Reading uber popular Kuching blogger Kenny Sia's recent trip to Indonesia brought back memories of my trip there a little more than a decade ago. After being in E.C.U. for a couple of years & having explored both the west and east coast of Australia, I was yearning for a little adventure elsewhere.
In the southern hemisphere winter of 1996, I signed up for a three week cultural & business exchange program at Universitas Sanata Dharma in Yogjakarta. Universitas Sanata Dharma. Now doesn't this name ring a bell every Wednesday nights on ABC???
Together with a bunch of crazy (in the fondest way, of course!) Aussies and other international students, I jetted off via Air Garuda to Bali and thereafter to Yogjakarta. Yogja as the locals call it, is a student/educational town with over 10 universities and a huge bicycle population to match. It is the only province in Indonesia that is governed by a Sultan. Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono X is the present Governor of Yogja. The water palace (tamansari) surrounding the Sultan's palace or kraton is a popular tourist spot.
I'm really kicking myself right now because I left my photo album of Bali & Yogja in Malaysia. I've always tried to avoid doing a text post only. It's so boring after paragraph one and I hate to put my mere handful but dear readers to zzz... I'll try my best. This is the only ones that I have with me in NJ...*sobs*
My memories of Bali & Yogja in no particular random order:
1.
Pesky peddlers pleading with us to have our bodies massaged and hair breaded along Kuta Beach, Bali. A Rasta-look on an Asian girl spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. We stayed at Aneka Beach Hotel. It's a very nice, clean and reasonably priced hotel at the heart of Kuta Square with plenty of food and entertainment outlets within walking distance.
2.
Picked up Bali belly even with careful avoidance of tap water *sigh*. My best friends, Immodium & Norit @ charcoal helped me through this painful and shameful condition :(
3.
My friend, Seraph scalded her shoulder when the flight attendant spilled hot tea on her *gasps*. I could have sworn an incoming lawsuit for Garuda if the victim was an Uncle Sam native.
4.
The local professors thought that I looked like Mia Audina. Mia who?!! Of course, I knew who she was. I was secretly offended :( but pretended to be thrilled because she was the darling of Indonesia's badminton world.
5.
Visited 2 UNESCO World Heritage sites: Chandi Borobudur (Buddhist) and Chandi Prambanan (Hindu). After touring both temples, we watched a beautiful ballet performance based on the epic Ramayana at sunset. It was the most gorgeous display of colors and artistic talent. The Prambanan Open Air Theater became alive with dancers accompanied by mystical gamelan music.
Chandi Borobudur - one of the seven wonders of the world in the Middle Ages[Photo courtesy of Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan & Ratu Boko]
Prambanan at night
[Photo courtesy of Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan & Ratu Boko]
6.
Took a day trip to Mount Merapi; the most active volcano in Central Java. Merapi means Mountain of Fire. It truly lives up to its name till this very day. When I was there in 1996, Merapi's most recent eruption was 4 years before. However, the lava dome finally collapsed in 1994 and the subsequent flow of gas, ash and everything lethal killed about 37 farmers & villagers. Nearly 100 people where hospitalized. Our guide informed us that many suffered severe burns and had to undergo plastic surgery. When we approached the foot hills of Merapi that day, we could hear its faintly rumbling belly. It was an awesome experience. I remember standing there quietly, in awe with a sprinkle of fear at the sight of this sacred mountain.
Merapi courtesy of Wikipedia
Took a day trip to Mount Merapi; the most active volcano in Central Java. Merapi means Mountain of Fire. It truly lives up to its name till this very day. When I was there in 1996, Merapi's most recent eruption was 4 years before. However, the lava dome finally collapsed in 1994 and the subsequent flow of gas, ash and everything lethal killed about 37 farmers & villagers. Nearly 100 people where hospitalized. Our guide informed us that many suffered severe burns and had to undergo plastic surgery. When we approached the foot hills of Merapi that day, we could hear its faintly rumbling belly. It was an awesome experience. I remember standing there quietly, in awe with a sprinkle of fear at the sight of this sacred mountain.
Merapi courtesy of Wikipedia7.
I was put in an advance Indonesian language class at Universitas Sanata Dharma. Malaysians were not allowed to take beginners or elementary level Bahasa Indonesia due to the "bahasa serumpun" factor i.e. sharing the same roots - Malay being the lingua franca of the said archipelago. Even though this is the case, the two languages are dissimilar in certain grammatical rules, sentence phrasing and construction, etc. Some words were totally alien to me whilst many words have Dutch influences as well. It was challenging but fun to be in this class. I loved every minute of it. The lecturers were all young, approachable and funny; in comparison to my University's Director of Studies who was about to kick the bucket!
8.
The main street of Yogja is Maliaboro Road. Indonesians love to sit (or lepak, as Malaysians say) by the road side ala Mat Rempit/Mat Konvoi groupie style and people watch. Staring is a norm for them. They've no qualms staring at everybody including tourists. It's uncomfortable and a culture shock to most Westerners but you've to respect their behavioral quirkiness. Most of the time I was a Jepang to them. Sales associates would come up and talk to me in fluent Japanese. Wow! They got me at "hello". When I told them that I'm Malaysian, they would scream out loud "Siti Nurhaliza!" or "Sheila Majid!" Siti & Sheila are both famous Malaysian singers.
Unfortunately, this is an unfinished entry. When I get the chance to retrieve my photo album from home, I will update it with photos from my personal collection :)
I was put in an advance Indonesian language class at Universitas Sanata Dharma. Malaysians were not allowed to take beginners or elementary level Bahasa Indonesia due to the "bahasa serumpun" factor i.e. sharing the same roots - Malay being the lingua franca of the said archipelago. Even though this is the case, the two languages are dissimilar in certain grammatical rules, sentence phrasing and construction, etc. Some words were totally alien to me whilst many words have Dutch influences as well. It was challenging but fun to be in this class. I loved every minute of it. The lecturers were all young, approachable and funny; in comparison to my University's Director of Studies who was about to kick the bucket!
8.
The main street of Yogja is Maliaboro Road. Indonesians love to sit (or lepak, as Malaysians say) by the road side ala Mat Rempit/Mat Konvoi groupie style and people watch. Staring is a norm for them. They've no qualms staring at everybody including tourists. It's uncomfortable and a culture shock to most Westerners but you've to respect their behavioral quirkiness. Most of the time I was a Jepang to them. Sales associates would come up and talk to me in fluent Japanese. Wow! They got me at "hello". When I told them that I'm Malaysian, they would scream out loud "Siti Nurhaliza!" or "Sheila Majid!" Siti & Sheila are both famous Malaysian singers.
Unfortunately, this is an unfinished entry. When I get the chance to retrieve my photo album from home, I will update it with photos from my personal collection :)
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