Sunday, July 28, 2013

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

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Borobodur temple


Indonesia may be just one country in the official books, but a closer look reveals a mishmash of races and cultures scattered across the country's 6,000 inhabited islands. While many of these islands are slow, sandy places with more action under the water than above it, Java is jam-packed with 135 million people in an area about the size of New York state. Before heading off to the far flung islands for the famous beaches, jungles, and scuba diving, we decided to pay homage to Indonesia's cultural capital with a visit to one of Java's most interesting cities - Yogyakarta. The city is not extremely popular amongst foreigners, but it offers a great opportunity to experience the modern, urban Indonesia. It's also the access point to the mighty temples of Prambanan and Borobudur, two amazing sites that provide a glimpse into Indonesia's rich Hindu and Buddhist history.

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Though there were plenty of hotels and great places to eat, we were in a pretty non-touristy part of town where bikes and pedal-powered tuk tuks were the preferred way to get around.

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We passed this lovely demo sight and couldn't help but be reminded of the good ol' 13th Street mystery lot in our beloved East Village, which we've heard has now been turned into a modern condo building.

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As if the stares from the locals weren't already bad enough, we decided to throw on these bright ponchos to stay dry when it started to rain. Clearly the guy taking the photo wasn't used to photographing anyone over six feet tall.

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When the rain and stares became too much we sought refuge in a covered tuk tuk.

IMGP0805.jpg Our first stop was to the Sri Sultan's palace or "Kraton". There was a performance going on featuring the gamelon - a traditional Indonesian musical ensemble with a number of instruments like the xylophone, gong, strings, etc. It's very popular in the Bali and Java regions and we often awoke to the sounds of it playing in the morning.

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This little guy has the traditional Javanese costume on.

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Wayang kulit, or shadow puppets, are a popular art form in Indonesia, specifically Java. The puppet is made from leather and carefully carved with very fine tools and supported with buffalo horn handles and control rods. The stories are usually drawn from the Hindu epic Ramayana.

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Once carved, the puppets are carefully hand painted in bright colors. 

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Joe found this giant claw and reenacted one of his favorite scenes from Jurassic Park - slashing the old man across the belly, spilling his intestines.

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Another popular Javanese cultural practice is the art of Batik. Batik is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dying technique. Genuine batik doesn't have a front or a back. The dye goes through the cloth making the pattern indistinguishable on both sides. Originally used to make fabric for clothing, batik paintings have become popular. We visited a Batik school - the best place to grab the paintings.

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After an exhausting day of puppet shows, galleries, bargaining and avoiding scams, Ashley was ready to put her feet up and let this guy pedal her home.

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Our hotel. The rooms were terrible, but having the pool after a long, hot day definitely made up for it.


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Joe had read that the Bird Market in Yogyakarta was "a colorful menagerie not to be missed." False advertising. This is what we saw...

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Baskets upon baskets of "bird feed" (maggots)

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These bats and rotting bananas

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And this poor chicken locked into a tiny box with a giant python being slowly eaten alive. It was not the image we had originally associated with "colorful menagerie."

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It wasn't all bad. This parrot was pretty cute.

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And this 20-something foot Burmese python was awesome. Though his cage could use a cleaning. 

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We paid a visit to the breathtaking Prambanan, a 9th century Hindu temple dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). 

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The temple is covered with panels of narrative bas-reliefs which tell the story of Ramayana. Ramayana is everywhere in Indonesia - temples feature it, wood carvings of Rama and Sita (the story's lovers) are found everywhere, and it's even on TV constantly.

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The temples were abandoned after a volcano eruption destroyed parts of central Java in the 930s. They then collapsed after a massive earthquake in the 16th century. It wasn't until the 1800s that the ruins were surveyed and rebuilt. Parts of the temple are still being repaired, hence the flattering hard hat. 

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We heard what sounding like soft meows coming from somewhere in the temple and saw this sweet little kitten peering out. Somebody call the fire department.

