JAKARTA – RABBLE, MASSAGE AND HANDICAP

Part of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

 

 

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reathless from unimaginable traffic streets, markets for antics and exotic fruits, skyscrapers and ancient temples, colonial buildings and entertainment parks, museums and super modern Malls – this is the 13-million Jakarta. But the capital of Indonesia does not depress, although it is huge. The mega polis spreads on 650 sq.km. sunk in  fluffy greenery. And when you become exhausted from the city noise, you can rest with the total pleasure of massage or with the concentrated aristocratism of golf. The Indonesians are crazy about this sport. Their only sorrow is that they do not have a world champion. In exchange their golf playgrounds are abounding. Only around the capital of Jakarta they are more than 30, although some count them as 43. Most of them are according to the world standards and can host without a problem whatever international championship. They are constructed by architects of the caliber of Jack Niklaus (First and Second), Thomson, Rodney Right and Robin Nelson, Robert Trent Jones, Greg Norman, Greham March, the favorite to the Bulgarian golfers Gary Player. The natural relief is used maximally, as is turned into part of the architecture. And the impressiveness is obligatory. Therefore a golf playground, the façade of which strongly reminds the fronton with carriage of Bolshoy Theatre does not shock anybody. The “Indonesian Open” is a tournament with prize fund of $1 million. It is sponsored by the state, and it does not spare means, when the word is for popularizing Indonesia as a tourist destination.

Pantai Indah Kapuk (the so called golf playground PIK) is at the seaside of the island of Java, not far away from Jakarta. The road towards it passes through a luxurious “ghetto for millionaires” – all the rich men from the capital have built themselves palaces along the seaside. Thus they stay in cool and nearer to their favorite sport. The author of PIK Robert Trent Jones has called it “The spirit of the sea”. “My playground not only resembles sea, but it is a sea”, says the architect and underlines with arguments: “Because sometimes the sea is generous and beautiful, other time – with terrible character and creates difficulties. My playground is a test for the capable players, but defies them to show the best of themselves”. The place includes relaxing pools, strategically situated bunkers, built up with local stones. 6048 m., 72 par with cleverly included seaside tropical trees in a park of 80 hectares. Pantai Indah Kapuk is an idyllic place at the sea coast, where the beginners forget about their meager abilities and enjoy the natural water ways and sand bunkers. The design of the golf playground is so innovative that since 1992, when it received the prize Golf Nugget, it is constantly winning prizes. Several times it was declared to be the best in Asia and it is included in The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses. Here people can play during the whole year. Well, if the rain season is excluded (from December to March), but even then the downpour is so warm and if it does not prevent seeing the ball, the gracious young kiddies will follow you everywhere with a huge umbrella in hand. By the way, they all are beautiful girls in bright uniforms in green and candy’s pink with perfect English. 

Except playing to one’s heart content, the members and their guests can eat in the club, which offers fantastic view towards the sea and the playground, to swim in the pool with Olympic size, to play tennis or to improve their golf skills on the training field with gravel, bunkers and 7 kinds of greenery. After “Indonesian Open” in July, the golf playground is given to the youth. And as everything else here it is made with a dash. More than 2500 golfers from five selected schools in Jakarta are trained and compete there, until the time of the World youth golf championship, which is hosted by the playground.

