Indonesia

[Goodwatch]

Below are some pictures from our trip:



Jakarta Airport



Kitchen in Jambi, Sumatra



Some street in Malang



Holland Bakery in Malang, only for the well to do



Rice fields on Java



Borobudur

[Rubenonfire]

What a sweet-looking airport!!

[Goodwatch]

Originally Posted by Rubenonfire

What a sweet-looking airport!!

It is and the other special feature is that it is open. It is so hot in Jakarta that there are almost no windows, just roofs and walkways. But for a major hub it is small.

[C.J.]

Fransie, it's beautiful, bro. I bet you and Anne loved it

[Flyjet601]

I have been to Indonesia also and those are great pic's you have

How do you like the humidity?

[leopardprey]

Thanks for the Pics! Indonesia as well, is one of my favorite countries I have lived in! Jakarta has one of the nicest Airports, really keeping in theme.

[Lol-x]

Thanks Frans, very interesting photos. You must have tasted some great foods in Indonesia. Was there any special food that struck you as memorable?

[Blue Bull]

Mooi fotos Frans .Lyk na n baie lekker vakansie wat jullle gehad het.

[Uncle-AJ]

Why didn't you bring me back some Dutch apple pie from the Holland bakery?

Great pictures to remind you of a memorable trip. (Is that an oxymoron? )

[Goodwatch]

To answer you all:

The humidity is something to get used to, much to my surprise it didn't bother me much and neither did the almost daily temperature of 33 degrees Celcius. What amazed me though was the way some guys dressed over there; while we found even a T-shirt more than enough, they wore thick, black, mock leather jackets!

Saté kambing, small meat skewers made from goat meat and roasted on a fire. Served with a sauce made from ketjap (soy sauce) and ground Spanish pepper (sambal). But the sambal ikan terie is great too. Whole small, deep fried fish in sambal. And last but certainly not least: the nasi goreng that was served for breakfast in our hotel. Very simple but very tasty

Thanks for the compliments but it are all just snapshots as I'm not an accomplished photographer and the camera isn't suited for anything better

Holland Bakery is just a facade to attract tourists. They make a good Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte though, much to my surprise

[JJ Irani]

Thanks for sharing those wonderful pics, Frans. That airport almost looks like some kind of temple.

JJ

[leopardprey]

Sate Kambing with the Peanut sauce is one of my favorites!!!!!
The only thing I do not like about Indonesia or Malaysia, is there are two things I need to get going in the morning: Coffee and Bacon. Well, no good Bacon in Indonesia! LOL

[Rockrolex]

Nice pics, Frans. Looks like an interesting country. Maybe some day I'll get there.

[padi56]

Great place Indonesia great people most quite poor by western standards
but always willing to share.

The Rice terraces Bali.




Wyann and his sister Tartuk both are very good artists
he painted these ostrich eggs.

[leopardprey]

Nice photos Padi! My Mom collects Eggs, she wold love to get one of those!

[Lol-x]

Frans, that Indonesian food sounds delicious. Traditional asian food eaten in asia is incredible, the flavours can be incredible.

[Goodwatch]

Some more pictures:



Anne on a moped



Wonosari tea plantation



The garden of our hotel in Yogyakarta



The house of Anne's aunt on Sumatra



Modes of transport

[padi56]

Great pictures Frans whats your record for how many they can get on a Honda 90.One day down in Denpasa seen a family of five, no crash helmets etc.And sometimes they carry more stuff on these mini motor bikes than the average pickup truck.But must say Indonesia is my favourite place,especially Bali the Island of the gods where time just don't matter at all.

[Goodwatch]

Originally Posted by padi56

Great pictures Frans whats your record for how many they can get on a Honda 90.One day down in Denpasa seen a family of five, no crash helmets etc.And sometimes they carry more stuff on these mini motor bikes than the average pickup truck.But must say Indonesia is my favourite place,especially Bali the Island of the gods where time just don't matter at all.

It's Honda 110 or 125 now, with Suzuki a very good second and Yamaha third. I've counted 4, mother with 5 year old on the duo seat, father at the helm and a little one standing, and sleeping, in front. They wear 'helmets' but they are more like fashion accesories and I know because I held several in my hand. Soft plastic polo helmets are very populair with the ladies But, what a country! The next time we will start in Singapore and stay a couple of days

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Goodwatch

It's Honda 110 or 125 now, with Suzuki a very good second and Yamaha third. I've counted 4, mother with 5 year old on the duo seat, father at the helm and a little one standing, and sleeping, in front. They wear 'helmets' but they are more like fashion accesories and I know because I held several in my hand. Soft plastic polo helmets are very populair with the ladies But, what a country! The next time we will start in Singapore and stay a couple of days

