Monday 8 August
I walked to the Dutch bakery cafe and had a dutch pastry and cake for late breakfast. Dutch Isabelle from Yogja, and her friend Sebastian, came by looking for the same place so they joined me and we spent the rest of the day together. We walked through the town to see the dutch colonial houses but they were not very inspiring. We went to another bird market; a guy was buying crickets which the stall owner scooped out of a box with his bare hands. I asked the shopper what the crickets were for and he said they were for his bird and without hestitating he threw a cricket up into a bird in its cage, through the bars, and the bird starting munching away. They also had owls and small monkeys for sale though I don't know why anyone would buy a sick animal.
I expected Malang to be nicer, it's ok but still a bit noisy and average-looking. The park near the mosque was ok, and we walked to the Chinese temple. I finally allowed myself a McDonald's ice cream, now that my stomach seems ok.
Tuesday 9th August
I met Isabelle and Sebastian at the Dutch cafe and we got a bemo to the bus terminal and straight on another bemo to Singosari. It dropped us off on the main road and we walked along to the Hindu temple. Although today we went to see temples, it wasn't so much about the temples as the getting out into the countryside on a bit of an adventure. But Candi Singosari was ok, and nearby were a couple of stone guardians. Here we met Russian Cyril and invited him to come along with us.
Back on the main road we got a bemo a bit further along and then got off and walked along another road looking for Candi Sumberawan (a Buddhist stupa). We didn't really know the way but asked the locals for help and they kept saying it was 2kms away. Well, it was further than that and we walked through a few villages greeting the locals as we went. We stopped to watch a woman who was etching designs onto ladies shoes, by freehand. The men had carved the shoes out of wood.
Eventually, with the Russian rushin' ahead, we made it to the signpost to Candi Sumberawan. We walked alongside a small canal and past some small paddy fields; now we were in the countryside. After less than a km we came to the stupa, which again was not spectacular, but it was set in a pleasant garden and we sat on a rock under a tree and rested and made plans for Bromo for tomorrow; Cyril went off in search of more temples.
We headed back and after a while flagged down a ute carrying building materials. Isabelle got in the front and Sebastian and I sat on the stones in the back. The ute took us most of the way back, and by chance we ended up back near the first temple; it was 6kms so I am glad we didn't walk all the way.
Back in Malang we had late lunch of fried chicken, chips and veg. Then we went to a coffee house where I had strong Javanese coffee and then sped off to the internet and then sped back to the hotel, stopping for noodles with chicken and veg from the foodstall across the road.
So today we today we achieved our goal of seeing the Javanese countryside and having a bit of an adventure.
I walked to the Dutch bakery cafe and had a dutch pastry and cake for late breakfast. Dutch Isabelle from Yogja, and her friend Sebastian, came by looking for the same place so they joined me and we spent the rest of the day together. We walked through the town to see the dutch colonial houses but they were not very inspiring. We went to another bird market; a guy was buying crickets which the stall owner scooped out of a box with his bare hands. I asked the shopper what the crickets were for and he said they were for his bird and without hestitating he threw a cricket up into a bird in its cage, through the bars, and the bird starting munching away. They also had owls and small monkeys for sale though I don't know why anyone would buy a sick animal.
I expected Malang to be nicer, it's ok but still a bit noisy and average-looking. The park near the mosque was ok, and we walked to the Chinese temple. I finally allowed myself a McDonald's ice cream, now that my stomach seems ok.
Tuesday 9th August
I met Isabelle and Sebastian at the Dutch cafe and we got a bemo to the bus terminal and straight on another bemo to Singosari. It dropped us off on the main road and we walked along to the Hindu temple. Although today we went to see temples, it wasn't so much about the temples as the getting out into the countryside on a bit of an adventure. But Candi Singosari was ok, and nearby were a couple of stone guardians. Here we met Russian Cyril and invited him to come along with us.
Back on the main road we got a bemo a bit further along and then got off and walked along another road looking for Candi Sumberawan (a Buddhist stupa). We didn't really know the way but asked the locals for help and they kept saying it was 2kms away. Well, it was further than that and we walked through a few villages greeting the locals as we went. We stopped to watch a woman who was etching designs onto ladies shoes, by freehand. The men had carved the shoes out of wood.
Eventually, with the Russian rushin' ahead, we made it to the signpost to Candi Sumberawan. We walked alongside a small canal and past some small paddy fields; now we were in the countryside. After less than a km we came to the stupa, which again was not spectacular, but it was set in a pleasant garden and we sat on a rock under a tree and rested and made plans for Bromo for tomorrow; Cyril went off in search of more temples.
We headed back and after a while flagged down a ute carrying building materials. Isabelle got in the front and Sebastian and I sat on the stones in the back. The ute took us most of the way back, and by chance we ended up back near the first temple; it was 6kms so I am glad we didn't walk all the way.
Back in Malang we had late lunch of fried chicken, chips and veg. Then we went to a coffee house where I had strong Javanese coffee and then sped off to the internet and then sped back to the hotel, stopping for noodles with chicken and veg from the foodstall across the road.
So today we today we achieved our goal of seeing the Javanese countryside and having a bit of an adventure.
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