TAKE IT EASY AND ARTY

Meet, stay, love                                              

Indonesia is bigger than Kuta, says President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo.  He wants tourists to stay longer, wander farther and drop their dollars into tills beyond the Three Bs– Bali, Borobudur and Bromo.  Duncan Graham took his advice.

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Pity hoteliers trying to stay afloat in a tidal and turbulent market.

 In the bad old like-it-or-leave days a hard bed and a squat toilet in a barrack-cell losmen was the best local travellers could expect.

Overseas visitors might get up-market accommodation in the big cities.  There was no point in complaining that the lights had gone out and the water ran rusty because the phone wouldn’t work.

Now the world is on the move; guests are getting choosy and can rank services on the Internet.  Odors in the lavatory and stains on the sheets?  Tell all – and they’ll steer clear.

Air conditioning, hot showers, a fridge and a cable TV service are now industry standards. Staff with real smiles are essential, not the grimaces of yesteryear. Room safes and free Wi-Fi are becoming common, even in small towns.

Now add bicycles.

Borobudur isn’t just one of the world’s wonders, a majestic 9^th century three-tier Buddhist temple described by its discoverer Sir Stamford Raffles as this ‘noble building’ and ‘majestic edifice’. It’s also a Central Java town.

Backpackers use it to board unsprung busses for next stop Yogyakarta, while the moneyed majority head straight from the archaeological park gates to the airport.  That’s a mistake.

In the villages beyond and in a straight line are the related temples Pawon and Mendut. Few foreigners bother to drive the five extra kilometers even though the entrance fee is only Rp 30,000 ((US$2.20) for the two compared with nine times that sum for the bigger monument.

Wanurejo is a nearby hamlet off the tourist track, though only by a few twists and turns.  Here the locals have accepted President Jokowi’s challenge to expand tourism by combining to offer must-try experiences.  Their secret lure: Arthouse Homestays.

These are converted or purpose-built cottages in ordinary lanes and among local residents.  Regulations prohibit more than five rooms so even with a full house double digit occupancy is rare.  That means fellow travellers are easy to meet.  To avoid, push pedals.

Homestay is not always the correct term as the owners may be elsewhere – guesthouse is more accurate. Staff tend to be neighbors so the men watch the premises while the lady who cooks breakfasts and mops the floor lives a few doors down.

When not boiling eggs straight from the nest or airing bedding she may well be applying wax on cotton and happy to let quivering hands try the tjanting. Batik demands patience so cityfolk should pack plenty before leaving Stress Central. 

Others paint and hang their impressive work on guesthouse walls, or make organic soap and other supplies for hotels. As Arthouse Homestays are only now getting known the villagers have yet to develop the Kuta syndrome where every bule (Caucasian) is regarded as a walking ATM, ripe for a withdrawal.

No flash uniforms, no unctuous receptionists, just wholesome kampong friendliness and the chance to see the way most Indonesians live.  That’s not in high-rise anonymous apartments but among the rice and sugar cane fields of rural landscapes like the fertile and flat Kedu Plain. Which means it’s ideal for cyclists of any age.

But where to wheel? After over-dosing on ancient ruins and saturating irises with shimmering landscapes it’s take-it-easy time.  There are no poolside bars but there are cafes and studios.

Antique dealer Umar Chusaeni and his Japanese wife, artist Yasumi Ishi have set up a collective studio and performance space where artists can perform or show their works.  It’s not a guesthouse.

“We try to stage an event once every two months,” said Chusaeni who once ran a major show in the fields behind his house with elephants.

 “There’s much artistic talent in this area – perhaps inherited from the craftsmen who carved the panels on the walls of Borobudur Temple, though many would have fled when Merapi erupted. (There was a major explosion in 1006.)

“We keep asking the government to allow more homestays, but few officials understand the business and how it’s building a creative economy.

“Every village has a tourist committee – and they know what visitors want.”

That includes seeing artists at work at the Limanjawi Arthouse where locals have space to work. Like Wawan Geni, 34, who thankfully confronts his canvases outside.  For instead of brushes and pencils he uses glowing mosquito-coils and lighted cigarettes to produce strange shadings.

When J-Plus visited Limanjawi the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI -Indonesian Arts Institute) student was smoking over a big canvas of Borobudur temple as seen from above.  He claimed he only used a pack of smokes a day but an overflowing ashbucket and yellow fingers suggested otherwise.

“Smoking helps me relax and gives me inspiration,” he said. “I’m not worried about getting sick.”  Commented Chusaeni: “He gets paid well for his work with tobacco companies among his admirers.”

Although most villagers follow Islam there’s no sense of fundamentalism. Buddha statues are widespread in public and private areas.

“The ones in China are fat and in Thailand always resting,” said Chusaeni, a Muslim.  “But our Buddhas in Java are lean and happy.

“This is a safe area where outsiders are welcome. People come here for the culture and to feel the spirit of Borobudur.  They come for peace. 

“There is no sense visitors are interfering or damaging our traditions and culture. After a few days here you get to understand a little of our lovely land.”

(Breakout)

Getting there

Arthouse Homestays are ideal for couples on a budget, serious about understanding Java and getting closer to the people. Visitors who want to relax in comfort but are not into hedonism should find this accommodation ideal.

Most homestays are listed on Internet hotel booking agencies with prices starting from around Rp 300,000 (US $ 23) per room/night including breakfast, tax and service charges. Some offer pick-ups from the airport or bus terminal.

Bicycle hire is either free or around Rp 30,000 (US $2.30) a day.  Buy fresh fruits from roadside traders.  Those with special dietary needs should bring their own supplies.

Kids? Yes, if mature and appreciative of difference.  No if their world is defined by Pokemon.  There’s rafting nearby for the adventurous. English is rare but tolerance common so encounters can be fun.