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Catching the best lighting of the day.

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We decided to stick around for the Ramayana ballet show that takes place on a stage set just behind the illuminated Prambanan temples. Sorry Williamsburg Waterfront and Red Rocks, this is the coolest venue we've ever seen.

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The Ramanyana is a 24,000 verse epic, but in brief it depicts the duties of relationships, portraying ideal characters (ideal son, ideal servant, ideal wife, ideal king, etc.).  It tells the story of Rama (an incarnation of Vishnu) whose wife Sita is abducted by the king of Ravan (pictured coming down the stairs) and his journey to get her back. The performers are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra with footsteps, voices, etc. all vocalized by the instruments. 

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Best part of the show - Hanuman the monkey (and Ashley's favorite character in the story thanks to his spicy dance moves) lit the damn stage on fire! This starts an epic battle that leads to the return of Sita to her beloved.

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The next day Joe somehow convinced Ashley it was a good idea to make the 2 hour drive through the city and its outskirts at the crack of dawn to see Borobudur. He certainly looked the part, so she obliged.

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Joe using his tried-and-true negotiating tactic of looming over the locals with his helmet still on.


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As most of our motorbike stories go, we underestimated the task at hand. The worst part came when we accidentally found ourselves on the highway shortly after this photo was taken. It was the real life version of the Clueless scene. Terrified, cursing, praying... we made it out unscathed, though the psychological damage has yet to surface.

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Ahhh Borobudur at last. The 9th century temple is the largest Buddhist site in the world, and has over 500 Buddha statues and stupas. The main dome at the center of the top platform is surrounded by 72 Buddhas seated inside a perforated stupa.

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The first thing that took us by surprise were the countless number of children screaming and running to us like we were Bieber asking for photos. They weren't mistaking us for anyone famous, they were just that excited about seeing white people. We thought we had it bad, until we saw this poor redhead guy who was literally swarmed the entire time.

IMGP1209.jpg Borobudur was constructed as a series of terraces, where each level represents a different level of Buddhist cosmology. The path through the monument guides tourists and Buddhist pilgrims through an extensive system of stairways and corridors through the different levels: from Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), to Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and finally to Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness).

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The first four terraces showcase the bas-relief sculptures which depict a number of different things including scenes of daily life in ancient Java, as well as the story of Prince Siddhartha and the birth of Buddha.

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We regretted not hiring a tour guide to explain some of the 1,460 narrative panels, but when these local kids approached us on a school assignment to practice their English, we put them to good use. These two demonstrated an impressive knowledge of the Buddha's life and teachings - apparently teenagers in Indonesia don't spend all their time on World of Warcraft.

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The volcanoes in the distance made the site even more spectacular.

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Finally we reached Arupadhatu, the world of formlessness and the peak of the site.

The rest of the photos can be found in our Yogyakarta album.


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cameron Highlands & Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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Us atop Gunung Brinchang in Cameron Highlands
After enduring the heat and hustle of Penang and almost bursting the buttons on our pants, we were eager to cool off in the mountains and get some much needed fresh air and exercise. Cameron Highlands was just the ticket. The highest point in Malaysia accessible by car, it is filled with lovely tea plantations, strawberry farms and hikes through the plant and insect-rich mossy forest. Unfortunately, we were surprised to learn that it's among the top vacation destination for Malaysians themselves, and as we were traveling during a local holiday, at times it proved to be less serene than we'd hoped.

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We stayed at Gerard's Place in Tanah Rata. One of the friendliest owners we've encountered on our travels, Jay arranged a great day tour for us to see some of the highlights of CH. We started with the tea plantations. The tea plant is actually a tree, not a bush. Left to grow in the wild, it can reach 16m in height (though the ones pictured here have been neatly trimmed to a few inches). We were surprised to learn that the same plant is used to produce all different types of tea - black, green and oolong - based on the oxidation process and blend.

