space to put down the sleep mat I hired for the two nights. People were lying anywhere and everywhere – how they managed to get to some of the places I have no idea but I know it would not be allowed in the UK! Despite the discomfort and the high level of smoke pollution I had a great time on the trip.

Ikat

Ikat is a form of weaving where a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dying is used on either the warp or weft fibres prior to the weaving. It is the dyed threads that create the final pattern. Each of the regions of NTT have their own style of ikat. The colours and patterns make it possible to identify where a piece comes from. The women sit an weave whilst it is the men who trade the ikat. There are still a few weavers using natural dyes but now chemical dyes and synthetic threads are being used to make the cloth attractive to tourists.

Sumba

6 – 14 May 2010

I had a great time in East Sumba and had just started to explore West Sumba when I received an email from VSO offering me a second placement in Uganda starting 16 July. I therefore cut short my visit to Sumba to get home to see Steve. The countryside was far more rounded than the angular hills of Flores. Sumba has many traditional villages and I was invited to one Kampung Tarung as a friend. Like so many other events it meant that it was not really appropriate to be taking photographs. The traditional villages have large grave stones but even modern houses have huge ornate constructions over the family graves that have to be saved for and often mean the families develop large debts. I have shared transport with chickens, goats and pigs but this was the first time I had shared a bemo with a horse! I had been waiting on Sumba as I wanted to go to Sabu by ferry but the wind meant the waves were too high for the ferry to run - it will just have to wait until another visit.

Return to Rote

27 April – 4 May 2010

I decided to go back to Rote whilst I waited the decision on my visa extension. Chilpa had kindly offered to let me stay in her room in the nurses’ mess. I received such a warm welcome from everyone at the hospital and had such an amazing time in the mess. The nurses were so generous with their hospitality. I learnt a lot about Indonesian cooking not only in the mess but also at the house of Naema’s family. He father had died the day before I arrived back on Rote and I went with Chilpa and many other of the nurses on 28 April to help to prepare all the food before the funeral. A couple of cows and a goat had been killed and then boiled before then being cut up to be cooked in various dishes. Mass catering is relatively easy here. Several fires are lit around the grounds of the house and then large vats are put on the top. The meat was boiled in old oil cans.

Visa Extension

Since February this year it has been possible to extend the visa on arrival by a farther 30 days – but this means hanging around by an immigration office for up to a week. I had enquired about using an agent whilst in Bali but they wanted at least 800,000 Rp to do it – when the visa itself only costs 250,000 Rp. As I was keen to go back to Rote I decided that I would try to process the extension in Kupang. I again contacted an agent – I never got to find out how much he would have charged me as his KTP (identity card) had expired so he could not sponsor me. I therefore decided to do it myself and contacted a friend in Kupang to see if he would act as sponsor and he agreed – many thanks .Dominggus. I ended up paying 350,000 Rp and as I was not prepared to pay anymore for the administration of the sponsor letter had to wait a week instead of 3 days. Day 1 I had to fill in the application form and submit it with photographs and copies of my passport, visa and my sponsors KTP and a sponsor letter had to be produced. Then day 2 I had to return to pay the fee and then day 6 the passport complete with visa extension was ready for collection. As day 1 for me was a Friday this meant I had to hang around in Timor until Tuesday before I could go to Rote – I will know better next time. I was able to get another friend to collect the passport for me on the following Friday so did not have to rush back.

Alor

20 – 22 April 2010

I exited Flores from Ende after a three hour delay due to torrential rain and strong winds which made the landing too dangerous. I transited Kupang – had intended to stay with Sam but John was still there as they had been burgled the night before and had police interviews and all sorts of other traumas so I left them alone. Like Riung I am told Alor is very beautiful but the downside of travelling in the rainy season is it does rain a lot so I did not get outside the main town. It certainly has the most amazing natural harbour and some quite passable eating places particularly at night. The owner of the losmen where I stayed was lovely and I spent most of my days and evenings talking.

