A Purple What...?

Yesterday, we went for a walk through the neighborhood only to stumble upon these colorfully dyed chicks.  Our girls are already goo-goo about anything baby animal, and when it comes in all different colors...even better.  Needless to say our cover was blown when they began squealing and hollering with delight. Supposedly you can by these dyed chicks in the market.

A few weeks ago Madison talked about having some green and purple chicks at school.  I thought she was just making things up, since it was right after she told me about her unicorn having a baby and something about her husband coming to see her from America on his motorcycle.  I guess I should believe her more, and when her husband gets here, he and I are going to have a talk!

Everyday Joe

I'm about out of pictures from my downtown shopping trip with Becca last week.  It has been nice to have some free time during this break to get some pictures taken.  We start school again tomorrow and I don't know what our schedules will be like.  Below are a few pictures of everyday Joe's doing what they do as seen from downtown Salatiga.

I thought this older man was sleeping, but he just has really droopy eyelids.  There are countless older men hanging out downtown, most of which love to talk.  That would be great, but many of them don't even speak Indonesian, they speak Javanese!

Mr. Parkir...aka, "scooter watcher man."  These guys are as numerous as the old men downtown and actually do a great job making sure your transportation isn't tampered with while you complete your errands on foot.  Regardless of how long they watch your scooter or car along with the countless others next to it, you only pay him 5 cents when you leave.  Pretty cheap insurance!

Salatiga seems to take a proactive approach to keeping things clean downtown.  It still has it's third world challenges, but with a "fleet" of trash men tidying up, it helps move the city in the right direction.  

In the Mood for Food...Street Style

Keeping with the "downtown through pictures" theme, here are a few of the culinary delights you can find while downtown.  This is only a snapshot of all the different foods that can be found, most of which I still have no clue as to what they are...

An older couple selling some type of soup with something like a fried tofu cake.  Yes, sorry to get your mouth watering already...I told you this would be good...

This man is making small reed baskets.   No, you cannot eat these, unless you wanted to.  He just happened to be where I was when I was taking pictures so it is included here free of charge cuz' that's how I roll.

Guava (red and green), mangoes, and papaya (big and yellow) being sold right in front of a jewelry store.  Come to think of it, last time I was looking for a new gold watch with a Velcro strap at the jewelry store I could have really used a glass of fresh squeezed guava juice...that would have been refreshing!  This lady knows the number one rule; "Location, Location, Location!" (BTW - the guava juice here is VERY good!)

Makes sense that in a hot place like Indonesia you can sell ice cream.  The ice cream vendors come in all shapes and sizes; pushing and pedaling every imaginable thing you can think of.  Ice cream is good.

Before I came to Indonesia I had never heard of jack fruit.  Now I have both heard of it and tasted it.  It is pretty good when eaten at the right time.  But, it has a reputation for making you a little tipsy if you wait too long to eat it...at least that is what a friend of mine told me.  Don't jack fruit and drive!

I don't know what is being sold here.  It looked like grilled tofu.  It could be dog.  It could be rice cakes.  It could be dog cakes...you get the idea.

My mother-in-law's favorite food...at least it used to be.  They love their fried food here.  That will be the subject for a later post by either me or Rebecca.  They do make some good fried chicken though.  

Modus Operandi - Cargo

In keeping with my "downtown through pictures" theme, I thought we would highlight cargo today...or at least one of the common ways it is carried here; either on your back or on your head...

This woman is carrying a basket full of vegetables.  I presume that she was selling them but I cannot say for sure.  Anyone want some cabbage?

Another woman probably carrying similar vegetables as the woman in the first picture.  Regardless of what she is doing with the cargo, it looks like she has been doing it for a "few" years.

Don't let two huge boxes thwart your desire to get them from point "A" to point "B"...just put them on your head and get on with your life.  Maybe that is why all the people here are so short...

Bananas...ah yes.  I didn't even know there were numerous types of bananas until I moved to the tropics years ago.  Hopefully in the near future I will make a trip to the banana market; yes, a whole area dedicated to the selling, trading, and squashing of my mother-in-laws favorite breakfast staple.  The fried bananas here are really good...with ice cream...and chocolate syrup!

This woman has presumably over 100 pounds of rice on her back.  Her face speaks for itself...

In contrast to the previous photo's cranium cargo, this woman had something light in her sack.  I can't tell you what it is...maybe foam, or peanuts, or foam peanuts.  

Sacrifice Up Close and Personal

Yesterday, at sunset comenced the large holiday of Eid al-Adha.  Click to read more about this rather complex and sacred holiday; it will give more meaning to the pictures below...

I awoke early today and headed to the nearby mosque to see the large prayer gathering.  All the mosques had been praying over their loudspeakers since yesterday at sunset and it went all through the night.  At sunrise the faithful gathered at their respective mosque to pray together.

Despite my very obvious presence (6 '3", 210 lbs, white, tall, blonde hair, white, tall), all those gathered welcomed me to take pictures and document a little of what happens for them once a year.

This holiday in comprised of many sacrifices.  Within our small neighborhood, there were a total of 10 goats, 2 lambs, and 1 cow all bought by someone from the neighborhood.  While this practice isn't something we as Christians perform, it wasn't that long ago in the grand scheme of things that we would have performed something similar.  Praise God for The Ultimate Sacrifice!  Seeing this up front and very personal made me all the more humbled and grateful for the priceless gift we have in Christ Jesus...salvation through grace.  WOW!

