Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: indonesia

Back to City Life in Jakarta, Indonesia

On March 6 2013, my good friend and travel buddy Jan and I finally made it out of the expanses of Java, and into Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Arrival in Jakarta was a long time coming – It’s a city I’ve heard about continuously for years. Two close friends of mine have moved there for extended periods of time, and I’ve seen and heard all sorts of different accounts of the city.

For some reason, prior to my arrival, the image I had in my head of Jakarta was a distinctly rough one. I had heard that it was a rough, crowded, loud city. I heard stories of local women befriending whites guys very quickly. I heard or crazy bars, crime, and everything else. And for some reason, the image in my head was of a city of rubble – much like the depiction of the city of Mogadishu, Somalia in the film “Black Hawk Down”. So that’s what I was preparing myself for. But what Jan and I found was a much different place.

Jakarta turned out to be splendid oasis in Indonesia. Yes, it’s crowded, loud, smelly, and dangerous. But it’s also refined, beautiful, peaceful, and depending on where you go, quite safe. I felt welcomed to Jakart with open arms by the Indonesias I befriended – both my wonderful hosts at the EXCELLENT Six Degrees Backpackers Hostel, as well as the cool kids who reached out to me on CouchSurfing.com.

A brief note on Six Degrees Backpackers Hostel: It’s great. Really great. Out of all of the hostels I’ve stayed at around the world, Six Degrees definitely ranks up there in the top 5, if not the top 3. If you’re traveling to Jakarta and looking for an inexpensive hostel atmosphere, with great other travelers to meet, a super social atmosphere, clean, quiet accommodations, tasty food, and the best staff you can imagine, stay at Six Degrees. The location is not the absolute most ideal, but taxis are cheap, and what Six Degrees doesn’t have in location, if more than makes up for in charm and comfort. Stay at Six Degrees, it’s great. Find Six Degrees on Tripadvisor too.

Jan’s stay in Jakarta was a quick 2 days, and then I was on my own for the rest of my time there – however by “On My Own”, I mean surrounded by the nicest people, excited to share their city with me. A few pics from Jakarta:

Arriving in Jakarta, Jan and I took a walk around town – through a few peaceful riverside enclaves.

And then the Tuk-Tuks started. These three wheelers are everywhere, with their maniacal drivers trying every trick in the book to get you inside. Prices are crazy, and the driving style is even crazier. Fun for a quick experience, though.
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Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque – the largest Mosque in SE Asia. From Wikipedia:

Istiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal, (Independence Mosque) in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia[1] and has the highest capacity. This national mosque of Indonesia was built to commemorate Indonesian independence and named “Istiqlal”, an Arabic word for “independence”. The mosque was opened to the public 22 February 1978. Within Jakarta, the mosque is positioned next to Merdeka Square and the Jakarta Cathedral.

The mosque is a beautiful structure, and the constant hum of worshippers walking around is even nicer. After taking off our shoes, Jan and I were given a personalized tour of the place, including the main worship room, which is huge.

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Taman Mini Indonesia. What a weird place. This once great park tries to embody all aspects of indonesia culture into one park, and includes houses built in the styles of all of Indonesia’s tribes and regions. Centrally, it features a lake with islands in the shape of Indonesias islands. Something similar to the “The World” island formation in Dubai.. but smaller and crappier. Do not waste a day going here.

Songkran, in Jakarta. During the time I was in Jakarta, Thailand was celebrating their new years – and the Thai community in Jakarta got in on the action. I met up with a few friends to shoot waterguns at eachother and run around partying. A great time!.

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Car Free Sundays. Every Sunday, the main drag through Jakarta shuts down for the morning, and the locals come out to bike, ride and walk around in the fresh, quiet air.
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As a thanks to the Six Degrees Backpackers Hostel, I made them a mug with my picture on it. They loved it. What an ego move! :)

2013-04-04
Yogyakarta, Indonesia

After making the long trek by bus across Eastern Java, Jan and I finally made it to the cultural capital of Indonesia, Yogyakarta. As the cultural capital, the town is filled with vendors selling locally made silver jewlrey, batiked textiles, and a whole host of other artwork and handycrafts.

