Our holiday, this Christmas, caused me much consternation;
probably not as much as it caused Husband, who had to book it, but still enough
for me to make a total arse of myself.
Husband proposed a trip during New Year to see volcanoes in
Indonesia. I agreed but told him he would have to organize it. Time passed; I
made silly creatures, hats and costumes and wondered if anything would get
booked. People kept asking what our plans were. Sometimes I’d be vague (I had a
permanent, slightly vague sense whenever questioned about our holiday but I
thought it was because I’d passed the responsibility to Husband) and other
times I’d wave aside the nauseous doubt and I’d say that Husband was meant to be
booking something; we’d laugh. Maybe, I’d say, we wouldn’t get anything at this
late notice but we hoped to be going to the Philippines. Daughter couldn’t
remember where we were going either (I wonder where she gets THAT from) “Where
are we going for New Year?” She’d text. “The Philippines” I’d say, feeling
geographically knowledgeable. Eventually, Husband started sending tentative
itineraries to me. And it was during this time that I had a brainwave. Maybe I
could use the trip to pick up some millinery materials. The Philippines are
where they make sinamay, a material made from banana fibre used to make hats. I
began googling sinamay manufacturers hoping that I could tie a side trip into
some of the places I’d seen on the travel agents’ details. It was odd how when
I found a place that made sinamay, I could never find any of the names nearby of the
places on our itinerary….
Of course, this idea of mine wasn't ever going to
come off, given that I was talking about the Philippines and Husband was
talking about Indonesia. *Sigh* One of my best friends in the UK lived (before
I knew her) in both the Philippines and Indonesia. I’ve known for a long time
now that I get these two places mixed up and no amount of map checking cleared
it up for me. Both locations have amalgamated in my head as foreign
archipelagoes *waves hand vaguely over to the left* down there somewhere and
I’m doubly embarrassed now that I live in SE Asia because I’ve waved many a
friend off from Bangkok to Indonesia, or maybe it was the Philippines….
Anyway, there we were; it was all finally booked and we were
off. Yes, definitely to Indonesia: six flights in six days and two
dawn starts. Crumbs.
Anyway, Indonesia was most charming. I glimpsed a life lived
under the threat of active volcanoes. I peered down inside a smoking crater. I saw
my boys wearing sarongs (Don’t panic, David Beckham, you’re quite safe) and
yes, I have photographic evidence. Though their coffee seemed to contain
generous quantities of volcanic ash, those lovely Indonesians also drank tea,
which pleased me enormously. The food was delicious (mie goreng – fried noodles
– ooh yum – and a spectacular clear soup, served with crackery crisp things.)
In fact, though often spotted in Bangkok, Indonesia struck me as the crispy cracker,
snack capital of the world (a choice of four, yes FOUR, crispy crackery snacks with breakfast!) Mostly commonly spotted where the prawn cracker
type things, but other crackers in spirals, squares, circles and hula hoop
shapes, were all over the place, made variously from rice, potato, tapioca starches. Awesome.
We had an incredible trip; seeing the dawn of 2013
overlooking the crater of Mount Bromo. We saw Borobudur, a ninth century Buddhist
temple; Prambanan, a ninth century Hindu temple, both UNESCO world heritage
sites.
And I, finally, worked out the difference between Indonesia
and the Philippines.
 |
| Waving my hand vaguely over to the left |