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This guy was really excited about the tea. He was also the loudest person on our tour.

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Too many people, too little bus. Thankfully, Joe's height got him VIP front seat treatment.

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Similar to a venus flytrap, the pitcher plant is a carnivorous plant that traps its prey in a deep cavity filled with inviting nectar. Usually the insect slips on the moist sides of the plant to its impending doom. The plant then eats the insects using the chemical-rich nectars that slowly munch and swallow the skin of the prey until it dissolves completely - becoming the very juice that is once tried to drink. I wonder what would happen if you left your finger in there for a while. Coincidentally it's also the provincial plant of Newfoundland, Ashley's homeland.

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Hiking in the mossy forest. This is the reason Joe always likes to hike behind Ashley.

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Handpicking tea leaves

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We visited the BOH tea plantation for some fresh brewed tea and delicious strawberry tarts. The BOH tea company actually invented the term "ummph" for their slogan Share the Ummph, as in, "that girl's strawberry earmuffs really add some ummph to her outfit."

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Nice view to enjoy a spot of tea

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The next stop on our tour was to the Taman Rama-Rama Butterfly and Insect Park. BIG time highlight. Especially this rhinoceros beetle.

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This seems like a very cruel thing to do to a turtle.

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The aptly named leaf insect

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And equally appropriate stick insect. Incredible!

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The next thing the guide showed us was this pile of leaves. We were pretty unimpressed until he pointed out the leaf frogs, which are completely camouflaged. How many can you spot? There are least 4 in there.

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Our brave guide handling a scorpion. He told us they are safe to handle as long as you don't touch their backs and allow them to continue crawling by continuously moving your hands. No thanks. We guess he hasn't taken his own advice, since he's been stung so many times that he's now immune to their poison. 

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The strawberry farm was a bust. There were no farms open to let us pick any fresh strawberries, so we had to settle for sub-par strawberry ice cream and muffins. And to top it off (literally), amidst fresh strawberry land, they whipped out Hershey's (fake) strawberry sauce to put on the ice cream.

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Good thing they had this strawberry hat to make up for it.

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Still not satisfied, we continued the search for fresh strawberries. We visited a great fruit shop by our hotel only to find out that their strawberries were imported from California. What a jip! We grabbed some dragon fruit instead and shared it with this snail.

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Something delicious being made at a local food cart in town.

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After a hell of a travel day (aren't they all?) to Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, Ashley bumped into this lady and her t-shirt. Hot and sweaty with her back in knots, she couldn't agree more with its sentiment. For the city and for the Yelovich.

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Kuala Lumpur is a relatively new city carved out of the jungle only 160 years ago. Even though it's now an enormous Asian "cyber-city", the jungle still shows through.

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But the signs of the jungle are fading fast.

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As usual, we found ourselves at the mall to beat the heat and enjoy the splendors of the food court. We found a Baskin Robbins which brought out an uncomfortably eager Joe.

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Taking advantage of another one of Ashley's dirty thirty bday presents (Thanks Steph!), we picked out a special Japanese restaurant in town that was so packed, we were relegated to the bar. Good sign. Their menus were meant to resemble a subway map.

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And the waiters wore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle outfits.

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Our favorite dish - incredible beef cutlet salad.

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Sake it to me baby.

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A visit to KL isn't complete without checking out the incredible Petronas Towers. Even in person, they don't look real. We decided to break from the budget for the evening and head to the SkyBar at the Shangri-La for the best view in town.

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The rooftop pool bar was sponsored by Belvedere - this definitely called for a dirty vodka martini. Sadly we had to limit our martinis to one per person. We felt like Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids. Help me I'm poor.

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But that didn't stop us from convincing the staff to give us an already-reserved table with a stunning view of the towers. We each nursed our one martini (and its measly two olives) as long as we could.

Check out the rest of the photos here.

Next up... we're off to Indonesia!