I had been wanting to visit Indonesia for many years, mostly to see Orangutan. I believed this is a country that anyone could easily travel through on their own. My husband, however, felt we should have a guide given that we only had three weeks. So I researched many tour companies and the only one I found that went to all the places I wanted to go was Bestway, based in Vancouver, Canada. The staff there were very helpful and the tour was to have a maximum of eight people, which I figured I could handle. We were pleasantly surprised when we found out that we were the only ones who signed up for the tour!
We chose to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia rather than Jakarta, Indonesia to manage our jet lag prior to the start of the tour. We spent two lovely days in KL walking on our own. We were based near the KL tower and near the iconic Petronas towers. Rather than standing in line to get tickets to go up in the towers, we just admired them from below in the morning light then carried on with our own walking tour. We found that getting around KL was quite easy so we walked through the hustle and bustle of Chinatown to the Merdeka Square. It seemed most people spoke a little English given that they were colonized by England back in the 18th century, and all were friendly and welcoming. After two nights we had an early morning flight to Medan in the Northern island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
As promised we had a guide waiting for us at the airport and our very own car and driver. Right away I noticed there was a lot of activity going on! It turned out we had arrived on a holiday celebrating the Hajj which is the pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca. For those that could not make the trip there were local celebrations taking place at every mosque. This mostly involved sacrificing cows in remembrance of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice his son, but then given a ram. They don't have sheep here, so the cow would suffice. Our guide let us stop and join in at one of the mosques and the people were quite curious and friendly. We were told that the meat was donated to the poor. There were many dead cows around with their heads off to the side and the ground was covered in blood.
Our hotel in Medan was beautiful and I took advantage of the lovely pool with fountains. We found that Indonesia did not seem to have as many English speakers as they had been colonized by the Dutch. The following day we drove South to Parapat on Lake Toba. Here we waited for the ferry to take us across the lake to Samosir island. The lake is actually a caldera of a massive volcano that collapsed over 100,000 years ago. Our hotel was situated right on the lake and was in the style of the local Batak people. The most noticeable aspect of the Batak is their houses with the enormous curved roofs in the shape of a boat. It is said they took this shape to honor their ancestors who travelled here over the ocean. The Batak are Protestant Christian now but like many people they still hold on to ancient spiritual and somewhat superstitious beliefs. Our driver relayed a story his mother told him about the Dutch injecting buffalo blood into the locals "to make them dumb". Throughout Indonesia we found a seemingly comfortable mix of religions including Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhism. Some did complain that the government overly supported the predominantly Muslim population.
In addition to the houses, the Batak are known for their large wooden puppets. We saw a tourist dance and puppet show but it was underwhelming with the dancers seeming quite bored. Across the street a wedding was taking place so we slipped in to watch a female Christian priest overseeing the proceedings and all the family and friends in their best dresses.
Although our hotel looked nice from the outside, it was quite noisy with local tourists. Cameron and I were the only foreign tourists so we were asked to be in many a picture!There really wasn't much to do on this island so we convinced our guide and driver to return to Medan via a different route than the one we came on. Along the way we saw many of the rice fields, rubber plantations and palm oil groves. Sadly it is these very products that help support the Indonesian economy that are destroying the forests and habitat of animals such as the Orangutan.
On the way back to Medan we stayed overnight in a town called Brastagi. An absolutely boring place. However, we luckily ran into a group of LGBT group members who were visiting from Malaysia to discuss various ways to educate and alleviate the stigma of their alternate lifestyle. They were quite fun and we felt right at home!
