Beach Life - Pagandaran Indonesia

I'm at the beach, I'm at the beach! again...

So, I threw in all plans to head to Bali..couldn't handle seeing the superficiality of tourism. Even glimpses of it turn my belly. Charlie heard whispers of a nice beach and so it's beach life for me..

.. strong seas, crystal blue..good surf

Charlie and I live tribal style on sandy shores, we bought a frypan for 30, 000 Rp at the local market from a mean looking fat woman and cooked delicious vege dinners over driftwood fires, slept on a straw mat on a beach with the most amazing sunsets

There's all sorts of reggae in this town..
and many gifts..free showers, kind attentions, free food and teas and coffees where ever we go..life's a beach...

orange sunset was magic

lying on our backs singing silly songs
cocococococonut..charlie you cracked me the hell up!

i feel satisfaction, imagine
life daily this blissfilled, sunfilled smiley place
dirtyfeetsandinmyvagina

life on

the beach

(yeah, life on the beach is not as romantic as it seems)

Jogja Boys & Malioboro Street

Charlie and I headed to the famous tourist strip, Malioboro Street. Walking..barefoot..Charlie lost his shoes on the first day and hasn't worn any since!

This street is crammed with traditional Javanese artworks, clothes, accessories, sandals it's the centre of tourist district in Yogyakarta. You can get around on the 'becak', a three wheel pedal powered bicycle cart or the 'dokar' a horse drawn carriage and check out the Bering Harjo market.

We wandered the street, ate constantly and listened to local busking boys 'ngamen', moving from food vendor to shops, to traffic lights playing small guitars or ukulele for money. These boys are everywhere!

I spotted an interesting character drinking wine on the side of the road, peacefully watching the world go by. His batik shirt and dreadlocks in a city of grey concrete. With his friends we drank sugar wine until evening. Jogja is an art city, where Jakarta is better known for it's music, but no matter to me.

We've ended up staying at the boys country house outside of the city. They have a goat, a bunch of ducks and chickens and a playful puppy. The house and cafe has lots of brown dreaded boys creating things..making lanterns for their outdoor exhibition. Always lots of do. I'm making jewellery, painting lanterns, cutting material, drinking wine, cooking food, cleaning up and we all sleep in a big room under a bamboo roof.

The boys, building, creating and making their way through the day!

Parangtritis Beach Shack Love

Imam is an old man...well, not so old..but you couldn't tell. His dark skin gleams with health, his eyes alert and concentrated, his posture strong. His thick dreadlocks are wrapped around his head like a turban and he wears traditional Javanese cloths.

I listen to him, he's talking about the heart..telling me when I am in Indonesia, I need to be fully HERE. My head, my heart and my soul need to be fully present. When I am in Australia, sama sama..and he's right..being here and now..all important..

Imam's bamboo beach house is right on the edge of Parangtritis beach, with strong beautiful waves and amazing sunsets. There are dunes, kids, kites, coconuts, magic mushrooms and amazing storms! Charlie and I swam in the ocean during a huge one.

The whole earth went black in the middle of the day, the sun disappeared, the land disappeared in the heavy rain. Cracks of thunder bursting my eardrums, lightning crackled all around us. Sometimes you disobey your instincts to have an incredible experience.

Long days, hot days, mostly wet days. Swimming every single day, baths from the well - no wonder people here are strong..and clean. Waterfall washing almost every other day. Horse rides in a mushroom haze, poking around cow pats for golden surprises! sleepy, colorful daytime dreaming..Kite flying, rolling on the dunes, sugar wine and toast in the afternoon sun under palm trees of coconuts and good friends to share love with!

Hitchedy Hitch - Jogjakarta

Charlie and I have made it to the cool, wet streets of Jogjakarta. We flew through Sumatra at such a pace. The last week of travelling has been constant and we are happy to have arrived..somewhere, and it's time to have a change of pace...

We left Malaysia at Port Dickson (stopping to enjoy an Iranian barbeque on the beach). Took a 7 hour ferry into Indonesia..we jumped straight onto a mini bus for a 12 hour journey into the next day, began hitchiking early that morning. We travelled 30 hours non-stop the first leg...that wasn't even the longest stint.

Green fields, chopped forests and small villages of Sumatra flew by as we hitched south towards Java. Many trucks and many smiling faces we passed. We learned a fair bit of Bahasa Indonesia from truckers and people along the way and soon enough we were writing songs..

We travelled day and night, trucks in the day, buses at night. One night we stopped with a truck on Muko Muko beach.

A huge black storm was brewing over the ocean. In a gusty tarpaulin shack set up to serve strong coffee and hot noodles to weary truck drivers, living there were two of the sweetest little monkey boys I have ever met.

It was pure joy to play with those boys. Bliss. The storm burst and the lightning brought brilliant clarity to the dark sea for a second, sending the whole world into blackness. We slept on rough wooden tables in bliss with my arms wrapped around a thin brown child.

We met a cool crew of musos in BENGKULU on the coast. The Fuzzy crew welcomed us into their home (and music studio) and we jammed the night away with coffee and songs..

Now in JOGJA, the graffiti city, where they say 60% of the population are artist we've hooked up with a bunch of artists and Indo musicians..country style house with ducks and goats..ah, it's nice..

