Sunday August 11th, 2024 - Last of Java and on to Bali

Banyawangi Market

 In the 'Western' world, we go to supermarkets for our food and other essential household needs and are generally pleased with the choices available. Much of what is offered to us is produced or proffered by corporations, in a store owned by a corporation. Here, in Banyawangi, I could not detect a corporate presence. Getting fresh food is a daily, rambunctious happening in which neighbors bring their day's produce, and set up their stalls. Their customers come to get their food for the day to take home and cook. The money spent goes directly into the pockets of their neighbors, without any 'middle men'. Probably rent is paid to someone, or organization, for their space. 

Selling Fresh Chickens With Elegance

For people like us who are accustomed to plastic-wrapped meats, the wet markets can be a bit of a shock. I wondered if this elegant woman had been the person who killed and dressed these chickens - their freshness is undeniable and it's likely the chickens were raised and slaughtered more humanely than the ones we see in the poultry case. Without refrigeration, these would need to be sold pretty quickly. You can be sure that the customers are pretty astute at gauging freshness - and probably also pretty good a negotiating a price - a skill that we rarely use in our fixed-price world.

Could This be Uber Eats - Java Style?

The fruit and vegetable selections far surpass the variety and freshness that we get. I found myself envying the selection of greens. This 'greengrocer on a motorcycle' was a new twist! It may be a way to avoid paying rent for a stall.

Bed, Bath & Beyond?

In addition to foodstuffs, other supplies are offered. This store had a more permanent presence, it probably has doors that fold closed when the market is shut. Lots of household items are available here. Finding what one wants is hard for our Western eyes - I found the crammed choices pretty overwhelming. We're accustomed to our marketers using a great deal more space to arrange things for our ease.

Ooh, Junk Food, too

Not to be deprived of anything, there are junk opportunities, too. It was a bit of a mystery to know what they were - many seemed to be based on taro or cassava. Times that I tried to shop in convenience stores, I found them devoid of any real food. I believe this is because people use the markets to get real food, so the convenience stores only offer 'extras'.

Come Into Our Parlor .... They Said!

These two women were standing in front of a black curtain and stopped me to take their photo. The woman on the left spoke good English and after she'd checked the results of my efforts, invited me in to the shop. 

A Young Butcher(ess?)

It was a butcher shop and this young woman was behind the counter, happy to have her photo taken.  It was dark and hot and this was the only time I photographed a woman who was not wearing the hajib, or some type of headdress.

Me, too! Me, too! He said.

Further back in the store, this man also came forward wanting his photo taken. The snack he was enjoying looks like fried tempeh - a snack made from soy beans. I had it a few times and also thought it quite delicious.

Yes, You Can Take My Photo

When I first approached this woman, she said she was happy to be photographed, but covered her mouth initially, presumably embarrassed by her teeth. 

Shy About Her Teeth

I must have shown her the results of our efforts (as I usually did) and happily, she relaxed after a bit and allowed me to photograph her without covering them. They were quite misshapen but she was not alone - often we saw people who clearly would have trouble chewing anything tough.

I have to Ask My Husband

When approached, this lady had to check with her husband to get his permission, then graciously posed.

Well, I Guess You Can!

So then I asked the husband (thinking what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!'), he said yes, but it didn't feel as if his spirit was really into it. He avoided eye contact with me, but with the yellow background, I find his remoteness appealing. In fact, if you look back at his wife, she also has a wistful, distant look.

Ferry to Bali

But, now, we must move on. This is the last of our time in Java and it is on to Bali, which entails an hour long ferry trip.

Mount Ijen Behind the Ferry Terminal

This was the clearest view I ever managed of Mount Ijen, the volcano that rumbled us away from it. It was wistful seeing it relatively clearly and knowing I will not get up there to see the sulfur miners.

The Mosque

As we pulled away, I was looking forward to a change in culture. Bali is an island where Hindu is the dominant religion, so the hijab, mosques and call to prayer that we experienced here in Java, would be put behind us. Of all those elements, the one that was hardest for me to adjust to was the call to prayer. I knew that the muezzin does the call and I had heard that it starts pretty early in the morning, so it was not a surprise. What was a surprise was that it is done through loudspeakers. When a loud, amplified, male voice came charging into my sleep at 3:30 am, it penetrated my brain and soul. Sometimes, I could hear two or three different muezzin all at once. This recording was a brief one from the grounds of our hotel in Manyawangi.

