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MADURA, AN ISLAND OFF SURABAYA

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The first visit to Mandura was in vein, as there were no races of the bulls, so we had a nice drive around and came home t have lunch.  Then when Will arrived for 3 days, James organised for another visit and sure enough, there were two lots of races at nearby towns.  How people can enjoyed watching the races is beyond me, because it's very cruel, as razor blades are put into the rump area to make the cattle go faster.  A chap stands between the bulls on the rig, and whips them.  They move so quickly, and people standing at the end have to really run and scatter, as we found out!!  We thought it would be like a chariot race, so seeing the cruelty was enough for us. Surabaya harbour, and the second tallest statue in the world, after the Statue of Liberty.  At least it was in the year 1997. A sculpture at the entrance to Mandura Island. Seems to portray cruelty to beasts.  It's always the women who carry the load.  Markets ne...
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YOGYJAKARTA

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Our departure on August 25th 1997 for Yogyakarta, a birthday present from James.   train down, a flight back and 3 nights at the Radison.  Luxury. The train was executive glass, with TV . Delicious food from a trolley was served every 20 minutes.  The trip took two hours. Yogyakarta (often called 'Jogja") is a city on the Island of Java known for its traditional arts and cultural heritage, also as the city of Universities.  Its ornate 18th century royal complex, or kraton, encompasses the still inhabited Sultan's Palace.  Also within the kraton are numerous open-air pavilions that host classical Javanese dance shows and concerts of gamelan music, characterized by gongs, chimes and plucked string instruments. Some people live in the greater kraton compound which consists of its own market, shops, batik and silver collate industries, schools and mosques.  Over 25,000 people live there.  The street with 'becak's waiting for ...
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SURABAYA TO MT BROMO

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James had two friends from Melbourne visit, so he organised his driver Rean to take us to Mt Bromo, stopping on the way to see a furniture factory and a cobra snake charmer!!  The main purpose of our trip was to see the sun rise from the rim of the active volcano of Mt. Bromo. Another golf course under construction.  Here are two deadly cobras!!  I stood at the door ready for a quick take off.  We were taken to a back room  where literally hundreds of snakes were squashed into one pen!!!  The SMELL !! Lots of villages on the hill top. How they farmed on steep hillsides is amazing.  James was fairly conversant with Indonesian language and loved chatting to locals.  Note the contours on the hillside.  They don't have up to date machinery.  At last, Mount Bromo. It's an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java.  At 2,329 meters, it is not the highest peak of the massif,...
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