Bali resorts have manicured gardens, aerobic classes, fashion shows and menus to cater for most tastes. Arthouse Homestays are the affordable alternative with all add-ons the real thing.  They are also well beyond the ugly tout-zone encircling the big temple.

First pub lished in  J Plus - The Jakarta Post on 11 December 2016

  

ASSAD ABDULLAH al-MADANI

Master shipbuilder who impressed the world

Under normal circumstances the death of Assad Abdullah al-Madani this month (May) would have passed little noticed outside Pagerungan Kecil, a flat 5.6 square kilometer island north of Bali and east of Madura.

Governments tend to officially recognize the rich, powerful and famous, often overlooking the talented and creative little folk.

Yet it’s these unsung, ordinary achievers going about their lives quietly and competently who give the nation its great strength, rather than the strutting generals, preening politicians and ephemeral pop stars.

This obituary would not have been written had two foreigners not met Assad in late 2002 when the traditional boat builder was about 68, though “still robust, big-bodied, sharp-minded and commanding respect,” according to marine archaeologist Nick Burningham.

He now lives in Western Australia, but had been in and around Indonesia for many years, generally messing about in boats.

The other outsider at the meeting was Philip Beale, a cashed-up Englishman who’d become obsessed with the flaking carvings of ships that he’d seen on the Borobudur temple terraces in 1982.

The carvings had been made a thousand years or more earlier. Beale was captivated by the idea that the masons had depicted ships that may have sailed southwest from Indonesia taking spices to Madagascar and Africa. He resolved to replicate the craft and sail what came to be called the Cinnamon Route.

Beale wasn’t able to realise his dream for another 20 years when he commissioned Burningham to help build a replica.

But who to carry out such a formidable task? Was there anyone still alive with the skills to translate the ancient carvings into a real ship?

After some disappointing leads the two men met Assad who agreed to complete the ship in four months. He’d already built more than 40 big boats and had a substantial local reputation.

Assad’s ancestors probably came from the Gulf of Aden in the late 19th century as Muslim Hadhrami missionaries to Sulawesi. The family settled on the then empty and almost barren island before the Second World War and struggled to survive.

Assad told Burningham that during the occupation there was no rice on the island and people could be beaten to death by the Japanese just for bringing coffee from Java. The family planted coconuts. Assad married Fatmah and became a supercargo on a 30-ton trader, then a boat builder. The family prospered and the island population grew. It now supports more than 1,000 families.

But could a man with just basic education re-create a ship he’d never seen? Burningham built a model. “Assad and Abdul (the head shipwright) looked at the model very rarely, but they had absorbed the design and shape, and built as accurately as if they’d been taking measurements from a set of drawings every day,” said Burningham.

“The only deviations from the design were to make the finished ship more attractive and neater on construction.

“Working with him was easy and pleasant – none of the usual frustrations or misunderstandings – no attempts to introduce sub-standard materials when I wasn’t looking.

“Longitudinal symmetry was scrupulously avoided because of the philosophy that Assad called ganjil. If there was symmetry there would be a kind of perfection and wholeness, so the ship would be content in itself and would have nothing to seek – it would not be eager to find friends, cargo, income, fish, new lands or anything else.

“Assad’s role was also imbuing and amplifying semangat, the life force in the developing hull.

“A good master-shipwright is believed to have the mental strength, focus and consistency to influence in a beneficial way the developing character of the boat. And character is destiny.

“He was confident that he could have the ship built better than anyone else – and he was right.”

The 19 meter long, 4.25-meter wide boat was built by 26 barefoot men using basic tools like adzes. The timber was sourced locally and from Papua. A hand auger bored through the keel for the ship’s navel, and the shavings were given to Assad and Beale.

The wood from the hole represented the placenta and would help the ship know where it belonged.

The ship cost Rp 250 million (US 24,000) and was launched in 2003 in an emotional atmosphere. “It is widely believed in Indonesia that mental concentration is important in ceremonies which contribute to the life-energy of a ship,” said Burningham. “She rode the water proud as a lion.”

A month later at a major event graced by the then president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, the expedition led by Beale set off into the Indian Ocean.

Named Samudraraksa (guardian of the sea) the ship successfully sailed to West Africa with a multi-national crew of 15. This became an international event stirring Indonesian pride, adding to the belief that people from the archipelago had been pioneer global traders, selling spices in Africa and returning with iron tools, and maybe even slaves, long before Europeans started exploring the world.

Assad’s masterpiece is now in a museum in the Borobudur complex, close to the carvings that inspired its construction. Beale, who was given an award by the Indonesian government for his services to culture, is at sea with the Phoenician Ship Expedition. This will try to recreate the first circumnavigation of Africa in 600 BC.

Assad lived to see the triumph of his skills on display and died on 3 May from a stomach disorder. His eldest son Rauf, 43, is continuing dad’s work as a shipbuilder though using woodworking machines. One of his grandchildren, Azmi, is studying English at a university in Malang, East Java, so he can market the boats overseas.

Rauf said he had a moral responsibility to continue his father’s work, though the economic crisis had hit orders.

“My father was a hard worker and persistent,” he said. “He was also friendly, humorous and patient. Since he was seven years old he was clever at drawing and making toy boats.

“Apparently he got this talent from his father. At the beginning it was only a hobby, but he was motivated to help fishermen by building boats that made it easy to catch fish. His philosophy was to build quality craft and on-time.”

Said Burningham: “Assad was a great craftsman who combined an aesthetic and sculptural genius for traditional ship building with integrity and can-do management. The world is diminished by his passing.”

(With additional reporting by Arnold Metekohy)

(First published in The Jakarta Post 22 May 09)

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