Ulla kirjutab maast ja ilmast: J2llen2gemine Yogyakartas // Reunion in Yogyakarta

Head uut aastat k6igile! Loodan, et 2016 sai suurep2rase alguse :) Meil siin kyll, kuigi kummaline tunne on uut aastat kolmekymnekraadises kliimas vastu v6tta.

Seni olime me Indoneesiast n2inud peamiselt ainult turistipiirkondi, seega Yogyakartas ja Jaava saarel saime me n-8 "t6elist" Indoneesiat n2ha ja tunda, ja viimase kahe n2dala jooksul on palju juhtunud, seega tuleb siit p2ris pikk sissekanne.

Me j6udsime Yogyakartasse j6ululaup2eval, ja lennujaamas oli meil vastas Johanna, mu hea keskkooliaegne s6branna. Ta on Yogyakartas olnud viimased kuus kuud, kuna ta teeb siin humanitaarabi teemal magistrit. Ma polnud teda yle kolme aasta n2inud, seega oli v2ga tore yksteist yle pika aja j2lle n2ha ja koos aega veeta. Me 88bisime Johanna kodus Bantuli kylas, natukene Yogyakartast v2ljas. Koht oli ymbritsetud riisip6ldudest ja dzunglist, ning pakkus m6nusat vaikset atmosf22ri v6rreldes kesklinna myraga. Samas aga tuleb kylaelu islamiriigis omade reeglitega, ning kuna mitte abielus olevad naised ja mehed ei tohi koos elada, pidi kylavanemale altk2emaksu maksma, et me Paologa saaks Johanna juures olla. Ilmselt oli usuline p6hjus lihtsalt ettek22ndeks, et lollidelt buledelt (valgetelt inimestelt) raha v2lja n88rida. Kuigi k6ik kylaelanikud olid v2ga naeratavad ja s6bralikud, olime me p2rast seda kogemust veidi kahtlustavad, et kui siiras nende soojus siiski on.

Positiivsemal noodil aga oli imetore Johannaga paar tundi ta terrassil juttu puhuda ja kuulda ta elust Jaaval enne kui me j6ulu6htus88giks valmistuma hakkasime. Johanna oli kylla kutsunud paar s6pra kohalikust kunstikogukonnast. Natuke naljakas m6elda kuidas progressiivsed ja alternatiivsed kunstnikud konservatiivsete kylaelanikega koos eksisteerivad, ent nagu Johanna seletas, aitavad kunstnikud oma tegevusega ka kohalikke. N2iteks tegid nad kunstit8id, mille myygist saadud rahaga toetasid nad kohalikke p6llumehi ja nende peresid, keda oldi nende kodus matsheetedega rynnatud p2rast seda kui nad olid oma riisip6ldudele planeeritava kaevandustegevuse vastu protesteerinud (6udne lugu, mis juhtus vaid n2dalaid enne meie kylastust). Kunstnike toetus ja juhtunu kohta teadlikkuse levitamine on aidanud kylaelanikke neid aktsepteerida, vaatamata nende v2ga mittekonservatiivsele elustiilile.

Paolo juhtimisel valmis hiigelsuur pott mereandidega risottot, mis oli ylimaitsev, ja me saime maitsa ka Johanna s6bra poolt tehtud praetud tempet (sojaubadest tehtud toode, justkui tofu moodi aga k6vem). Euroopa standardite j2rgi v2ga tagasihoidlik ja ebatavaline j6ulu6htus88k, ent siiski v2ga maitsev! Me kyll seletasime indoneeslastele, et risotto ei ole tyypiline j6ulutoit, ent nad ei tundunud sellest h2iritud olevat :)

J2rgmisel p2eval oli esimeseks ylesandeks meile motikas leida, vastasel juhul oleksime me Paologa pidanud kymme p2eva toas istuma. Motikad on Yogyakartas h2davajalikud, kuna yhistransport on minimaalne ning ei toimi eriti h2sti, ning taksodega ringi s6itmine oleks liiga kallis. Me saime motika laenutatud yhest kesklinna hostelist, mille omanikud on Johanna s6brad. Veetsime ka natuke aega hostelis sealsete inimestega juttu puhudes, misj2rel me Paologa l2ksime esmakordselt kesklinna jalutusk2igule (lykates edasi v2ltimatut esimest motikas6itu hullus liikluses).

