the gong we climb up to get out of the kampung... along the way we pass by the little shop in the second picture. There you can buy vegetables and meat, if you want. It's a pretty dirty little place so I've never bought meat there. A little farther up you can buy rice, wood stain, and cement (at the same place), then there's a little place that sells baso (gross balls made out of some kind of meat and tapioca) with noodles or rice - It's like a tiny restaurant and then farther up is a little shop that sells lots of candy, ice cream and some other staples like sugar and flour etc...

The other night we watched a bit of Indonesian Idol. I noted some major differences between Idol here and Idol back home. There is no screaming and yelling here when contestants are told they are not accepted or are not continuing onwards. Instead, there’s a lot of crying and they respectfully thank the judges. Those that are accepted or told they are going to go onwards say a very respectful thank-you, scream a bit and then bow down and kiss the ground. During the course of the show they also showed contestants in their rooms, dressed in traditional muslim garb, saying their prayers or sholat. There was one guy from Papua who they showed praying and, because he was very obviously Papuan and didn’t wear traditional muslim clothing or bow to the ground when he was praying, I suspect he is Christian. Also the music they sing is quite different. The music that is popular here has definitely been influenced by the Hindu culture. Actually, the Hindu culture has had a tremendous influence here as it was the first culture. The Islamic culture came later on. So there are many here who although of the Muslim or Chrisitan faith, still practice the rite of making offerings to the gods before harvesting their rice paddy’s or building a home. They will burn incense as well and then pray. They will pray in Arabic first and then their own language and finish in Arabic. However, this rite is mostly only practiced by the older generation. The new generation has been greatly influenced by the culture of the western world. The emergence of the internet and television has had a huge impact on the culture here. Before you would never see a couple holding hands in public, but now you do, although it is not common like back home. Also the clothing that is worn has changed. Now many girls wear very tight jeans and shirts. There are still those who dress in traditional muslim dress which is a loose long shirt, that covers the bottom, and a long skirt or long wide pants. There are also those who will follow the Islamic rules regarding dress to the letter, but not in the spirit as they will cover their bodies, but with skin tight clothing. Quite funny really. Needless to say I don’t love shopping here as most of the clothes are tight and small. Although, with some digging you can find neat stuff. That’s the story of shopping here, you have to be willing to dig through piles of stuff…

Shopping note: There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you get a 10% discount on Pringles chips that are nearly at their expiry date!!!