Merry Christmas from Jakarta!
Even here, stores are able to make a killing on profits via Christmas.
What's this under the tree? And could it be a gift for me?
It is. It is! It is a gift just for me. But seriously - I'm trying not too be too cynical, but perhaps Christmas is a bit too commercial. If you're reading this and you have the privilege of spending time with your family for the holidays, please appreciate that more than the gifts under the tree.
But back to the gift under the tree, because it's soooo exciting!
(Sorry for the sideways photos yar. No editing on the computer at this hotel.)
 |
| Look its just the right size. It's the perfect fit, just like this outdoor fitting room - set up outside the store with all the extra merchandise for the Christmas season. |
Brightly colored flowers in Jakarta.
I like flowers.
And so does Greg.
And there's coffee too. "Like duh," - we're traveling in Java after all.
This was a nice slow-drip filter coffee with creamy sweet milk - could have been condensed milk - at the bottom of the cup. Stir it up, and enjoy! It was not too sweet because the coffee here is hugely strong.
There are more options for beer in Indonesia too. This one is a meal in and of it's self, which I enjoyed while in Bandung.
Then, on to Yogyakarta.
Just 40 minutes away from our hotel is Borobudur, which was built in the 9th century as a Buddhist temple.
I say it was a temple because just 1 hour after opening, it is crawling with hundreds of visitors - both groups of local Indonesian school children and tourists like myself.
Crawaling with people.
So overwhelming.
After being approached dozens of times and asked, "Hello mister. Photo please?" It was difficult to tell what captured people's interest better, this painstakingly crafted monument OR the "other"/someone different than your self. Thankfully, this monument is well preserved and taken care of. It will outlast all of the people who visited it. Very intriguing though, a once in a lifetime experience to walk among the relief panels depicting the story of life and cycle of karma and to peer into the stupas to see the calmly posed Buddhas.
Tomorrow we're bound for Bromo, located on the east side of Java. It will take 11 hours we're told... if nothing goes wrong on the way there. Beyond thaty, I'm hoping to explore some more volcanoes and stay at a coffee plantation/guest house upon the fertile, Ijen Plateau. If all goes accordingly, I'll be able tour the plantation, purchase some beans and possibly try some Kopi Luwak.
