The best laid plans

Photos of Andrew and me and three of gumelen village

Sat 30 Dec

Breakfast at six, on the terrace as usual waving to the children on their way to school “Hello Mr. Patrik!” but with the thought of going to Jogya on the motorbike for the first time I pack everything into the rucksack, tidy up and set off. All goes smoothly up to the ring road so I carry straight on instead of the planned long route around the ring road. The road I take goes straight through the city to the Janti road that I want. First off I get in the wrong lane and am swept to the left with all the surrounding traffic but manage a U turn on the busy street and get back to my route. Then the direct route becomes one-way, the other way! Diversion threads its way around a maze of streets and junctions but eventually by good luck (must have the right god with me today) I recognise a river crossing and get to the familiar hostel at 8.30 for a welcome glass of hot tea with Alice and Michelle. Thomas has gone out with Marie, the vso from the Filipines to borrow another bike for a planned trip to Borobudor but a torrential tropical rainstorm hits us and delays them and puts paid to their plans. After the storm I prepare to go to the wi-fi café but Pak Biwa insists on taking me in the car, Thomas can collect me later. Biwa is planning to climb Merapi volcano on the night of New Year’s Eve. With the changeable weather, this week’s report of increasing activity by Merapi and the lack of any walking shoes I feel able to decline an offer to join him – I’m not June from Bridgwater. At the café the electricity is off, so is the Internet connection but they come on again just as I text Thomas for a lift. Get the virus protection updated and find, and save the Google earth view of Mandungan village. Thomas turns up and surfs the net while I go upstairs to get some photos printed from the USB ‘flash’ thing – with only a fifty percent success rate due to a faulty printer but manage to negotiate a reduced price successfully on my own. Thomas tells me that Ibu Wati (the owner of the hostel) is not happy with Alice’s contribution to running the hostel and Alice has decided to join a relative in Solo or to go back ‘home’ to Sumatra. T is clearly upset, he doesn’t want to lose his mentor and father figure of Pak Biwa any more than losing his wife but recognises that he will have to find new accommodation outside the hostel if the family is to remain united. How this can be achieved financially and if a new job is needed too all has to be resolved so out of the window go my plans to push him into getting some paper qualifications to match his English skills that I could pay for and we simply take back some chicken sandwiches back to the hostel for lunch. I suggest a trip to a shopping mall before Biwa returns in the evening and everyone agrees, T and family along with Andrew from Kenya, Marie, myself and visiting Judith the physio from Essex all go, part in taxi, T and self on the bike. I buy a rain cape having lost the previous somewhere and Michelle finds the noisy play area on the top floor and clearly believes she is in heaven. We get a supply of beer to have with a game of cards in the evening while Thomas and Alice are ensconced in a discussion with Biwa – who presumably has some influence with his partner Ibu Wati who is missing this evening.