The Soul

I’ll never forget when I arrived in Singapore after living in Indonesia for four weeks.

I walked out of the airport into a country which was sanitised and ordered, where simple infringements were met by harsh fines and everything ran like clockwork. The first day I spent there in the CBD I had a deep sensation that something was missing, something not of a physical nature. The city had no soul.

In all fairness to Singapore over the next three days I explored communities which revealed to me the heart and soul of Singapore, the colour and the smells of areas such as Little India and Chinatown which transported you to faraway lands. But it still seemed all too Western.

Growing up in Australia I took a lot for granted, I thought that our way of life was the best in the world. That my house, my car, my top university were the best way to live and that anyone in their right mind would crave that lifestyle but I never realised what I was missing out on. I love the life I lead in Australia however after experiencing a different culture I crave different things.

The moment you step off the plane in Southeast Asia you are suffocated by humidity, it is sticky and quickly draws the sweat to the surface of your skin, making you uncomfortable and impatient until you adapt and adjust to the different climate. This first shock sets the scene until you try to conquer the traffic. While in Asia I travelled by local bus, walking, motorbike, coach, in the back of a cauliflower truck and becak all of which involved the manic battle for supremacy on the roads. Whether your enemy is potholes or the countless other vehicles it doesn’t matter as the goal is simple get to your destination quicker than anyone else. The best way to gain an advantage of course is the use of the humble horn if not to warn traffic then to remind them that you are there. I’ll never forget the cauliflower truck out of all of the modes of transport with 6 of us huddling in the back among the local produce winding past farms and rice paddies among spectacular scenery. The driver slightly amused by the group of muddy Australians who had approached him in his small village at 10am in the morning.

Noise is another thing I had never experienced to such a degree. The call to prayer was a shock at first until it became an integral part of the day, a way to tell the time and a chance to stop and reflect as well as a reminder to get home because you didn’t want to be late for dinner. The same went for the kaki lima, men peddling carts around town selling all types of delicacies some of which were foreign to me but emitting screeching jingles from their carts. People everywhere would greet you with “Hello Mister” irrespective of your gender or simply a shy smile.

A particularly memorable aspect of life in Indonesia was the smell. There was always a scent of something in the air from the downright disgusting and unexplainable to scents which excited the senses, delicious, rich flavours wafting through the air. This, I had never experienced to this degree in the past. It was the single thing that shocked me most of all on my arrival in Singapore, I could not smell anything, it was almost like losing your sense of smell all together,

Throughout Southeast Asia I have found these things, from sprawling metropolis like Jakarta and Manila to the smallest villages whose names I will probably never know. Furthermore between cities and towns these senses differed, each area with its own unique signature leaving a mark on me forever and creating a desire to experience and discover more of these foreign lands. A living soul permeating through every layer of society, not restricted by class or ethnicity, painting a picture for the senses and overwhelming you in every single way.

I am incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity to grow up in Australia and live the life that I have been given however the soul never leaves you, it lives within you. We try to remember the noise, the smell, the taste of the places we have experienced. We attempt to cook the traditional dishes we sampled in street side stalls or bash away at unusual instruments and scour youtube to find examples of the sounds of these strange lands. We explain these experiences to friends, family and colleagues but deep down one must live them to truly understand them.

These are the things we treasure, hold close to our hearts and never forget. The soul.

Taal- A Filippino Volcanic Adventure

There is something particularly awe inspiring about volcanoes. They are a direct connection to the Earth, playing a role in creating and destroying the world as we know it. Without notice they can change landscapes, wreak havoc on communities and make us realise how insignificant we truly are. Cultures not only fear the wrath of these mountains but worship and respect them as vital parts of their lives and history.

Coming from a country like Australia without any of these living mountains on the mainland, I always took particular interest in volcanoes. I remember first arriving in Indonesia and my friend pointing out the highly active Gunung Merapi of Central Java and watching it puff out smoke and steam and being amazed. This is the first I had seen of these creatures and something I always assumed was a thing to be feared suddenly became an obsession, a love and most of all something I wanted to understand better. When I was asked to go to the Philippines the first thing I did was look on google for any volcanoes close to Manila which I could explore.