The animals were not killed instantly.  Their throats and main neck arteries were cut, and then 5-10 minutes later they finally expired.  I have no problem with hunting, the meat market, etc. but cutting an animal in such a way as to purposely delay its death was tough to watch.  Suffering had to be part of the sacrifice.

Once most of the smaller animals were killed, the action turned to the main event...the cow.  Despite it's much larger size, it put up less of a fight than the goats and sheep and it was soon all over.  Blood was everywhere today, and I couldn't help but remember Hebrews 9:22;  "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Hebrews 9:11-28 talks of what the blood does, vain sacrifices and meaningless ceremonies.  If you haven't read it in a while you should consider it.   

Once the animals were killed, time was not wasted in butchering the meat in preparation for distribution to the poor.  I cannot say how many people were helped with some meat today, but I have a feeling it was a considerable number.

As I walked home today (all of 40 yards) I was awestruck at what I had just witnessed over the last hour.  Reading similar stories from the Bible pales in comparison to actually seeing, smelling, and hearing this process.  While I do not have a desire to witness this event next year, I am grateful that I went.  It gives me an even deeper love and understanding of what our Lamb did for us, what He continues to do, and how He will end it all some day.

A Ride on the Becak

Rebecca had some shopping to do today so we went downtown this morning to get it done.  Like most husbands, I like shopping like a sharp stick in the eye, but I took my camera along and tried to capture the world going by as Rebecca shopped.  It really worked out nice.  I actually look forward to "shopping" with Rebecca again...as long as I can take my camera.  Over the next few days I should be able to make a few posts about what some of life looks like in downtown Salatiga.  Today's post is dedicated to the Becak.  

You will see all sorts of things riding in a becak; mostly people, but many times if it fits the driver will haul it for you...rice, oil, toys, clothes, goats, chickens, etc.

One of the many places to find a becak for hire.  These drivers are just waiting "in order" for customers to come along. 

Many of the becaks are intricately decorated, and severely abused.  I have yet to see any becak drivers that look like they weigh more than 120 pounds.  No doubt they are often pedaling more weight than they themselves weigh.

As a becak driver there isn't much of a place for fuzzy dice or other decorative items, but there is always a place for the sacred shoe hanging under your trusty becak.

This poor guy was just merrily driving along and then BOOM!  A total transmission failure right in the middle of the street.  But, he had seen this problem before.  After a quick fix, he got his transmission back on line and away he went!

I thought it was ironic to see human power, horse power, gasoline power, and diesel power all in the same picture.  Sometimes it feels like we went back in time here...almost.

Despite the grueling hard work these becak drivers endure every day, they were ALL cordial and friendly towards me. I continue to be amazed by the genuine niceness of Indonesians.  It's almost like it is a part of their DNA.  Hopefully I can learn something from them.

A Volcano Perspective from Downtown

Thank you to all of you who have contacted us in various ways to inquire about our safety in regards to the nearby erupting volcano, Mt. Merapi!  We are still doing fine, and have only received a little ash fall.  The above photo shows nearby Mt. Merbabu with Mt. Merapi erupting behind it, only 15 miles away from where the picture was taken.  Mt. Merbabu has acted like a shield of sorts keeping most of the airborne material away from us which we are thankful for.  Also, due to the prevailing east winds, you can see that most of the ash fall is heading to the west-southwest.

This is a bit of a zoom shot to highlight Mt. Merapi a little better.  We are off from school this week as we are between units.  I may head back in the direction of the volcano again some time this week and see if I can get some more pictures.  

Chicken Man

About a block from our house I have seen this scene numerous times but I never had my camera.  Just before dusk almost every day a truck full of chickens pulls up and two men begin unloading them for what will be their last journey.  The next time I see these birds, they will be on my plate, usually sitting on top of rice, having just been cooked in curry or a peanut sauce.  Yum!

A New Experience

With nearby Mt. Merapi erupting like it is, I wanted to get some pictures of it.  I woke up early this morning and at 5:30am I headed south to hopefully get a glimpse of the mountain.  About 25 minutes in to my ride on the Piglet, it started raining...sand!  I pressed on hoping to break out on the other side of the ash, but the farther I rode, the more apparent it was becoming that the winds had shifted and I wasn't going to out ride this ash fallout and see the volcano at the same time.  I decided to turn around just beyond the town of Boyolali and make my way back through the falling sand.  Upon arriving back at my house, a pile of sand fell off of me when I stood up to get off of the Piglet.  Weird!

This is the only picture I took on the trip.  The sand/ash was falling like snow and I didn't want to get my camera out in it for too long.  It was a very apocalyptic scene with the subdued color of ash on everything.

Due to the changing winds, we received quite a bit of ash here in Salatiga today.  Thankfully, due to the rainy season having already begun, this afternoon's rain helped wash things down and sterilize the air a little bit.  Our 72 year old neighbor said this is the worst eruption he has ever seen in his lifetime.  The "experts" seem mixed with their predictions of Mt. Merapi.  One thing is for sure, thousands are currently displaced and over 100 have now died due to hot gases and lahars.  We are all doing fine with nothing more to report than cabin fever from staying inside so we wouldn't breathe the ash.