Been spending the last week walking and biking around the countryside; and preparing for a two week trip to Brunei, Borneo, and Peninsular Malaysia.  Also did laundry which is done by hand; soaking in a bucket, scrubbing with a brush, and wringing by hand, and then hung to dry.  Andrea has gotten pretty good at it, but I’m a better wringer.  It is hard to get clothes dry in the rainy season; sometimes it takes two days, and moving them inside and back outside a couple of times.

   I have a bike here that I bought during my visit last year.  Friday afternoon, we rode to the suburbs of Tulungagung where there is a salon with a picture of Andrea on the billboard.  Last August during the Independence Day celebration, Andrea was chosen by her school to be the Javanese Queen.  In preparation, she was made up in traditional style by the owner of the salon.  After the parade, they did a reenactment of the decisive battle against the Dutch, and kept apologizing to Andrea for killing white people.

   I’ve noticed people drying something along the road and stopped and asked about it.  Turns out it is a tobacco used in clove cigarettes.  The man showed me his pack of Djaja, and lit one up and handed it to me.  I took a drag, and handed it back.  It was mild with a light hint of clove.  After we rode off, Andrea reminded me that I took the cigarette and handed it back with left hand.  If he noticed, I’m sure he threw it out.  Local cigarettes are 50 cents a pack here, Marlboros are $2.00.  Smoking is very common among the men, and not very common among the women.  Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of young boys smoking.

   One of the things to get used to here is watching geckos climb around on the walls and ceiling.  When eating for instance, you will catch a motion out of the corner of your eye, and see a gecko running off.  I guess they are good because they eat bugs.  The Tokay Gecko, is a rather large and colorful one, but can be aggressive.  If they bite they don’t let go unless you pour vinegar on them.  Next shopping trip, I’m buying vinegar.

   Before New Years Eve, I saw a display of fireworks at the Indo-Mart in Campurdarat, and bought a bunch.  New Years Eve, I saw some more at a local stand, and one in particular that was quite large, and bought it.  Some young men helped us set them of over the village.  I was quite impressed myself with the large one, that fired off multiple volleys of colorful displays high in the sky.

   I’m currently reading a book, the “The Malay Archipelago” by Alfred Russell Wallace, a friend of Charles Darwin, recounting his travels in the 1860’s around Malaysia and Indonesia.  I’m finding it quite interesting, noting the similarities I am also discovering.  He mentioned how much he enjoyed the fruit durian, referring to it as the king of all fruit.  I had heard of durian, and of it’s reputation of having such an awful odor about it.  Some hotels have signs posted that people are not allowed to bring in durian due to the lingering odor.  Despite the awful odor, Russell said it smelled like rotting onions, people love the fruit here, because of its delicious flavor.  Last night I tried durian.  It is difficult to open due to its sharp barbs on the thick hull.  I found both the smell and the taste exaggerated.  It did not smell as bad as I expected, and it did not taste as good as I expected.  The flavor was interesting, with a variety of tastes, maybe close to a custard.

   My visa is only good for 30 days so have to leave the country, and come back in for another 30 days.  Tomorrow we leave for two weeks. 

   Hope all is well, and that you had a great New Years Eve; I did.

   Jim