A week or so ago Simon and I ventured out on the scooter for a kind of "let's see what's out there, but not too far...and let's not get lost" experience. So we headed up one road out of town that seemed to mostly go up. From what I have figured out, if we continued on it we would have got to a town called Kopang, which is kind of on the side of a mountain (maybe Mt. Merbabu, the closest volcano to Salatiga). I was kind of looking for a nice scenic view, but it was pretty overcast and we were running a bit low on fuel, so we turned around before reaching any sort of destination. I grabbed a few pic's when we stopped for a snack Amy had packed for Si.
You can kind of see this truck blowing some black smoke as he trudges up the hill. Maybe not a candidate for "Air-Care," (a reference for all you BC lower mainlander's). I wish I had a shot of all the 2 stroke engines in Jakarta pushing black and blue smoke out and up into the atmosphere...a site worthy to cause any of you who own a hybrid to be filled with both indignation and maybe a little futility. But hey, don't let me put a damper on your efforts, spend a little extra for that high efficiency washer & dryer! Come to think of it, over here you don't even have dryers. I guess Indonesia is super eco friendly! I also hope to get some pictures of "scooter-pooling", it's like carpooling but instead you throw the whole family on the scooter...helmets optional for kids :)
Where you wouldn't expect it, we stumbled on a Hindu Temple of sort. The sign in front didn't say too much about history or anything from what I could tell. I was kind of surprised it was Hindu and not Buddhist, but there is a minority of both religions here in Java, both pre-dating the arrival of Isl*m and Christianity. Although, maybe the historical aspect makes it seem a little more noticeable. Check out the rather interesting symbol on the front gate...enough to give a westerner like myself a double take! I read that this particular symbol has been a commonly used symbol in a few different Indian religions since way back. It is interesting to think of the multiple historical outside influences to this area include India, Europe, and the Middle East.
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