Yes agree Frans they just wear these plastic rubbish helmets that give no protection whatsoever.Now on Bali if they was wearing national dress they did not have to wear a helmet.And when I was working as a dive guide the Indonesian guides instructors etc.If we were taking a party out diving they would stop at the temple and get blessed and pray.One day a priest came out and blessed our mini bus,and before any of the Indonesian guy got into the water.They would put there little offerings in little palm trays on the sea.Once that was done they were safe from harm,and would have jumped in with a shoal of hammerheads swimming around.They even had there minnie motor bikes blessed, but great people,hope to get back there some day.I had a few years there and made plenty of friends that still keep in touch with me.Now
on route out there have stopped over at Bangkok,KL and Singapore myself prefer Singapore a great clean city.Now while on Bali we used to Fly back to Singapore stay a few night then fly back to Bali then you could not stay longer than 4 months as a visitor on Bali without special visa.

[wandyprawira]

Beautiful guys. The pictures are very familiar to me.

I didn't know that many of you guys like Indonesia very much. Thanks for loving my country.

[Lol-x]

Those little scooter/motor bikes are a great way to get around Very economical and convenient. I just need to get accustomed to asian driving habits. The biggest rules, i.e. keep out of the way of trucks, busses and cars.
So Frans was there any particular item i.e. a souvineir or some other item or keep sake that you brought back home?
Also the tropical fruit is so flavoursome. Last time I went to Malaysia I ate about 3kg of mangsteins, delicious. Did you visit any watch shops?

[Goodwatch]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Those little scooter/motor bikes are a great way to get around Very economical and convenient. I just need to get accustomed to asian driving habits. The biggest rules, i.e. keep out of the way of trucks, busses and cars.
So Frans was there any particular item i.e. a souvineir or some other item or keep sake that you brought back home?
Also the tropical fruit is so flavoursome. Last time I went to Malaysia I ate about 3kg of mangsteins, delicious. Did you visit any watch shops?

I didn't buy much and I'm not in the habit of buying souvenirs. I bought a nice watch which I'll detail later and a watch for my daughter and 2 CD's (special recordings). Anne, on the other hand, bought lots of batik cloths and a stunning handbag. I'm glad we weren't stopped by customs on the way back

[Lol-x]

Cool, look forward to hearing about your new watch
Batic is very popular and too good to pass by.
Last time I came back I got stopped by customs a nice friendly dog came up and sat down beside me.
I had some bananas, I thought I could take them into asian countries....I was wrong....anyway, just a warning. That dog had incredible smelling sense.

[mailman]

Great pics Frans Glad you guys had a good time

[leopardprey]

I have some very nice Batik prints that I brought back and gave to family members. Most of them had the prints professionally framed and hanging up in their homes. Veyr nice art work you can get in Indonesia!

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Those little scooter/motor bikes are a great way to get around Very economical and convenient. I just need to get accustomed to asian driving habits. The biggest rules, i.e. keep out of the way of trucks, busses and cars.
So Frans was there any particular item i.e. a souvineir or some other item or keep sake that you brought back home?
Also the tropical fruit is so flavoursome. Last time I went to Malaysia I ate about 3kg of mangsteins, delicious. Did you visit any watch shops?

Well Steve agree about the Mangosteen one of the best fruit I have eaten,and in Indonesia so cheap

[Lol-x]

Frans is there a lot of Dutch or Dutch culture to be found in Indonesia that you found.

[Goodwatch]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Frans is there a lot of Dutch or Dutch culture to be found in Indonesia that you found.

Indonesia’s decolonisation was followed by a hasty retreat in 1947. In fact, the Dutch were run out of the country and thousands had to leave everything behind. At government level, the relationship was below zero and that became worse as Sukarno turned to Russia.

Among some of my older friends are people who lived all of their lives in Indonesia until 1947. Some of them think that Surabaya is still as it was back then. It is not, although there are many old Dutch buildings. However, many of them are ill maintained and have another function. No one speaks Dutch anymore, which is completely logical. Dutch, as official language, was abolished in 1945 and those who still learned it at school are old and few.

We met an elderly Dutch lady who lives 6 months of every year in Indonesia and she told us most of Dutch history is removed from the history books and the official lecture at schools is that we Dutch were monsters and that the country was liberated by the Japanese.

But in everyday life there still are many clues to be found. Words you can read on every street:

Knalpot = exhaust (literally: muffler)
Onderstel = chassis and shock absorbers
Dokter = doctor, as in general practitioner
Batterij = car battery
Notaris = notary public
Es = ice cream
Oli en vet = oil and grease

Young people have no connection with The Netherlands what so ever. We are just tourists, just like anyone else. They only noticed me because I’m tall and white.

[Lol-x]

Well it is a little sad if the Dutch aspect of Indonesian history is being deleted or cencored.

The Dutch have had a significant influence in westernisation of Indonesia, and the Dutch buildings are at least a legacy of the extent of Dutch influence.