Call to Prayer, August 10th, 6:45 pm

I was also surprised to learn that 'the call' is direct readings from the Koran in the original Arabic. In one place I did hear it being translated into Indonesian. Our guide said that people have to study to be able to understand it. I do know that the fairly constant immersion in music set up my brain to start creating it, even when there was no external music. It led me to fear that I might be experiencing some weird brain condition. Ultimately, I decided it would not be so hard if it were the old-fashioned human voice call. I found the amplified version hard to take. When I suggested it must be hard on the muezzin's vocal cords, our guide told me that very often they are recorded.

Ocean Looks Rough For a Small Boat

Ususally, a ferry ride is a fairly uneventful process. After a while I looked around for the rest of my group and couldn't see any. Looking up to the deck above, I saw Nathan and asked how he got up there. He said, 'Oh, it's VIP only!'. While I had been roaming on my own the rest of the group had been invited up to the pilot's deck. Happily I was able to join them.

Our Host - First Officer?

The pilot was about the business of steering the rather large ferry, so he was more of a smiling presence. This young man was our enthusiastic host. I could just see the newspaper headlines if there were any mishap on this voyage - 'Tourists On Pilot's Deck Cause Distraction!'

Massage? Yes Please!

As if this wasn't enough, another character entered the story and started massaging the back and head of one of our group. I was nonplussed! (You can see he has a look of mischief about him!) Apparently a group of massage therapists come on board and sell massages to the passengers! What a wonderful idea! I was pleased to negotiate a foot massage, which was wonderful. He was skilled. You couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I'm not sure what we paid, but it was something like USD $5. The waters were crowded with other ferries, so our trip took longer than an hour - we didn't mind!

Hindu Statue Welcomes Us to Bali

I'm not exactly sure which Hindu god this statuette represented - possibly Vishnu? However, with his help, along with skillful piloting, the dreaded headlines were avoided. We headed back to our vehicle before we docked, so we caused no distractions for that critical maneuver.

Sarong and Beads Seller in Lovina, Bali

When we arrived at our hotel in Lovina, it was that delicious time of day when the sun was low and the colors were rich. When I came across a couple of women selling sarongs and beads, they were happy to pose. She thought the beads might make a nice headdress - and they did! She asked if Nathan was here, when she saw my camera. He had been here in June with another group and had paid her and her partner to pose for them,. She was very happy to know he was back. 

Sarongs in Beautiful Colors

I bought a couple of sarongs and she was keen to show me how to tie it - Balinese style - as a skirt.

Rice Fields Near Our Hotel

Some of us wandered over to a nearby village - I liked the view of the rice paddies from the beach.

Balinese Ducks

I rather liked the look of these ducks catching the late evening sun. If I told you the full story, I would admit that I had just slipped on a slimy rock - went down hard on my elbow. I have never had such rapid first aid care. One woman in our group immediately produced an alcohol wipe (probably for cleaning camera lenses), and two others each produced Band-Aids. It was taken care of in a heart beat and so I trekked on grateful for all the yoga and Pilates that prepared my body for handling something like this without fuss. A few days of antibiotic cream and Band-Aids and all was good. Very grateful.

Sweeping Algae Off the Beach

I was impressed with this man's persistence. Using two bamboo rakes, he was removing seaweed from the beach.

One 'Rakeful' At A Time

An efficiency expert would probably have a field day here, as he walked each rakeful all the way across the beach to a small pile. I really appreciated his efforts.

Sarong Sellers Earn Some Money

The sarong sellers were very happy to pose on the beach as we attempted some silhouette shots against the setting sun. It was an assignment that I didn't really 'get' - my compositions were just not good - however, I rather liked this one of he two of them contemplating the end of their work day.

A Smiling Face.....

I preferred seeing their smiling faces as they balanced their sarongs on their heads with much ease.

Money Well Earned

Spider Boat Catches the Evening Sun

We tried the silhouette assignment with a spider boat. I felt as if I did a little better with that and enjoyed the way the sun's rays glistened on the side of the boat.

And, So....Another Full Day Comes to an End

I hope you don't mind quite so many sunset photos - but it really was a glorious evening as the sun cast its deep golden colors on the surface of the water.