Jan and I only had one full day in Yogya, but we made the most of it by visiting the main walking street, central temple and a ton of small vendors. At the end of our day there, we got on a high speed train toward Bandung, a short ride outside of Jakarta. Pics.

Our base of operations, the train station, was naturally an excellent place for photos.

Pedicabs lined up, waiting for unsuspecting tourists.. like us!

Gamelan, traditional Indonesian music being played at the Kraton.

Headed towards Bandung.

2013-03-28
Indonesia’s Prambanan, Surviving After The 2006 Java Earthquake

After sunrise at Borobudur, Jan and I headed over to the Hindu Temple of Prabanan. The temple’s design and construction is a stark contrast to the looks of Borobudur. Although the main temples still stand, Java’s 2006 earthquake destroyed almost all of the peripheral temples, leaving only foundations. Reconstruction efforts continue, and we were lucky enough to arrive just weeks after the main temple was reopened. Pics.

2013-03-22
Morning Fog At The Buddhist Temple of Borobudur

After an early morning sunrise on Mt. Ijen and another at Mt. Bromo, Jan and I decided to continue the trend and go for a 3rd sunrise at the ancient Mahayana Buddhist Temple of Borobudur.

A bit on Borobudur, from Wikipedia:

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.[1] A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa.

Built in the 9th century during the reign of the Sailendra Dynasty, the temple’s design in Gupta architecture reflects India’s influence on the region. It also depicts the gupta style from India and shows influence of Buddhism as well as Hinduism.[2][3] The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path around the monument and ascends to the top through three levels symbolic of Buddhist cosmology: K?madh?tu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). The monument guides pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the walls and the balustrades.

Evidence suggest Borobudur was constructed in the 9th century and abandoned following the 14th century decline of Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam.[4] Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5] Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction.

Pics from our early morning visit:

Arriving at the temple early in the morning, a thick morning fog hung over the ancient stones.

All visitors to Borobudur are required to wear traditional Sarongs. Upon arriving at the end entrance gate, before going through security, one of the park rangers helps each guest put one on.
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As a still active temple, Borobudur draws in both tourists and worshippers, including these monks.

Intricate stone carvings adorn the entire structure. Considering how many times this monument has been robbed, bombed, lost, and destroyed, it’s still in incredibly good shape – thanks to an army of experts working on its constant maintenance and restoration.

The Stupas, Borobudurs hallmark feature point towards the heavens.

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2013-03-20
Sunrise at Mt. Bromo

Leg two of our journey across Java took us to the foot of Mt. Bromo, a stratovolcano that lies smoking inside the Tengger caldera. Pics.

After a long enough drive from Mt. Ijen to the mountains surrounding Mt. Bromo, we arrived in the mountain town of Sukapura to check in to the Yoschi Hotel. Nestled high up in the mountains, our perch gave us incredible views of the surrounding fog blanketed mountains, with agricultural plantations rising up on the surrounding hillsides.

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Jan and I spent the evening walking around the small farming village, and then had a quick dinner at the hotel before going to bed early. Another 3am wakeup, and we were off in our Toyota Land Cruiser towards Bromo. Notably, the mountain guides in the area have maintained an absolutely enormous fleet of old school original Toyota Land Cruisers, which are almost exclusively used on Mt. Bromo. The vehicles are in good condition, despite their age, and have fresh paint jobs. We drove through the night high up into the mountains, finally arriving pre-dawn at the Mt. Bromo overlook.

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Since it was Easter weekend, the overlook area was packed with Indonesians on holiday. Despite the crowds, I managed to work my way to the front for a perfect view of the valley below. As the sun started to rise, the beautiful valley was revealed, with the smoking Mt. Bromo crater in the distance. The changing colors as the sun rose were beautiful, and morning air was peaceful – despite the kids all around us!

More on Mt. Bromo from Wikipedia.

Mount Bromo (Indonesian: Gunung Bromo), is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most well known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.

Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a vast plain called the “Sea of Sand” (Javanese: Segara Wedi or Indonesian: Lautan Pasir), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. From there it is possible to walk to the volcano in about 45 minutes, but it is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (2,770 m or 9,088 ft) (Indonesian: Gunung Penanjakan). The best views from Mount Bromo to the Sand Sea below and the surrounding volcanoes are at sunrise. The viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan can also be reached on foot in about two hours. From inside the caldera, sulfur is collected by workers.

Depending on the degree of volcanic activity, the Indonesian Centre for Vulcanology and Disaster Hazard Mitigation sometimes issues warnings against visiting Mount Bromo.

After witnessing the sunrise from our viewpoint on Mt. Penanjakan, we climbed back in the Land Cruiser and journeyed down to the Sea of Sand, which rests directly at the bast of Bromo. A quick 30 minute hike across the ash field, and we had reached the grouping of Bakso vendors, horses, and pilgrims coming to offer flowers to the mountain. Jan and I stopped for a hot bowl of Bakso, a traditional javanese meatball soup, sold out of mobile kitchens mounted on motor bikes.

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At the top of the crater rim, we could see down into the smoking acid lake.
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2013-03-18
Mining Pure Sulfur in the Smoking Crater of Mt. Ijen, Java

High up in the mountains of East Java, Indonesia, Mt. Ijen’s crater smokes and bubbles with sulfur gas. The sulfur hear leaks out of the volcanic crater in a giant plume of smoke, and local miners, wearing little more than gas masks, collect the sulfur and hike it out of the crater on their backs.

After returning to Bali from Komodo, Jan and I decided to travel together for a bit. Our schedules were compatible, and we both had to meet people in the western part of Indonesia around the same time. After a good experience on the boat with Perama Tours, we decided to book with them again on a westward leg which would take us from Bali across to Java, onto Mt. Ijen, then Mt. Bromo, and finally dropping us off in centrally located Yogyakarta. Pics.

The first leg of our journey was getting out of Bali. We rode by minibus from Kuta, Bali up to the northwest corner of the island. From there, a quick car ferry took us across, and then we boarded another minibus to Ijen.

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Once we got to Java, we realized that the otherwise excellent Perama Tours was actually just selling us a transportation ticket with a number of different carriers, with varying levels of quality. The transportation worked, but overal I think we would have preferred a bit better transportation, and drivers who spoke better English. I can’t recommend the transportation carriers that Perama Tours contracts with on Java. However, the actual locations of our journey through Java were absolutely incredible. Perama Tours, you need to inform your customers of exactly how you arrange the transportation, and state clearly in your brochure that the drivers do not speak english and are unable to provide any information or support. More info on our tour package – note that while the things we saw on this tour were great, the organization by Perama Tours left a lot to be desired.

Anyway, after a bit of a drive across Java, and an epic ascent up into the mountains around Mt. Ijen, we arrived for the night at the former Dutch Coffee Plantation of Kaliklatak and settled in for the night.

An early morning 3am wakeup, and we were off across the mountains towards Mt. Ijen. Sunrise was beautiful, and a bit apocalyptic in feeling. In addition to the mist covering the flanks of the stratovolcano, wisps of toxic sulfur gas wafted from the crater, mixing with the mist. As we hiked up the side of the volcano to the crater rim, the smell of sulfur became stronger and stronger. There’s one main trail connecting the village at the base to the mining area, and that trail is used by both tourists as wll as the sulfur miners themselves. On our way up, we saw a number of miners, each carrying close to 100kg of sulfur on their backs. The trail was littered with pebbles of yellow sulfur, which stuck out from the black background of volcanic ash.

More on Ijen, from Wikipedia:

The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano is the highest point of that complex. The name of this volcano resembles that of a different volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, also known as Gunung Merapi; there is also a third volcano named Marapi in Sumatra. The name “Merapi” means “fire” in the Indonesian language.

