Hike to the Waterfall

Indonesia is full of spectacular beauty that often lies hidden away from most eyes.  During Summer English, our group took a long hike to see one of these sites near Salatiga in Central Java.  Take a look!

It started by walking through farmland on trails just big enough to walk  one by one.  Although there appears to be trees on either side in this photo, we were able to observe the variety of crops grown by local farmers.  On the right, we finally reached a rock road.

We crossed bridges and wound through the countryside, coming
across the locals as we went....

On the left is a mosque in one of the small villages we passed, and
above you can see a man transporting some vegetation on the
back of his motorcycle, possibly to feed his cattle.

Here's another fun shot of some of the local people enjoying their
day and watching our group as we pass by on the street.
Finally, on the right we have reached the entrance to the "park,"
but we quickly realize we're not there yet, as many stairs awaited.

We reached the waterfall!

Some decided to get a little wet, while others just enjoyed the
view and took some photos.

I caught a picture of Jim on the left.

After some time at the waterfall, we took a lunch break in
the woods close by.

During Summer English, the boys and girls were
divided into groups of 5or 6 with team leaders
from USA and Indonesia.  Each group made a
cheer for their team, which we performed while
taking a break in the woods.

The hike wasn't over yet!  We still had to head back, which was a bit more difficult, especially going up the stairs.  I worked up a bit of a sweat too!

An amazing view awaited us once again at the top
where we could see the waterfall, a small village
above the waterfall (look closely), and the lake,
which was the final destination of the stream from
the waterfall.  Indonesia is beautiful!

Wayang Kulit - Indonesian Shadow Puppets

Near Salatiga, our group traveled to watch, learn, and participate in one of the more famous parts of Javanese culture, the Wayang Kulit.  This is an advanced from of storytelling using intricately made puppets that are manipulated behind a white screen with back light, so the audience can see the shadow puppets.  The performance is accompanied by music from a gamelan orchestra, which often features a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums, and gongs, bamboo flutes, and bowed and plucked strings, most all of which we experienced and can be seen in the photos below.  Vocalists were included in the place we visited, along with a more modern touch of a keyboard.

Most everyone from our group got a chance to try
playing the gamelan!  The sound coming out wasn't
that great, but definitely a learning experience.
We also got to practice with the puppets.
Although puppets makes it sound simple, it's a bit
more complicated than what one might think.

After we had our fun and shot at it, the pros got
behind their respective instruments and gave us a
show!  It was much more pleasant to the ears and
the music definitely adds to the story.

Traditionally Wayang Kulit performances start in the later evening
and run all night long!  Totaling anywhere from 7-10 hours!
Thankfully we only watched a shortened version in the afternoon
for about 3 or 4 hours, but it was still enough to bore many from our
group and maybe even one of the younger vocalists to stay
focused (see above).  The performances can be done on their own, but
are often in connection with another cultural celebration.

 

On the right you can see the main drummer, his position is key in leading the music, keeping the beat, and signaling when to
start and finish.

This is where the action happens!  The performance screen can be seen with the dalang, storyteller, sitting cross-legged in the front.  Lined up on either side of the white screen are the puppets, one side full of good characters and the other with bad characters.  Each character is precisely made with intricate holes and designs so the audience can distinguish the characters of the story from their shadow.  There are hundreds of stories to be told, many of which date back to the beginning of the Wayang Kulit brought to Indoensia from India.

This is the angle from which an audience would normally watch a Wayang Kulit performance, seeing the shadows through the screen.  The dalang is a genius storyteller and easily has the most difficult role in the performance as he does not leave his cross-legged position all night long (7-10 hours), is the voice for all the puppets, signals the music without ever looking at the orchestra, and tells stories and jokes to entertain the audience all night long!
I was very happy to experience my first Wayang Kulit performance!

For more info.:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang

http://discover-indo.tierranet.com/wayang.htm

Seeing Salatiga

After living in the village for a few days our group headed to Salatiga!  Before arriving, we visited a group of university students, learned about their lives, the university, and the city, and shared about our lives as Americans and from our recent experiences in the village.  Before leaving we got to see the prayer caves (pictured left) mainly used by Christians and big enough for a few people.  After arriving in Salatiga, we went to a university where we were able to visit their music department and hear performances from some of the students (pictured right).  Many were quite talented and a joy to listen to!  Here the majority are playing guitars and one is on the drum.

