Beautiful Bali: A Photoessay (Part 1)

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Ekushey: Loving our Mother Tongue

Today is Ekushey, in other words, International Mother's Language Day.


This day commemorates the sacrifices made by the members of the Bengali Language Movement and martyrs who were killed by the police for protesting the recognition of, as well as the right to learn and govern in, Bangla as the official language of current day Bangladesh. On our beautiful Earth, over 6000 languages are being spoken and yet over 2000 are being endangered of becoming extinct for reasons including war, genocide, political and cultural oppression.


I can only speak as a daughter of an immigrant about the difficulty of preserving my mother tongue while adapting into another dominant society. I am annoyed at my younger self for running away from the times my mother attempted to teach me to read and write in Bangla but I know my struggle of adapting into two cultures. During my undergrad, I have had the time to learn about the history and heritage I came from, allowing myself to have more pride in my roots and more importantly, in who I am. I fell in love with Bangla again.


However, we should question how tolerant our society is when people feel pressured to give up their mother tongue, neglect their parent's language as a consequence of becoming "accepted". What about the times people have been verbally and violently abused for speaking a different language (and for what they believe in, the colour of their of skin, their orientation, the list goes on). How can we let the UK's Prime Minister get away with only supporting Muslim women to learn English when it comes at the expense of patronising, generalising and vilifying them by linking them to terrorism (instead of blaming his own policies that marginalises the BME community)? My mom, along with many other Muslim mothers, have raised their children to be nothing but the best!


Happiness is James asking me to teach him Bangla so he can be part of my parents' world, power is being able to effortlessly bust out some Spanish while travelling in Costa Rica and home is when I talk to my mom & dad in both the languages I grew up in. My thoughts may be mostly in English, but "Ammu" and "Abbu" is what I call out when I am joyful, frightened, excited and sad.


Protecting our mother tongue and the ability to learn a new language isn't just about having mobility in a country, but also being deeply involved in a unique culture, engaging with people in a way they can truly express themselves. In the words of UNESCO, International Mother Language Day is to "develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue."


For more information on the background to Ekushey, here's a great post here. Credits to CU Bangla Soc for the link.

The Fiery Land of Indonesia

  It shivers and it rumbles. It will exhale with frustration. It will make you know of its own temper and tantrums. In Indonesia, you begin to believe that the Earth is alive. 

I'm used to travelling independently around a foreign country, mainly thanks to James whose fascination over trains and public transport links in general makes planning route an exciting puzzle than a chore. However, despite the fact that Jogja - Mount Bromo - Kawah Ijen - Bali is a popular route, there wasn't an obvious choice we could take. There are no direct public transports between the routes so we have to make a choice of risking a complex itinerary or using a tour company.

Now I have an obvious dislike for using a tour company to exploring a country - you aren't given enough time. The route we wanted to take have an infamous reputation for gruelling 11+ hour cramped bus rides and unpleasant accommodations. After pouring over blogposts about alternative routes, I secretly knew I would fall back on the tour company option. I didn't want to admit it so James and I kept postponing our decision until we got to Jogja. Staying in Surabaya and making our own way seemed risky at such a short notice while we had an endless amount of tours available at Yogyakarta. We took the easy option.

Jeep packed adventure at Mount Bromo

Waiting for the sun

At 3 am, we had the convenience of hot water shower to wake us up and refresh us from the 13 hour minibus journey. Bearing in mind how awful people have rated their experience with tour companies, I was relieved that road trip flew as I alternated between sleeping and reading as well as that our room was not freezing and falling to pieces. We walked out to see a line of jeep ready to start our adventure. James and I got pushed onto sharing a front passenger seat (well, that's not dangerous) and we drove off in the pitch black. Well, it wasn't exactly pitch black... we could see the path we were taking as a bright trail of headlights and rear lights trailing into the distance - Mount Bromo is definitely not Indonesia's best kept secret.

Our jeep parked on the side of a steep road and we had to continue walking for another fifteen minutes. I looked up and it was the first time I noticed the starry skies since... Mexico? It was already busy once we reached the platform at Mount Penanjakan. I still wanted a good view of the the volcanoes or sunset but that was proving a little difficult due to my height. I found a little gap against the railing but before I could lean against it, a French man next to me turned around and said:

"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm trying to see the volcano."
"That's my space."
"But there's space for two people." (Bearing in mind he was adjacent to me, I wasn't trying to squeeze in front of him).

