The Dieng Plateau

                                

The biodiversity and seemingly unlimited number of different languages and cultures make Indonesia beyond unique in so many ways. This never seemed more evident than when I was peering out my window on the bus from Jakarta to Central Java. Central Java is famous for its rich Buddhist, and Hindu temples, gorgeous landscape, mountains, and a rustic charm that warmed my heart from the moment I arrived. Throughout Java the one striking similarity you find  is the humble, hardworking, friendly and devout Muslims. However, aside from that There was nothing that would have convinced you that Jakarta and Dieng were part of the same country. A treacherous fifteen hour bus ride into the heart of Java will bring you to Wonosobo. As you can see in the upper right we hopped in the back of a truck and drove an hour north into the Dieng Plateau. Along with my house mate Richy and a great group of Universitas Indonesia students we were excited to have arrived. In the very center of one of the most densely populated regions on earth you will find small towns and sheer beauty.

  

On the right is Telana Warna Dieng or I think many color pond Dieng. This large pond or small lake, is essentially a mix of different shades of blue. It goes from teal, to turquoise, to navy blue, and although it is not hot hot like some of the hot springs we saw in Dieng, it's certainly very warm. Below here are two of many statues around the lake. The one on the right being of a Hindu God and a nod to Diengs Hindu past, perhaps Shiva. The one on the left, although confusing, and I'm not sure if is an idol (someone help?) I wanted to take it home. Surrounding the lake are a number of caves that were likely meant for private meditation or for worship.

It's difficult to be excited about waking up at three am when you get virtually no sleep at all the night before but for the view of this sunset it had to be done. A 45 minute drive in the back of the truck led us to this lake above, appropriately named Tadpole lake or Danau Cebong due to the wildlife it is home to. This picture below was taken after we hiked up the top of a peak to get a view of the sunrise overlooking Dieng and a mountain whose name I've conveniently forgotten and I just can't be bothered looking it up or asking somebody who went with us.

Throughout our return to Dieng we couldn't help but marvel at the natural beauty that encompasses the region. As you can see on the upper right photo, you often find yourself on such high ground that you can look down on the clouds. Also, no, those terraces on the side of the mountains are not natural, those are made so that the farmers can grow plants more efficiently, prevent landslides and have an easier time moving up and down the terrain to transport goods.They are a mesmerizing sight, one that forces a smile as you admire the serenity while appreciating the people of Central Java. 

Four children on a motor bike. Let's all agree that while this probably isn't legal, safe, or okay, it was pretty difficult not to laugh and throw up a peace sign in their direction.

The Dieng Temple Complex above has five beautiful old temples that have for the most part been preserved quite well. Though much smaller than Borobudur in Jogjakarta they were certainly impressive.

Out of many hot springs in Dieng these were the stinkiest, scariest, and the hottest. You walk past a number of vendors to make your way into an area surrounded by gorgeous rocks and the rocks appear as a gentleman with a tint of amber in his beard smoking a pipe in the countryside. 

As you walk closer you'll witness a giant pool of steam filled with a horrendous stench. The water seems to take on a life of its own and only in brief intermittent moments are you able to capture a photo that isn't filled with steam...

I feel like this almost looks like a painting. It kind of reminds me of a wonderful medieval orchard in Western Europe. Nestled in the middle of a valley and surrounded by mountains lays this gorgeous piece of land. After hiking down a short trail and through the path above, you end up at the view point which you can still make out just a bit in the upper left portion of this photo. From there the area is riddled with signs telling you not to continue and that you were only permitted to go that far. However...

After getting a glimpse of this large hot spring my curiousity was piqued and I could not resist a stroll down the short rocky road to get a closer view and whiff of this amazing mass of water. Far too hot to enter, one could only take in the sight and relax to the sweet smell of sulfuric acid. The water was bubbling so tenaciously that you would not dare attempt to figure out just how hot it was. It was quite the deterrent but at this point in the day the weather had heated up to such a point that the spring was never very appealing to begin with.

Below you'll see a view from the top of the path, it is quite possibly my favorite photograph that I have ever taken. The clouds, mountains, and the way the valley seems to effortlessly transform is breathtaking.