Mount Mayon looked amazing, its conical shape considered to be one of the most perfect in the world. However it would require me to fly there which was not feasible in the time that I had. Mount Pinatubo also intrigued me with its ferocious nature. It is the perfect example of a volcano completely reshaping a landscape, blowing out the side of a mountain when it erupted last century. This left one volcano, the closest and most convenient judging on the time we had available Taal Volcano. When I was told that Taal only stood 300 metres above sea level I was quite disappointed, this seemed like nothing compared to the 3200 metre monster I had attempted to climb in Indonesia, however all it took was a photo to convince me Taal was worth exploring. The volcano is situated on an island in the middle of a lake which features a number of active cones under water. It is considered to be the World’s smallest volcano on an island in a lake on an island.

We arrived at Tagatay, a small town on the shores of Lake Taal at around 3pm in the afternoon. This worried me, I had read that it was still at least an hour’s climb to the top and I didn’t want to miss the boat back. We hired two boats which were noisy and blew diesel fumes into the air but provided a perfect mode of transportation to Volcano Island in the centre of the lake. Looking down on Taal from the ridges around the lake there is a prominent cone which one would assume is the volcano itself, arriving on the island we were told this wasn’t actually the active cone which instead could be found to the rear of the island. In the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia we decided that we would hire some mangy looking horses to take us up to the rim of the volcano rather than walking through the dust. As we set off, the air was soon full of dust, getting in your eyes and up your nose which combined with the heat made for a horrible experience however my guide decided that the dust the rest of the group was kicking off was not for us and we quickly took off up the trail leaving the others behind us.

My guide of course had no idea that I was rather frightened of horses and riding them was not particularly a favourite past time of mine so without thinking decided to make the guide rope into a set of reins for me and told me he would run behind me while I rode up the volcano. This made me feel quite anxious which soon turned into a feeling of utter fear when we reached the ridge with steep drop offs on both sides and a two metre wide track. Finally though we reached the top leaving a short walk up the steps, and as is an all too common site in Asia, a battle through a number of people trying to sell you drinks and other useless souvenirs which of course can be bought on the shores of the lake for half the price. Reaching the edge of the crater was spectacular. The volcano came from nowhere and the crater itself probably was at least a kilometre if not more in diameter. The crater itself, was filled with turquoise water, swirling steam at a constantly warm temperature. It was an amazing sight and as the sun was slowly setting, sending reflections of orange and red across the landscape, it really made you feel small, like the World was so much bigger and more powerful than you. It was time to leave to make it back to the boats in time.

This meant that it was time to take the horses downhill which was not a prospect that thrilled me, especially with a guide who thought that I loved to ride. As I got back on the horse he told me that once again, I could ride the horse and he would run along with me. To enhance my experience he seemed to think it was a good idea to keep hitting the horse so we would take the downhill journey at a trot. That said it was not all bad and I did eventually get used to the riding and even start to enjoy it. We tried to converse in broken English and he informed me that my horse was named Likea because he Likea me. I told my guide about horses in Australia and the Melbourne Cup as that is about as much as I know about the equine world. We rode slowly through the small village and stopped at his house where I tipped him generously for helping me overcome my fear of horses and he directed me in the way of the beach.

As I walked across the beach, again bombarded with villagers try to sell me their wares, the sound of cock fights and requests to come and play volleyball. I stepped into the boat and as we took off across the lake in the glowing, setting sun, I looked back at Volcano Island and Taal Volcano and realised that even what may seem small and insignificant can be absolutely incredible.

Update on the ANU Carpark Situation

So after a good month of uncertainty about what ANU were doing with my beloved back science carpark while driving past last night I saw a sign which made me rather happy. The sign stated that the carpark would be opening on the 30th of August with 90 NEW EXTRA PARKING SPOTS!!! Thank you ANU you have made my life slightly easier.

Also this week the ANU elections are on. As per normal I probably won't vote mostly because I know very little about the student union and it's inner workings. This year has been interesting in terms of the elections as I haven't been hassled by student politicians a single time while walking through Union Court and am yet to see any members of the socialist party trying to recruit followers.