Yogyakarta (v6i Jogjakarta, v6i Yogya v6i Jogja - k6ik variandid on aktsepteeritud ning ka k6ik h22ldused - st džogdžakarta, jogjakarta, džogjakarta, jogdžakarta, džogdža, jogja jne) on umbes Tallinna-suurune linn, mis asub Yogyakarta Eriregioonis, Jaava saarel. Regioon on teistest Indoneesia provintsidest erinev, olles ainus kus valitseb siiani eelkoloniaalne p2rilik monarhia, Yogyakarta Sultan. Yogya on kultuuri- ja ylikoolilinn, ning Indoneesia standardite j2rgi progressiivne paik. Meie jaoks oli linn peamiselt ylimalt elav ning hullumeelse liiklusega! Pyhadeperioodi t6ttu oli liiklus tunduvalt hullem kui tavaliselt (kohalikud ytlevad, et Yogya liiklus on yks Indoneesia parimaid, ning et n2iteks Jakartaga v6rreldes siin polegi mingit liiklust. Seega Jakarta v6in rahulikult oma reisinimekirjast v2lja v6tta!). Ma r22gin pyhadeperioodist kuna vaatamata sellele, et enamik indoneeslasi loomulikult j6ule ei t2hista, t2histavad nad aastavahetust, ning detsembri l6pus on ka koolivaheaeg, seega on ka siin tegemist puhkuseperioodiga.

Me jalutasime m88da Malioboro t2navat, mis on yks peamisi t2navaid kesklinnas. T2nava22red olid t2is putkasid mis myysid toitu, riideid, elektroonikat jms. Ent peamiselt oli t2nav t2is teisi jalutajaid. Kui meil tihedatest t2navatest k6rini sai, l2ksime tagasi hostelisse oma motika j2rgi ning s6itsime koos Johannaga koju. Paolo sai tiheda liikluse sees suurep2raselt hakkama, vaatamata sellele, et ta oli vaid yhe korra varem s6ita proovinud.

J2rgmisel hommikul j2rgisime me Johanna soovitust ning yhinesime ta s6bra Ariga ta batiku t88toas. Batik on traditsiooniline indoneesia kunstivorm riide v2rvimiseks. See kujutab endast esmalt vaha kasutamist, et muster riidele kanda, misj2rel kasutatakse v2rve, et muster vastavalt tahtmisele 2ra v2rvida (seejuures vaha hoiab eri sektsioonid eri v2rvi). Seej2rel pannakse riie p2ikese k2tte, et v2rvid v2lja tuua (mida kauem p2ikese k2es, seda erksamad v2rvid), p2rast mida peab riiet happelises vees leotama, v2rvide l6plikuks t88tluseks. Viimane samm on riide keetmine, mis eemaldab vaha, j2ttes eelnevalt vahaga kaetud osad puhtaks ning v2rvivabaks. Traditsiooniliselt tehakse batikut abstraktsete mustritega ning seda kasutatakse peamiselt riietusesemete valmistamisel, eriti meestes2rkide puhul. Ari on aga v2ga andekas noor kunstnik, ning tema kasutab traditsioonilist meetodit kaasaegse kunsti loomiseks. T88kojas oli ta parajasti valmistamas imekaunist tykki kavandiga suurest linnust. M6ndasid Ari t8id saab n2ha tema Instagrami lehel. Meile andis Ari k2e proovimiseks kummalegi taskur2tiku suuruse valge riide, juhenditega, et me v6ime teha mida iganes syda ihaldab. Vaha pealekandmine oli tunduvalt raskem kui Arit j2lgides oleks v6inud arvata ning meil m6lemal tilkus vaha k6ikjale. Ent nagu Ari selgitas, on ootamatu ootamine osa kunstist, ning peab lihtsalt vooluga kaasa minema. Ei tohi oma plaanis liiga kinni olla kuna apsakaid juhtub alati - ning kui neid aktsepteerida ja mitte nende vastu v6idelda, v6ib tulemus selle v6rra hoopis paremana v2lja tulla. Suurep2rane l2henemine batiku jaoks, mis toimib erakordselt h2sti ka elufilosoofiana :)

