Summer redux: Java Island

Our summer began on the island of Java, which appears to be dotted with several Asian megacities, one of which was Jakarta.  Jakarta was huge and sprawling, with endless concrete and traffic.

One of my most vivid memories of Jakarta involved taking the commuter train into the central station:  As the train continued to inch forward, people pushed and shoved and jumped into the train compartment - no point waiting until the train is at a stop?  Once inside, you encountered constant movement as the train jostled - all forms of wares (cigarettes, magazines, juice, soda, clothing) were peddled in the aisles.  Meanwhile, a woman, with one child nestled to her bosom and two others trailing behind, swept the floor.  As the train worked its way through the city, young kids would jump up and out of the train compartment to sit on the roof of the train. 

After a few days in Jakarta, we moved east to Yogyakarta, home of Borobudur temple, a town that obviously likes birds because birds and bird cages were everywhere, including in our losmen (guesthouse).  Everyday, we woke to morning muezzin calls to prayer.  During our time there, pre-Ramadan celebrations were under way.   

Summer redux: What I Ate

Indonesia: Ginger coffee, curries topped with chili and cilantro and other goodness, sate ayam and local delicacies at the corner warung . . .

 

Singapore: The hawker stands are incredible - Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Indonesian dishes all under one roof!

India: Rajasthani cuisine, sugary Bengali treats, Nepali momos, Tibetan hearty soups, and too many cups of tea, too many plates of masala dosas and aloo parathas.

Gone, so gone.

Goodbye, summer vacation.  You were lovely. (I already miss you.)

We're in Bangkok, and we're apartment hunting, which means days pounding the pavement. Someone needs to stop me from drinking too many of these Thai iced coffees.  Crack coffee.

I'll report on my summer holiday soon.

Found while walking: Sikkim, India

One: Summer is slipping away.

Two: Sikkim, a tiny province in northern India, sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan, is so gorgeous!  The Portlander in me is greedily drinking up the clean air and green hilltops - well, "hilltops," but more like mountains by our standards - that reach up and up as if to meet the eastern Himalayans.    

The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center

One day in Darjeeling, we visited the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center, which is a 20 minute walk from the main town, down a road that winds around the hillside.  In addition to a museum, the center houses a school, an infirmary, and various workshops for weaving, carpentry, etc.  A woman there gave me a lesson or two about natural dyes, which the center uses for its many woven goods.  

Found while walking: Darjeeling, India

I am breaking my "no internet" rule in Darjeeling, a hilltop town in northern India, very close to Nepal and Bhutan.  It's raining outside, so chilly that I am wearing a jacket (wow, it has been too long).  The few days we have spent in this town have been languid and easy- and just perfect.  We wake up, take a hot shower and dress, and then walk over to a small eatery for breakfast (usually for a masala dosa or momos paired with a steaming cup of milk coffee or tea).  Then, we walk and walk, up and down the winding streets and often steep flights of stairs, through market stalls selling teas, Tibetan trinkets, cashmere shawls, and woolen sweaters.  The town sits above the clouds in some parts, and in others, right smack in the middle.  Mist hangs over the valley below, obscuring the tea plantations that flank this town. 

On the crazy jeep ride up from Siliguri, three hours of switchbacks and speed, the climate grew increasingly cooler and the air smelled of mint.  The valley shrank below us.  

Mid-summer

My summer so far: no internet (for the most part), more reading, more walking, more food sampling. 

Indonesia flew by.  The island of Java, with its early morning muezzin calls, was interesting, though travel was cramped due to the high season. And, Bali, despite being a well-oiled tourist machine, charmed me again and again.  We could have easily spent the summer in Indonesia.  There's more, but I will leave that to another post, when more reliable internet is at hand.

After a short detour in Singapore, we find ourselves in Kolkata (Calcutta).  Oh my.