Indonesian Diary Entry

January 13, 2002

Between the 17th of December and the 1st of January I traveled in Thailand. This diary is really about Indonesia, so any coverage of Thailand should be out of bounds. There are a few interesting observations about Thailand, however, that I think provide a good comparison to Indonesia. Hence, I will offer some travel notes. These notes are in the form of a letter to my children. This is not just for my own convenience (although it is that), but more because I spent the time with my wife and I think that is part of the flavor of the trip. Trudy had come over for the first and only time, and it was a visit that was to have taken place around Thanksgiving.

Dear kids,

I’m sure you are not interested in the minutia of the trip, so I’ll say a few general things about it. We met in Bangkok on the 17th, and the next day began touring in earnest. Coming half way around the globe is very difficult, and the idea of starting the touring so quickly was scary to me, but Trudy managed to do it remarkably well. When I came here it honestly took me two weeks to get into the full swing of things, but she was on schedule immediately. In any event, we began with a full day of temple viewing and temples were on the agenda most of the next two weeks. Thailand is a Buddhist country with about 90% of the people being of that faith. It is (another) religion that is much more favorably inclined to men than to women (e.g. women are not in line for achieving enlightenment!) and that was a bit of an issue for us, but there are some very appealing features to the religion. That is obvious or it wouldn’t have survived the 27 or so centuries of its existence. One of the appealing things about it is the physical presence of the temples. They are abundant and generally beautiful. Each temple site normally has a variety of buildings, and they shine away in the sun. All of the newer ones have replaced gold leaf with gold paint, but it still glitters. With the temples come monks, and the rule is that every man is supposed to serve as a monk for a part of his life. It is most apparent in the larger cities, and Bangkok in particular, with monks all over the place. I think that if there were nothing else out of what we consider to be the usual nature of cities and towns, these two things would make Thailand exotic. One more thing about the temples: They serve as multi-purpose community entertainment facilities. This runs the gamut from crematorium to general hangout place (I guess for the living and the departed). They are serious spots, but they also provide a good place for people from the community to come have a meal.

Here is a thumbnail sketch of our journey through the country. We spent a couple of days in the Bangkok area, then one day north of the city in an ancient capital city, then off to the mountains of northern Thailand for about three days, then to the south for a few days in the forests of a national park and another three days on a boat and an ocean kayak. The most interesting part of the trip was probably a couple of nights in the north, where we actually stayed in two small villages. When I read about it in our travel materials I imagined a trailer that had been brought into a village for tourists who would be bussed in, but we really did stay one night in someone’s home residence and a second night in a hut that was there for trekkers, but was just like the other huts in the village. I am going to stick to my pledge to avoid minutiae, but staying in a hut without electricity or furniture (including beds) is different. We didn’t do a count, but there had to have been many more animals than people in the villages. None of the animals were loafers – they all had some role to play in the village life. If the villages were the most interesting, the cottage (bungalow) on the Bay of Thailand we stayed in was the most lovely. This cottage had electricity (from 6 PM until morning) and a bed, but it was also rather primitive. Its beauty was in its location. It is right on the Bay, and the tide line is at least 200 meters if not more. The nights we stayed there were followed by mornings of low tide. We were able to walk out great distances and prowl around for shells, crabs, etc., and get a real sense of the ocean.

Travel in a country like Thailand is a series of adventures separated by meals. We hardly had an uninteresting meal and had a substantial number of excellent ones. Again, I think the most interesting ones were the meals we had in the mountains, which were cooked by our guide. The best ones were probably those in Bangkok. Naturally I was in the “compared to Indonesian food” mode and in that regard I found the food to be a little less spicy on average, and the flavors were not entirely familiar. The Thai spices were a bit more subtle. (I am really spoiled in this regard in that I have yet to eat a boring meal at my residence. I continue to marvel at the varieties of tofu and tempeh.) The Thai people eat a little less rice than Indonesians, but they certainly eat a lot of it. The best deserts were those involving sticky rice and coconut milk: simple and sweet, with lots of fruit as part of the picture.

Some quick comparisons with Indonesia. Thailand wants tourists and does a lot to court and support them. The guides we had were all well informed, pleasant, experienced, and I believe licensed. The places we visited were generally clean, devoid of hawkers and beggars, and visited by Thais as well as foreigners. I don’t know that there is a lot more in Thailand to see than in Indonesia, but it certainly seems like it. Every place we visited had a build up, there were lots of things to read about such places, and while we were there we were impressed by the special features of the place. The Thais love their King and seem to tolerate their government. The King (and Queen) stands apart from the government and are willing to criticize it and the Prime Minister. Because the people can look up to the King they look on the country with favor. In Indonesia I feel a constant tension between people from different parts of the country, and I see the government as more of a referee to that tension (and fighting) than a solution.

After Thailand we spent a couple of days in Jakarta. That was the beginning of the return home for me, and I was definitely on familiar soil. We did a little more sightseeing, and a little resting up. Then on the 3rd of January we returned to Solo. Since coming here we’ve been pretty busy, including some inter-area travel. Unfortunately I’ve come down with a rather bad cold or flu, so as I write this I’m out of commission. I’m also out of energy. Our hope is that another day at home will bring me back to reasonable health and that we’ll be able to go to Yogya and then the mountains for the weekend.

Being in Indonesia alone has been exciting and challenging. I have found a new sense of self-confidence and some enjoyable independence. Being in the country with Trudy has been wonderful. To some degree, at my age the excitement and challenge is a contest with oneself. It is rewarding to know that you can get by, and that you can find satisfaction by yourself. That having been accomplished, the continuing benefits of time alone are pretty small. I have enough to keep me busy for the allotted/assigned time, but come March 1st I will be ready to return.

So that’s a quick update from here. I’ll write again soon.