Kuna Johanna pidi meie sealviibimise ajal oma l6put88d edasi kirjutama, otsustasime Paologa motika omamisest viimast v6tta ning Yogyast paariks p2evaks v2lja s6ita, et ymbruskonda avastada. J2rgmisel p2eval l2ksime me Borobuduri, mis on Yogyast m6nikymmend kilomeetrit loode suunas (ning tegelikult juba Kesk-Jaava provintsis), et kylastada kuulsat Borobuduri templit, maailma suurimat budistlikku monumenti. Vaatamata oma maailmakuulsusele, et ole Borobuduri minevikust palju teada peale selle, et see ehitati millalgi 9ndal sajandil. Tempel hyljati 14ndal sajandil, p2rast Jaava p88rdumist islamiusku. 1814. aastal taasavastas templi Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, toonane Jaava briti valitseja. Ta oli j2rginud kohalike jutte, kes olid l2bi sajandite templi olemasolu ja asukohta teadnud, vaatamata sellele, et monument oli vulkaanilise tuha ja dzungli alla maetud.

Ehitis ise on hiiglaslik ja muljetavaldav. Tempel koosneb yheksast yksteise peale laotud platvormist, millest kuus on kandilised ja pealmised kolm ymmargused, ning k6ige selle otsas on suur kuppel. Templi kylastaja saab platvormide vahel liikuda mitmete treppide kaudu, ning k6ikjal saab imetleda ulatuslikke narratiivseid reljeefe. Yhtlasi on templil kokku 504 Buddha kuju.

Tempel oli kaunis ning ehitis v6imas, ent kahjuks ei olnud meil palju v6imalust seda nautida, kuna kohalike jaoks olime meie ise templist suurem atraktsioon! Meie kylastusk2ik j2i varajasele p2rastl6unale, mis ajal oli koht rahvast puupysti t2is, sealhulgas peamiselt kohalikke Indoneesia turiste ning kooligruppe. Paljud olid ilmselt tulnud kohtadest, kuhu ei satu palju turiste ning nende jaoks oli eurooplaste n2gemine erakordne juhus. Seega kysiti meilt vahetpidamata luba meiega pildi tegemiseks, mida me ka heameelega lubasime, ent kohati muutus see v2sitavaks, eriti siis kui pildi soovijatest hakkasid j2rjekorrad moodustuma! Paaril korral tuli meil kaameratega inimeste eest p6geneda. V2ga kummaline kogemus! Enamasti oli aga tore, kui teismeliste grupid tulid h2belikult pilti kysima, v6i kui emad v2ikeste lastega tahtsid meiega koos fotot. Yks mees andis Paolole t2nut2heks kotikesi kopi luwakit (kuulsat kohvi mida valmistatakse kohaliku metslooma poolt eelnevalt seeditud kohviubadest), mida me veel proovida pole j6udnud. Paolo p88ras ka k6igi pilditahtjatega olukorra meie kasuks, n6udes, et p2rast nende pilti poseeriks nad ka meie kaamera jaoks. Seega on nyyd meil terve hunnik pilte suvaliste indoneeslastega! :D

K6ige hullem olukord oli templis endas, ent monumendi ymber on ka suur park, seega saime me seal ringi jalutades l66gastuda ka. Kylastuse t6eline tipphetk juhtuski templist eemal kui me juhtusime traditsioonilise jaava nukuteatri etendusele, p2ris orkestri ja lauljatega. See oli nii kaunis ja huvitav ning me veetsime kaua aega etendust j2lgides, kuulates nukumeistri juttu ning lauljate laulu, s6nastki mitte aru saades, ent siiski t2ielikult lummatutena. Traditsiooniline l88kpillimuusika tekitas t2iusliku mystilise atmosf22ri iidsete muinasjuttude esitamiseks. Nukud ise - printsid ja printsessid, n6iad ja deemonid, tiigrid ja muud metsloomad - olid imekaunid ja oma stiilis nii unikaalsed, ning andsid meile v6imaluse heita pilk iidsesse jaava kultuuri.