He then proceeds to push in front of me and gets on the railing to block my view.  A woman then told me that she tried to get in there earlier but he blocked her too. I recall a friend believing that travellers are the best kind of people in the world. No, they could be the worst too.

I couldn't let the selfish attitude of the man spoil my experience, but I was really hurt. James came into the rescue and pulled me to another side of the platform where he found space for us to watch the sunrise instead and boom, I was happy again. 

Cemoro Lawang can be seen on the edge of the caldera (bottom left).

Amidst the selfie sticks and tall western tourists, I was still one of the first to catch the moment the sun broke into the horizon and watched Mount Semeru erupt quietly. I finally saw the Tengger massif for the first time and I was amazed to see how perilously Cemoro Lawang (the town we were staying overnight) sat on the edge of the caldera. I realised that we had driven from the town, down into the caldera and across the "Sea of Sands" in a jeep to get to the top of Mount Penanjakan. We went past the volcanoes and I was oblivious to it? The crowd slowly started to thin as everyone started going back to their jeeps to get down to the Sea of Sands as it was time to get up and personal with Mount Bromo.

Starting our journey through the Sea of Sands

Mount Bromo vent!

Failing to walk confidently around the crater rim

Mount Batok - now an extinct volcano

Always a selfie with a volcanic vent

The Sea of Sands is a vast plain of volcanic ash and just like san, it's incredibly tough to walk across. There was several touts ready to rent a horse so you can gallop across the ash but as awesome as that image may seem, we thought we'd give that a pass. We reached the bottom of the cone and braced ourselves for the walk up. A staircase was built right onto the slope of the volcano, which seems like a strange thought but a much easier alternative to trying to climb up the steep slippery slope. We tried walking along some of the rim of the volcano but the path was so thin and I wouldn't help but panic with every step I took. We thought a better way to enjoy the volcano was to sit as far (safely) we could towards the vent and listening to the volcano rumble. Despite the number of active volcanoes I've walked on, I wasn't prepared for the deep ominous sound Mount Bromo made as it degassed. I was mesmerised.

Journey into a Volcanic Crater: Kawah Ijen

A glimpse of the Blue Fire

We were still euphoric from our journey around Mount Bromo when we had to be whisked away to our next destination. Another twelve hour journey, another cold night's sleep. We had to be ready so that we could be picked up at one am so that we could be at the national park before two to meet our tour guide and sign in. It didn't take long before the group separated from each other but our guide was close by us. We were by no means alone or deserted, there were plenty of people who opted for the blue fire tour. We reached a lodge about forty-five minutes into the hike which was a short pause for everyone to have a chance to rent a gas mask to make it easier to breathe through the sulphuric emissions - we were only at the half way point! We continued to zigzag with the path when we noticed more and more sulphur miners walking past us, we must be close. We reached a dense crowd and a stairway going downwards along with a sign warning "No Visitors Allowed in the Crater". That didn't stop anyone.

Aren't we the cutest?

Cover of my next music album

Mount Raung erupting in the background

Our journey into the crater was unstable. There was no path, just Ioose rocks and ash from past eruptions. As I made my way down precariously balancing on one volcanic rock before making it to another, I was grateful for a tour guide. He held onto my hand and found the best route for us to get down while being prioritizing the sulphur miners. The miners continued on with their business, carrying heavy loads of sulphur through the crowds of tourists. I was too worried about slipping to be conscious about time but all that frustration was gone once we made it to the blue fire. One of the only two places in world where the blue fire is known to be - such a beautiful shade of electric blue caused by the ignition of sulphuric gas after it travelled up under higher temperature and pressure. 

We had to make our way up by sunrise, it was quicker to walk up especially under pressure, and we caught a glimpse of the crazy path we had just taken. We saw the crater lake from above and the beautiful texture of the crater. The gas emissions were getting heavier and within few moments of sunrise, the volcanic gas engulfed the whole region - crater lake and all. 