That's about it for now just a short update on the happenings at ANU. I'm a bit devastated I forgot that the Asia-Pacific Studies Society had free fried rice today for members so now will have to go forage for food in Union Court.

Untill next time

RIP Car Parks at ANU

I am proud to be a student of the Australian National University and in my two years studying there have had a number of wonderful experiences however I am sick of the constant struggle to find parking every morning of the week.

Frequently I am drawn into conversations with friends and colleagues which inevitably leads to the conversation- "You're a uni student you can't complain. Don't you have 10 contact hours a week and sleep in every day." For the record I have 13 contact hours a week and despite the fact I would LOVE to sleep in, if I don't make it to uni on time I don't get a car park. Every morning thousands of local students face the dilemma of if they don't get to the campus before 9am they don't get a car park. Last semester I didn't have classes before 11am so this was a massive pain and some days I didn't start until 4pm but still I would find that I was unable to find anywhere to park my car. This combined with the Government's love of selling car parks in Civic in order to turn the City Centre into an overdeveloped replica of Sydney while charging exorbitant rates for the parking that remains is ridiculous.

Some may say why don't I just catch public transport. Living in Tuggeranong, a good 25km from university and having to work (night shifts so finishing late) as well as having a number of other committments in Belconnen on a regular basis, I need a car in order to go about my daily business however ANU seems somewhat adamant on not allowing me anywhere to park. Luckily I do have friends living in the inner north which provides me with somewhere to leave my car if I happen to hit traffic on the parkway and arrive at 9:01 however the fact that I have to pay ANU $140 a year for a sticker to put on my car which recently seems to be more of an accessory than anything of any great use is unacceptable.

So how did I feel after 5 weeks of holidays driving through the campus to discover that the carpark I normally park in is fenced off and filled with construction equipment? I hope that this is in order to perhaps make my beloved "back science" carpark bigger however I don't hold high hopes that this is the case. I understand the need for more accommodation for interstate students and know that the University is in a sticky situation after an overwhelming response to their accommodation guarantee. The university needs to remember that a large majority of their students live locally and they should put just as much effort in to cater for the "townie" population of the university.

I love studying at ANU but would love to see some action taken to make it easier for the local students of ANU to park on Campus as opposed to in O'Connor, at the Botanic Gardens or just going home rather than having to pay $10.50 for a day somewhere in Civic.

A new blog will be up this week!

World Cup Fever

It's that time again! My favourite sporting event would have to be the FIFA World Cup. Coming from a family of football fanatics and having played and followed football for a number of years a month of football is a dream come true. So far this world cup has been full of a number of shocking results and a couple of awesome games.

Firstly Australia- Australia has had a bit of bad luck at the cup which has caused a stir back home. The game against Germany was shocking but realistically we were never going to win. I was tipping Germany to win the World Cup before their game against Serbia but now I'm not too sure. The second game with Ghana was alright, the Kewell red card was unlucky but the ref was just enforcing the rules and it would have been a penalty anyway. The Serbia game will be interesting and I hope we win but I'm not entirely sure if we will. Also I hope Ghana beats Germany for our sake.

New Zealand- Shock of the tournament! I can't believe how well the All Whites are going.. Their performance has been phenomenal, I thought they were going to be the worst team at the tournament however North Korea has taken that title after the game with Portugal. I'd really like to see the Kiwis make the second round just for fun.

Best Game- Argentina vs South Korea. So far this has been my favourite game however the goals scored in the first half were very sloppy. I think Argentina could be one of the top teams in the tournament and could possibly take it out.

The best part about the World Cup is there is still another 2 weeks to go. This has definetly inspired me to go and watch the next World Cup if we qualify/I manage to save the money.

That's about it for now my puppy dog is wanting my attention so I should probably play with her

Escaping the Cold

With the June Long Weekend came the perfect chance to escape the cold of Canberra and head up to Brisbane for the Australian Judo National Championships.

