Jan 9 8 am Borobudur village, Lotus II Guest House

I am very glad I decided to come up here and stay a couple days.SO relaxing, such a contrast to urban Yogya.The upstairs back terrace - where I've spent most of my time here, talking with other travelers - looks down onto rice paddies with jungle and the outskirts of the village beyond, and then mountains.Yesterday afternoon, with two young Brit women, I watched the daily rain/lightning/windstorm, which went on quite a while.Earlier I'd spent 4+ hours at Borobudur, just a 10-minute walk from here and like Prambanan fairly crowded with Indonesian tourists ( very very few foreigners, in fact- surprising ).It was overcast most of the time - good for not overheating but it made for 'flat' photos, especially because of the monochrome gray stone that dominates the temple.The thousands of high-relief sculptures did inevitably all start to look alike before long, but I did the entire circuit of every level - a couple levels for a second time, in fact.As at Prambanan lots of students wanted their photo taken with me - and to interview me briefly ( school assignment ). I talked a while with one young guy teacher, very dedicated and creative it seems.Lots of families were there as well.As always everyone was super-friendly and curious; nothing but smiling faces and easy laughter.My biggest surprise was that no one tried to get me to hire them as a guide - I'd expected to have to fend them off by the score!And even 'running the gauntlet' ( just as long as the one at Prambanan ) of people selling touristy stuff was no challenge - I was ignored except for a couple of token efforts to sell me water/juice as I left.Actually, by the time I left Borobudur looked almost empty, even on a pleasant Saturday - also very surprising from all that I'd read and heard.For me it's another of those 'once is enough' sights, I think.

I got back to the guest house just as a serious rainstorm started and had nasi goreng upstairs with the 2 Brit women, who'd just arrived.We were joined by an Aussie couple I'd had breakfast with - they'd rented a motorbike and gone around on their own after a quick look at Borobudur.An older NZ couple at breakfast had taken a guided tour up to rice terraces in the mountains the day before and really enjoyed it;I'll do that after breakfast today, and spend tonight here too.

Coming here 2 days ago, the bus hit a long traffic jam - caused by the cleanup operation after a vast mud/boulder flow ( lahar ) that had swept through a town causing several wide swaths of destruction - huge sections of wall and even entire walls were sticking up at all angles through the mudflows after having been swept downstream.The whole town seemed to be out watching.I think it had happened earlier that day, as schoolgirls and other 'locals' on the bus were shocked when we first got to it .

( 4 pm )- just back from the tour, which was by car since 5 of us went. Actually, the Aussie couple and the two Brit women all came up by motorbike and joined us. After waiting for years to finally see any at all, I have now seen rice terraces enough for a lifetime, though I know I'll see more on Bali.We drove through them, then hiked through them and above them, on jungly mountainsides with higher mountains rising far above us.Quite dramatic - as dramatic as any photos of them I've ever seen.We first walked through a busy little village, with women winnowing rice and carrying heavy bundles up steep lanes, men hauling logs, etc.We hiked 2-3 km. up what started as a well-laid narrow brick trail, then got quite steep and muddy, ending at a mini-temple of no real interest after Borobudur.The hike itself was the attraction, for the scenery.Boys were playing soccer at the temple, up from the village - the closest level, grassy plot they have available.Rain seemed imminent for a while but the clouds passed.

The rain did start ( and went on for hours ) later after I was back at the guest house.I sat and watched - alone at first but then a very Westernized 40-ish Thai woman came out to chat a while - she's here for a 5-day meditation retreat at the local Buddhist monastery.She's been working with dolphins in Lovina on Bali, and lived/studied in London for 3 years.