J2rgmisel p2eval otsustasime me motikaga ringi s6ita et ymbruskonna maapiirkonda avastada ning l2hedalasuvat vulkaani veidi l2hemalt uudistada. Indoneesias on palju vulkaane, kuna enamus riigist asetseb t2pselt Euraasia ja Indo-Austraalia laamade kokkupuuteliinil. See t2hendab loomulikult tihedaid maav2rinaid. 2004. aasta tsunami sai alguse Sumatra l22neranniku l2hedal toimunud l2bi aegade kolmandast v6imsaimast maav2rinast, mis koos tsunamiga h2vitas muuseas kogu Acehi provintsi. Yogyakarta ise koges tugevat maav2rinat 2006. aastal, mis tappis 5700 inimest. Ohvrite arv oli suur kuna vaatamata sellele, et tegemist ei olnud ylitugeva maav2rinaga, oli epitsenter tihedalt asustatud linnas. Vulkaanide juurde tagasi tulles - meie l2ksime vaatama Merapi vulkaani, mis on yks maailma k6ige aktiivsematest vulkaanidest, pursates keskmiselt iga nelja aasta tagant. Viimane suurem purse toimus 2010. aastal, tappes yle 350 inimese ning kattes Yogyakarta (ning Borobuduri templi) sentimeetrite paksuse tuhaga. Kui meie seda (kaugelt) vaatama l2ksime, oli Merapi aga pooleldi pilvede sees ning ysna igavav6itu, mist6ttu hyppasime me tagasi motika selga ning s6itsime niisama ymbruskonnas ringi, nautides tuule6hku ning vaateid riisip6ldudele ja dzunglile.

J2rgmisel p2eval s6itsime me tagasi Yogyasse ning enne Johannaga 6htul kokkusaamist kylastasime me linna kahte p6hilist vaatamisv22rsust - Sultanipaleed (mis oli t2ielik pettumus, seal ei olnud mitte midagi vaadata) ning Veelossi (mis oli imekaunis, seal majutati vanasti kunagiste sultanite haaremeid). Seej2rel v6tsime me oma vabast p2rastl6unast viimast ning l2ksime kinno uut T2htedes6ja filmi vaatama :D

Kuna Johanna oli j2rgneval p2eval t88l, l2ksime me Paologa veel yhele motikas6idule, seekord Yogyast l6una poole, ookeani 22rde. Linnast umbes 30 kilomeetri kaugusel on Parangtritise rand, kohalike seas v2ga populaarne paik. Tegemist on ilusa ja laia rannaga mis on kaetud tumeda vulkaanilise liivaga, ent ujumisrand see ei ole, kuna tugevad lained ja v6imsad voolused teevad vettemineku ohtlikuks. Kohaliku ebausu j2rgi on ohu p6hjuseks aga Nyai Loro Kidul, ehk L6unakuninganna, veejumalanna kes elab ookeanis ning meelitab inimesi uppumissurma. Ebausklikud kohalikud v2ldivad rannas rohelise v2rvi kandmisest, sest see pidavat jumalannale vastukarva olema. Tegelikult juhtub aga palju uppumissurmasid seet6ttu, et vaatamata, et tegemist on saarestikuriigiga, ei oska paljud indoneeslased ujuda (ei tea kas p6hjuseks on legend? kui nii, siis on tegemist paraja n6iaringiga). Tegelikult ka ilma selle ohuta ei oleks ma ujuma l2inud, kuna selleks oleksin pidanud vette minema t2isriietuses, islamikombe j2rgi. Riietes ujumine tundub aga eriliselt ebameeldiv tegevus. Selle asemel jalutasime me niisama m66da kaunist randa ning peatusime yhes baaris et juua j22teed ning lugeda. Seej2rel s6itsime me m66da rannikut veidi ringi ja nautisime kauneid vaateid enne kui tagasi Yogyasse p88rdusime.