When I got to Canberra Airport at 7:30am on the Friday morning it was around -5 degrees.. This of course brought with it a great deal of fog, closing the airport for about an hour and delaying my flight. However once we got on the plane (Virgin Embraer 190) it was smooth sailing up to Brisbane. I love flying Virgin Blue the staff are friendly and the planes are always clean and comfortable. Arriving in Brisbane we got a bus to our team accommodation the Hillcrest Central at Southbank. The apartments were great! We had 2 bedroom apartments with full kitchens, bathroom and balconies. The hotel had a spa, pool and sauna (which was well used by the judo team) and we were a 10 minute walk from the Southbank restaurants in one direction and the Gabba and shopping centre in the other.

View to Brisbane CBD from the hotel

As for what we did while we were up there it was the typical Judo trip meaning 90% of our time was taken up by judo and making weight, that said I managed to get a lot of uni assessment done and watched great movies such as Stick It, Bend it Like Beckham (my favourite movie) and Major Payne. We also went into Ginga a Japanese restaurant in Southbank which is a favourite of mine and the Torikatsu once again was delicious. While I was there I also went for a walk along the river and saw the gallery and theatres, a drive to Southbank turned into a tour of the CBD one night which was quite nice. On the last night we went to a club called the Normanby which was quite amazing due to the sheer size and how busy it was on a Sunday. (Although it was a public holiday which explained how busy it was)

There was some good judo over the weekend with some big ippons and some fantastic results for the ACT team. I wasn't particularly happy with my first fight where I managed to waste the best draw that will probably ever be given to me at Nationals. One interesting thing was that the gold medallists were given pineapples as well as medals which was problematic as you can't take fruit out of Queensland.

Coming home I flew QANTAS which was once again disappointing with service and cleanliness nowhere near as good as Virgin.

Well that's it for Nationals this year. It was probably one of the best Nationals I've been to and next year we are going to Perth which will be interesting.

Nationals Time Again

Well just a quick blog tonight because I have a pile of work to get done in the next week. On Friday I'm getting on a plane and flying up to Brisbane for Judo Nationals which should be a good trip despite the fact 4 days is far too short a time to be up there. Hoping that the ACT fights really well and brings home some medals, also hoping I make my weight class although I am quite close. That said I am already making lists of all of the unhealthy food I will eat after weigh in.. Two weeks of steamed veggies and eggs are a bit too much.

Most of all I'm looking forward to being in the warm weather. It has been in the negative temperatures down here recently and I have totally changed from loving winter to hating it with a firey passion.. I need to move somewhere warm for sure.

The next week is bound to be hectic, I have 3 pieces of assessment on Tuesday but the upside of that is that all of my assessment will be over! It's been a long semester and it will be good once it's over so I'm thinking a few brewskies may be in order to celebrate come mid next week.

Better get back to studying.. As of next week I will be free to write to my heart's content and already have a few things on my mind to write about.

So for now that's it! I hope you all have a safe and happy long weekend

The Road Not Taken

I had an English teacher in my final year of high school who introduced me to The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost and it appealed to me. I figured that this could possibly be the best way to live my life, taking this road not taken however I had no idea how to find it.

Going to Indonesia to study was a first step towards this road. I was nervous because I had no idea if I would actually like the country having spent thousands of dollars and dedicating a three year university degree to a place I knew very little about. I didn't know that I would have experiences in this country which I will treasure forever.

This blog is dedicated to one night in January 2010 where a group of ANU students tried to conquer Merbabu a 3200m volcano in Central Java.

View to Merbabu from my house in Salatiga

We set off in a rather gung ho fashion with packs and decked out in the finest camouflage gear provided to us by my host dad. We were prepared.. Well at least we thought we were..

At 9pm we began our drive to Tekelan, the village where the track up Merbabu begins, with our angkot (local bus) driving through the dark and the scent of kretek wafting through the bus, we discussed the night ahead and a number of popular TV shows. We then realised that we were completely lost. The boys decided it was easiest for us to just start from Kopeng which is a couple of kilometres from the start of the track and uphill all the way. So there we were a bunch of bules trekking through farmland (and at one stage past a cemetery) at 11pm at night, past villages which seemed deserted and onto the mountain.