Riung

16 – 18 April 2010

It took me two days of travelling to get from Labuan Bajo to Riung which is on the north coast of Flores. Most tourists go along the south coast using comfortable people carriers but I decided to take the more challenging route and use public bus. From Bajawa to Riung there is only one bus a day so people and baggage are just loaded whether there appears to be room or not, including a fridge on the back and two goats on the roof. Part way there it started to rain so we stopped and much of the luggage from the roof was brought inside to stop it spoiling – hardly room left to breath. Riung is just a small traditional fishing village but has many small islands just off shore that are apparently idyllic to visit – unfortunately due to rain and wind I decided this was not a wise move and just explored the village and surrounding area and spent many pleasant hours chatting with people.

Labuan Bajo

10 – 14 April 2010

I took the slow ferry from Sape to Labuan Bajo – 8 hours. I had sinusitis so was not at my best and did not enjoy it as much as I would have done if I had been well. We were always within sight of land – mostly in the form of small islands.

The family of one of the policeman I had drank with on my last night in Kupang own a hotel in Labuan Bajo and he invited me to stay there. The other policeman met me from the ferry but I had to wait a while for him to arrive and the local guides were all trying to lure me to their hotels or tours.

I did a lot of walking in and around Labuan Bajo visiting local caves, viewing points and finding people to talk to. I also took a boat trip to Pulau Riung and island which as Komodo Dragons. I must admit I found then a little bit disappointing. As can be expected from lizards in the heat of the mid day they were all just lying about although I was lucky enough to see a couple wandering about. What disappointed me was their size – yes they are a lot bigger than any other lizards I have seen but I remember seeing a Blue Peter programme about them as a child and my recollection was of something about twice the size they actually are.

My evenings were spent in the company of the two policeman, drinking at their home, in a restaurant and then in a karaoke bar. All very pleasant.

Sumbawa

9 April 2010

I had wanted to fly direct to Labuan Bajo on the western tip of Flores – which is the place to get boats to see Komodo Dragons but as this is what most tourists who are going to venture outside of Bali want to do the flights are very expensive a book up early. I therefore flew to Bima on Sumbawa – for half the price; even with my other transport and accommodation costs I saved over 400,000Rp. Bima has extensive salt pans and is quite spectacular from the air – although a little unnerving as you are coming into land so low over the water.

I got to the bus station and the familiar pattern began – wait, wait a bit longer, off round the town, wait a bit longer. At least by the time we set off I knew a lot about all my fellow travellers and we had shared various food items. The main local transport here are horse drawn carts which buck dreadfully when loaded.

I stayed right next to the port and chatted to the locals including an ojek driver who wanted to practice his English – he took me to his house which was a traditional bamboo structure. The family obviously have very little money but still insisted on giving me a snack and a drink.

Kuala Lumpa - Malaysia

2 – 7 April 2010

The Malaysian F1 Grand Prix was timed perfectly to fit in with the need to renew my visa for Indonesia. I treated myself to tickets high up in the grandstand at the end of the start/finish straight. The view of the first two corners was excellent but I was able to see much of the rest of the track as well. I was also situated ideally to be one of the first out of the ground so made it back to the hotel fairly quickly both days. The race was exciting, with overtaking manoeuvres right in front of me but would have been liven up even more if it had rained during the race. Sunday was the only day I was in Kuala Lumpa when it did not rain!

Although it should be possible to get a visitors visa on the day in KL I allowed 2 days – which turned out to be wise as the Friday had been a public holiday and the embassy closed the queue for visas was very long and I spent most of Monday reading a book and waiting. Unfortunately when I went back on Tuesday my visa application had been refused – no reason given so instead of having a further 60 days in Indonesia I only get a 30 day visa on arrival and will have to rethink my travel plans.

I did get some time look around and went to the KL tower and the twin towers – these are particularly spectacular when lit at night. I was disappointed in the fact that what is meant to be a very spectacular Hindu temple was covered in scaffolding and cladding for restoration also in China Town which was so commercialised it was untrue. I visited a couple of malls but found then overpowering and the choices bewildering. There were several things I had planned to buy but in the end I left Malaysia with nothing new in my bags.

