Selamat Hari Raya Idul Adha! Which means, "Happy Feast of the Sacrifice" day! Last weekend was Idul Adha*, one of the many observed Muslim holidays here in Jakarta that comes with a grand prize of a day off work. So we took advantage by going on our first weekend getaway south of Bogor to a lovely place called Javana Spa.
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| Tucked away in the mountains with clean air and everything! |
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| Man made lake, little kids can go fishing here. |
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Neato shot of the mountain "steam"
The spa is nestled high in the mountains far away from the major cities and required traveling on a zig zaggy road through a local village which was half the fun of getting to our destination. Some of the coolest scenery was seen from the bus and felt like a glance back in time. I imagine this is what most of the Indonesia Archipelago looked like for hundreds and thousands of years before modernization. Cool to see that it still exists.
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| Rice paddies |
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| Gorgeous view on the drive up, rice fields. |
We had a 3 day two night package, complete with spa treatments, all meals, a few exercise classes and hikes to waterfalls! These aren't your dry area waterfalls. This is straight up jungle style. Watch as I thrash my way through the labyrinth of lush, dense, tropical danger!
I know you feared for my life for a minute, as you rightfully should have. Not to worry, we made it just in time for some awesome waterfall posing.
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| Cap'n |
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I WILL go chasing waterfalls, thank you very much.
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The best part about getting away was the clean air and the views. I think we'd forgotten how nice it was to be able to sit outside and take in a breath of fresh air that isn't tainted by smoke and exhaust fumes. Reading a book in the sun light with a nice cool breeze.
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| Look ma! I'm reading without hands! |
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Peaceful.
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| For once, it's not the smoke from burning trash! Yay! |
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It was the perfect short getaway, save for Brian getting sick. His poor Anglo stomach still hasn't adjusted too well to the spices, sticks, and stones we Asians put in all of our food. He traded in eating time for photo ops
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Brian's artistic rain-on-a-chain shot
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| We wear lululemon and we approve this message! |
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| These jerks always knew when it was lunch time. |
*Super Asterisk Lesson Time!
What is Idul Adha? The wikipediamachine says it is "
an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet ʾIbrāhīm (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismā'īl (Ishmael)a as an act of submission toGod's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead".
In Indonesia, to honor Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son for God, Muslims will sacrifice a goat and distribute the meat to all the poor people living in nearby kampungs. Not without a 14 hour prayer marathon though! Yes, 14 hours of loud speaker prayer. I actually had to pull out my ear plugs for the first time - let me tell you, I've never loved two squishy little rubbery foam pieces more in my life.
We could actually observe a few of these rituals taking place in the village area across from our apartment and by the time we made it into Bogor, most of the butchering and meat distribution had already taken place. Sharing wealth with the poor here is commonplace. People just accept it as part of their responsibility to help those less fortunate.
Of course, since I'm not all tied up with wedding theme colors and glitter on the mind now, I have time to be introspective and preachy, so here goes. I'm familiar with the story of Abraham as I'm sure most people who've had any religion in their lives. Would it surprise you to know that this particular story is honored in the following:
Even if it is not honored or celebrated in your particular religion there is a good chance you might have heard the story. Funniest thing, religion. For as long as the people have practiced religion, there have been religious wars. Isn't it ironic though that for the most part many religions have the same roots and beliefs in the sames stories?
Any hooooo, that's your deep thought for the day. Now here's are more cool photos of alternative transportation in Indonesia.
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| Seat belts = the will to not get flung off the pick-up. |
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| Not quite sure where these were headed, but they were filled with young teenagers. |
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| Delman - traditional Indonesia Horse drawn carriage...and what appears to be a light saber. |
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| Look Diana! 4 People on a motorbike! - standard sight in Indonesia. Efficiency. |
Expat Love.
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Lol! Now that's what I'm talking about. I'm not sure what's worse on a motorbike: 4 adults, 2 adults + 2 kids, or 2 adults with 1 carrying a pane of glass. The latter is what shocked me most.
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