West of Gunung Merapi is the Ijen volcano, which has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake. The lake is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation, in which sulfur-laden baskets are carried by hand from the crater floor. The work is low-paid and very onerous. Workers earn around $5.50-$8.30 (Rp 50,000 – Rp 75,000) per day and once out of the crater, still need to carry their loads of sulfur chunks about three kilometers to the nearby Pultuding valley to get paid.[1]

Many other post-caldera cones and craters are located within the caldera or along its rim. The largest concentration of post-caldera cones forms an east/west-trending zone across the southern side of the caldera. The active crater at Kawah Ijen has an equivalent radius of 361 metres (1,184 ft), a surface of 0.41 square kilometres (0.16 sq mi). It is 200 metres (660 ft) deep and has a volume of 36 cubic hectometres (29,000 acre·ft).

In 2008, explorer George Kourounis took a small rubber boat out onto the acid lake to measure its acidity. The pH of the water in the crater was measured to be 0.5 due to sulfuric acid.[2]

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At the lip of the crater, there were a fair number of tourists, and a clear view down to the smoking sulfur lake and sulfur vents below. The wind was blowing the day we arrived, and everyone we talked to – even the miners, said that there was no way we could descend into the crater – if the winds changed and blew the gas towards us, without masks, we risked suffocation and poisoning.

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However, Jan and I had come too far, and gotten too excited about this place to just give up and go home. After evaluating the wind conditions for a while, we decided to try the hike into the crater anyway, and just hope that the winds didn’t shift on us. As we started the treacherous decent, we were accompanied by two other Chinese tourists – and watched by the 100 or so other tourists who told us we were crazy for trying.
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At the bottom of the crater, it looked like another planet. Sulfur coated all the rocks, and everything. As light wisps of gas drifted over us, we could feel it collecting on our sweaty skin, and in our lungs. Luckily it was only wisps, and not full clouds of gas. There were two miners at the sulfur vents when we arrived. In addition to mining the sulfur, they were taking small amounts of the hot liquid sulfur and pouring it into molds for tourist trinkets. It was certainly very strange to see a Hello Kitty figurine made out of pure sulfur. One of the miners, wearing a gas mask, took us over to the actual vents, and showed us how they break up the slabs of cooled sulfur into chucks small enough to hike out. We were right on the edge, about 2 feet from the deadly sulfur vents – and luckily the wind didn’t shift.

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After making it safely out of the crater – with only one serious cloud of gas drifting over us and choking us for a brief moment, we stopped at a little cafe on the hillside for a “hooray we survived” refreshment, and then headed off to the next stop – Mt. Bromo.

2013-03-16
Sailing Eastward In Search Of Komodo Dragons

After a few weeks in Bali, it was time for me to move on – to the far east of Indonesia. Meeting up with adventure operator Perama Tours, I made the long voyage eastward to see the Komodo Dragons of Komodo and Rinca islands, Indonesia. A few pics.

Our boat departed from Lombok, an island just to the east of Bali. Although I could have taken a ferry or speedboat there, I decided to fly from Bali to Lombok, and then take a bus across Lombok to the small town of Sengiggi. Sengiggi was nothing special, and I stayed in a very sketchy hotel – but only for one night, before getting on the boat the next morning.

Morning 1 of our voyage to Flores was actually spent on land, exploring a bit of Lombok. First stop was a village in which traditional pottery is made. Here, the locals stack up wet pottery and fire it by burning stacks of hay on top. A smoky, yet effective method. Reminded me of the traditional indian pottery made in the American Southwest, complete with rubbing and scratching.

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Finally, on the boat – the Santosa. The Santosa is a traditional Indonesian fishing style boat, which has been custom built to house guests. It’s made of heavy wood, and constructed locally by hand, without the use of any pre-drawn plans.
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Our first stop at sea was a small sand island with a few shacks, and fire pit. We relaxed all day, did a bit of snorkeling, and had a bbq for dinner. Of note, I think I’ve ruined myself a bit by doing some of the worlds great dives with my much loved sailing crew. Although the snorkeling in Indonesia was fun, it just didn’t stack up to dives I’ve done in the BVI, Mexico, or most notably, the Blue Hole in Belize. Also on the small island, a group of farmers grew peanuts and sesame seeds. While most everybody else was sunbathing, I hiked around to hang out with the farmers.

