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Joshua | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Indonesia tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Indonesia

This eclectic gallery consists of images taken in Indonesia during several visits to this country between 2006 and 2011. My original intention was to include images that would have included a trip to Komodo/Rinca/Flores where Komodo dragons roam in November 2011 but due to unforseen circumstances I had to cancel that trip and therefore I had to put this gallery together with just images that I took up to this point. Prior to 2006, I used a film camera system. Although the slides were scanned but still I prefer straight digital images for this gallery.

I was born and grew up in Indonesia. As such, I am familiar with a lot of the tradition, cuisine and culture of that country. However, I left Indonesia in 1970, although I came back to visit twice in 1990's but not until 2006 when I came back more on a regular basis. Based on our fairly frequent visits to that country lately, it is fairly easy to keep up with the development over there.

The Indonesian Archipelago consists of some 14,000 islands, spread out over a huge area, similar in width of the United States. Some islands are very remote and the smaller ones are not populated. No wonder Indonesia is such a diverse country. Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. I remembered when I was little, my parents took us a few times to visit different parts of Java and it wasn't that easy to communicate with local people as they spoke a different language, not dialect but simply a different language. However, Indonesia has changed since my early years living there. Now, there is one common language spoken throughout the country, Bahasa Indonesia, although some folks still speak their own tongue among each other in remote areas.

Jakarta, the capital city on the island of Java is a sprawling metropolitan. The number of fancy shopping malls, luxurious hotels, ultra modern offices, high rises and luxurious apartment complexes in Jakarta is enormous. I was very impressed with the development in Jakarta. No question that Jakarta in particular or Indonesia in general has experienced an incredible growth in more than one way, and mostly positive ways. But that is not the image of Jakarta I was familiar with and grew up with. As such, I didn't include any images from that part of Jakarta. You have to take my words that there are very modern, very upscale life styles in Indonesia, maybe more so than you may have imagined. I was thinking out loud of naming the gallery "Traditional Indonesia" but decided against it at the end.

This change also brings about a change in their cuisine as I could see some blending of various dishes with some influence from the West. Some traditional food items that were common back then became rare and had to be special ordered. It seems like the development of real estate projects, sprawling shopping centers, golf courses, manufacturing facilities, etc. put a significant dent in the availability of agricultural fields, especially on Java. Fruits that were common back then have become rare now.

Quite a bit of images of typical Indonesian food items made it to this gallery, although photographically they may not be that interesting but they do bring back a lot of memories. The sequence of the images is not based on a certain theme nor event. However, images that are related to each other are put in a sequence to tell some kind of story.

As a side note here - Bali is one of the many islands of Indonesia. It is nicknamed the Island of Paradise and it is unique, even for Indonesia in general. Practically during every visit to Indonesia, I went to Bali and I do have a separate gallery for that particular island here: https://pbase.com/ageojo/bali For that reason, images from Bali are not included in this gallery.

Normally, we go visit places on our own. Indonesia is a very special place in more than one way to us. We were able to blend in more like local tourists, especially since we travel together with relatives and friends that still live there. Therefore, I would like to thank the following folks: Bapak Julius Kawilarang, Ibu Lydia Lasmana, Bapak Anton Supit and Ibu Supit, Bapak Halim, Ibu Tjiong Sin Hian, Bapak Gunawan Budihardjo, Dr. Samuel Simon, Ibu Daisy Darmadi, Bapak Lee Yung Hauw and numerous high school friends for their hospitality.

Enjoy the images and feel free to leave comment on the gallery or the images themselves. Thank you!