We're taking it slow and spending a bit of time getting to know Jogja. I'm looking forward to a few days on the farm. I'm hoping to gain a few weaving and bag making skills to sell crafts at markets.

Ah, nice city, nice boys..I'm in the middle of a butterfly lantern to hang for the exhibition. I have a warm coffee, a bamboo bed waiting for me..

Man, I've never had it so good!

Charlie and Me in Indonesia

Three days later..a good set of Indo vocab and a few new songs and we have hit BENGKULU, Sumatra

Charlie and I have travelled half the length of the country by truck. Walking in the ever intensifying sun towards the equator. Mum, I'm walking in your direction! We've been mainly sticking to one long road we saw while looking at a map at a bus stop. We figured this would be the best road, but man! Sumatran roads are terrible.

Enormous, bone jarring potholes, bumping us to sleep along the way..the state of these roads is terrible. We are lucky to get any sleep and at the rate we are travelling we are becoming more and more sleep deprived. But travel we are, and our songs and new friends are making the journey into a beautiful adventure.

I've met some wonderful souls and spent some sleepless nights listening to the waves crash on the shore, or sweet music (rock music), or the sound of a honking truck horn pulling me out of jangled sleep on Charlie's shoulder...

We've never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride. Except for that one time we walked lost, going in the wrong direction, for an hour. No bloody wonder no one stopped to pick us up! One thing I hate is hitching 'out' of a town or city. It's impossible. Takes days!

write more soon!
the rest of Sumatra awaits...

Malaysia - Orang Asli

We were lucky to find an Orang Asli tribe in Malaysia and were invited to stay for as long as we liked. The Orang Asli are the indigenous minority peoples of Peninsular Malaysia. The name is a Malay term which transliterates as 'original peoples'.

The Orang Asli could be mistaken for Australian aboriginals, it is here I find my ancestors. My grandfather and his mother lived in the jungle in tribes settling in villages near the river. They still live in a traditional way in the rainforests of Malaysia hunting with blowpipes for birds, small animals and monkeys.

"The blowpipe is made from bamboo. Darts are made from the split leaf-stalks of Arenga palm cone is made of light weight pitch and the tip is coated with a lethal preparation made from the sap of the lpol tree (Antiaris toxicaria) and carried in a carefully closed bamboo tube. As for the windage, a soft fluffy "wool' is made from as kind of bark. Blowpipe is deadly accurate within 20 meters. Fear of the spirits of dead ancestors and hunted animals is very strong amongst them, and it is an unwritten law that all animals caught, in the forest should suffer no pain"

They traditionally practice an animistic religion believing there is a soul in animals and plants. Music plays an important role in calling spirits. Theirs is a musical universe! Everything has a "living tonality," and the soul of every animal, plant, rock, or other inanimate object contains a melody or rhythm.

They use mouth organs, flutes and nose flutes to communicate with the essence of a rock or a tree spirit. In the ceremony, hypnotic music and dancing cause the shaman to go on a journey to the spirit world. The shaman obtains supernatural knowledge and requests help from the spirits for his community.

Le Village Guesthouse

Although I never stay in guesthouses..as far as they go, this is one for those who make it. KL is a ravenous city, ready to swallow up anyone who dares take their eyes off a map or off the insane drivers ready to swerve into oncoming pedestrians..

Le Village is located in China Town and sanctuary in a sea of chaos and air-conditioning. When I walked through the door, I spied many many shoes ascending the staircase like a lost shoe stairway to heaven..sneakers and sandals, sketchers and slip ons, weary road boots and little tiny heels..

The footwear's owners are an array of colorful characters in this hippy haven cum guesthouse. Go up the stairs to meet long lazy figures stretched out on old sofas. Guitars leaning against art covered walls and colorful travellers intent on conversation, relaxation and ducking in and out of the kitchen to bubble up a tea or three.

A man strums a ukelele...in front of three intense in conversation about Thailand. The girl on my right is covered, absolutely covered in henna and wears her hair in a mohawk. She's intent on perfecting a henna roll with colorful wrapping paper that she learned from a man down the street. Many are heading to India..and it reminds me a bit of Tu's Place, it's a place, on a road on the path (through a long visa process) where time to chill is very much needed!

There are many levels in the building and levels of enjoyment happening on all of them. Guitar and chats anyone..life here stretches on..

I find a comfortable spot on a couch and managed to squat for the night...like a sneaky sleeper..

Visit and connect!

99A Jalan Tun HS Lee
(Look for the gated door..you might see a sign, you might not..the code is 757575..I think, but look for the numbers which are worn away from use!)
 
PLEASE NOTE: Le Village burned down last year!

Muko Muko Beach

Charlie and I have been travelling for a long time.
By truck mostly, whistling, walking, singing and winging it
Though our truck stopped in the middle of the night
there was light enough to see the love in their eyes
two small boys
lost in a sea of sand 
not sure whether to go on
legs too skinny to stand
a slanted tarpaulin hous
a wooden slat bed
just enough for us to lay seven heads

two boys

a lovely lady not their mother
food
storm
swim
lost undies

two boys

pure
love