refrigerated

View of Merapi from the hostel - when not hidden by heat haze or pollution
17 Oct Tuesday

Still no sign of my boss, Pak TO. Draft a situation (and ‘progress’ ) report for vso HQ inBali and text them for email address to post it to. Walk out to flyover area, lot better now with my big multi-colour brolly as a sunshade, to look for a re-writable dvd to save going through disposable cds. Success eventually – using Bahasa Indonesian but still nobody understands me – one letter wrong and you could be insulting their grandmother – or is it just my impeccable accent?
David, some NGO but ex Oxfam and vso rings, I can attend open ‘disaster co-ordination meeting’ this pm. Unfortunately transport difficulties, manager Biwa is late back on his motorbike (borrowed from puncture repair man down the road) and Thomas and I have problem finding the venue. Eventually track it down at rear of the BPD bank. The car park is choc-a-block with 4x4s from any international aid organisation you care to imagine. The meeting has been underway for half an hour and a handful of latecomers are trying to listen through the open doorway. I decide that this is a serious top level event and not really for small pawns like me.
Thomas and I go window shopping – he for a smarter mobile phone and me for sandals then he goes of to get wife Alice and to meet me at the FM western café. No Alice though, she is wild with him for not yet getting the tickets she needs to get home to Sumatra to see their 2 year old child and her relatives. Nevertheless we have salad and banana pancake along with a beer before going to the mall to pick some horror dvds that Alice likes and they can watch on my laptop.
Back at the hostel Pak Biwa has produced two fridges, the smaller one larger than mine at home he will (ie Thomas will) install tomorrow. Has he assassinated Pak TO who wants me down on the farm or been pulling strings somewhere? Are things about to go horribly pear shaped? Listen in for next weeks episode….. Never mind, watch Mr Bean on tv. Biwa announces that local boss man (Dukuh) has asked if I can give a lecture to his citizens – I bet it was Biwa’s suggestion – “I’ll think about it” response.