Ja siis oligi juba 31. detsember. Hommikupooliku veetsime Johannaga kodus l66gastudes ja juttu puhudes, misj2rel tema l2ks linna ja mina l2ksin Paologa kaasa et yhe t2toveerija juurest l2bi k2ia :) Aga sellest pikemalt allpool! Kui 6htu saabus, l2ksime me Johannaga Ibise hotelli katusebaari uusaastapeole. Johanna t88tas Ibise hotellis inglise keele 6petajana, mist6ttu ta teadis, et seal on pidu. Baarist avanevad kaunid vaated linnale ning tegemist oli suurep2rase kohaga kust ilutulestikku vaadata. Me olime pea ainsad buled peol, ning MCdel (peojuhtidel) oli nalja nabani kui nad sundisid Paolot ja mind viktoriinis osalema (ja meil polnud aimugi mida nad kogu aja r22kisid). Peolised olid enamasti noored indoneeslased, ning oli v2ga kummaline samal peol n2ha konservatiivseid poisse ja pear2tikut kandvaid tydrukuid, kes j6id mahla ja r22kisid niisama vaikselt juttu, ning teiselt poolt progressiivseid noori l22nelikes riietes, tydrukuid nappides seelikutes ning lahtiste juustega, kes j6id ennast poole tunni jooksul maani t2is. P2rast kesk88 tervitust ning ilutulestikku pani DJ muusika valjemaks, tantsijad tulid lavale, ning k6ik progressiivsed noored indoneeslased hyppasid lava ees olevasse basseini tantsima ja hullama - ent ikka t2ies riietuses! Pidu sai kell 1 88sel j2rsku l2bi ning k6ik basseinis olnud pidid v2lja tulema ja m2rgade riietega lahkuma. Nii veider!

Me l2ksime edasi teise linnaossa kus meiega yhines ka Johanna s6branna Esther Tenerifelt ning l6puks j6udsime koju alles koidu ajal, saadetuna k6ikidest ymbruskonna mosheedest k6lava kutsega hommikupalvusele. Magama j22mine ei olnud nii lihtne kui arvata v6iks, kuna kylaelu juurde kuuluvad ka kanad ja kuked ja t2pselt meie akna taga oli yks kukk kes j2rjepidevalt kires justkui oleks maailmal6pp tulemas!

J2rgnev hommik, 2016. aasta esimene, sai j2rjekordse rahuliku alguse koos Johannaga, misj2rel me s6itsime j2lle t2toveerija juurde, et Paolole uus t2toveering teha. Ta oli pikalt juba selle peale m6elnud ning arvanud, et oleks tore Aasias olles t2toveering teha, kuna sellest saaks j22dav m2lestus meie reisist. Tal ei olnud kindlat plaani seda just Yogyas teha, ent Ari oli talle n2idanud yhe oma s6bra kaunilt tehtud t2toveeringut ning andnud Paolole autori kontaktid. Seega leidiski ta end t2toveerija juures, kysimas traditsioonilist Indoneesia kavandit, andes kunstnikule vabad k2ed teha seda, mis ta heaks arvaks. Tulemuseks sai kaunilt tehtud, detailne ja ilmekas t2toveering traditsioonilisest indoneesia maskist. T2toveerija oli v2ga andekas ning Paolo oli tulemusega v2ga rahul. Viie tunni jooksul mis me ta stuudios veetsime, saime me t2toveerija ja tema naisega ka palju juttu r22gitud. M6lemad olid ylimalt meeldivad inimesed, kaetud t2toveeringutega (mis on Indoneesias loomulikult p2ris ebatavaline).

Meie viimane p2ev Yogyas yhtis Johanna viimase t88p2evaga ning tema viimase laup2evaga Indoneesias (kuna ta 6pingud siin on l2bi ning ta s6idab peatselt minema), seega pidas ta suure lahkumispeo. Me veetsime toreda viimase 6htu koos Johanna ja ta s6pradega, enne kui me hilis6htul lennujaama l2ksime et varahommikuse lennuga Balile s6ita, et veeta meie viimane n2dala Indoneesias enne Austraaliasse minekut.

Yogya oli meie senise reisi k6ige erinevam peatykk ning me nautisime vaheldust. Eriti tore oli v6imalus veeta aega s6pradega ning kohtuda paljude uute inimestega. Ait2h kylalislahkuse eest, Johanna!