I thought it would be an easy hike but it turns out that Merbabu is much steeper and rugged than I expected. For two hours we climbed past Hut 1 (There are 5 on the way to the summit) followed by Hut 2 where we found a small clearing to have a snack before pushing on to Hut 3. We realised at this stage that it was much colder than we were expecting it to be and that we might as well keep moving. The path from here got worse up to the stage when we were dragging ourselves through vines, being cut to threads by thorns and negotiating muddy slopes however we kept believing that Hut 3 was just around the corner but time after time it wasn't.

After hours of climbing, the scenery that we could see from the beams of light from our head torches changed. Suddenly there was nowhere further to climb and we were obviously above the tree line. We realised that we had most likely reached the summit and it was time to wait for the sun to come up. However by this stage we were all soaked and freezing as the wind had picked up, it was the closest I have ever felt to getting hypothermia in my entire life so we found a trench to try and get out of the wind at least and warm up a bit.

Waiting for sunrise at the summit

Following a couple of hours huddled on the side of the mountain (where I even managed to get about an hour of sleep) we woke up to cloud covered mountain with visibility levels low. It was time to conquer the summit, one group started up the last few hundred metres of the track while the rest of us packed up the gear. As we moved up the track suddenly my friend said what was possibly the most soul crushing thing I have ever heard.. We climbed the wrong peak.. Sure enough as the cloud cleared a little, we saw the old phone tower and the maintenance building on top of the mountain on the opposite peak (still at a respectable 3000m) and then to add to the situation it started to sleet.

There was nothing we could do but climb through the barbed wire fence into the building to try and take some shelter from the weather and decide what we were to do next. Eventually we decided to make our way back down and head home. So we started off down the mountain slightly annoyed and slipping on patches of mud everywhere.

Not exactly 5 star luxury for shelter

We reached a small clearing still above the tree line and stopped for a break and then it happened, the cloud cleared and I saw what is the most spectacular thing I have ever seen. In every direction the majestic peaks of Java started to poke their heads above the clouds revealing the famed islands in the sky. Next we saw down into the valley, to the villages, the rice paddies and to Salatiga the town where we were studying. It was this moment I realised that the horrible climb up was completely worth it for this one moment, the one moment that made me love Indonesia and told me that studying Indonesian was the right choice. It lifted our spirits and the hike down was much easier (We realised that the "path" from the night before wasn't actually a track and we had just been climbing through forest for 6 hours).

The cloud clearing

The view from the top- Spectacular

We got to Tekelan having passed a number of villagers, farmers with their teeth stained from chewing Betel Leaf who we greeted with a Selamat Pagi (good morning) and who responded with the same or a shy smile. In the village we collapsed on the side of the road to try and figure out how we were going to get back to Kopeng where we could get a bus to Salatiga. Suddenly some of our group spotted a ute loaded with cauliflower for the market and rushed over to arrange a lift into town. So off we went in an old truck full of produce and onto a crowded bus full of locals until eventually we made it home to Salatiga at 12pm to collapse into our beds.

Checking out the local agriculture

For many days after it was easy to remember the negatives; the cold, the wind, the physical exhaustion but in retrospect it was the experience of a lifetime.

In terms of studying Indonesian In-Country I would recommend it because the experience you gain you will not find anywhere else. Unfortunately bad press and government travel warnings do turn a lot of people off studying over there which is a real shame.

So to conclude it turns out on the mountain I finally did take the road not taken, likewise in my decision to study in Indonesia, it turns out you don't find it, it finds you.

And that has made all the difference

Indonesian Embassy Visit

The visit to the Indonesian Embassy went well in my opinion. It was fantastic to be able to discuss current issues with the head of political affairs and media liason.

The main point to come out of the day was a need for greater communication and the strengthening of ties between Indonesia and Australia, as one participant stated that the Indonesia-Australia relationship frequently experiences peaks and troughs however there is a need to maintain the peaks.

A number of other issues were discussed including trade, East Timor and West Papua although particular care was taken regarding some issues to prevent offence being caused by either parties. A comment which really stood out to me with by the Indonesian party who said that "Indonesia would not be a prisoner of its past." While there is no doubt Indonesia has commited various human rights abuses over time which they did acknowledge at the same time so has Australia and I believe this attitude could be vital in the growth of the Indonesian nation.

