So it took me until my last few days in Bali to finally appreciate the lounging around. After three days of constant rain, the sun finally and gloriously started shining, and I was able to get a pretty rockin' tan while reading and drinking beer by the pool. It was a great way to spend the last few days with ol' Mom & Pops. We said a tearful goodbye (well, Mom was the one crying) as I made my way to Java and they to the land down under. I hopped onto a bemo, a minivan kind of thing that took me to the ferry terminal on the western tip of Bali. Twenty minutes on the road and this cute little old shoeless, toothless guy got on, shook my hand and plopped into the seat behind me. A few seconds later, I felt his hand reach around and pat me on the stomach. I smiled and nodded, as I like to be a good sport about these little cultural idiosyncrasies, and who knows what kind of greeting a pat on the stomach could mean? But when he then tried to lift up my shirt, I realized as I pushed his hand away that he was just a pervy old drunk and that, apparently, transcends cultural boundaries!
I got off the bemo and wandered over to the ferry terminal, stopping every 10 metres to ask for directions in my non-existant Indonesian, and waiting to see the tourist buses that were surely going from Bali to Java, but none arrived. Looked like I was on my lonesome, but two girls who'd chartered their own car and driver did show up on the ferry so I hitched a ride into town with them, saving myself one headache but acquiring another one when they dropped me off in the middle of a town that I had no map for. As you can perhaps imagine, streets in Indonesia are hardly labeled in any kind of coherent or recognizable way, so I wandered into the nearest store and used my miming and sign language skills to ask where to go (good thing I've played so many Charades!). Some guys at the store offered me a ride, and as I threw my bags into their car the thought briefly crossed my mind that something could go really awry here, but then I realized I just had to trust. So I did and here I am.
My reason for stopping on the easternmost edge of Java, which hardly sees any tourists, was to hike Kawah Ijen, a crater lake in Ijen volcano. Ijen is very aesthetically impressive, spectacular and otherwordly, but even more impressive are the men who climb up to the rim and down into the crater to gather sulphur. It's a back-breaking job, and while one miner might carry out a 60-80kg load, it only pays 600Rp per kilo (about 6 cents). I made friends with a Frenchie at my hotel, and while I paid $40 to hire a jeep to drive up to Ijen, she had her own motorbike so followed us on her own. On the hike up we met many miners coming down with their loads who would let us take their pictures for a cigarette or two. Because the Frenchie and I are both adventurous women, we gladly took up one miner's offer to lead us down to the very bottom of the crater, to the very site where sulphur spews out from the bowels of the volcano, and as it hardens they are there with pick-axes chopping it off. Their safety gear includes dish towels wrapped around their faces and rubber boots. It was kind of the craziest place I've ever been. Not to mention that we had to climb back out on our own and the sulphur fumes made us dizzy and perhaps disoriented and we lost the trail. Kind of scary, but really quite exciting! I kept telling myself that if the volcano erupted at least I wouldn't feel a thing.
My next stop was Malang, and I found myself an economy bus, which, while offered at a very affordable price, I learned for the following reasons never to make the mistake of taking again:
1. An economy bus will roll nearly to a stop in every single village while the driver's assistant leans out the front door yelling out the destinations so people can run along beside the bus and hop on. Since Java appears to be basically a continuous stream of villages, we mostly operated on a rolling along speed.
2. There's one rule of the road in Indonesia: if your vehicle is bigger, you have the right-of-way. Since we were in a large bus, that meant not only did we have the right-of-way, but also that the driver could pass any number of vehicles and any oncoming traffic would have to swerve into the ditch to avoid being hit.
3. As a courtesy to oncoming traffic, you know to let them know we were barreling down the wrong side of the road towards them, the driver steadily held down not only the regular bus horn but also blew the air-brakes at regular three minute intervals.
4. I am fairly conspicuous as a woman traveling alone, and add to that the fact that even with my new tan I am really white and was wearing a tank top. I might as well have had flashing sirens on my head. But economy buses are not air conditioned, or even well-ventilated, so as the beads of sweat literally dripped off my nose and between my boobs I actually put a t-shirt on, just to avoid being stared at.
5. While stopped in each and every village, a steady stream of peanut and rice vendors and three-piece bands would jump on, do their thing and then shove a plastic bag in your face expecting money, like it was a pleasant experience to have a guy playing makeshift bongo drums in your ear.
6. Right when you might get comfortable, when the bus is on the highway, driving at a normal speed, and you have just pulled out your really good book to read, the driver's assistant will think it an opportune time to throw on the ol' Indonesian karaoke discs at top volume.
7. You can still smoke anywhere in Indonesia, and that includes on economy buses.
I'm sure I haven't even exhausted the list of reasons, but those were certainly the top contenders. Needless to say, I've splurged on a door-to-door shuttle service to my next destination, Solo. And by splurge I mean I spent $10 on an 8 hour journey. My hopes for Malang were to hike Mt. Bromo, another volcano, but it is currently causing radars to blip so it's not possible to climb. I've spend a quiet two days in town, and hired a motorbike & driver to take me around to some of the sights. As it turns out, I am the most interesting sight in Malang, perhaps in all of East Java! Everywhere I go children say hello and then giggle hysterically and run away when I reply, women turn their heads 180 degrees just to get a better look, groups of men shout out from their vehicles "I love you!" It's really quite uncomfortable. It doesn't feel threatening in any way, but I am looking forward to getting to the Javanese tourist mecca of Yogyakarta so I won't feel like I escaped from the circus sideshow.
No comments:
Post a Comment