Better Days in Indonesdia

Sunday, July 8, 2007--Solo

I tried to go see a couple of palaces today. The good one that is original didn't seem to be open. The other one which burned a few years ago and has been rebuilt had a confusing price structure for seeing it. Since I wasn't too eager to see a reconstruction anyway, I just gave up on it.

Speaking of giving up, I'm giving up on Solo. It just isn't as nice a town as it had been made out to be. It is really quite ugly and trashy looking, I think. It's main square, for instance is a huge open space with grass covered in trash. All around the edges are stalls selling clothing and other items. No place would be proud to claim it.

I returned to my hotel and spent the day forcing fluids in an effort to start feeling better. When I checked my e-mail, there was a message from my friend Merryl telling me a penicillin to get from the pharmacy. So I got that and started taking it, too. By night time, I was already feeling better.

After the first two restaurants I wanted to try were closed, I walked quite a ways to one that specializes in chicken barbecue. I ordered a plate that included rice, 1/4 of a chicken, and some sliced cucumber. The chicken was delicious. But 1/4 of a chicken here is nothing like 1/4 of a chicken in the U.S. The chickens here are scrawny! The leg on this piece had no more than 3 bites of meat. And the attached thigh had maybe 3-4 more but was mostly bone. I was still hungry after I finished the meal.

Monday, July 9, 2007--Solo to Yogyakarta

I decided to abandon Solo. I new that there would be a train at 11:35, so I spent the morning in the room slowly packing and reading. I finished reading Saturday by Ian McEwan. I don't usually read multiple books by the same author, but this is the third of his books that I have read. His Atonement is one of my all-time favorite novels. I gave this one 3 stars out of 4.

I was feeling fine, so I walked to the train station. There, I got a ticket for the hour-ride to Yogyakarta. It was a local train with lots of people pushing to get on and get a seat so they wouldn't have to stand. I was lucky and got a seat. A few people sat on the floor, but no one stood.

It was a very long walk from the Yogyakarta train station to the area of town where I planned to stay, and it was in the heat of the day. It is really hot here when in the sunshine. I knew I would need to eat, so I planned to walk about 2/3 of the way and then look for a restaurant where I could stop. Just when I decided I had gone far enough, I looked up and saw a restaurant with satay--meat cooked over charcoal. That sounded good, so I went there.

As I studied the menu at the restaurant, a young woman got up from a nearby table and came over to ask if she could help. She said she studied in Canada for a year to explain her good English. Then she told me that this restaurant only serves goat. So the satay is of goat meat. There is a choice of meat, liver, or and combination of both. I chose meat only, and she suggested only a half order. Then she suggested a curry with stewed goat meat, cabbage, onions, and tomatoes. That's what I had along with a serving of rice and a class of juice. I must say that both dishes were delicious. I've never been so pleased with goat meat before in my life. The stew was spicy and flavorful. It was wonderful with the rice. The satay was almost like dessert. It was marinated in a teriyaki-type sauce that was a bit sweet. The chunks of meat were crispy, tender, and tasty. Ummmm. It was too much food, but I enjoyed it all and may go back there again.

The first two choices I had for places to stay were both full. That's too bad, because they each had a swimming pool I could have enjoyed. My third choice place had a room, but it has no pool. It is a nice place, however, with a beautiful garden and a nice, attractive look to it. I'm comfortable there.

I rested for the afternoon and then went out in the evening to find food. I ate around the corner at a market noodle stall. I had a stir-fry of mixed noodles with chicken, cabbage, etc. It was tasty but needed a little something extra.