(Pildid ikka p2rast inglisekeelset teksti)

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Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2016 got off to an amazing start :) Ours sure did, although it is a bizarre feeling to welcome the new year in 30-degree heat.

Until now we had only really seen relatively touristic places here, so in Yogyakarta and on Java we got a taste of the "real" Indonesia, and a lot has happened in the past two weeks so here comes a long one!

We arrived to Yogyakarta on Christmas Eve, and were met at the airport by Johanna, my good friend from high school. She had been living in Yogyakarta for the past six months, doing her Master's research in humanitarian aid. It had been over three years since I had last seen her, so the reunion was sweet and it was great to be able to spend some time together. We stayed with Johanna in her home in a village in Bantul, just south of the city. Surrounded by rice fields and the jungle, it was a nice and quiet place to stay, away from the noise of the city. However, village life in a Muslim country comes with its rules, and since it is forbidden for unmarried men and women to live together, the village elder had to be bribed so that Paolo and I could stay with Johanna. The religious reasoning was probably just pretext though, it was simply an opportunity for them to extract some cash from silly bules (white people). While people in the village were all very smiley and nice, this knowledge did make us wonder on just how sincere that niceness is.

But on much more pleasant notes, it was wonderful to catch up for a few hours with Johanna on her terrace after we arrived, and to hear about her life on Java. We then started to prepare for Christmas Eve (which in Estonia is when Christmas is really celebrated - the main dinner, the presents, the whole deal happens on the evening of the 24th). Johanna had invited a few of her friends over from an arts community centre in the village to join us for dinner. A strange thing to have a progressive, alternative bunch of artists coexisting with the very conservative village people, but as Johanna explained, the artists have supported the village people in their activities. For instance, they created artwork to sell in order to support the farmers and their families who had been attacked with machetes and maimed or killed in their homes after they had protested against planned corporate mining activities on their ricefields (horrible story which only happened weeks before our visit). Their support and awareness-raising of these issues have made the villagers accept them, despite their very un-conservative lifestyle.

Paolo oversaw the cooking of a huge pot of seafood risotto for dinner, which turned out delicious, and we also sampled some fried tempe prepared by one of Johanna's friends (a type of soy bean product similar to tofu, but harder). A very modest and unusual Christmas dinner by European standards, but very tasty! We did explain to the Indonesians that risotto is not a traditional Christmas dish, but they didn't seem to mind either way :)

Next day, the first order of business was to get a scooter for me and Paolo, lest we be stuck in the house for ten days. Scooters are essential in Yogyakarta, since public transport doesn't really work, and moving around with just taxis would be too expensive. We got one from a hostel in the city centre that is run by Johanna's friends. After spending some time there and chatting to the people in the hostel, Paolo and I went for our first walk in the city centre (postponing the inevitable first scooter ride in the heavy traffic).

Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta, or Yogya or Jogja - all variations are accepted, as well as all pronounciations) is a city of a little under 400,000 people, located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta on the island of Java. The Region is different to other provinces in Indonesia in that it is the only one still governed by a pre-colonial hereditary monarchy, the Sultan of Yogyakarta. Yogya is a cultural and educational hub, and progressive by Indonesian standards. We found the city to be mainly super busy, with crazy traffic! The holiday season had made it much worse than it usually is (locals say that Yogya traffic is one of the best in Indonesia, and nothing at all compared to Jakarta. I can safely remove Jakarta from my list of places to go then!). I say holiday season, since while obviously most Indonesians don't celebrate Christmas, they do celebrate New Year, and they also have a school break in the end of December, so it's a holiday here too.

We walked along the Malioboro street, which is one of the main streets in the city centre. It was lined with vendors of food, clothing, electronics, and lots more. But mainly, it was packed with other pedestrians doing what we were doing. When we had had our fill of the busy streets, we returned to the hostel to get our scooter and ride back home with Johanna. Paolo did admirably, navigating the busy traffic and narrow streets of the centre, only driving a scooter for the second time ever.