The first taste of Indonesia: Yogjakarta

We never prepared ourselves for Indonesia. We had so much trouble in Taiwan to keep us busy that it felt like we were spiralling from one whirlwind to another. Taiwan is very different from every part of Indonesia we visited with its tall skyscrapers, bright neon signs and crazy street food. Indonesia's craziness lay in its crazy drivers, overbearing touts and quietly erupting volcanoes. As soon as we arrived, we were overwhelmed and pushed around: into the airport, into the bus, onto the streets. It's almost suffocating how crowded everything was. Despite all of that, I couldn't help smiling cheek to cheek. Looking out of the bus, I felt like I was back in Dhaka and just like my first home, it was the start of bustling atmospheres, lively people and endless amount of good food.

The Local Culture of Yogyakarta 

We decided to spend the first day exploring Jogja. We started with a visit to the Sultan's Palace, Kraton, where we learnt about how much Yogyakarta loves its royal family. Next we visited the Water Palace, Taman Sari, a few blocks away from Kraton and then took a becak to Jalan Prawirotaman for lunch at Via Via. I had the Sambal Udang and Lime Juice, which I am craving to this day. Jl Prawirotaman is another tourist hotspot, after Jl. Sosrowijayan, so we spent the rest of the afternoon walking up and down the road to talk to different tour companies about a trip to Mount Bromo and Kawah Ijen. We were taken by Bottle Trip tour's Maria charisma and lovely character as she spoke about all the things Java Island had to offer. We decided to stick to a cheaper, more well known company for the volcano tours but we wanted to use her service so much that we were sold when she mentioned the "Golden Sunrise" of the Dieng Plateau. Now, I hadn't heard of Dieng before coming to Yogyakarta but I saw it mentioned in all the tour companys, so I did a little research online to see previous tourists' experience. It seemed that everyone who went for the sunrise loved it, but it's not worth it for later visits. Since James and I had a day to spare, we thought... why not go for it?

First sunrise in Dieng Plateau and our unforgettable driver, Tegu

James and I waited anxiously for our driver at 11 p.m., but even after fifteen-twenty minutes we were still waiting outside our hotel and we were getting worried. I didn't doubt our tour company at all, but I suspected there might have been a misunderstanding with the dates... but we were on a tight schedule we couldn't afford pushing our dates forward. James went to wait near the road and eventually I heard a car door slam shut loudly followed by:

"Mr James, I AM SO SORRY!"

So I and the rest of our street knew that our driver had arrived. I waved our hotel staff goodbye and headed towards the car when I felt two hands grab my shoulders as a new face started begging for my forgiveness:

"MISS, I am so sorry! Please forgive me!"

I knew we were in for a bumpy ride (and not just literally).

It was a little hard to convince our driver Tegu not to speed especially when he asked for our permission so politely and still insisted because "everyone does it" anyway but it was more forgivable when we were in ignorance of the narrow, steep highway he was flying across. My long lost motion sickness began to find me and I pretended to sleep as a way to fight it off but I didn't think it was a coincidence when I discovered that James was fighting the same battle too. Soon we arrived in Dieng with plenty of time but not enough layers. We started making our way up a trail, I had no idea where I was heading but there were plenty of Indonesians to follow as a guide. Then we reached the peak and I felt like a needle in a haystack. I was lost in a sea of Indonesians who also travelled many miles to see the wonderful golden sunrise... And what a view we had from the top! Sights of one volcano after another and the clouds covering the plains below, I never grow tired of the amazing landscapes our planet has to offer. 

We were feeling euphoric after watching the sunset and Tegu knew where to channel all our energy. He was blasting "Welcome to Paradise" on the radio and claiming that Bob Marley is Indonesia's religion (a claim that many drivers confirmed), so the only right thing to do was to sing along loud and proud with our driver as he took as around the plateau. We visited the sulphur crater open among the industrial pipelines and the hindu temples from the Kalingga Kingdom. We were continuously debating with Tegu about visiting the "Rainbow Lake" because, after the sunset it seemed the only other site worth seeing in the Plateau but it did seem to be unreasonably costly for the foreign tourists. Our driver wanted to take us home and feed us but we insisted on the colourful lake. That was suppose to be the end of our stay but it seemed Tegu had other plans for us...

