Fred went a wandering.

Have you seen all the gruesome photos from the gang riots last week in Kerobokan and Denpasar making the social media rounds? 

I guess morbid curiosity  is universal.

Sunday was car free day in Jakarta.
I've never really bothered looking, but I gave it a blast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdx_x5o … e=youtu.behttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZVcRzs … e=youtu.be

Indonesia used many military aircraft since the 1945 independence declaration, including a lot of home made gliders and aircraft from a wide variety of countries.
Some of the first were surrendered Japanese aircraft, but these were quickly replaced with units from Russia and America.
Old aeroplanes are commonly used as gatekeepers in towns throughout the country.
We see that here with this Bronco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVXJ1Aa … e=youtu.be

Indonesia has had a varied past, much of which involved Buddhism and Hinduism.
The most famous example of the Borobudur temple, but there are many more smaller building around Java. This is one of a cluster in the Dieng area near Wonosobo in Central Java.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ckVvNN … e=youtu.be

Hopefully anyone who visits Borobudur will also visit the very near by Hindu temple complex at Prambanan which dates from about the same time as Borobudur (8th to 10th century).  This is the largest ancient Hindu complex in Indonesia. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNkYzVhJQ0

Fred, the temple you linked to above is a candi to house the Lingam and Yoni, the male and female genital symbolization for Siva as creator.  Only the Yoni remains (the Lingam being absent) but you can see where it would have been fitted into the large mortise cut into the flat top at its center.  As is typical for ancient Hindu structures remaining in Java, once Islamic migration was complete, it was common to remove the Lingams from these structures.

Hi Fred

happy new year

Just saw the photos  and would like to ask you to please send some warm weather of there to us  to antalya turkey which is freezing (14c) yesterday night was 4 c) what a lucky man you are really
All in one combo happiness  so very good  thank you for the photos .
have a good days.

edojidai.

Ubudian wrote:

Hopefully anyone who visits Borobudur will also visit the very near by Hindu temple complex at Prambanan which dates from about the same time as Borobudur (8th to 10th century).  This is the largest ancient Hindu complex in Indonesia. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNkYzVhJQ0

I've been many times to the former, but only once to the latter.
Both are pretty great, but Borobudur takes the prize for being stunning.
I strongly suggest every visitor to this beautiful country visit both, but Prambanan first so it isn't disappointing after Borobudur.

I think a link to a BBC site is reasonable considering Raffles uncovered the place after years of neglect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld … lSHF3dkf5A

Edojidai wrote:

Hi Fred

happy new year

Just saw the photos  and would like to ask you to please send some warm weather of there to us

No way, I'm keeping it for myself.
One of the reasons I like Indonesia is the warmth in December, both from the sun and from the people.

This link is a good one.

Hang on to your hats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DiEVUSrRqE

Whilst looking for some other stuff about Borobudur, I can across suggestions of another temple, 5 times the size of Borobudur, all just outside Wonosobo.
I'd heard they've found an 8th century settlement, but this could be massive news for the Indonesian tourist industry.

A trip to Jakarta always lets you see something different, but you sometimes have to wander off the beaten track to do it, but usually not too far.

Car free days see a lot of activities, including baseball.



A police patrol in their green vehicle; one of the very few things allowed on the closed sections of the roads.
A few people may tag along - saves all the peddling.



Walk 20 metres off the road and you see other things.



Another thing you see is street artists.
Some are a bit lousy, other amazing.

Always enjoy reading your posts and checking out the great photos on this thread of yours Fred.
Keep up the good work...

Fred, these are really fantastic photos that you keep uploading. Are you a photographer by profession? You can capture things that the rest of us take for granted each day. Is there any special photographic equipment that I should buy to be able to take such pictures like this?

I'm not a photographer, just an amateur with a reasonable camera and a bit of good luck from time to time.
Equipment is just standard stuff.
I have two still cameras:
A Fujifilm HS55 with a 42 times optical zoom
A small compact Olympus SZ-31MR with 24 times optical zoom.

I keep the small one because there are many times I can't take the big one along with me.
You'll notice both have long optical zooms, and that's much of the trick.
Most people pose when you take a photo, but that long zoom means a lot of the shots are candid, showing the reality of any situation, not a posed or set up shot.
There's no time to mess around as shots tend to only be there for a moment, so the camera has to be available in a second.

The rest is going to the right places, but that often means potentially dangerous places.

