Xmas

View of beach from xmas day cafe and picture of our cabins.

Sightseeing and bike maintenance

21 Dec

Drive out north vaguely towards Merapi volcano but its hidden in the heat haze as usual. Never mind, with the sun just risen I have a good guide to my direction and am confident of finding my way on a circular route back to the village. The roads vary from concrete to bare earth but with the rainy season barely started there’s no problem with mud or puddles as yet. Many attractive villages sheltering in their wooded gardens and set in a flat landscape of bright green paddy fields with a backdrop of woodlands and distant mountains. One village seems to be devoted entirely to brick and tile manufacture with every other house having a smoking kiln the same size as itself and with a stack of materials for sale at the roadside. I find myself eventually on the main Godean road with all its traffic but I don’t need to cross the road fortunately and cope ok. Pass the Honda service station but it’s not open yet (I have that dodgy fuel pipe which needs replacing) and so back to the village.
Priyo agrees to go with me in the afternoon to the service station to explain the work I want doing, and hopefully help negotiate a price but in the meantime with a power cut switching off my fan I retire to bed and sleep for a couple of hours. Salad lunch, still no electricity and I must go food shopping soon. Chat with T.O., Priyo and others before going of to the bike garage. Not a good start, the depot says it hasn’t got a new fuel line but can do me a service. I ask where can we get it and are given a name, a few kilometres down the road. We get there, Priyo recognising it and find, behind a scruffy front, a smart clean service station happy to help with no waiting. Three mechanics and one hour including the new fuel pipe, repair to the gear indicator light and replacing the faulty spark plug lead that I had forgotten to tell them about. The bike virtually dismantled, cleaned and re-assembled in front of our eyes – I love work, could watch it for hours as someone said! All this, and an oil change too for £3-80 so I was still rich enough to fork out for five litres of petrol (£1.50) on the way home.
Power comes back on when we return but only briefly before going down again as a tropical rainstorm, thunder and lightning envelope us as we sit around the office talking and admiring the intruding firefly – so bight you wonder how it gets the energy for such a display!

Consultant toilet designer

Photos of Bamboo grove, Merapi volcano and detail of 700 seat bamboo church buit in three weeks!

Sun 17 Dec

The mosquitoes must have missed me the last few days while I was in Jogya – I step out of my mosquito netted bed and they swoop, I’ll have to start using that greasy repellent again or maybe it was just the early morning rain that sent them indoors? Also have a streaming cold and using up my handkerchiefs at a rate of knots but with all that I need to complete the grant application for the village I get down to it and complete (in English) and discuss with Pak T.O. It seems that even after I had agreed things with Lily, Pak Priyo had spoken to T.O. on Thursday night encouraging him to go for two or three public toilets instead of one toilet for each house! Nevertheless T.O.goes for the individual toilets which can be paid for from an improved grant offer and we are away! Nikky who is also suffering a cold is dragged from her bed and happily agrees to translate by the evening. So project wise we are now close to submission by email and starting work in January (I didn’t realise it will be xmas next weekend already!).Pak T.O. and the village get their five new houses, I get to use my architectural skills designing toilets, vso/Spark get to dispose of their budget on time (maybe) and five local families presently living under canvas or with neighbours get new houses that they would not otherwise qualify for.
I try texting Trika, the waitress from the hotel but she wants to practice her English on the phone not by text or waiting for me to visit Jogya. Phoning is expensive here which is why nobody does it except for rich foreigners staying at the Saphir hotel. In the afternoon I venture out on my motorbike through the neighbouring villages, I stall once but no other incidents, manage to avoid the herds of ducks, children on their bikes and the potholes. Do get to the river but I guess there is no bridge so no reason for any road to go there – perhaps another time?
When I eventually get to email the grant application off, at the internet place on the main road I must check out toilet design, especially disposal systems – I suspect dry systems are too complicated and treatment tanks may be better and still allow this organic village to enhance its reputation T.O. definitely interested anyway!

no report

Photo of the Mayor's house (chairman of the parish council - the 'Dukuh')

left my report behind in the village today so a happy xmas to my readers if I don't get on the net again soon! I may be going to a bamboo beach hut for the weekend but plans can change so easily....