Jakarta

31 March – 1 April 2010

After a couple of days in Yogyakarta I travelled to Jakarta to stay with Dr Justine and her family. The main activity of this stay seemed to be Justine finding interesting stalls for me to try the traditional foods of the Chinese Indonesian community. In between eating we visited a couple of temples and museums including one devoted to banking.

Surabaya

26 – 28 March 2010

I travelled from Malang to Surabaya by economy train 4,500Rp (30p) for a 4 hour journey. This was even more interesting than the bus as there were far more food sellers with a very wide range of wares. I was sat on bench seats which faced another seat and each time a different item was offered for sale one of us bought it and then shared – a great way to get to know people. There were also sellers with children’s toys and small gifts for adults. At one point the buskers were a 5 piece group including a double bass! I was going to Surabaya to stay with Dr Meli and her family – they were horrified to find I had travelled economy and not business class! Travelling across Jawa what I notice is that

although there are vast tracts of farmland as in Flores and Bali there are also industrial areas that I have not seen anywhere else. Also the towns seem to stretch much further. The proportion of cars to motorbikes is also higher.

This was a combination of touristy and family/friend type activities. There are several staff from RSUD Baa studying in Surabaya so we all met up for a meal on Friday night.

I was taken round an art gallery, a cigarette factory/museum where cigarettes are still rolled by hand operated machines and had a bus tour of the city. In the evenings we went to various places to hangout.

The highlight was that a friend of Meli’s was married on the Sunday and I was invited along. During the morning the local beautician came to the house and did my hair with a traditional Javanese hairpiece – bit odd as this was black and my hair is brown. Between then they rustled up a full set of clothes that fitted well and a set of accessories including shoes. This was a wedding of families with money and the bridal party was ushered in by live music and dancers. The range of food available was amazing – I could have browsed all day.

Malang

23 – 25 March 2010

Travelling to Malang by public bus got me off the tourist route again. The public bus was great fun at each stop 1 or 2 people get on who will be selling drinks and snacks, you are also likely to get some buskers, these pass along the bus then get off the next time it stops.

Apart from the brain ache of reading through and critiquing Sonya’s final year project on three occasions I spent a pleasant couple of days wandering around the city and travelling further afield on local bemo and buses. There is nothing spectacular or exceptionally remarkable about the area but sometimes it is nice to be somewhere where you are not over stimulated. When I eventually got to it I did enjoy Kibun Raja which is a large botanical garden and arboretum. As so often in Indonesia people do not know where the place you want to go to is but tell you confidently to head straight, left or right and I went round in a very large circle and was put on bemos that did not go anywhere near the gardens but at least I saw a lot of different villagesJ

There is a very large bird market in Malang – these are primarily sold for their songs. From what I gather these are captured in the wild then kept crammed into communal cages before being sold to spend the rest of their lives in solitary existence in a small cage. The market also had a small selection of other pets, rabbits, dogs, cats, lizards, snakes and monkeys and all the cages and food needed for their keep.

Gunung Bromo

21 - 22 March 2010

Well I expected to arrive in Cemoro Lawang on the edge of the crater overlooking Gunung Bromo yesterday but my travel plans did not allow enough time for waiting for other passengers. I had used ojek, ferry, bemo and public bus to travel to Probolinggo about 6 hours travelling and 3 hours waiting at various points along the journey. At least there was a steady stream of buskers and food sellers jumping on and off the bus to keep me entertained as well as ever changing scenery. I had not allowed for quite this level of delay so by the time I arrived there were very few people wanting to travel further. I was not prepared to charter a bemo to do the trip alone so had to stay in Probolinggo over night.

Cemoro Lawang is on the edge of the Tengger caldera in which three volcanoes have emerged from the sea of ash. Gunung Bromo is one of these and send out a constant stream of sulphurous steam. The rainy season is not the best time to be visiting any high peak but I did manage to catch some excellent views during my stay here. The area around Cemoro Lawang was incredibly fertile with lots of small vegetable fields clinging to the steep hills.

I did not particularly enjoy my stay here as I found the locals totally money and the men sex obsessed. It did not matter how much I spoke with them they are convinced all Westerners have loads of money which they should be parted from by paying extremely inflated prices for everything and that any Western woman travelling alone must be desperate for sex; a service they all seem to want to provide.