Observations

It’s 4 am in Wonosobo, Indonesia. Diana and I have been falling asleep by 7 pm and waking around 3:30 for the past two days. We are sleeping well in the hotel. It works out ok, because the first Islamic call to prayer that comes over the nearby speakers is around 4:30 am.

Many of my posts have been chronicles of our experiences, but I wanted to write a short post about my observations about Indonesia so far.

Being near the equator, Java (the Island that we are currently on) has a very warm, humid, tropical climate. There is a rainy season that can be cooler, but we are not in it. I can get into the 90s with very high humidity on a daily basis. Wonosobo is up in the mountains, and is markedly cooler. During the day, it gets up to the high 70s or low 80s and down to the mid- to low-fifties at night. As a result of the climate, most of the buildings here have spaces open to the outside air.

The air quality isn’t the best due to all of the pollution from vehicles. Most buildings are built mere feet from the driving space, so the exhaust is noticeable. It’s a lot like the air we breathed in downtown Los Angeles last month.

The people, however, are Indonesia’s true jewels. I’ve never seen more patience than I do here. I’ve seen no yelling, no road rage, and no anger. Everyone that I have interacted with has been empathetic and kind, even when we were unable to communicate. Family is clearly important to the people here. They are respectful of other cultures, as Indonesia is a very culturally diverse country. Their official motto is “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”, which means “Unity in Diversity”. There are many religious practices, and on some islands tribal customs are still followed.

Cities are built with very little open space between homes, maximizing the use of space as they are very population dense. There are parks, but the open space outside of the cities are mostly farmland. They grow rice, tobacco, corn, fruits and vegetables to support the population. There are large corporate plantations that focus on palm oil and rubber.

For food, rice is a staple, as are soybeans, chicken and noodles. I’ve done the majority of my eating in the hotel, where they also have American and Chinese foods.

With all of the tobacco grown here, it shouldn’t have surprised me that so many people smoke. Even though most of our time was spent outdoors, it was hard to escape the smell of tobacco smoke when in a group.

Tipping is not common here, but I did see our driver “tip” a policeman (or volunteer, I’m not sure which) who was directing traffic. During traffic jams, people were walking between cars selling snacks or playing music for tips.

There are fewer English speakers in Wonosobo than I imagine will be in Yogyakarta and Bali, but body language and gestures, combined with patience and persistence, has made it possible for us to interact just fine.

I’ve known this for a long time but it bears repeating now: Muslim people are good, honest, caring people who are devout to their faith. That’s been true of every one I’ve met, here and in the United States. We are all people sharing this planet and should listen and learn from each other more often.

We now embark on a new journey, visiting sites with Ary and Dichi and spending some quality time together. I will try to update this evening (tomorrow morning for those of you on the other side of the world.)