  

With only a few hours of sleep the night before, James and I were on the edge of exhaustion, but it didn't seem like Tegu was sympathetic to our situation. I couldn't stand to listen to, let alone sing, "Welcome to Paradise" anymore despite Tegu enthusiastically yelling "One more time!" and the sun was getting to me more than it should. I went back to sleep, hoping that I could fast forward to arriving at our beloved hotel. However, I was woken up too soon and I was looking out the window to a unfamiliar green scenery. Tegu had taken us to a rice plantation. Tiptoeing between the rice terraces, we followed Tegu as two confused, lost souls to the rice plantation workers that showed us to how to harvest rice. As peaceful as the scenery looked and as sweet as the rice workers were, we were too tired to take in what was happening. We didn't stay longer than we were shown around and trusted Tegu to finally take us home... but he was clearly not done with us as he took us to his home instead. Unsure of what to do, we felt like hostages in his house as his sister cooked us Nasi Goreng while Tegu's manager interrogated him about us over the phone. Sure, we finally tried Snake Fruit and we were fed very well by Tegu and his family... but we just wanted some sleep. Finally, it looked like Tegu wanted to give in to sleep too... after he dropped us home!

The Two Giants of Yogyakarta

James and I were debating whether we should pay extra to see the sunrise from Setembu Hill or Borobudur itself, or if we should just skip seeing the sunrise and go to the Buddhist temple at a normal time. I'm a sucker for sunrise related events as you can see, so the last one wasn't a real option. In the end, we decided to enter Borobudur through the Manohara hotel and watch the sunrise from the top of the temple. Watching how bizarrely misty the temple is at early hours and exploring Borobudur before it gets crowded was worth the experience for me. It's easy for the temple to get crowded, each passage is quite narrow and there are only two staircases to move across each level. I loved the atmosphere of walking around Borobudur when it was still dark, it felt eery. We needed the whole time from sunrise to our pick-up time at nine to wander around until we were satisfied. 

It only seemed logical to end our day by watching the sunset from the Hindu Temples of Prambanan. While Borobudur seemed to withstand destruction, it seems like Prambanan wasn't as fortunate. As we made our way towards the temple, you're first struck by how intimidating the main temples are with their tall, dark, jagged appearance. As you walk closer, you're struck again in awe by the remains of the devastation caused by the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake. The main temples are surrounded by rubble and you can't help but feel a little bit of sadness at what it once was.

We arrived around 4pm and spent most of the evening around the main Prambanan complex. Our main mistake was underestimating the time we needed to roam the whole park. We did climb all the main temples that were restored and walked around the complex but there were also Buddhist temples further north that we didn't have time for. We also saved sunset for Prambanan due to numerous travel blogs claiming how beautifully it is lit by the setting sun... I don't think I saw what they were seeing and if I did, it's not that spectacular. Nevertheless, I would have allocated at least half the day to explore the whole site.    

  

Our Wonderful Host, Faisal

One of that best parts of travelling, the aspect that romanticises it, is the other souls that you meet on the way. I've made friends with people I worked with abroad, cherished conversations I had with strangers in accommodations I stayed in and learnt a lot from fellow travellers I shared a hostel with. I have friends who want to travel solely so they could have that experience with other travellers. However, people seem to overlook the connections they could have with the locals. I always enjoyed meeting locals because they give different perspectives of the country you're visiting and provide a more authentic experience. I've always made it a goal to meet residents of the country I am visiting because they can show you what's best (or most extraordinary). I've been taken to the best restaurants, ordered the strangest food and received an insight to the local politics. Taking the time to meet the locals should never be under-appreciated!

I want to take the time to thank our wonderful host, Faisal during our stay at the Griya Wijilan hotel. While the rest of the staff were great, Faisal stood out in terms of friendliness and care. He had so much to tell us about about Indonesia in terms of what he has seen (he showed us photos of the places he visited) and about the culture. We spoke about migration within Indonesia and he taught us a few Indonesian phrases we could use. When we were worried about Tegu being late, he stayed up with us and talked about the history and religion of Indonesia and when Tegu was distressed about arriving late, Faisal calmed him down. I've never met someone who is integrated with their guests and I always looked forward to coming back to the hotel and talking to Faisal. If I go back to Yogyakarta, I would definitely stay at Griya Wijilan just for Faisal (though the hotel itself is fantastic too!).