vertical and horizontal networking

Tue 12 Dec

Refreshing swim outside in the pool as the sun rises, again on my own. Discuss life and vso placements with big black bouncy Eunice over a slap up breakfast (must try the omelette tomorrow). Then another day of bonding games, vertical and horizontal networking, creative tension resolution and I might as well have stayed on in my job in the uk! Anyway Johan from the village does a credible presentation about the work of my employer IHHPTI organization in helping farmers to improve their lot – I’ve put myself down for his ‘field trip’ tomorrow. The blood pressure drugs I ordered two weeks ago have not been sent from vso Bali and I’m told to get them here if possible and charge for them. Eunice appears to have had a word directly with the Country Director Anne who is with us this week, and Pak T.O. can apparently expect to receive some penetrating questions about the ‘project’ and my placement (god help us!). In the evening hunt for drugs, get the atenolol, well, collect on Thursday, but the other one not recognised so of to an internet café. Alternative names for the drug found and blog site updated though pictures won’t post today. Email to vso Somerset to thank for colourful west country calendar, finally a street kebab and back to the hotel. Crossing the busy city street at night is even more frightening than in daylight with so many bikes having no lights but I triumphantly survive one more day.

Another day, another dollar!

Sun 10 Dec

At the hostel, hang my shirt out to dry and run into Maria on the viewing balcony enjoying the sunrise and the birds. No view of Merapi volcano as usual unfortunately, as it has been pretty active by all accounts during the last week – so near and yet nothing to show for it – what a life! Maria has worked with vso before in Tanzania but we both are able to moan about our experiences with vso in Indonesia – do they really need volunteers or are they becoming just a grant awarding body? Anyway cornflakes for breakfast with Thomas who surprisingly has no sign of a hangover following our chess match last night. It appears that he and Alice who work virtually full time at the hostel get 500.000 Rph each month between them making it 17.000 per day compared to my modest(?) volunteers allowance of 50.000 daily (so less than 1$ each) – no wonder they struggle with the baby and all! They can’t believe Maria and Eve travelling about by taxi everywhere (nor can I, but maybe when they settle in and start seeing what their allowance is – and they get their motorbikes I guess things will change). I get off to the internet café to update blog and check emails while Thomas and family go of to church. Afterwards T takes me to a new bamboo church that Pak Biwa has recommended I see near Bantul – a new catholic church built in about three weeks following the earthquake which had made the old church a lethal hazard. It is built entirely in bamboo including the roof and wall shingles, though invitingly open on three sides revealing the cavernous cathedral like interior, it must hold at least 500 people. I’ve left my camera’s memory chip behind after unloading the film Thomas made of his daughter in the swimming pool yesterday so will have to try and get back again sometime! Enjoyable, tasty lunch there too ( there was some meeting taking place for which they were cooking) – must ask T for its name in Indonesian, a mutton stew. Then to visit a nearby friend of Thomas’s (they were both at the seminary for one year?), living in a recently re-built house in a wrecked village. His father has a wheelchair following a stroke I believe but it seems to be of little use except for inside the house which is still only half built – its being worked upon, so all pretty crowded but everyone is cheerful and slaving away to restore things, albeit with reinforced concrete and brick. Back at the hostel, chat with Eve (Holland) and Maria (Philippines) newly arrived vso volunteers and with Biwa, Wati and Thomas before the girls pack to leave for Bali on vso business and T takes me with Michelle to the Saphir hotel to book in for my workshop. We go up to my bedroom which is to be shared with Johan from the village but he has not yet turned up. T and daughter flabbergasted by the luxury – Michelle on the bed as a trampoline and her father making coffee etc but we restrain ourselves from the drinks fridge ( the beer is twice the shop price). The swimming pool is excellent but closed at 7pm so I must find out tomorrow if visitors are allowed! Thomas sees Pak Amien Rais a bigwig in the dominant National Party, suggests I should chat him up though with all the security men around him that looks unlikely, even dangerous. Thomas and daughter return to the hostel while I join Eunice and other volunteers for a meal on the streets – a tasy mutton kebab and rice (15.000 Rph but this is the town centre and it was good.

ps not a day for uploading pics apparently....see next time maybe....

Pictures of my new bamboo kitchen before I burn it down, the village school 'hello mister Pat!' and Pirate Priyo spending some time here at the organic farming training centre and very helpfull.

Wed 6 Dec

Several days now without writing my diary – must be getting lazy. A quiet weekend back at the hostel where I was living for two months. My rooms together with Biwa’s and Wati’s room are now to be let to a couple of vso volunteers for six months (despite the problems with my rent!). Had a meal with the Aussie atheist Kevin and his Javanese wife, they return to Melbourne in a fortnight. At the wi-fi café have another go at saving the google earth view of my village (I find out later, unsuccessfully) but am able to post the location to Robin at least.