I don't usually post tourist stuff, but Taman safari is a bit special, so I will on this occasion.
I made this video a couple of years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqRZDmt … e=youtu.be

Music is human - if you don't have an instrument, make one

Microbus drivers are pretty much universally hated by other road users, mostly because they do stupid things like park on a junction to pick up and drop off passengers.

What are they up to?



Ah, clearing rubbish from a river



but with special effort for the things they can sell

People take holiday snaps when they go to the beach, most people, but not me.
My wife snaps away with her phone whilst I look for other things.

I took several photos of this guy but I chose this one because he's almost faceless here, and that's a truth in this country.
The guy is old, but still having to earn money by collecting plastic rubbish from the beach and food areas.
Faceless in the photo, and faceless to most who see him.

Love the faceless collector of rubbish, unfortunately its the reality in a lot of developing nations, life is still hard for the majority of them. Mas Fred your insights with camera is real, true and full of life. Keep them coming.

Bin men out here tend to get paid very little, but they have to work like donkeys to get their cash.
This guys are better off than many because they have a truck, but many still use hand carts.

They take the rubbish from the bins



load it onto the truck



Then clean up the street. If they don't, there are plenty of other people who will, so they'd get sacked.

That's quite right. Indonesian dust men do not get any professional qualifying training for their job or even wear protection overalls, gloves or boots which is miles away from sensible work and health regulation respectful of these workers.

A lot of things cause traffic jams here, but not to waste a chance for business, Indonesians tend to exploit the opportunity

I don't do wildlife stuff, but I happened across this as I was strolling along.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce7iYQd … e=youtu.be

Road traffic laws aren't exactly enforced much of the time, but there is a movement to get things into some sort of order.

Free emissions test



Everything in Indonesia starts with a quick meeting and a prayer (All things like this are multi faith)



Paperwork first - What would we do without the paperwork?



Then to the testing

It rains here in a spectacular way, meaning big drains are needed to get rid of the water.
They've started to cover the drains with concrete slabs making pavements, but lorry drivers like to park on them ... oops.
Safety first in Indonesia, so the broken cover is immediately and very clearly marked in order to avoid accidents.

An umbrella is a very British thing, but at least one Indonesian has come up with a way of getting rid of all that messing about carrying it.

Beggars and buskers come in all types, even violin players hanging around in the traffic jams as you try to get onto the toll road.

Thank Fred. I love all the pictures showed my country  (real and fair). And the quality of the picture, love it.

Some people living in poverty next to a train station



Another shack



but this one is on a bridge.
The people saw a chance of a place where they were out of the way and could use the pipes to hold their roof up.

Indonesia has "red days", these being public holidays, and all the main religions have their turn, including the Hindus.
Today is their day of silence, so Bali has gone quiet, even the airport is closed.
It's a school holiday, and a holiday for banks, offices and so on.

Some people might very well be a little bit more silent than they'd planned, notably the driver of this car on the toll road who has a large metal barrier through his car about where his head would normally be.
Whilst one hopes he survived it, his chances have to be slim as the barrier entered through the windscreen on the driver's side, and exited through the rear right passenger door.

Street food is very popular here, and commonly lovely,



but the trick is seeing where they wash the dishes before you eat there.

Old times....

Building things is expensive, so using whatever is available is always good.
Take note of the traffic lights pole



It also works with trees

Many see the Indonesian police as bad news, claiming they're all unfriendly, dangerous and/or corrupt.
Whilst I wouldn't be so blind as to say there are no problems, I firmly believe the vast majority of coppers are fine.
These two guys were a case in point - I only asked them for directions, but they kept me talking for ages, both asking me about my home country and explaining their work in Jakarta. They were a credit both to Indonesia and the Indonesian police, as the vast majority of coppers I've met out here are.



As for their work, this is where they keep any bombs they find until they get the chance to get rid of them.



Indonesian police helping to keep us all safe. Well done lads.

A bridge, well it would be in most western countries.
In Indonesia, it's a business opportunity.



Hang on ... why waste all the unwanted space underneath it? We could park motorbikes there and charge for the parking space.



Hang on ... If all those bikes are there, we can sell food and make more money.



Hang on ... Most of those people are Muslims, so they'll need a mosque.

V doesn't mean what it means in the UK, and the shirt aren't a nice new design.
When senior high school students finish their last day of exams, the spray paint comes out.

Two thumbs up regarding your recent comments and photos of the police!   

Please keep up your great work on this monumental thread, Fred!

Seatbelts are compulsory when driving a car, but lorries are exempt.

Great pictures Fred, really love your thread and pictures.