In order to make good time at sea, and get all the way across to the east side of Indonesia, we sailed all through the night. This time around, I was merely a passenger, and not part of the crew. At night, the crew would sleep in shifts, and keep the boat moving all night. Along with the rest of the passengers, I slept on deck in the cool nighttime air.

The next morning, we arrived at another beautiful island. First things first, a morning swim off the boat. I was fortunate to be part of a great group of people onboard, and we all got along very well. Then, a quick hike to get the blood moving in the morning, and then a swim in a very beautiful brackish lake. Interestingly, the locals hang up bits of coral from the trees, for good luck. In addition to the lake, we also spent time on the beach, and exploring the local farmers village.

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Day three – Komodo Island. We woke up in the morning having anchored just off the shore of Komodo Island, and made the trek into the interior of the island. Although most of the time I’m not particularly scared by animals, this time there was a definite feeling of uneasyness amongst the group. Komodo Dragons frequently eat water buffalo, and other animals as large or large than humans. Their bite is venomous, and after biting, they wait for their prey to die, and then eat them. In addition to many Komodo Dragons, we also saw a deadly Asian Pit Viper, about a foot and a half away from the trail on which we were hiking.

And of course, later in the day, relaxing on the beaches of Komodo Island.. after having just seen these massive lizards on the same island, I was a bit uneasy hanging out on the beach.. imagining a Jurassic Park-type situation.

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And an afternoon sleeping on the boat.

That evening, we sailed into Labuan Bajo, Flores for dinner and a walk around the local fish market. Fish markets are always good for interesting photos, but this one was good for only that – flies and rotting fish were everywhere, and after a few photos, we got out of there quick. I was walking around Labuan Bajo with friends Jan and Sebastian.

The next day, more Komodo Dragons, this time on Rinca Island. Rinca was nice – and hot. Notably, we saw a young Komodo in a tree.

After returning overnight on the boat to Lombok, Jan and I partnered up to make the trek from Lombok all the way across Indonesia to Jakarta. Jan was meeting his girlfriend in Singapore in a few days, and I was meeting a friend in Thailand. Our schedules just happened to work out perfectly, and we had the same ideas for things to see across Indonesia, so we traveled for a while together.

First leg was a speedboat from Lombok back to Bali, where we spent one night at a nice enough hotel.

2013-03-15
Ubud’s Monkey Forest

In the heart of Ubud, Bali, a group of Macaque Monkeys lives in the sacred monkey forest.

More on the Monkey Forest from MonkeyForestUbud.com:

The Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal is owned by the village of Padangtegal. Village members serve on the Sacred Monkey Forest’s governing council (The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation). The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation has historically strived to develop and implement management objectives that will both maintain the sacred integrity of the monkey forest and promote the monkey forest as a sacred site that is open to visitors from around the world.

A few pics from my time there:

First of all, the monkeys like bananas. I arrived in the early morning, and had intended to buy a bunch of bananas and eat them myself as my own breakfast, while I peacefully watched the monkeys. However, as soon as I walked into the forest with my bananas, the monkeys were all over me, and stole all of my bananas before I could eat them myself. Lesson learned.
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The monkeys hang out all day, and are fairly accustomed to human visitors. However sometimes, they need their own space.

In addition to monkeys, the actual grounds of the forest are beautiful – Hilary and I spent the morning exploring the hidden temples, streams, waterfalls, and alcoves hidden all around the forest.

2013-03-14
Into the Balinese Mountains: Munduk

After a few weeks on the beach in Bali, it was time time get out – and into the cool air of the northern Balinese mountains. Friend Andi was nice enough to have rented me a motor bike the week prior, and so I packed up my bags, hopped on the bike, and headed up north towards Munduk. Driving out of the crowds and into the mountains was great – and as I climbed higher, the heat and humidity started to decrease – but just a little. A few pics from Munduk.

With my bike, and bag – that’s my excellent GoLite Jam 50 backpack wedged in the front.

The view from my homestay in Munduk.

Hiking to Munduk’s waterfall, which was beautiful.