Another issue particularly close to me was regarding the studying of Indonesian by Australian students. The Indonesian officials stated that this was an issue of interest however they also said that it was hampered by the travel warnings against Indonesia preventing students from completing In-Country Programs. There was also mention of a number of initiatives taking place to expand Indonesian language programs.

Overall it was a good morning with a number of important issues discussed and a big thank you to the Indonesian Embassy for their hospitality.

Mothers Day Classic and Embassy Visits

Well the Mothers Day Classic is well and truly over. I managed to raise $280 and run it in a respectable 31 minutes which isn't bad for someone who hasn't run in years. Thousands of people were there on the day and it was great to see everyone out there bright and early on a Sunday morning getting involved.

News this week is that I am visiting the Indonesian Embassy tomorrow. This is part 0f some program and I'll be generally touring around and then having a discussion with some senior diplomats. I think this will be a good opportunity to discuss the promotion of Indonesian Studies and Bahasa Indonesia in Australia. As we are trying to found an Indonesian Studies Association at ANU this could be a great chance to really gain some knowledge from people in the know as I think I may be one of the only people there flying the Indonesian Student flag.

Basically uni is wrapping up for the semester which means more exams, essays and all those things which make life stressful. With Nationals also coming up in a month my training tempo is pretty high so I can't wait until the middle of June when I get a chance to relax. I'll try to keep the blog updated but with my schedule at the moment it may be a little difficult.

Courts

Manila Madness

To arrive in a foreign country can be daunting and is often viewed with some trepidation. For me to go back to South East Asia was a relief, a chance to go back to the part of the world that I love and could barely wait to feel the heat and the humidity and smell the different smells that make Asia what it is.
However despite the fact that I enjoyed Manila immensely it was not entirely what I was expecting. I’m a fan of Jakarta, I like the big city feel but the fact was Manila was just too Americanised. Sure this can be explained by the large American presence in the country for the better part of a century yet it seemed as though Filipino culture had assimilated into American culture as opposed to vice versa. There were some amazing things to see in Manila such as Intramuros, the centuries old Spanish walled town which features more history than one can possibly absorb in one day and Mall of Asia the 4th largest mall in the world where as I found it is incredibly easy to get lost and you can leave without even realising that there was another 3 parts of the mall to see. While I was there I went ice skating which in itself seemed out of character from my normal experience stay away from malls/things I can do at home approach to travel but then again when in Rome.

Sadly I didn’t make it out to Corregidor which is something I really wanted to do however in typical fashion the day I went out to get the ferry it was experiencing technical difficulties so wasn’t sailing.

The stand out for me though was my trip to Taal Volcano. I have a little bit of an obsession with all things volcanic so when my Filipino Aunt said her dad was going to take us out there in his jeepney it was too good an offer to refuse. We had lunch up at Tagatay which is a great place to actually view the enormous Lake Taal which features not just the Volcano Island volcano but a number of other underwater volcanoes but the highlight was definitely when we took the boat across to Volcano Island itself.

To be honest it was a bit of a tourist trap, everything cost money and everyone tried to get cash out of you for one thing or another. Luckily when it came to hiring some horses (well more like half starved ponies) and guides, my guide seemed less focused on constantly asking me for tips and more focused on showing me how to ride the horse myself instead of just tugging the lead rope up the mountain. This added to the experience and also helped to somewhat kill my fear of both heights and horses. At the crater rim the view was amazing; to stand on the top and imagine that the lake below us could be capable of such destruction was mind blowing. It is apparently possible to climb down to the lake however it was late in the afternoon and judging by how steep the ride up was we all thought the ride down would be rather slow. It didn’t actually take that long however when I reached the bottom to get back on the boat I was once again asked for money for various things including a kid who tried to get money off me for pushing the boat away from shore. Ultimately this was all something I had experienced before in Asia so did nothing to spoil what was a great day especially when sailing across the lake at sunset which was just perfect.

