Malik Watkins's Bloglines

Continuing on this journey, the direction from Jakarta is a city called Surabaya.  The flight is about an hour and really emphasizes that Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore 🙂  Looking out the window, the view speaks to me.

Admittedly, I am still in quite a bit of awe…I am struck…so instead of philosophizing…I am still processing.  On one hand, I am exhausted…on the other…I am blown away.  You’ve heard the saying, “if walls could talk”…. What about, “if mountains could talk”…What would they say?

Mountains represent vastness and permanence…civilizations come and go…but this civilization seems to be in a sort of harmony with the mountains…not stuck, stagnant or even so fast as to be out of pace…but in synch.  There is a certain feeling of tradition that permeates this society….so far, I am talking about all that I have seen of the various Asian cultures to which I’ve been exposed.  Something not just driven by an extemporaneous self-interest, but a self-interest that abides by a code handed down from their ancestors.  They seem to be quite tuned in to such!!!!

If one mountain doesn’t speak to you, then how about two? 🙂  One of the benefits of complete exhaustion is that eventually you just submit to the environment…so thinking about work, petty concerns, or just the emotional baggage we sometimes carry around with us…at this point…my mind is quiet…and instead of talking….my mind is listening to what the globe is saying….

Landing in Surabaya, the goal now is to leave the coast and head into the interior…so we embark on the road from Surabaya to Tulangagung.  Having spent such good time in West Africa, you know a rice culture when you see one!  Leaving the airport, the rice fields abound and there are times when they stretch almost as far as the eye can see…more on the rice fields later….

Proceeding along the road to the interior, the mountains are still watching…still talking…and I am still listening….

By now, I’ve realized the food is so good that I am not just eating because I’m hungry.  I am eating because it tastes so GOOD!  So glad that the local diet is not heavily based on meats…that way I won’t leave this country looking like my cousin, Homer Simpson.  Ok, it’s time to eat again 🙂  Seems like on this trip I am talking quite a bit about eating…well…it is better than good 🙂  Didn’t know I liked noodles so much…if your body doesn’t process scorching pepper well…be careful…. 🙂

Very Peaceful place…while you eat…you can feel the balance…

One thing that can be said about this area, versus some of the other countries  I have traveled in…comparatively speaking…the roads are excellent…this is the road from Surabaya to Tulangagung….

Like in many other countries, the road is not a lonely place.  All along the way, there are signs that most things here are blended in with each other (Roads, Houses, Restaurants, Highways, and People)….and the mountains are continuously keeping us company and watching over us.

Wherever I go, I am constantly looking for the babies 🙂  I wonder what this precious child is thinking about as she entertains herself….what will her opportunities be….what does the future hold for her….

The four hour drive has taken its toll on me…between the flights, the time change and the drive…I’ve been beaten soundly with a “Tired” stick.  Arriving in Tulangagung, one last stop at the local market “Indomaret.”

Have you ever seen a store with such a significant array of colors jumping out at you…and yes, this is muslim territory….

At my destination, I look up into the sky…and am drawn to what some would think were “UFO’s”…..I was reminded that kites are a really big deal in many cultures…imagine the night, and the kites are still flying…except they have lights on them…and they are gliding back and forth in the sky…I might have a picture or two of that later on 🙂

For now…my destination awaits me….the BED….

http://www.takingownership.org