Monday, October 23, 2006

11.5 Things to Do While Travelling Solo

1. Pay $3/night for a hotel with a Western toilet, shower, and fan, but without a trash can or electrical outlet.

2. Go to a wayang orang show. Get adopted by a very chatty old woman, and a man who she claimed was her husband but looked more like her son. Go backstage to see the performers in various stages of dress/undress. Practice a meagre amount of Javanese. ("Yes." "No." "Please." "Thank you.")

3. Walk everywhere, just to kill time.

4. Spend an afternoon exploring the environs of the city with a total stranger. (He offered me a motorcycle tour of erotic Hindu temples. How could I say no to that?)

5. Go to a movie, all in Indonesian, and understand most of it.

6. See missionaries on a public bus, and randomly hop on to say "Hi, Elders!" and ride with them wherever they're going. (I think they were far more confused than I was.)

7. Eat pineapple pancakes.

8. Visit old Javanese palaces. Marvel at items in the Sultan's collection, such as traditional Javanese gold dance accessories, ancient medicines, Belgian crystal, French statues, and Italian swords. (Apparently, the Sultan had connections.)

9. Get sick. Long for death. (I guess that's really two things. Or maybe one and a half.)

10. Read Tom Jones.

11. Think of blog entries like this one.

5 comments:

Tolkien Boy said...

What on earth are you doing, handing your life over to a total stranger whilst you are weakened by sickness??

Meanwhile, I am very sorry that you're not feeling well. I have this strange urge to bring you some soup.

Um...do I sound like somebody's mother?

mysh said...

I think we should all ingest volumes of ipecac and laxatives, just so petra doesn't suffer alone. :(

Unknown said...

sounds like fun. why am i not off seeing the world?... (insert jealous pout here.)

Melyngoch said...

you wouldn't believe how long it took me to find the .5.

I blame Horace.

Anonymous said...

Go to malang for vacation someday, meet layne, caitlin... and of course me as your host... :D

(not now, they're in bali...)