Session at the Old City
:: Session at the Old City ::
Candi (Temple of) Borobudur, Being Cleaned
Candi (Temple of) Borobudur, Being Cleaned
Borobudur Temple from Ground Level
Borobudur Temple from Ground Level
Buddha Statue on Borubudur Temple
Buddha Statue on Borubudur Temple
Exposed Buddha Statue Inside Stupa
Exposed Buddha Statue Inside Stupa
Cake Vendor
Cake Vendor
Taro Roots
Taro Roots
Making Skin for Egg Martabak
Making "Skin" for Egg Martabak
Egg Martabak Being Fried
Egg Martabak Being Fried
Hmmm, Good!
Hmmm, Good!
Artery Clogging Sweet Martabak
Artery Clogging Sweet Martabak
Congklak - A Traditional Board Game
Congklak - A Traditional Board Game
Beautifully Presented Dish
Beautifully Presented Dish
VOC Sign Dating Back to 1669 - A Dutch Colonial Relic
"VOC" Sign Dating Back to 1669 - A Dutch Colonial Relic
Old Fashioned Kitchen Interior
Old Fashioned Kitchen Interior
Babah Old Fashioned Kitchen
Babah Old Fashioned Kitchen
Interior of Old Fashioned Store
Interior of Old Fashioned Store
An Old-Fashioned Commercial Sign
An Old-Fashioned Commercial Sign
Old Highschool Friends
Old Highschool Friends
Iren
Iren
Cute Little Girl
Cute Little Girl
Jamu Vendor
Jamu Vendor
Beef Sate Kempleng
Beef Sate Kempleng
Traditional Krupuk (Chips) Sago
Traditional "Krupuk" (Chips) Sago
Semarang Spring Roll
Semarang Spring Roll
Soto Selan
Soto Selan
Infront of Famous Grotto
Infront of Famous Grotto
Teh Sosro Tea Pot
Teh Sosro Tea Pot
Gethuk Lindri - Traditional Javanese Cassava Cake
Gethuk Lindri - Traditional Javanese Cassava Cake
Processing After Harvest
Processing After Harvest
Old Locomotive at Ambarawa Railroad Museum
Old Locomotive at Ambarawa Railroad Museum
Becak or Riksha
Becak or Riksha
Mother and Her Baby
Mother and Her Baby
Blessing Jesus Monument
Blessing Jesus Monument
Cooking Coffee
Cooking Coffee
Inside Coffee Shop
Inside Coffee Shop
Waiting.....
Waiting.....
Dried Cloves
Dried Cloves
Cooking at Traditional Kitchen
Cooking at Traditional Kitchen
Gobies and Crabs
Gobies and Crabs
Just Caught a Fish
Just Caught a Fish
Lemper Manado
Lemper Manado
Not Found in National Geographic or Discovery Channel
Not Found in National Geographic or Discovery Channel
Reception Area at Hotel in Manado
Reception Area at Hotel in Manado
Swimming Pool at Hotel in Manado
Swimming Pool at Hotel in Manado
Tarsius spectrum
Tarsius spectrum
Phyton
Phyton
Mother and Her Toddler
Mother and Her Toddler
Traditional Yellow Rice Dish
Traditional Yellow Rice Dish
Imam Bonjol Monument
Imam Bonjol Monument
Traditional Girl
Traditional Girl
Splash!
Splash!
Cannon Si Jagur
Cannon Si Jagur
Colonial Tombstone
Colonial Tombstone
Hermes Statue
Hermes Statue
Depiction of Bharatayuda
Depiction of Bharatayuda
Traditional Puppet
Traditional Puppet
Over Fifty Years and Still in Business at the Same Location
Over Fifty Years and Still in Business at the Same Location
Still Active
Still Active
Delicous Cempedak
Delicous Cempedak
Durian Fruit
Durian Fruit
Kangkung (Some Sort of Water Spinach), Fish Dish and Kredok
Kangkung (Some Sort of Water Spinach), Fish Dish and Kredok
Miniature Bike
Miniature Bike
Lontar Fruit Vendor
Lontar Fruit Vendor
Making of Ketupat Shell
Making of Ketupat Shell
Ketupat
Ketupat
Making of Traditional Pineapple Cookies
Making of Traditional Pineapple Cookies
Various Old Fashioned Wet Cookies
Various Old Fashioned "Wet" Cookies
Hand Made Angklung
Hand Made Angklung
Youth Angklung Orchestra
Youth Angklung Orchestra
Adolescent Angklung Musician
Adolescent Angklung Musician
Flag Waving, Nikon Carrying Chick
Flag Waving, Nikon Carrying Chick
Branch Coated with Volcanic Deposits
Branch Coated with Volcanic Deposits
Hot Waterfall
Hot Waterfall
Kerak Telor
Kerak Telor
Enjoying Kerak Telor
Enjoying Kerak Telor
Frog Leg Dishes
Frog Leg Dishes
Bayem (Spinach) with Shrimp Dish
Bayem (Spinach) with Shrimp Dish
Fermented Cassava
Fermented Cassava
Unloading Goods at Sunda Kelapa Harbor
Unloading Goods at Sunda Kelapa Harbor
Hard Labor at Sunda Kelapa Harbor
Hard Labor at Sunda Kelapa Harbor
Sunda Kelapa Traditional Harbor
Sunda Kelapa Traditional Harbor
Shaved Ice
Shaved Ice
Taking a Break from Hard Work
Taking a Break from Hard Work
Villa Complex in Batam
Villa Complex in Batam
Puri Indah Golf Couse
Puri Indah Golf Couse
Boats Used by Vietnamese Refugees
Boats Used by Vietnamese Refugees
Vietnamese Refugee Camp
Vietnamese Refugee Camp
Dedicated to the People Who Died in the Sea on the Way to Freedom
Dedicated to the People Who Died in the Sea on the Way to Freedom
Reclaimed by Nature
Reclaimed by Nature
Modern Table Setting
Modern Table Setting
Harvesting Tea
Harvesting Tea
Traditional Gado Gado
Traditional Gado Gado
Ginger Wedang
Ginger Wedang
Bowl of Ginger Wedang
Bowl of Ginger Wedang
Various Tropical Fruits
Various Tropical Fruits
Starfruit
Starfruit
Who Is Going to Eat All That Food? Typical at Padang Restaurant...
Who Is Going to Eat All That Food? Typical at Padang Restaurant...
Eating Huts
Eating Huts
Nicely Presented Fried Fish
Nicely Presented Fried Fish
Nadia
Nadia
Early in the Morning....
Early in the Morning....
Washing Clothes in the River
Washing Clothes in the River
Boys Having Fun
Boys Having Fun
Playing with Water
Playing with Water
Chasing a Goose
Chasing a Goose
Water War
Water War