In Salatiga one of our activities was to head to the streets and learn about the diversity of the area.  While the city is located in central Java and the majority of people are Javanese and speak the local language, Javanese, along with Indonesian, people from all over Indonesia have come to the Salatiga area, especially attracted by the universities to make it a diverse city.  The group I accompanied headed to the city market to have some fun, look around, interview people, and learn!  Here's some shots from our time...

This is the main street in Salatiga.  The large, pink building with towers on the right is the main city market.  Photos from within can be seen below.  (Right) Our group hits the streets in Salatiga!

The becak is one of the older forms of public transportation in Indonesia.
They seem to quickly becoming obsolete in many places around Indonesia as motorcycles are now owned by more and more, but the streets near the market area of Salatiga were lined with these colorful becaks.  The drivers, when not napping, will steer and pedal from the back with the passengers sitting in the front.

Inside the market (Left)
The motorcycles on the left are parked while the
owners do their shopping and on the right are a row
of shops with all kinds of goods - clothes, tools,
videos, souvenirs, and lots more.  Outside, the
market continued (photo above) with lots of fresh
foods - vegetables, fruits, and meats!

And finally a couple photos from our interviews.  Although
the language barrier was a problem for some, we were able
to communicate to a certain extent and learned quite a bit!
(Left)  Austin was a big attraction and we took advantage
by snapping a couple shots with these gentlemen who appear to be
shoes salesmen or shoe repairers.
(Above) Catherine visited with a lady who sold DVDs and of course her toddler was lots of fun.  In the background, Melody is visiting with the owner of the store behind them.

Learning to Farm

While living in the village for 2 and 1/2 days, we learned a lot, including how to farm in the rice fields!  We started working in the fields in the morning, had our breakfast, walked about 1/2 mile to wash the water buffalo, and were finished with this experience before noon.  Thankfully we had a few farmers/coaches/teachers to show us how to plow, hoe, and plant, but we also had some fun getting one another a little dirty!  After seeing thousands of rice fields throughout Indonesia, I greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get into one and learn part of the farming process here.

A beautiful view, but work to be done...

Eventually everyone got into the rice fields, but
there was a lot  of watching and playing :)

That isn't your normal "American" hoe!  It has a much broader blade
 and your arms will get pretty tired after swinging one for a day.  A
lot of the guys got in on this action along with plowing up the fields...

Yes, he is riding on the top of the plow! His body weight helps
to push the plow into the soil.  Its a little tricky to turn these water
buffalo around too.  After plowing and working up the soil, we did
a little bit of planting (see right). Definitely not as easy as it looks.
Its tough to get those rice stems/seedlings into the correct position
so they'll grow and stand strong.

Lots of support for the one man working.  Regardless, we all got
a little dirty , especially the water buffalo...

....so before our baths, we washed the water buffalo.  I'm sure they enjoyed getting clean, but the cool water was probably the most enjoyable and refreshing part of this bath.

Living in the Village

The last two months have found me traveling throughout Java and then to Cambodia with a group of university students from the central United States.  They came to explore and better understand South East Asian cultures, languages, and people, while also helping teach English and share about their lives in America.  I'll try to provide a recap of our activities and experiences in the coming posts.

Our first adventure was to participate in Summer English, where we helped Indonesian high school students improve their English while experiencing the city and surrounding area of Salatiga.  The first few days of the program we were in a village where all participants of our program lived together in groups of 2-4 with families throughout the village in simple housing and living accommodations.  This was quite a change for many from the U.S. as well as the Indonesian students mainly coming from larger cities around Java.  We all learned quite a bit....

....how to raise and milk cows.

Even though I'm a Kansas farm boy, I think this was my first time to milk a cow too! 

....how to make tempeh.  A common fried food in Indonesia made from soybeans.

....how to make jamu, a traditional drink in Indonesia.
Its made from various herbs and spices and said to be very good for your health!

Some got to eat rice and meat with their hands out of a huge banana leaf.
For my friends from Colorado, I'm sure it was probably their first time!