Pandoraspace

Dear Uncle G,

For as long as I remember, people have always warned me not to eat roadside food.  Most of the time, I heed their advice.  But sometimes, roadside food is just too irresistible to pass up.

Love, Pandora

In Indonesia, I could not resist eating grilled corn, which is sold everywhere.  LS, Danang and I were in Ketep Pass, Java to see Gunung Merapi when I first saw someone selling grilled corn on the side of the road.  The next time I saw someone selling grilled corn was when we were in Jimbaran, Bali with Tito L and Tita D.  Grilled corn with salt or basted with butter is also sold in the sidewalks of the Philippines.  In Indonesia, however, other than salted or buttered grilled corn, you can also opt to have your corn basted with chili butter.   (more…)

I had to eat corn to see Gunung Merapi

I read somewhere that to get to the Indonesian volcano I wanted to see, Gunung (the Indonesian word for mountain) Bromo, I had to take a five-hour bus ride from Jogjakarta. Danang later told us that Gunung Bromo is actually much farther than that, i.e., a ten to twelve hour ride to a town beside Gunung Bromo and a two hour trek to get to the viewing point. As we had limited time on our hands, I decided to forgo with the visit to Gunung Bromo on this trip.

As he sensed my disappointment, Danang suggested we see Gunung Merapi instead. I knew nothing about Gunung Merapi but decided to see it.

On our second day in Jogjakarta, LS, Danang and I headed for Ketep Pass in Kaliurang, Jogjakarta. We left town at 8:00 a.m., fell asleep on Danang a couple of times during the two hour drive to Kaliurang and stopped by a Museum before we actually got to Ketep Pass. When we got there, Gunung Merapi was covered by a huge cloud. We took a look around the Ketep Volcano Centre for about an hour before deciding to head on to Borobudur. On the way out, I saw someone selling roasted corn on the street. As roasted corn is one of my favorite food, I told LS and Danang that I would treat them for corn. After pigging out on corn, we walked back to the car.  On the way to the car, I saw Gunung Merapi. It waited for me to eat corn before showing itself. I was extremely pleased and grateful.

Gunung Merapi is not a perfect cone-shaped volcano like Mt. Mayon in Legaspi, but, Gunung Merapi is massive and radiates energy.  Thick smoke plumes are seen coming out of its mouth. I sensed that, anytime, it could explode. I did not, however, sense any anger or negativity from the volcano only passion and fire. I was not, therefore, surprised to learn that merapi is the Indonesia term for “full of fire”, and, Gunung Merapi is just that – a volcano that is full of fire.

Volcanoes welcomed me to, and bid me farewell when I left, Jogjakarta

I always take the window seat whenever I ride an airplane.  This was not the case when we flew from Jakarta to Jogjakarta.  LS insisted she take the window seat as she wanted a good look of the view and I surprised myself by giving in to her demand.  Of course I was a little irritated when LS fell a sleep for most of the flight and never got to see the view.  I was wide awake during the flight and could have made good use of the window seat.  But, my irritation did not last long.  From my seat, I saw what appeared to be mountains welcoming me to Jogjakarta.  I found out later that what I saw were not mountains but the volcanoes of Java.  I was thrilled when I learned this. (more…)

Sutopo’s heart beats for Prambanan

Without a doubt, scholars have done extensive studies on the architecture and religious significance of Prambanan. I know because I read some of the accounts prepared by those scholars.  I find, however, that the best account about Prambanan is that of Sutopo, who is by no means a learned scholar. Sutopo was our guide at Prambanan. He is a Muslim who lived all his life in and around the premises of Prambanan. While he may not have read scholarly accounts about Prambanan, he certainly supplied us with accurate information about it. More than that, his account contained something  missing in those scholarly accounts. That something is a heart that beats for Prambanan.

LS and I barely slept the night before our 6:00 a.m. flight to Jogjakarta. As soon as our plane landed, Danang took two sleep-deprived girls to Prambanan. We got there at 7:30 a.m. and were introduced to Sutopo in the receiving area, which was some distance from the temple complex. At that point, I was dreading the long walk to the temples on a hot day and wondering how soon the tour would end so I could get some shut-eye at our hotel.  Surprisingly, Sutopo later managed to stimulate my senses by introducing us to his beloved Prambanan.

(more…)