Relaxing in the Banjar Hot Springs with Elisabeth.

A bit of coffee by the lake during my ride back to Ubud.

2013-03-13
Surfing and Partying in Kuta, Bali

After a week or two relaxing in Ubud, I moved down to Kuta to check out the surfing and partying scene. Initially I went down with friend Cynthia to surf for a few days – but stayed longer to meet up with Jessica and friends to do a bit of market research on bars in the area. A few pics from our explorations of Kuta – trashy club scene and all.

Learning to surf with Cynthia. Local surf instructor Edwin naturally gave me the biggest, easiest surfboard to learn on.

Staying in the Kuta Beach Heritage Hotel with Jessica, we had our own rooftop pool, and a great location.

First stop of the night was the Hard Rock Hotel. Not the classiest of places, however the all-Indonesian cover band was surprisingly well rehearsed.
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Sunset at El Kabron, a bit south in Uluwatu.

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Moving on to Sky Bar at the Mulia Resort. The place is so big that they took us by golf cart from the valet station to the beachside bar.

Also, we stopped by Potatohead.

And of course, finished in the horribly trashy Sky Garden – but still had fun.
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2013-03-12
Relaxing in Ubud, Bali

While exploring Bali, I spent a good amount of time in Ubud. My now good friend Jessica graciously hosted me at her amazingly nice house just north of Ubud, and between her and a bunch of other friends, I had a great time hanging out for a few weeks. A few pics from Ubud.

Tasty dinners at neighbors Anna and Andi’s house.

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Laptopping and swimming at Jessica’s house.

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2013-03-11
Preparing for the Silence at Bali’s Tawur Kesanga Festival

My first day in Ubud, Bali was certainly exciting. After flying back from Yogyakarta with Jessica, Cynthia, Anna, and Alisa, we immediately headed into the center of Ubud for the traditional Balinese Tawur Kesanga Festival. A little background..

From Expat.or.id:

The day before Nyepi is known as Tawur Kesanga or Pengerupuk and is the day on which evil spirit are driven away. The villages and neighborhoods are cleaned, food is cooked for 2 days and at dusk people start to bang pots and pans and carry torches through their houses. Then they go outside joining with others to make fearful sounds and sprinkling rice over the alleyways and roads. Demon effgies or huge monsters with bulging eyes made of bamboo, papier-mâché and cloth and known as ogoh-ogoh are carried through the streets in torch-lit parades. These demons represent the mythical giant Bhuta Kala and symbolize evil. This is the one day of the year when cock fghting is permitted because the spilling of blood is necessary for the purpose of purifcation. At the main crossroads offerings are placed on the ground to entice the demons and evil spirits. The offerings, which are sometimes smelly and include blood – small chickens are sacrifced – are for the devils and demons and are always placed on the ground. The offerings for the gods are placed on platforms specially made for this purpose. Once the demons have been lured, the priests then recite curses on them in order to force them to leave the village. Everybody joins in to help by beating pots and tin cans, tooting vehicle horns and making lots of noise. This is called mabuu-buu. Children go around the villages in groups enjoying the fun.

A few pics..

Alisa in the departure lounge in Yogyakarta

The festivities begin with lots of kids carting the figures through town to their staging areas, where they wait for it to get dark..

Darkness falls, and the festivities begin.
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2013-03-09
Exploring the Batik Markets of Yogyakarta, Java

After taking part in Ana and Andang’s beautiful wedding, I went the next morning with my group of girls to explore Yogyakarta’s Batik industry. Yogyakarta is knows as the cultural capital of Java, and one of the crafts that they do there is Batik.

A few shots from our explorations:

Waking up in the morning at a five star hotel is not without its perks, including a very complete breakfast buffet, and classy transportation.

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Batik, with the wax masks laid down by hand.

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For higher volume batik, the men use metal stamps to lay down the wax.

Rich dyes are used.

The original designs are traced by hand, before the women retrace the pencil marks with wax.

Jessica learning how to trace the intricate patterns.
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The women work in large warehouses, and sit in social circles, chatting while they trace.

2013-03-08