Of course the main reason that I went there was my Uncle’s wedding. This chewed up a whole day with preparations and having to get nails, hair, make up etc done which cost a grand total of $25. The wedding was quite nice although I did get a bit of a shock from the vow that all of the husband’s money now also belonged to the wife but in the end of the day they are happy. I was also happy particularly about the open bar. It was a beautiful wedding and I'm glad that they are so happy together.
So that was my whirlwind trip to the Philippines. I wouldn't rate Manila as up there on my list of favourite places in Asia (Indonesia and Singapore top that list) but it's the experience that counts and it was an opportunity which I'm glad I took up. Would I go back again? I'd probably go back by myself as there are some more places I want to see (Boracay, Pinataubo etc) however I probably would avoid Manila as I think I exhausted the sites there and also there are other places in Asia that I would prefer to visit/return to first.

Running for a Cause

There are a number of major problems in the world today; global warming, massive oil slicks in America, war, poverty but an incredibly important issue which affects thousands of Australians every year is breast cancer. Organisations like NBCF are working to try and find a cure to this disease but more needs to be done and they need our support.

This is why on the 9th of May I will be taking part in the Mothers Day Classic Run. It's a 5km run around Lake Burley Griffin to raise money for NBCF and I will be running for Team Fujitsu. I'd appreciate as much as support as possible! The best way to do this is to sponsor me online with all money going to breast cancer research.

Sponsor me!
http://sponsor.s.eventarc.com/sponsor/view/1992/

You can also find links on how to get involved from the link above

Thanks

Tragedy in Salatiga

This morning I received sad news out of Salatiga, Central Java in Indonesia. This beautiful town is the home to many of my Indonesian friends and was also my home for a month while studying at university there.

There has been an incident involving poisoned local liquor due to illegal manufacture which has resulted in the deaths of other 70 people and the hospitalisation of hundreds more. This number is bound to rise as more and more people are affected by the liquor. The liquor in question was manufactured near Jakarta and it is reported its contents included food colouring, glue and the ingredient which is often involved in these cases methanol. Methanol is renowned for causing death and blindness even in small doses so it appears that the number of deaths will rise.
This is a tragedy beyond comprehension for such a small town. Arrests have been made over the incident and I implore the Indonesian government to punish the people responsible for this. Deaths due to local wines and spirits are common in Indonesia but to this scale are truly saddening. I will be watching this situation over the next few weeks to check for any updates.
Latest word from my friend is that the hospitals of Salatiga are full of victims of poisoning and that most victims are pengamen, the truck and angkot drivers of Salatiga. Police are also conducting raids throughout town arresting liquor sellers.

A slaughter to these proportions in a town that I love is tragic and my heart goes out to all the residents of Salatiga particularly the victims and their families. If you could spare some thoughts or prayers for the people of Salatiga it would be much appreciated.

I'm clearly horrible with technology

This post was an epic fail of me trying to post on my ipod touch late last night... Now I have Safari on my ipod not working and had an incoherent blog post which I had to quickly rescue.

Seeing it's late and I'm super tired and have to work tomorrow I don't have time to post right now however in the next few days expect 2 new blogs.. (one is partially written) One will be about my trip and the other about some cool canberra stuff..

However until then I'm off to sleep and hope everyone is great

Courts

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well the time has come around to finally get ready to head to the Philippines. I'm going to be going to a wedding of one of my uncles while I am there so it is bound to be enjoyable. Really I just can't wait to get back to Asia because I am madly in love with South East Asia.

It is always a bit daunting heading to a new country especially after living in Indonesia where I could communicate to a reasonable level with the people there as opposed to the Philippines where they speak a language foreign to me. (Well at least in Manila a lot will speak English)

I think the part I am most looking forward to is the little things; the heat, humidity, bottled water, everyone being relaxed and the smells. If there is one thing to say about Western life is that it is somewhat sterile. In Asia your senses are bombarded with noise and scents, some are good and some are bad however no matter what they are it shows that this amazing country you are in has life, has culture, has soul. It seems like a small trivial thing but the spirit of SE Asia is something I miss more than anything.

So my bags are packed and I'm heading up north to the coast for 2 days before heading off to Manila on Monday morning. Needless to say it is bound to be an adventure. I'm not sure what sort of access I'll have to the internet while I am there especially due to the limited time I am in country for however I will try to write a short blog while I'm there or at least send a few tweets (see box on the right) to keep you updated.