You can feel the magic of the Indonesian massage in the small cabins, where the local people drop in after work, in order to bestir their muscles or at the elegant SPA centers for the high class. Taman sari royal heritage SPA is founded by the hereditary aristocrat MuriatiSadibayo. Raised in the Java royal court, she has adopted the ancient technics of beautifying with traditional herbs and applies them in all the 30 and more branches all over the world. But wherever they are, they obligatory are furnished in the extravagant, but airy style with a lot of woodcarving, which are characteristic for Indonesia. The therapies are many but the most distinguished is called “Royal lulur”. If it is fulfilled with all details the procedure takes 3 hours. Treating the body with local herbs and yogurt is described for the first time during the 17^th century in North Java, but probably comes from the antiquity. If translated the words mean “wrapped skin” and in the past it was an obligatory ritual for the bride before the wedding. It was done every day for a week before the ceremony, in order the bride to be with a silky skin possibly the cleanest and ready for conception in the very first nuptial night. The therapy prolongs the beauty and youth, making the skin soft and shining. The surrounding atmosphere is also royal. An amiable small Balinese woman makes massage of the feet for welcome. Presses some points by finger with a whole bunch of small sticks and only from this she discovers all your aches. The essence of the cleaning of dead cells is the exfoliating lulur – scrub from rice dust, local herbs (yellow color) and ethereal body oil. You start shivering   in spite of the 30 degrees outside. It turns out to be the obligatory effect of the cooling seaweed Marine Algae. You feel as if the skin becomes smaller for you. The lulur hardens scorches and slightly cracks. When it dries completely, they are brushing you off. And you see how the dead skin is leaving you. Two deft Balinese girls start pouring you with a mixture of yogurt and fresh mint. This has to convert your body into a clean radiance, while you are waiting the same procedure (in a softer form) for the face. It ends with a massage on the “reflex zones”, which means acupressure on special points on the chin, eyebrows and around the nose. Thus the stress is gone, if not forever, at least for long. The Jacuzzi is “boiling” already, filled with fresh rose petals. You are splashing into it in order to wash off the yogurt, and totally relax before the 1 hour Indonesian massage. It is mostly with a whole palm. In the first part it is on dry skin, and in the second –with ethereal oils and herbs. The pressure is on the direction of the blood streams, and the aim – to unlock a knot on the body. At the end you simply do not want to stand up.

And when you have had enough of spoiling, on your way back to Jakarta you could drop in for a drink on the 56^th floor of SKYE bar. The lift will raise you for less than 2 minutes to the terrace under the stars, and from there the night view toward the Indonesian capital will leave you breathless.

JAKARTA – MULTICOLOURED FAIRYTALE

~Magdalena Gigova ~

Chapter of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

“If you want to see everything in Indonesia – one lifetime is not enough! With a population of 240 million, dispersed on 17 504 islands, it is clear why. You have to choose between the mega polis Jakarta, to enjoy the piece of paradise – called Bali, or to plunge among the unique coral plantations on the Maluku islands. Maybe you will be attracted by the exotic: the wild tribes and former cannibals on Papua, the birthplace of the biggest lizard in the world – the merciless poisonous Komodo dragon on the Komodo islands, or to have a glimpse on the orangutans on Borneo”

Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world with its 30 groups of islands. The capital Jakarta is a 13-million mega polis, breathless from its traffic. Some people travel two-three hours to their working place and vice versa. But the Indonesians manage with the traffic jams in two ways: the first is “3 in 1” and means that on a working day it is forbidden for cars with less than three persons inside. Neighbors, friends, occasional companions make groups. Otherwise it is sure that at some traffic light they will make a photo of you and will charge you with a fierce fine. The other salvation is “Trans-Jakarta” – the road cleaned especially for the speedy buses. And it does not come to anybody’s mind to avail himself of this part of the road, higher with about 20 m. The stops are on a meter and a half height, as well as the doors of the buses. In difference with the other cities with 13 million citizens, Jakarta breaths with much greenery on all the 650 km2 on which it is spreading.

Jakarta under the wings of Garuda

 Above them is towering the national monument. This is 132-meter tower, from the roof of which are opened wonderful sights. In its base is opened a golden gate under the sounds of the Indonesian anthem, in order the visitors to see the document of creating the contemporary state with the signature of President Sukarno. A modest piece of paper, with a text typed on an archive typewriter, with a signature and stamp. Garuda is the golden eagle-like bird, symbol of the country and its beaky profile is watching from all the wall-panels. And from the terrace the glance seizes sky scrapers and parks kilometers around. The whole tower is surrounded by stone bas reliefs, which are telling with their super realistic figures scenes from the history and way of life of Indonesia. From them we learn not only about heroes and commanders, but also that in order to become a man the Indonesian had to jump over a rather high pole. In the monument “Monas”, as the tower is called, there is a special room for meditation, in which nobody can enter but only the children of Sukarno, in order to pray with the spirit of their father.
In spite of the 350 years presence of the Dutch, the shorter colonization of the British and French and the cruel raid of the Japanese, the Indonesians celebrate quite peacefully the anniversaries of their “national awakening”, without baring malice.