Upon our arrival to Medan we boarded a flight to Jakarta where we stayed near the airport for an early morning flight to Pangkalanbun, Kalimantan, or Borneo as we call it. It was here that we felt our trip truly began. We were met again at the airport and went for a quick drive to board our Klotok boat. We had this boat and its crew all to ourselves! We chugged up the narrow river to the Tanjun Puting National Park and the deeper we got into the jungle the more I felt like I was in the movie the African Queen. And the more eyes I could feel watching us. We explored this area for two days and it was magical. We saw all types of monkeys, my favorite being the comical proboscis monkey with his enormous nose. We also saw a crocodile, a monitor lizard and flying foxes or fruit bats. But mostly, we saw Orangutan. Northern Sumatra and here on Borneo are the only places in the world these animals live. We went to three different feeding stations where the park rangers put out bananas or milk and slowly the forest humans come in to eat. They had such wise, sad eyes and obviously a sense of humor. One big alpha male swung through the trees to park himself above us with the hands of his hind legs grasping two trees in a perfect Jean Claude Van Dam split. And another male named Tom (after Tom Cruise), sat laughing in the path then rambled after us trying to blend in as just another tourist. There were also plenty of females with new babies and although this was encouraging we were reminded that they only have babies about every eight years. And part of the Orangutan problem is that locals rob the mothers of their babies for pets. But again, the real issue is the continual deforestation, done illegally, to clear forest for palm oil plantations. I have learned to check my labels to see if Palm Oil is in the ingredients, and trust me, it is in everything! There are organizations trying to convince companies to only use sustainable Palm Oil but I'm afraid they won't be able to make enough change in time and the world will surely be a sadder place without these glorious orange brothers of ours.
While on the Klotok we were fed delicious vegetables, rice, fruit and chicken and would take our meals on the deck of our private boat watching the busy jungle during the spectacular sunsets. At night we chose not to sleep on the boat but instead to stay in the rustic Rimba Lodge with a hot shower and a mosquito net over a comfortable bed. I admit that aging and being married has indeed changed the way I travel!
From Borneo we flew back to the island of Java to visit the cultural hotspot of Yogyakarta. In just this one city there are two UNESCO heritage sites, Borobudur and Prambanan. Borobudur was built by the Sailendra dynasty in AD 750 and basically means Buddhist Monastery on the Hill. It is a massive structure built from over two million stones most of which are intricately carved with depictions of Buddha's life. Prambanan on the other hand, was built around the same time by the Hindu Sanjayas. The three main temples are honoring Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu. They have rebuilt quite a bit of the complex, but we learned that to be a heritage site over fifty percent of the original stones must be there and this complex has had many stones stolen in the past and used for people to build their homes.
While in Yogyakarta we also saw the Ramayana ballet and the UNESCO cultural heritage shadow puppet show. Both tell the Hindu story of Rama saving Sinta from the evil deity Rahwana. Both are accompanied by Gamelan music which is an orchestra composed mainly of percussion instruments. The dance exhibits fine detailed hand and eye movements and the puppets are hand carved and decorated leather. The puppet show is put on by one extraordinary man who has memorized the entire story song. It was interesting to be able to view it from both sides so we could see what he was doing on one side, or just the shadows on the other side.
From Yogyakarta and the island of Java, we flew to Makassar on the island of Suluwesi. Again we were met at the airport and this time were in an exceptionally large SUV as it would be needed for the eight hour drive on sketchy roads into the mountains to Toraja Land. The Toraja are another ancient tribe of people who like the Batak became Christian and whose houses have the sloped roofs shaped like boats. However these houses far surpass the Batak in their size and decoration. They have also maintained many of their cultural beliefs especially apparent in their funeral ceremonies and burial practices. We were fortunate to attend a local funeral and witness firsthand these ancient customs
When we arrived we saw the houses with the giant boat shaped roofs painted with the traditional black, red and white intricate designs. There were hundreds of people gathered around a central dirt courtyard with a post stuck into the ground. A young man approached us and introduced himself as the grandson of the deceased. He pointed out the circular casket covered with a bright red and gold cloth. Often the families will need to keep the body in their house as they save money for these elaborate funeral celebrations. The young man invited us up to his family's viewing platform for coffee and cake. From there we were able to witness the beginning of the buffalo slaughter. Depending on a family's caste or status in a village, the number of animals slaughtered increases. This was obviously a very wealthy family. The government has tried to limit the amount of animals killed in order to keep families from going into bankruptcy for these events that can go on for days. The buffalo are believed to ferry the deceased to heaven and this grandfather would have a fast trip because the family would be sacrificing over twenty water buffalo. Each one was brought to the stake in the center where a man with a machete would cut its throat. The hope is that the animal will fall immediately and die quickly. Unfortunately the third buffalo was able to escape after its throat had been cut and it crashed into the PA system before it dropped dead. After that we politely thanked and excused ourselves from our host.