Well for now stay safe, have a happy easter and make every day an adventure

Cheers
Courts

"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things" - Henry Miller

Temple Madness in Indonesia

Well now that my faith in humanity has been slightly restored thus saving me from having to right a rant about certain departments of my country's government I can now stick to my original plan of writing about some of the fantastic things I did in Indonesia.

On my top 5 list in awesome things I did number 5 would have to be my day of temple sightseeing. I organised this with a friend for a group of my mates so we left Salatiga at 6am one Sunday morning and went first to Borobodur with a stopover on the way at Ketepas between Mt Merbabu and Merapi (spectacular views).
Borobodur was quite amazing due to the sheer size of it and the fact it was in a state of disrepair for a number of centuries. It is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and consists of a number of different levels with intricate stone work. Not only was it incredibly amazing but also ridiculously hot and crowded. It took all of about 20 minutes for us to be swamped by a large number of Indonesian tourists making "mau foto?" one of the most commonly heard phrases of the day. In the end it turned out that our group of 10 were pretty much the only Western people there so hundreds of photos later and after growing sick of the heat we explored the grounds and checked out the museum there. The museum was quite interesting although we didn't really understand the relevance of it to Borobodur. Of course there was the opportunity to buy the standard souvenirs etc but there were other temples to be seen!


Next was to Candi Mendut which is a couple of km from Borobodur and from around the same time. It's smaller, much cheaper to get into however still spectacular. It also has a less touristy feel to it than Borobodur and we were able to sit around for a little while and light some incense which created a much more chilled out feeling. This was probably up there with Prambanan with my favourite temples that I visited. We were the only people there at the time which was really great after the madness of Borobodur. If it wasn't for a friend of mine casually mentioning that the Lonely Planet guide had some other old temple in it we never would have gone there. Also it was located just in the middle of a little town and on the grounds there was the most spectacular tree, I'm not normally one to notice trees etc but this would have been one of the largest I have ever seen and had strands extending from the canopy to the ground.

Prambanan was again spectacular. We all had a bit of a moment where we sat around and contemplated life for a little bit. The afternoon rain held off so it was rather cool giving us time to explore the different temples. I'd have to say Prambanan was my favourite temple that we went to because it was all so different and there were lots of different temples to explore. The stonework on the temples and carvings were also amazing and to see such a magnificant structure still standing, especially after the terrible earthquake of 2006 (although it did experience a fair bit of damage) was a real testament to architecture.

Now I am not particularly religious but there is something amazing about these Eastern religions and their temples. I would probably visit them again (I would definetly go back to Prambanan) and all 3 are a must see if travelling to Central Java.

A busy week.. well 3 days that is

I was going to write about how busy my week had been but then realised that it had only really been 3 days since I last wrote. That said I went to an awesome restaurant on Saturday night and felt the need to write about it.
Verve on Flinders Way in Manuka has got to be one of the best restaurants I have been to in a long time. They don't particularly have a certain cuisine which they focus on as the menu ranges from Malaysian to Italian to Mexican with all sorts of other dishes in between. I started with a BBQ Duck and Papaya Salad which tasted a lot like Pad Thai but was delicious and despite being large was not filling. Main was a favourite of mine, Chimmichunga It can be fairly easy to get wrong but they seemed to nail it this time my only issue was lack of salad and the serving size was very large. That said at a restaurant of Verve's calibre to have such large servings was a shock as one would normally expect a smaller serving. Dessert was a Citrus Tart with mascarpone which yet again was delicious. If I was going to comment on one thing though it would be the cocktails. I had a cocktail called Amelie's Punch and it would be up there in the list of best cocktails I have ever had. Generally all the food was fresh using great ingredients and because of the variety on the menu it is the sort of place you can keep going back to.

That said I have finally finished my university assessment for the term so I guess it's probably time to post some stories from my Indonesia trip before I head off to the Philippines in 6 days.

Peace Out

New Blog!

Yep because I'm horrible at writing blogs and always try to make them far to focused I decided to start a new one where I can just write generally about life, what's going on in the world and hopefully the adventures I get to have along the way.

So Ladies and Gentlemen I give you Courts in Canberra!