Tag Archives: Indonesia

11th January picture of the day…

11 Monday Jan 2021

Posted by in Bali, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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Well, the weather forecast was spot-on today. It’ll rain it said – and rain it did – all day. Only not in any entertaining way. None of that heavy showers or hailstones sort of stuff, just drizzle. And then more drizzle, broken up by differing levels of drizzle, just to break up the monotony! Even so, I managed to sally forth and get my daily exercise. I even called in at our local supermarket to get some shopping and a get-well card for a friend. Fortunately, I didn’t need much – which is just as well as there were large gaps on the shelves, especially when it came to fresh fruit and veg. I can’t think why…

I’ll resist (for now) getting into a polemic about Brexit. I’ll save that for later in the month. Instead, I’ll leave this here..

‘Welcome to the Brexit, sir’: Drivers have sandwiches confiscated at Dutch border | The Independent

When I wasn’t out walking and getting wet I was immersed in something other than rain. Slide-scanning. I’ve been keen to get a tranche finished and this latest collection has provided the picture of the day. This shot is one of a series I took at a cremation ceremony and procession in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia on the 2nd November 1998.

Balinese cremations ceremonies are colourful and exhuberant affairs, especially if the deceased or their family was wealthy as this man’s was. These five different towers were built on the side of one of the main roads in the very centre of Ubud. On the day of the cremation they’re carried by dozens of men each. But not in any sombre procession. They’re twirled and jigged around in order to ensure evil spirits are confused. Hundreds (if not thousands) of people line the streets to see the funeral procession go by. Even the local fire-brigade joined in to spray water over the guys carrying these towers in an effort to keep them cool. The atmosphere is more like a party than a funeral. It’s completely different to the Western traditions. Once the procession reaches the funeral grounds the corpse of the deceased is loaded into one of the effigies and the whole lot is burned.

Over this next week I’ll add the pictures to my Zenfolio website just as soon as I’ve edited them, so you’ll get to see what I mean.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

10th January picture of the day…

10 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by in Bali, Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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After the glorious winter’s day we had on Saturday, today was very much an anti-climax and back to the usual routine of low cloud and mists accompanied by drizzle that slowly eroded the remaining snow, leaving the ground sodden and muddy. Hardly great for walking but I forced myself to go out and complete my full seven days of exercise even if I did come back somewhat bedraggled! At least it gave me a sense of achievement – as did having added another huge tranche of old travel slides to my ’round the world’ gallery. Rather than give you a link to the gallery, here’s a link to the first of the new pictures. You can find your way from there.

I’ve plodded on throughout the day scanning more. It’s a time-consuming, mechanical process yet I’m slowly but surely coming to the end. The bright spot is that I get to see pictures of times and places I’d forgotten about, so it can brighten up a dull day, despite the repetitive nature of the task. Even so, I’ll be glad when it’s finished and I can concentrate on the future and new pictures rather than the old.

I’m looking forward to a bit more variety this week and the opportunity to escape the confines of the Calder Valley as part of a commission, even though I won’t be going far. Let’s see what happens. I’d like to have a day out with the camera but the weather forecast isn’t looking promising so I expect to be housebound for most of the week – but taking a break from scanning slides. I let my eBay account run out of goodies to sell at Christmas, so it’s time to resurrect that to start disposing of more surplus slides and assorted railway memorabilia which has the bonus of freeing up cupboard space as well as making some money. Watch this space…

OK, on to the picture of the day. I took this in Lovina, Bali, Indonesia at the end of October 1998. Bali is famous for its dancers and their exotic and colourful costumes. Visiting a temple of an evening to watch some of these performances is always a fascinating experience. The routines are highly stylized and the dancers are accompanied by Gamelan music from a live band, so they’re real theatrical performances Here’s a young man performing the Baris (warrior) dance.

I’ll be adding this and many other pictures from Bali to my Zenfolio website tomorrow until the end of the week when I should have the album finished.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

8th January picture of the day…

08 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by in Indonesia, Photography, Picture of the day, Travel

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There’s few words from me tonight as today’s hardly been the most exciting day – unless you count hoping the snow showers we’ve had on and off all day would deliver a decent deluge and we’d be covered in the white stuff for the weekend. I was looking forward to getting some shots of snow-covered trees in our local woods, but it wasn’t to be. We’re just that little bit too low on the valley side so whilst nearby Warley looked picturesque, we were left with muddy footpaths and wet woods. Maybe tomorrow!

