TheLostGlobe

Well it’s been a while, I’ve mostly put this off because internet access in Indonesia was bleedingly slow. So right now I’ve forked out 80 Ringit in the LCCT terminal in Kuala Lumpur to get into the premium lounge for food a comfortable couch and fast internet. I have decided to sleep at the airport tonight so I will see exactly nothing of KL from the ground as I fly to Phuket tomorrow. Maybe I will spend some time in Malaysia on the way back.

Bali was quite overwhelming at first but I pretty quickly got the hang of it, mostly it was handling the touts and figuring out how much I should pay for things, I did learn the hard way on more than one occasion. To be honest I did no think that much of Bali but I did only see the Kuta and Legian areas, if I had gone to Ubud and other areas I may have formed a different opinion but I was only there for 3-4 days, I can’t even remember already.

I was very impressed with Yogyakarta but I don’t know why, as for the city itself, it was not at all impressing. Borobudur, Prambanan, Merapi and more were though. In most places the streets were rather dirty and there is a lot of pollution. I got around almost exclusively by motorbike and almost always the same driver too, it payed off, on my third days he took me to his village and explained how his house had collapased in the 2006 Earthquake and showed his scars to prove it, his replacement house was a hut made of many different materials with a dirt floor, no electricity, etc. I was a little taken aback by the poverty and one particular begger at Borobudur who had all of his limbs aputated. I followed the lead of the locals and generally gave 1000 Rupiah to beggers, about 11c AU. For my driver though after my last tour with him I gave him 500,000 Rupiah a little over $55AU which should mean he can make a few upgradees to his home.

I bought lots of souvenirs in Indonesia, Batik, Paintings, Puppets, Silver, Books, Keris (Maybe regretfully) and more. I posted it back to my mother today as my back is already full and just barely make it under the baggage allowance today by 500g. I will have to offload some clothes somewhere. I also lost my bankcard the other day, I think I left it in and ATM machine, so I will have to use cash advances on my credit card until I get it replaced.

So far my favourite things I’ve done have been riding through the villages on the way to my drivers house and the beach and Merapi. After he showed me his house and the beach he took me to a place to try Cobra blood and meat. The owner brought out a King Cobra from a room full with bags of snakes and proceeded to make it very angry on the floor in front of me, I was pretty surprised actually that with the greif he was giving it it didn’t try harder to bite him. Eventually he took it to the chopping block broke it’s neck and severed it’s head pouring the blood into a cup. The blood is usually mixed with beer, water or it seems in the case of tourists and mine, Red Bull. After gutting the snake and adding a few inards of I don’t Know What to the mixture of blood and Red Bull it was handed over to me to drink. After a bit of hesitation and a countdown from my driver I downed it in one go, hardly tasting it. The mild blood flavour was mostly overpowered by the Red Bull. I talked with my driver, the snake man and his sons for a while while the meat was cooked and was given a small non venemous snake to hold, actually they were giving it to me to take home with me but of course I had to leave it behind. The snake meat eventally came out and looked fairly appetising, when I was told it is like chicken I took it with a grain of salt thinking they always say that. It does taste somewhat like chicken and similar texture, actually it was one of the best local meals I have had so far. Unfortuneately I didn’t have my camera with me so no photos, I have no photos from the last 2 days in Yogya as the battery went flat and I have had no way to recharge it, I am hoping I will be able to find an adapter or charger in Phuket tomorrow. I will upload photos ASAP once it is recharged.

More later from Thailand.

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