The next morning, Johanna had advised us to join her friend Ari for an informal batik workshop in town. Batik is a traditional Indonesian artform, used to paint on fabric. It involves using wax to draw patterns, and then using dyes to fill the patterns as desired (with the wax keeping different colours separate). The fabric then can be put out in the sun for the colours in the dyes to come out (the longer the brighter), after which the fabric is soaked first in acidic water for the final treatment of the dye. The final step is boiling, which removes the wax, leaving the fabric underneath its original colour. The traditional batik designs are usually just abstract patterns, and are usually used on clothing, particularly on men's shirts. Ari, however, is a very talented young artist and he uses the traditional technique to create contemporary art, and during the workshop he was working on a beautiful design of a bird. You can see some of Ari's work on his Instagram feed. For us to try batik, Ari gave both of us a handkerchief-size piece of white fabric and let us do whatever we wished. Applying wax was much harder than Ari had made it look, and we both had splotches everywhere. But as Ari explained, it is a part of the art, to expect the unexpected and go with the flow. Don't try to stick to your plan too much, because accidents happen, and if you work with them, rather than against them, it can improve what you are doing. Great philosophy for batik, which also works extremely well as life advice :)

Since Johanna had to keep writing her thesis during our visit, Paolo and I decided to make the most of having a scooter, and leave Yogya for two days to explore the surrounding area. The next day, we headed for Borobudur, north-west from Yogya (and actually in the Central Java province), to see the famous temple of Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world. Despite being world-famous, not much is known about the temple, other that it was built sometime around the 9th century. The temple was abandoned in the 14th century, following Javanese conversion to Islam. In 1814, it was rediscovered by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java. He followed the stories of locals, who had retained knowledge of the temple and its location, despite it being buried under layers of volcanic ash and jungle vegetation.

The construction itself is huge and impressive. The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and the top three circular, all topped by a central dome. Visitors to the temple are guided up the platforms by stairs, and each platform has extensive narrative relief panels, and a total of 504 Buddha statues.

The temple was beautiful and the construction impressive, unfortunately though we weren't able to enjoy it too much, since for the locals, we were the bigger attraction! We visited the temple during the early afternoon, at which time it was crowded, with mostly local Indonesian tourists and schoolgroups. Many probably came from places in the country that are not very touristic, and for them it was a novelty to see Europeans. So we were constantly asked to have our picture taken, which we were happy to do, but after a while it did get a bit tiring, especially when queues started forming of people waiting to get their photo! We had to escape a few times from the hoards with cameras. A very bizarre experience! Mostly though it was nice, when groups of teenagers came and shyly asked if they could have a photo, or mothers with their small children asked for a photo with their kids. One man gave Paolo bags of kopi luwak as thanks (the famous coffee that is made using beans that are picked from the droppings of a small mammal), which we have yet to try! Paolo also turned the tables on all the people wanting photos by insisting that they pose with us for a photo with our camera too, so now we too have loads of pictures of us with random Indonesians :D

It was most crazy on the temple itself, but the monument is surrounded by large grounds and a park, so we were able to relax and walk around the place as well. The real highlight of our visit actually happened away from the temple itself, when we found a traditional Javanese puppet theatre playing, with a small live orchestra and singers. It was absolutely beautiful and immersing, and we spent ages following the story, as told by the puppet master and the singers, not understanding a word, but no less enchanted. The percussion music set the perfect mystical atmosphere for recounting age-old stories of ancient princes and princesses, witches and spirits, and the puppets themselves, so unique in their style, were beautifully made and offered a glimpse into ancient Javanese culture.

The next day, we decided to explore the surrounding countryside on scooters and to go see a nearby volcano. There are lots of volcanoes in Indonesia, as most of the country sits precisely on the joining of the Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates. This also means frequent earthquakes. The 2004 tsunami was triggered by the third strongest known earthquake in history just off the western coast of Sumatra, destroying the whole region of Aceh. Yogyakarta itself experienced an earthquake in 2006, which, while not extremely strong, happened in the thickly populated city, killing 5,700 people. As for volcanoes, the one we went to see is called Merapi, and it's one of the most active volcanoes in the world, erupting roughly once every four years. The last big eruption occurred in 2010, claiming the lives of over 350 people, and covering Yogyakarta (and Borobudur) in ash. When we went to see it however (from afar), it was half covered in clouds and doing nothing at all. So we continued our scooter ride across the countryside, seeing jungles and rice fields and enjoying the breeze, before going back to Borobudur village for the evening.