 From the Netherlands quarter to the fan of life

Therefore the old Netherlands quarter is maintained excellently.  In the museum “Fatahilah” is especially respected the ancient furniture of the former governors, and the nostalgic canal is not anymore navigable, but is being duly cleaned every day. In the courtyard of the museum the infertile women are competing to touch a huge gun, crowned with what the Russians call “kukish” and in Indonesia is considered to be talisman for fertility. For this aim the ladies have to spend the night under the gun. At the other side of Jakarta there is a “male” big rifle, which influences the potentiality better than Viagra. From the expositions in the Indonesian capital the most attractive are the museum with puppets for the theatre of shadows and “Taman Mini” – entertaining park in which each of the provinces of the country is represented with its characteristic house. 

From the first museum you learn that in the performances with the so called wayang (Javanese puppet) or Javanese dolls one actor performs 15 different roles and sometimes is acting 9 hours without stopping. But he has an assistant who helps him to arrange the personages, which are more than 300. 

But he plays systematically “only” with around 120. The helper sticks the puppet / wayang dolls as high as 2-3 m., sometimes higher. The filigree processing of the leather for the 200-year old exhibits has placed “Wayang”, as the museum is called, among the list for the world heritages of UNESCO. The leather is thin and finely cut, as a lace, in order the light to pass through it and the theatre of shadows to be even more effective. I was shocked by the fan of life, created from unbelievably thin, almost transparent wood. For sure at its one side was the paradise and from the other – hell. And each sign has a secret (or evident) symbolic meaning. And almost comic is the figure of GatotKacha, a fairy tale hero, the local version of Superman. When his face is blue he is in good mood, the red façade says that he is furious. The museum is situated in an Anglican church of XVI century, from which are preserved also about ten grave stones of knights, passed away long time ago.

In front of the sanctuary of the dolls there is an endless row of bicycles with plantation helmets on the luggage carriers. Everybody can rent them and circle around the city center, without being disturbed from the ghosts of the Dutch colonizers. By the way the local people joke that for three hundred years the stingy Dutch have built less roads, public building and schools, than the English during their four years (1811-1815) in Indonesia.

The wife of the longest serving Indonesian President – Suharto suggested to create the park “Taman Mini.  The place does not have anything in common with “Europe on palm”, which can be seen in Brussels or “Switzerland in miniature” at Melide. In short – In “Taman Mini” nothing is mini. 

Quite the opposite. Everything is huge, even bigger than the real dimensions. An over-head cable car allows the visitors to see the park, spreading on 1 2km and above. Savages are rowing in pirogues in the middle of a lake, as in Sulawesi. They are even not real, although looking strikingly realistic. A museum, similar to Hindu temple shows the different ethnic groups and is at the same time wonderful   décor for weddings.

A real feast for lovers of antics and authentic souvenirs is Surabaya – a quarter with small shops, in which one could stumble to a treasure and more often – to a real imitation, but he will bring it to his country as a precious souvenir from Jakarta.

Fantastic experiences on the Muluku Islands flying with crazy bamboo and petting an eel * 

~ Magdalena Gigova ~

 “This actually is one very mystical and ancient ritual also known as “the crazy bamboo”, which can be seen only on the Muluku Islands in Indonesia”

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even complete strangers are incredulously hugging a long bamboo tree. On the side the most ordinary man is muttering something at coconut shells. He lifts his primitive night-light, gets closer to the long tree and together with the smoke the bamboo goes crazy. The modern, sane people begin to feel as if some sort of unknown power is making the tree act as if it’s alive. It pushes them to one and to the other side, it tries to get away and at the next moment it just lifts them a few inches off the ground. Sounds strange, right? Even if we accept that the levitation is a result of the group’s psychosis and it is stimulated by the scent of the enchanting herbs, what can we say about the numerous witnesses, who are waiting for their turn at the “bamboo gila”. This actually is one very mystical and ancient ritual also known as “the crazy bamboo”, which can be seen only on the Muluku Islands in Indonesia.