Monday night Jan. 10 - Jepara ( N. coast of Java ), at Pondok Wisma Kota Baru by the 'beach'

This town is not what I expected, or had been hoping for, but I will stay through tomorrow night. The 'beach' is just low, brown waves splattering onto some rocks below a closed kiddie amusement park with a couple open soft drink/bakso carts ( and many more closed for the off-season ).No one here but me and the family ( mom/dad/baby ), who are hanging out watching TV just outside my door.Lonely Planet said this town was 'sleepy' and they were right - I've never seen so little traffic on Indonesian streets as I did on my long walk back into town this afternoon. I had hoped to eat fresh fish while watching the surf roll in; no way.I had hoped to see woodcarvers at work at some of the ( according to L.P. ) 500 places making furniture and raised-relief sculpture; not gonna happen.The bus cruised into town past many open-front wood furniture shops, but all with the same types of chairs piled high out front ( and no customers ).Nothing remotely stylish or original in view. Handmade, I'm sure, but hardly creative. The town does have a lot of pride, though - 1000s of tall palms and well-laid sidewalks linemain roads, and there are parks and other efforts to make the place look nice.Most of that is miles from here by the sea, though; the town is REALLY spread out.

The three bus rides here ( Borubudur to Magelang to Semarang to Jepara ) were all interesting, and fortunately a no-smoking rule seemed to be enforced on all of them, for a change.I was crammed into tiny seats, aisles packed to the max a la Guatemala ( except these weren't old Blubird school busses and the drivers didn't act like they were in the Grand Prix ) but I enjoyed people-watching and the passing landscapes, which included views of 3 volcanoes early on plus lots more rice terraces.We passed large, modern Katolik churches to Maria Virgen.No one on the busses ever gave me even a 'first glance' that I noticed, though I can't believe many Westerners ride this route or on local busses in general. The faces of some tiny Malay women standing in the aisles were level with mine - and when I stopped slouching my head was even a bit higher.

From the terminal here I took a bejak here, dropped off my stuff and headed slowly back towards the town proper ( after a quick dismissive look at the 'beach' ).I walked out the pier to see the local fishing fleet, all older though brightly painted boats of 2 types, low narrow 20 footers or 40 footers with a bit of a superstructure.No activity.I continued walking, found a dark internet café with ancient computers and spent a half hour checking/sending email.Walking on, eventually I got to an area with some 'classy' furniture showrooms with odds and ends of raised-relief work worth photographing - set outside as attention-grabbers - even if it was all pretty cliché-ish stuff and of unremarkable quality, including Thai-style village scenes on panels 3-4 meters long and almost a meter high.It got cloudy and cooler and for a while it looked like it might rain; the streets emptied off even more and shopkeepers were hurriedly carrying stuff inside.I started back here, briefly stopping in at a busy KFC to use the restroom and get an icy drink.A big birthday party was going on with karaoke for kids as part of the fun.Picture instructions in the WC forbade people to squat on the Western toilet - funny! I walked back here as darkness fell, past families relaxing in front of their open-door homes ( middle-class by local standards, mostly one room wide as in old New Orleans ) with small kids still riding bikes and playing out front.I saw a muezzin actually singing into the mike at one of countless small mosques I passed.I spotted a couple cafes not far from here that had been closed earlier; I'll check them out tomorrow for fresh fish.Here I took a cool shower, wishing it could have been even cooler, and retreated here to my room and the AC.

In all, it was a pleasant if uneventful day.But no conversations, I'm afraid.The folks here know virtually no English, it seems.

Tues. Jan. 11 afternoon-very violent rain/wind storms off and on since 6 am; I've only left for a simple lunch next door - which was served without utensils, just a bowl of water to wash up. Mint leaves were served with the chicken and rice - it reminded me of NE Thailand.

Actually I've discovered that the husband at this guest house does know some English, picked up from subtitled American films on local TV.He's never gone to school - his father died young so he had to start working, and considers himself lucky to have found this position as live-in manager for the owner.He says few tourists at all - even Indonesians - come to Jepara.Americans pretty much never come, but a few Slovaks, Germans, Aussies, Russians do in season - to 'relax', he says.

With no distractions, it IS relaxing andI finally did a bit of prep for the presentations I'll need to give in Surabaya in a few days.Also I finally listed pro's and con's of staying a second year.Con's look pretty petty on paper, actually - more like excuses than reasons.So, I'm leaning 'yes'.At this particular moment. It's not what I'd been hoping for but likely more interesting than any alternative except pure travel, which is not practical for me now and would also get tiring - as I know from past experience.

Thus. Jan. 13 morning - at the Semarang train station

I have a 5-hour wait for a 3:30 'eksekutif' train to Surabaya arriving 7:30 IF it's on time ( doubtful ).I could have taken a deluxe bus for less and arrived sooner, but I was determined to do at least one train ride on this trip, and this is my only chance. It's hardly the first time I've had long waits for trains, or planes.

Backing up two days: I did go out Tuesday afternoon after the rain let up, mainly to get some exercise.Walking back before dark, I went into a seafood restaurant I hoped would have an ocean view - it looked promising.But all I had was an obscured glimpse looking out through the open back door through a rattan screen, though I could hear the surf.And I finally had a whole fish, which I chose for myself from a packed freezer ( giant prawns and crab too, at a price ).I picked a 'big' one (relatively ) but in the end it was a lot more bone and fin than meat; still it was as delicious as any I've ever had, and the whole meal cost only about $7 US.Back at the guest house, I stayed outside and joined a few others enjoying the stiff breeze off the sea, and the small surf - still enough to splash high above the seawall and to keep some moored boats rocking violently.The crescent moon was half-visible behind racing clouds.Back in the guest house there were two TVs playing loud, front and rear, and a bunch of guys yakking, all just outside my little 'cubicle' of a room, so I sat out on the covered terrace and enjoyed the sight and sound of the wind rattling the trees, with giant bats constantly darting in and out of the branches.Fortunately, after 10 the TVs were turned way down and I went in and fell asleep, no problem.

The next morning rain seemed imminent again, so I hurriedly packed up and started walking to the terminal to go a ways south to Kudus, which is named after al-Quds, Jerusalem in Arabic, and has a famous old mosque. I got on a Kudus bus right away - just as rain started, and very heavy again.For once I was 'riding shotgun' so I was more comfortable and had a better view of passing fields and towns.By the end of the trip I was the only passenger left and the driver was trying to talk with me in - ? - not regular bahasa Indonesia, for sure.( I've heard what sounds like the same thing since, a few times.Sounds very 'rough' and I cannot make any sense of it. )At the Kudus terminal a guy with an umbrella 'herded' me from the bus past competitors to a near-full angkot headed into town a few miles, past some flooded areas, dropping me at the Notosari Permai Hotel as I'd requested (L.P.-rec'd ).For the same price as I'd paid in Jepara I got a big room with my own bathroom, free full breakfast, a TV, and use of a huge pool out back.Quite a contrast.

I set out walking toward 'downtown', just a few blocks away, and found an internet café at once.Only work emails; again I couldn't post photos or journal entries because of a mati lampu that 'struck' just as I plugged in my thumb drive.( It had been pouring just before. ) A second mati lampu made it clear I'd have to postpone my 'updates' again. Based on my memory of the L.P. city map of Kudus, I headed west on foot - jacket in hand just in case of more rain - looking for the famous old mosque and the 'Arab Quarter'.My route took me directly to it, and it wasn't as far as I'd expected.I did get rained on once, briefly, but then no more.The mosque ended up being worth the walk and the trip to Kudus; I got a few good photos inside and out, before being politely escorted out as the afternoon prayer call started.Besides the squat red-brick minaret with outside stairs to the top, the highlights were 2 very weathered wood doorways left from the ancient Hindu temple the mosque was built over, and some other elaborate woodworking on a traditional house off to the side.Then I walked through a bit of the surrounding neighborhood - which in fact has nothing remotely 'Arab' except a few signs and names, and a couple stalls selling prayer beads and prayer caps.So I walked back to the hotel and spent an hour at the pool, along with a dozen or so kids and a couple parents.It felt great! With the help of a breeze, it was the first time I'd felt cool outside since I came to Indonesia.