Six months into living in Jakarta and this is who I've become

I thought I'd come up with a list of ten hings I’ve forgotten how to do since living in Indonesia, or at least that’s how I’ll rationalize it. If this is offensive, well, how has your day been?

<       1) How to live without a maid. Now, don’t judge. Maids are so commonplace in Indonesia it’s often odd when people do not have some type of domestic staff working for them. I call my maid Ibu (Mom) and she’s outstanding. I’ve never seen dirty dishes in my sink or dirty laundry on my floor for more than two days, it’s an outstanding situation for someone whose room often looks like homeless man’s street corner smelling like a violation of the BYU honor code.

           2)ow to respect, and follow traffic violations. Hold on a MINUTE! I often speed and talk on the phone while driving back home, but mother of God, the traffic here reeks of a zombie apocalypse at a graveyard (are zombies still, like, kind of popular?) Lanes hardly exist. Drivers Ed? Na, eff that you could just buy it. Helmets on motorbikes? Next. Imagine being a bee surrounded by sheet metal trying to venture through the smell of piss, petrol, and burn hair. Let’s translate this into something a rational literate person can understand; I am scared.

            3) What warm showers feel like? Self-explanatory?

            4) How to go number two without using a bidet. For years I thought toilet paper was sufficient as a remedy for clearing out the residue inside your anus after having a poo. Now, I see it most certainly isn’t. A bidet, I looked it up and it’s French for pony, which will make no sense to you after finishing this. A bidet is basically a water gun attached to either the inside of a toilet in the form of a sprinkler, or to the side in the form of a miniature hose.  The sprinkler type is not as common and it works like this; you turn a faucet on the side of a toilet and position your bum so the water shoots up there, to uh, yeah. The gun is, well, a little bit cooler. You take that sucker from the side and aim it and attack that like a vampire with sunlight. One is meant to use this to clean out your butt and it is great. Of course after the, splashing shall we call it? You should probably use some toilet paper to clear out any remaining fecal matter.

              5) To not be offended by someone asking about my salary, religion, or political opinions. It’s fairly common, maybe just to foreigners, but I’ve been asked these things by acquaintances and people whom I’ve just met much more often than I would normally be comfortable with.

              6) How to eat with silverware and still feel cool. Eating with your hands at a restaurant is fantastic (picture me making the “Here’s Johnny” face from ‘The Shining’ with food all over my face and in my hands) scary? Yes, but ay don’t worry about it.

              7) How to be nice to waiters/service staff. Just kidding, I am always nice and respectful land have made many friends here in restaurants by doing just that, but many people here, as friendly as they are, are so rude to waiters/waitresses. Snapping, yelling, pointing, and ordering aren’t uncommon.

             8) What cold weather feels like? After being in Peru from Winter 2012 to Summer, followed by a Seattle summer and a few months in Costa Rica and now Indonesia… well I guess what I’m trying to say is I am remarkably pale for the type of weather I have been in for the past year.

             9) How to survive without rice. I don’t even know if I ate rice more than the handful of times I was at a Thai restaurant in the states. I probably have rice twice per day and at times more. That’s not to say there isn’t world class cuisine here, as well as your barrage of fast food restaurants from the states and the street food which is outstanding.

           10)   How normal the U.S. is. Seriously, go abroad for a year or so and follow the media as extensively as I do and you’ll see that we come across like complete idiots. I mostly blame the media. Let’s start with the biggest debates in the U.S. political field; Iranian missiles, defending Israel, blocking gay rights, abortion, Barack Obama’s birth certificate, defending our economic interests against Russia and China. I mean, do these things affect anybody’s lives on a day to day basis? For most people it’s hard to say yes and even the important topics shouldn’t even be debatable. The level of intellectual debate is horrendous. That said nobody gets more unfairly criticized overseas than Americans do. We are judged by the atrocities of the Republican and Democratic parties and their influence, as well as the attention they receive is global. Let’s not lie about it very rarely (likely never) will someone judge someone from Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, or New Zealand because of their leaders because most people have no idea who the hell their politicians are and/or have any idea what they do. In a number of places throughout the world people have asked me if I am a Republican or Democrat often times within the first 100 words.  So quit hating on Americans, for being American.