Further Journal Catch Up

Leaving Pandagaran and Jogjakarta

Our day at the green canyon was spent happily. We rode rented motorscooters all throughout our mini tour given by local hotel entrepeneur Deni. Becca rode on the back of a super model blond Dutch girl named Charlotte, also travelling on her own, Emma and Phil were rockstars on their little red moped... annnnd I was stuck on the back of Deni's scooter... to a non stop barrage of stories about (to his credit) poor Deni's awful time as a waiter in a Japanese restaurant chain all over America. Once we had exhausted the 'Which states have you been to' game we thankfully came to a series of local tourist stops... a puppet maker (I have videos), a coconut processing spot, and eventually through a back road (the cops were apparently up ahead on the main one). The backroad was unpaved and absolutely glorious, riding directly through rice patties with people screaming HELLO!! As you passed. The small old women who spend their days with the most inhuman of strength bent over drying rice tarps... it was magical.

I ofcourse spent the entire time ignoring Deni's advances and jokes to the effect of "Who is stronger woman or man?" Me.."Um how stronger, are we talking subjectively is this physical strength or strength of character... this is a big question Deni...WOW LOOK AT THAT CHICKEN..what was the question?" ....."Woman is stronger because she must carry two large mountains..and man only a small peanut"......"Deni....how much longer are we on this scooter for?"

The Green Canyon was glorious buuut it was freshly rained and we only forrayed so far in before Becca and I, holding on to each other plunged like two crazy boule (it means Albino Buffalo - Indo equivalent of Toubab or Gringo) of a giant rock into a mini waterfall.

After spending the rest of the afternoon in Batu Karas (you'll remember this was my initial desitination) eating freshly grilled fish with our hands and watching a staring contest between a kitten and a puppy of the same tender age... we hopped back on our scooters and I tried to tune out Deni's endless chatter. Becca and I packed our things and met the next morning in Bamboo Cafe, happy to be people in each other's company and no longer just identifiably clueless tourists on our own.

An hour and one VERY bumpy mini bus ride later we were trying to stay as cool as possible on a speeding train towards Jogjakarta. Thanks to a dear friend of Rebecca's, made during her time in Australia, we had a connection to stay with Nana a pizzeria owner. We seemed to think this would be a "cultural experience" not entirely sure what Nana's age was, unsure if she had a family. But she had insisted we stay with her and Becca had tenuously arranged for me to tag along. When we arrived at Nanamia Pizzeria we were staggered. The place was absolutely BEAUTIFULLY designed and a young beautiful woman with hair down to her hips approached us in dark wash jeans and high heeled sandals.. introducing herself as THE Nanamia. A former architect turned restuarant owner Nana had cultivated her love of italian cooking and combined her two passions into this wonderful and exciting venture...we were in awe.

We had stumbled into Jogja royalty and I realized I had ABSOLUTELY nothing to wear. I insisted we go to a mall where I bought a pair of wearable sandals and some 'Poopy Diapy' (copywright Jane Feltes) Harem (according to Becca this word is Ha - REEEE-muh) pants. Nana took us back to ... the single most spectacular living quarters a NYC girl has seen in a long time. I know from friends (Shout out Mawuse Z) that there is a common occurence of spontaneous weeping when a longtime New York City resident sees a beautiful piece of property and learns the actual cost of renting it..Lets just say I had to be sat down next to the fountain and then taken out on one of three decks for fresh air ...just to stop the tears from flowing...

Her roommates at LEAST one of which was a model, were out on the deck doing communal exercise time... all of them toned and tan an utterly ripped. It was insisted we join and I was proud that I actually truly held my own, managing a head stand... nothing next to hot German Robert's handstand push ups but...I felt good about it.
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MORE TO COME!! Must eat dinner On the Island of Gilli Meno I LOVE AND MISSY YOU ALL