This morning I had a nasi goreng for breakfast, with kopi, and ended up having the most conversation yet in bahasa Indonesia, with a variety of folks working there, and all curious about the giant bald bule traveling alone to a place where they said foreigners feel 'afraid' to come, though they couldn't explain why.One guy asked me grammar questions - he offers classes to 30 kids at his house, after learning some English mostly from TV and magazines.He told me I could stay at his huge house if I come back to Kudus, and ended up giving me a ride to the terminal on his motorbike.It had rained hard in the night and we had to go through 'lakes' just to get to the terminal, where I took a bus to Semarang to catch the train.We passed work crews out harvesting rice, others raking it and bagging it in drying yards ( even after such heavy rain -- ???? ).

Friday Jan. 14 11 am, Surabaya - Orchid Guest House

I chose this place because it's a short walk to Surabaya's Chinatown and the Arab Quarter, and I've just returned from a 3-hour fun meander through both, getting lots of interesting photos.Both had crowded covered markets, very different in character of course.I've never gotten so many requests to be photographed as in the Chinese one, or seen people take such delight in seeing the results. I saw - and smelled - several kinds of coffee beans being ground, plus two types of live snails, crabs with humongous claws, and guys dragging long blocks of ice around in the fish market area.Also tall stacks of various types of alpokat ( avocados ) and more garlic than I've seen in my entire life - the odor of it filled the air, and the floor was literally 'papered' with the thin skins that dozens of women were busy peeling off the garlic heads.But even by 8 am the market was clearly winding down, and the main seafood section was pretty much emptied out already.Several vendors were fast asleep curled up on their sides amid their displays - some in what looked to be terribly uncomfortable positions ( head on a block of wet wood, for example ).I also visited a vast, dark, and 'atmospheric' Chinese Buddhist temple, with various sections on two levels, each full of colors and designs, plus burning candles and incense sticks from the steady stream of people praying.Some candles were a foot across and over 2 meters tall, designed to burn for a full year. I got an unsolicited but appreciated guided tour ( though not in English ) and gave the guy 10K at the end - well worth it as I would have missed many good shots without his help; in fact I would gladly have paid that much just for 'admission'.I even got in on a rehearsal for a puppet performance, with a mini-gamelan trio behind the curtain, providing accompaniment to the puppeteer's speaking.The Arab Quarter had a covered market inside a long arcade a la Turkey with lots of stalls selling perfumes in old glass bottles ( for display purposes, not for sale ) and dates/golden raisins as well as hundreds of styles of veils and prayer caps, Arabic-language DVDs and cassettes plus posters of famous Muslim clerics - and a big banner over the street calling for an end to the Gaza blockade.

Yesterday's train trip turned out to be a snooze, quite literally for most people around me.The train was 90 minutes late to Semarang ( 5 pm ) and it got dark soon after I boarded.The scenery I did see wasn't much anyway, even after we got out of town with its views only of fields of garbage and the backsides of poor people's homes.I did enjoy the quintessential sound and rock-and-roll motion,though, and I was served a decent nasi goreng/chicken meal - which to my surprise I was later expected to pay $2 for. The train got here to Surabaya by 9 and I took a taxi to the Orchid Guest House, paying way too much as I discovered today during my much longer but cheaper taxi ride here to the Shangri-La Hotel, my home for the next 5 days. Check-in was quick and I went to sleep by 10. No reason to stay at the Orchid except the location near Chinatown/the Arab Quarter, but that was reason enough for me.I'll be in Surabaya a few days but expect to be so busy that I wouldn't have seen those places if I hadn't come a day early and made a point of it.

Finally…….I have decided to stay on as an ELF in Palembang next year, and I feel good about it.In fact, the ultimate 'decider' was that I would think less of myself for not staying, especially considering that I have no pressing reason to leave and thereby disappoint all the people who have been unfailingly hospitable. I will never have another opportunity like this - i.e. to be so appreciated and to be a 'one-of-a-kind' contributor to a program. And I will have a lot more time to see all that I want to in Indonesia, which is a lot.