Dragons and Dreamscapes

Onwards and eastwards in our Indonesian adventures:

After a brief stint back in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with our friends Iga and Matheus (who we met hiking in Myanmar) to get 60 day visas, we're back on track in Indo. We flew into Jakarta, Java, the capital of Indonesia: a huge city with 10 million people crammed in on a dizzyingly complex public bus system. Couch surfing (really the only way to see an unfamiliar city) with David got us through this concrete jungle with great memories.

In Jakarta we went to Mini Indonesia Park, where we could ride bicycles from Sumatra to Papua, over 2500 miles apart, and explore dozens of examples of typical regional architecture across Indonesia filled with artifacts of daily life and various colorful ceremonial garb. Whilst at Mini Indonesia Park we got to experience the unimaginable: petting a KOMODO DRAGON!

These prehistoric monstrous lizards (the world's biggest!) can grow up to 10 feet long and 200 pounds! Despite their massive bulk, they can get around, swimming, climbing trees, and charging at ferocious speeds while making grunts that have been likened to machine guns. These spectacular creatures are a "vulnerable" species found only on a few small islands in eastern Indonesia. They're carnivores, largely scavengers, eating other reptiles (including smaller Komodo Dragons----another Indonesian cannibal!), birds, eggs, monkeys, wild boar, deer, horses, and water buffalo and can swallow whole prey as large as a goat! And we got to pet one. Wow!

After a grueling series of confusing bus transfers totaling 6 buses (after following a trail of bad advice from bus attendants), we arrived in the beautiful beach town of Pangandaran, Southwest Java. The beach was serene and beautiful (despite ubiquitous scattered trash) and the people were laid back and welcoming. We were so happy to be there we weren't even too mad that the mosque woke us up at 4am every day.

 

But it was in Pangandaran that we encountered a truly breath-taking place: The Green Canyon. We teamed up with a fellow American named Matt, who's teaching English in central Java, rented motor bikes and set off on well-charted paths. Arriving at our destination, we hopped on a boat and chugged along up the river, lined by drooping palm fronds and vines dangling into the lazy river from spectacular sideways trees.

We arrived at a massive natural tunnel (perhaps a collapsed cave) and docked our boat against the covered rocks in the dripping cavern to continue on foot. We stood atop the rocks and marveled at the fantastical verdant vista before us: outside the tunnel's mouth shafts of light illuminated the green river as it gurgled along between the massive moss-covered canyon walls with leafy vines cascading over. The whole place shimmered with a fantastical aura as gleaming droplets of water caught the light in their continual descent from the walls above.

We swam up the river, climbing over rocks and logs in our path, soaking in the sparkling ambiance, until we arrived at a massive stalagmite formation 20 feet tall. Despite my better judgment, I followed our guide up, grabbing handholds and scampering over the bizarre formation, until we reached the top----spectacular view. Then I jumped! Plummeting through the air and disappearing into the cold water beneath was exhilarating but definitely scary. But don't worry, I checked the landing site well in advance.

That's all!