Back in the village every time I meet some of the committee I get a different story about what they need money from vso/Spark for – new houses but different ones each time, a village hall which is costed the same as a basic small house and has no drawings or specification or anything else. The truth is that they simply want the cash with as little restraint as possible, they want to put the money into this single account at the bank to be drawn upon as they need it for whatever. I’ve little doubt that all is well intentioned but the donors will want, reasonably to be able to say that thanks to the contribution x,y and z have been achieved. The five houses already built with money donated by a consortium of banks in Jakarta are to be re-financed with the government aid that has since been offered and the money re-allocated

Rain at last !

Pictures of my new bamboo kitchen before I burn it down, the village school 'hello mister Pat!' and Pirate Priyo spending some time here at the organic farming training centre and very helpfull.

Wed 6 Dec

Several days now without writing my diary – must be getting lazy. A quiet weekend back at the hostel where I was living for two months. My rooms together with Biwa’s and Wati’s room are now to be let to a couple of vso volunteers for six months (despite the problems with my rent!). Had a meal with the Aussie atheist Kevin and his Javanese wife, they return to Melbourne in a fortnight. At the wi-fi café have another go at saving the google earth view of my village (I find out later, unsuccessfully) but am able to post the location to Robin at least.

Back in the village every time I meet some of the committee I get a different story about what they need money from vso/Spark for – new houses but different ones each time, a village hall which is costed the same as a basic small house and has no drawings or specification or anything else. The truth is that they simply want the cash with as little restraint as possible, they want to put the money into this single account at the bank to be drawn upon as they need it for whatever. I’ve little doubt that all is well intentioned but the donors will want, reasonably to be able to say that thanks to the contribution x,y and z have been achieved. The five houses already built with money donated by a consortium of banks in Jakarta are to be re-financed with the government aid that has since been offered and the money re-allocated to the major repairs of damaged but not destroyed houses.. The damage assessments by the government and the village community are wildly divergent and seemingly irreconcilable. At all events a report of sorts has been drafted for discussion with Priyo from vso tomorrow if I can find a translator this evening.

Last night shortly after pirate Priyo (from the village) announced that there would be no chance of rain till the end of the month, down it came – in bucket loads (big buckets at that). My host Pak Hari and wife Ibu Sri (short for Srmuhkawit?) ran round the building to see if there were any leaks, it hasn’t rained since the roof went on two or three months ago (incidentally this house is one of those listed by the village as well as the government as having received no damage from the earthquake!) but there weren’t any. Outside the water sweeping off the roofs, no gutters, into the dusty street turning it into a fast flowing river heading to the school and the paddy fields. Hardly surprising then that we should get a power cut for the rest of the evening but my fan didn’t seem so important now that some refreshing rain was about!

New home

Just 50 days after arriving in Jogyakarta, today I moved into my new home in the village! After explaining ‘incorrigible’ to Thomas he takes me to the Rama wi-fi internet café where I’m able to do a virus protection scan and update, post Bali pictures to the blog and look for Mandungan village on Google Earth – its there! Just inside the high definition Jogya area – mind you the houses are mostly hidden by the trees and I don’t know how to do a screen capture, and I don’t think to mark the location for posting to others – see next time? Siesta and then packing more boxes – how do I acquire so much! Chat to Alice and baby while Thomas is out with the usb flash saving his files to cd and before pirate Priyo comes from Mandungan to fetch me. Thomas still not back so bike will be collected tomorrow, kiss Alice goodbye and we are off. At the village Pak Hari (the laughing policeman) is busy trying to sort out the electrics in the new kitchen area, we find I’ve bought the wrong type of gas bottle on our way. Priyo happily goes of to get it replaced while I start unpacking my suitcase at last, with the help of Hari’s niece 21 year old Niken and her younger sister. Niken speaks a fair English and is keen to practice it. We find the kite in the luggage, happily admired but then younger sister finds a condom packet, not so good! But Niken helps to hide it away and we move onto other topics. The mosquito net is erected with bits of string, some nails and Hari’s help and I’m all set to make scrambled egg on toast for tea together with a tin of beer before texting Thomas about the bike collection tomorrow. A brief walk about the village to see the night life – a group of men in the mosque, a small group of teenage boys with their motorbikes, a couple of less friendly dogs ( must carry that whistle with me) and the odd individual walking or cycling their way home…..and so to bed.