You have never heard about this place? Then maybe you are not that big of a fan to the exotic and the diving. The Muluku islands are part of Indonesia, they spread over 851  000 kilometers of land and see. The hard ground is actually around 7.6% or 86 000 kilometers, that are spread between 1000 different islands. The locals call the capital of the Islands – Ambon “the city of the thousand churches”, even though after the Japanese destroyed them during the Second World War their number decreased drastically.

The “ambonians” (the citizens of Ambon) have darker skin color and curlier hair than most Indonesians and they are proud exactly with the magic of the “crazy bamboo”. This ritual can provoke empathy only here. Whoever took part in this ritual already knows that the shaman cuts a 3 meters long and 15 centimeters thick bamboo stick. He ignites the his nigh-lighter with shells of bamboo and nuts, he casts short and only known to him mantras in the ancient language “ternate”, after which he yells three times “Gila”. The bamboo tree is being held by 7 people – fans of strong experiences and fantastic emotions. Out of personal experience I tell you that it seems like the tree is floating by itself in different directions until the shaman stops it with one single gesture of his hand. The unexplainable power throws the people like tree leaves, while they are trying to overpower the “dance” of the bamboo. The locals here claim that the more skillful priests of the ancient gods were able to achieve levitation – the crazy bamboo lifted them over 20 centimeters off the ground. Our wizard was called Friz – a native born ambonian, who was painted all over his face with magical symbols. Apparently he was a little out of shape, because he was throwing us from one side of the square, to the other but he was not able to lift us in the air. Even so the sense of the unclear energy, which guides the will and the mysteriousness behind this crazy bamboo stayed. It is unclear how and from where did the crazy bamboo appear on Muluku Islands, but it is said that this is an ancient mystical ritual for lifting the spirit of the soldiers before battle.  Because nowadays there are no fighting tribes on the island the ritual with the “Bambu Gila” is turned into attraction for the tourists – a real challenge to the imagination.

The preparations for Bambu Gila start with a special ceremony, during which the shaman prays to the spirits that are haunting the bamboo to allow him to conduct the ritual. “The crazy bamboo” is chopped off of the mountain with volcanic origin called Gamalama, which is situated in the northern part of the archipelago – in Ternate. Then they rub the tree with coconut oil and cut it to the appropriate size. After that they search for seven volunteers ready to hold the bamboo. The shaman goes around and casts his strange prayers, while the tree itself becomes completely incontrollable. Even though the modern man is skeptical about this whole thing when he sees the crazy tree “playing” with the group, he begins to believe in magical powers. Sometimes the shaman gives the tree such a heavy weight that the seven volunteers cannot lift it and they collapse to the ground after their efforts. The ritual ends with the shaman’s defeat over the evil powers. And his percussions are distributed to the public so they can all try their musical abilities with a childish enthusiasm.

The other attraction on the Muluku Islands that goes beyond people’s fantasy is petting eels. It is known that here is the place where the poorest person eats a lobster for dinner. When he gets hungry, he just goes and catches it. The population of Ambon eats around 55 kilograms of fish per year. Some of them even more. Some people even use it as a pet. The village Waii complements its very modes budget by an unusual tourist service. The main tourist revenues come from algae farms, renting boats, diving and fishing. But nobody is ever allowed to go fish for eels.

The locals bring up the two meters long creatures with love. The strange feeling that you are petting something that resembles a snake so much makes you want to take of your shoes and go into the water where all the pricy fishes are, just like the small peasant children. The soap is clearly not frightening them, because even with the pouring rain the women around are hitting their laundry into the stones. The small children, who want to impress us, since we are their guests, are doing all sorts of loops into the water. One young man dressed only with a loincloth starts to break raw eggs and makes strange noises, so he can attract the eels. We expect them, but they don’t come. As if they are scared to get wet from the pouring rain. Finally one eel plucks up courage and comes to us.

* This text is part of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians