Ciluk

Ciluk

We have a new friend to introduce, Lutfi Handayani, or Ciluk (chee-LUKE) as she is nicknamed. Ciluk is a 22-year-old student studying English at the University of Yogyakarta, and she and her family hosted us for the three days we spent here. Yogyakarta (used to be Jogjakarta under the Dutch, and that’s how it’s pronounced) is the cultural capitol of the island of Java, and it’s a fascinating city, much more enjoyable than the big and stinky Jakarta. But for all that Yogya has to offer -- and it’s a lot -- by far the most rewarding experience of our visit here was getting to know Ciluk and her parents, and experiencing life with an average Indonesian family.

The Handayanis' kampung

The Handayanis live in a house in a middle-class kampung, or neighborhood, called Jagalan Landoksari (which means “neighborhood of Jagalan Street”) next to the river, across from the main part of downtown Yogya. The main part of their house is about 70 years old, and is built in the traditional Javanese style: four upright pillars holding up a pyramidal tile roof.

Mrs. Handayani's kitchen

The outdoor kitchen is off the main house and is connected to the new part -- their house was damaged in the 2006 earthquake that rocked Yogya, damaging many of the ancient monuments. The new section contains several bedrooms and a mandi, or bathroom (more about that in a moment) around a main room. The construction is completed, but it needs to be painted yet. Things take time here.

Breakfast in the new part of the house

Bathrooms take a little getting used to here. While you still run into the traditional Asian squat toilet here (usually with flies in a holding pattern if it’s at a road-side restaurant), most houses and newly constructed places have western sit-down models. Toilet paper, however, has yet to catch on: all Asian toilets have a hose with a sprayer connected to them. And while showers are becoming more common as well, the traditional Indonesian way to wash up is in a mandi, which is a small tank of water with a scoop.

A mandi

Quite simple: you scoop up some water and dump it over your head, and it exits via a drain in the floor. Once you get the hang of it, it’s rather nice -- especially since the room-temperature water feels great after a day in the hot Indonesian sun.

Ciluk’s father works at a local TV station, and her mother is renowned as the best cook in the kampung, so people often order food from her for special occasions. Her specialty is apeh, which are spongey white sweetcakes. Apeh are traditionally served to guests because they symbolize forgiveness, along with sweet sticky rice, which symbolizes friendship, and coconut milk -- which Ciluk couldn’t remember the reason behind. She has a younger brother named Nur who is in high school.

Mr. H, hard at work on his day off

Like 90% of the Indonesian population, the Handayanis are Muslim. Ciluk serves on several committees at their mosque, which is small and meets in a house for worship, and is currently trying to find property to build. When she graduates from the university, Ciluk hopes to find work in the tourism industry, and hosting visitors through CouchSurfing and showing them around Yogya is good training -- she’s an excellent guide.

"Gitcher motor runnin', get out on the highway..."

The day we arrived, Ciluk and her friend Fransisca showed us around the city on their motorbikes, which are the primary mode of transportation not only for students, but for probably 50% of the population of Indonesia, it would seem. The streets swarm with them, and zipping down the main street, Jalan Malioboro, on the back of one is equal parts exhilaration and terror.

Sisca

Sisca is from West Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, and her family are Dayak, the tribal people who traditionally live in longhouses. Like most of Kalimantan, they are Catholic. In both Kalimantan and Yogya, Muslims and Christians get along well, inviting each other over for Christmas and Ramadan celebrations.

The Kraton

Between visits to the Sultan’s palace (yes, Yogya still has a sultan) and the water gardens, we stopped at a warung, or road-side food stand, for some lunch -- in this case gado-gado, a bean sprout and vegetable salad with spicy peanut sauce, which turns up in a lot of Indonesian food.

Lunch at a warung

Warungs sprout up all over Indonesia, with several on any given street. The people who run them, mostly women, specialize in a certain dish, but might have several other things on offer, like deep fried tofu in the case of the one we stopped at.

Being huge archaeology buffs, the other highlight of our visit was taking trips to Borobudur, the huge Buddhist temple, and Prambanan, the Hindu temple complex, both of which were built in the 9th century. At Prambanan, they perform a Javanese ballet of the Ramayana, the traditional Hindu epic, that is amazing.

Sunset at the Buddhist temple Borobudur

The Hindu temple Prambanan

Rama and Sita, heroes of the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan

We also nearly gassed ourselves in the noxious sulfurous smoke at the volcanic Dieng plateau. If there is a Mordor on Earth, this is it. Great fun.

Stinky sulfurous fumes over Dieng

Don't fall in!

But all of that history and natural wonder paled in comparison to making some friends we will not forget.