The next day we returned to Yogya, and before meeting up with Johanna again in the evening, we visited the two main landmarks in the city - the Sultan's Palace (which was hugely underwhelming, there was literally nothing to see there), and the Water Castle (which was beautiful, the former lodgings for the harems of sultans past). We also took advantage of a free afternoon to go to the cinema to see the new Star Wars :D It was brilliant!

Since Johanna was working also the following day, Paolo and I took another scooter trip, to the south this time, to see the ocean. About 30km south of Yogya is Parangtritis beach, a very popular place with mainly locals. It's a wide beach with dark volcanic sand, and swimming is not recommended at all, because of dangerous rip currents and huge waves. Or, as local superstition has it, the southern ocean is home to the Nyai Loro Kidul or the Queen of the South, a dangerous water deity who lures people into the sea and their deaths. Superstitious locals refrain from wearing green on the beach, since it supposedly pisses the Queen off. In reality though, there are lots of deaths also because many Indonesians don't know how to swim (I wonder if because of the legend? If so it's really a self-fulfilling circle). Even without all the danger, I wouldn't have swam anyway, since I would have had to do so fully clothed to abide by local Muslim customs, and swimming with clothes on just doesn't sound that great. Instead we contented ourselves with walking along the beautiful (if a bit crowded) beach, and sat down in a small bar for a drink of iced tea and to read our books. We then drove around the area and enjoyed some beautiful views before going back to Yogya.

And then it was already the 31st December. We chilled out with Johanna in the house in the morning, before she went off to town and I accompanied Paolo to see a tattoo artist :) But more on that later! When evening came, we met Johanna at the roof bar of Ibis Hotel for a New Year's party. Johanna had been working in the hotel as an English teacher, and knew that there would be an event on. The bar itself offers beautiful views of the city, and was an excellent place to see the fireworks. We were nearly the only bules in the place, and the MCs had fun making Paolo and me participate in a quiz (we had no idea what they were saying the whole time). The people there were mostly young Indonesians, and it was bizarre to see a mix of very conservative boys and hijab-clad girls who were drinking juice and having quiet conversation, and other groups of progressive youngsters dressed in western clothes, with girls showing a lot of skin and not wearing headscarves, getting absolutely piss-drunk within half an hour. After the countdown to midnight, and some fireworks, the DJs turned the music up, go-go dancers came on stage to dance and all the progressive youngsters jumped into the big pool that was in front of the stage - but still fully clothed! The party was abruptly over at 1am and all the people had to emerge and go away with wet clothes. How weird!

We went on to another part of town where were joined by Johanna's friend Esther from Tenerife, and we finally got home just as dawn was coming, accompanied by the morning prayer calls from all nearby mosques. It was tricky to go to sleep since village life also means chickens and cocks, and there was one just behind our window, crowing like the world was about to end!

The next morning, the first of 2016, got off to another nice chilled breakfast with Johanna, and then we went to see the tattoo artist again, for Paolo to get a new tattoo. He had been thinking of getting one for some time, and thought it would be great to get one during our travels, as it would be a lasting memento of our trip. He had actually not had a clear plan to do it in Yogya, but Ari had shown Paolo a photo of a friend's tattoo which was very well made, and gave him the contact of the tattoo artist. So in the end, there he was, asking for a traditional Indonesian design, giving the artist liberty to do what he thought best, and it all culminated in a beautifully done, detailed and vivid tattoo of a traditional Indonesian mask. The artist was very talented and Paolo was very pleased with the result. During the five hours we spent at the studio, we got to chat with the artist and his wife a lot, and they were both really nice people, both covered in tattoos (quite unusual in Indonesia).

Our last day in Yogya coincided with Johanna's last day at work and her last Saturday in Indonesia (as her course is finished and she will leave the country), so she held a big goodbye party. We spent a lovely last evening with her and her friends, before making our way to the airport late at night, to catch our early morning flight to Bali for our last week in Indonesia before heading to Australia.

Yogya was a very different chapter of our trip, and we really enjoyed the variety. In particular it was great to spend time with friends and to meet lots of new people. Thanks Johanna for the hospitality!