We learned that these buffalo are bred for these ceremonies and special attention is paid to the coloring, with the white ones being the most valued. We also learned that as part of the funeral event, buffalo fights are arranged and are an opportunity for gambling. We had to park far away as there were hundreds of cars and motorcycles and even more people! They were gathered around an arena where the buffalo would be led out, each painted with their name such as Donald, Bagel, Ethos or Destroyer. Our guide's name was Ithos so of course we were rooting for that one! The buffalos are expected to want to fight each other and we heard that sometimes the owners put peppers in their anus to agitate them. I don't know if this was the case, but the buffalos did lock horns. And then they just stayed there. For quite some time, we watched the animals with their heads down, horn's locked, eyes staring. Finally one would give up and walk away, and that one was the loser. Unfortunately Ethos lost to Destroyer.
After this we headed to the caves where the dead are buried. Outside the caves a platform is built to house the tau-tau's which are wooden statues that have been carved and dressed to look like the deceased. Once a year the families come and redress them as the weather wears the clothing and paint off. Inside the caves there are caskets in varying states of decomposition and many, many skulls. More interesting than the caves were the trees where the babies are buried. We were told that when babies die there is no funeral celebration because it is believed that if they are placed in a grave carved into the tree they will continue to live as long as the tree does.
While we were here, Cameron and I celebrated our twelfth anniversary. Our guide Ithos brought us to his home where his wife cooked a traditional Pa'piong which is meat, vegetables and coconut stuffed into a bamboo tube and cooked over a fire. It was delicious and definitely memorable sharing our special day with this wonderful family, sitting outdoors surrounded by their traditional painted homes. In a family's compound there is not just the home, but also many similar structures, also elaborately decorated, that are used to store rice. Most of the homes will have the horns of the buffalo that have been sacrificed over the years attached in a row from the bottom all the way to the top of the roof and often all the way around too.
After another eight hour drive back to Makassar, we flew for a quick overnight in Bali before an early flight to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores. We were met at the airport and driven to board our boat to explore the islands of the Flores Sea, especially Komodo and Rinca, to view the famed dragons. For us it was difficult to decide which part of this section we enjoyed more; seeing the dragons we'd fantasized about, snorkeling in the crystal clear warm waters over colorful fish and coral, or just lounging on our private boat watching amazing sunsets and eating fabulous food. The dragons are actually particularly large monitor lizards and they tend to hang out around the ranger's kitchen. There are more males than females and they are indeed enormous. Now and then they would hiss at each other or wander a bit, but generally they just lay around flicking out their long forked tongues. We did walk on the islands and were able to see the female's nests which are huge mounds of turned up earth and branches. We were told they steal the nests of the local large guinea fowl who we did see doing all the work.
While snorkeling we saw countless colorful fish and coral but the highlight was a male and female cuttle fish hovering and changing colors. We also saw a lot of area that had had its coral completely destroyed. Luckily the government is trying to protect this area. Another highlight was sitting on the deck of our boat as the sun went down and then the sky filled with hundreds of flying fox, or fruit bats, on their way to the fruit orchards in Flores. And then there was the delicious food and good company of the crew. We found that the meals we enjoyed the most were on our boats rather than in restaurants. Although I will admit I loved the pizzas I had in various places whenever the opportunity arose. It's not that I wasn't enjoying Indonesian cuisine, it's just that I tire of the same foods every day.
From Flores we returned to Denpasar Bali and stayed at a resort in Sanur. These were to be our last two days and we spent the majority of our time in our air-conditioned room analyzing our packing for the long haul home. We did get to tick off one more item on my life dream list and that was to see the Kecak dance. I had seen this performed in a movie years ago about strange things people do around the world. We went to a Hindu temple called Uluwatu located on a cliff precipice facing West. Again as luck would have it, this day happened to coincide with the celebration of Shiva temples and the place was full of white clad worshipers bringing food and flower offerings to the temple. The show took place in a small stone arena that looked out over the ocean and the setting sun. Bare chested men wearing only colorful sarongs filed out and began chanting. The chant had rapid breathing and clicking and periodically one of them would change the cadence or the motion of the bodies. At times they would yell and all hands would raise and tremble. It was mesmerizing. And it was yet again the story of Ramayana that we had seen depicted as a ballet and asshadow puppets. Amid the chanting moving men there would appear the other characters of the story; Rama, Sinta, Rahmana, Hanuman the monkey king, and others. By now we were very familiar with the story but what struck me most was the setting, the magical rhythmic movements of the chanters and my sigh of satisfaction from having safely completed and fully experienced yet another glorious adventure.