The pictures I’ve been scanning today couldn’t be more different, as this one shows. I took this shot in the last few days of September 1998 on a tiny little Island called Kanawa which is a boat trip from the town and ferry port of Labuanbajo on the Western end of the Island of Flores, Indonesia. We were staying in the little resort you can see by the beach, although ‘resort’ is rather a grand term for a collection of a dozen stilt bungalows and a restaurant! But, it was a fantastic place to kick back and relax. This was in the days when mobile phones was a luxury and the internet was dial-up and could only be found in major cities. There was no TV here either. Lynn and I had a short-wave radio with us and that was our only contact with the outside world. Here, you sunbathed, swam, snorkelled and slept. Supplies were brought in by boat daily from the mainland and after a couple of days you learned not to order breakfast until you saw the boat arrive and what was on it. But everything was fresh, especially the fish – and the chicken as the birds scratched a living from the ground around the resort. I remember one day someone ordered chicken for the evening meal. The chef disappeared out of the back and there was a helluva commotion accompanied by lots of flapping, clucking and squawking. 20 minutes later the cook came back and said to the couple. “Sorry, you can’t have chicken”. “Why not?” they asked. “I can’t catch one” was his reply! At least you didn’t have to catch your own…

Looking down on our little haven with the Island of Flores beyond. Happy days…

I’ve dozens of pictures scanned and ready for editing before adding to my website tomorrow. When they are, you’ll be able to find them in this gallery. They’ll include shots of both Flores and Bali as we were heading West to Java before flying to Australia to spend Christmas with friends we’d made earlier in the trip, although first, we were meeting up with a group from the UK who were coming out to join us in Bali for a holiday.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

7th January picture of the day…

07 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by in Picture of the day, Travel

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The stunning winter weather we enjoyed yesterday lasted until sunset, then the temperatures dropped overnight so this morning we awoke to gloomy skies and a miasma that stayed with is all day, along with occasional snow flurries that thickened through the day, leaving us with a dusting of snow. More’s expected tomorrow.

Indoors my world was far less monochrome as I was busy scanning old slides and researching articles. The slide scanning’s progressing well. I’ve polished off another album, my final one of foreign rail images, dating back to 2003. This morning I added old Irish rail pictures to this gallery. Tomorrow I’ll add the last ones which were taken in Singapore and France. There’s still a few scratched images to restore (slowly) and there might be the odd image lurking in an album here and there, but to all intents and purposes that the rail stuff finally done! That just leaves me with the travel and social issues images to get through and I’ve made a start on them today.

Next in line are the travel pictures from the round the world trip that Lynn and I did in 1997-99. I’d got as far as Australia but there was an album out of sync that I’ve dug out of storage to prioritise – so we’ve leapt back in time and space a few months to return to the Indonesian Islands of Flores, Bali and Java! So, here’s the picture of the day. I took this shot in mid September 1998 atop Kelimutu, a volcano on the Island of Flores. Kelimutu is famous for three volcanic lakes which regularly change colour. When I was there in 1998, one was black, the other Turquoise. In this image you can just see the Turquoise lake behind this one. It’s a stunning and unique place to visit and worth getting up early to ascend the volcano to see the sunrise.

Tomorrow (once I’ve had chance to edit the scans) I’ll add them to this gallery which will contain all the pictures from our trip. Well, eventually…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

28th November picture of the day…

28 Saturday Nov 2020

Posted by in Food, Indonesia, Musings, Picture of the day, Travel

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Where the hell’s the day gone? It seems to have vanished into the mists and murk that have covered the Calder Valley all day. One minute it was there, next minute – whoosh – it’s eight o’clock!

Admittedly, with it being the weekend, we did have a teeny-weeny lie in this morning. After all, we knew the weather was going to be cold and wet, so what’s to get up for? It’s not as if we’ve got a flight booked, or people to meet in the pub. Instead, the pair of us have spent the day cooped up inside out of the way of the drizzle and damp. The only person who’s been venturing outside is the cat who’s repeatedly returned as a very soggy moggy before retreating to his heated mat to sit and steam!

The day’s passed with the two of us working in order to make the most of the time. Whilst Dee’s been working in the living room I’ve been holed up in my upstairs office sorting out paperwork and yet more old slides which includes the picture of the day. I’ve finished scanning the last album of pictures from our 1998 Indonesia travels, but I’ve skipped forward a bit as the next album in the series is stashed away in Dawn’s parent loft. So please forgive me going from Flores to Java with nothing in between (there’s plenty, honest – but they won’t appear for a few weeks yet).

So, today’s picture was taken in Yogyakarta. Java in early December 1998. Yogya’s one of the cultural centres of Indonesia. It’s a fascinating place with a rich history. I’d spent time there back in 1992, so I was determined to revisit on our grand tour. As it was, Lynn and I based ourselves there for over two weeks so we could explore the area. Well, that and the fact it was such a relaxed place. We were staying in the same cheap and cheerful Homestay in one of the backstreets by the station that I’d stayed in back in 92. The facilities were basic, but every morning a local woman would set up her stall in the street outside to sell the most wonderful Javanese food. Most of it was vegetarian and it was sublime. You could mix and match and a really hearty, spicy breakfast packed full of flavours would cost you about 20p. you’d see stall like this throughout Java. Women would cook the food at home, then set up little street stall every morning (or evening) and sell the most delicious street food. Once it was gone, so were they. The bowls would all be stacked upon each other and the woman would carry them off in the same way most of them arrived in the first place – by scooter, or balanced on her head, or by Becak (cycle rickshaw).

Boy, do I miss the food of Asia. I’m so glad that both Dawn and I are good cooks so we can recreate some of these tastes at home. But I do miss being able to nip out for breakfasts like this…

If you’re interested in looking through more photos from Indonesia (or the rest of the epic trip), you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ll be adding many more shots of other exotic Indonesian Islands over the next few weeks. There’s a huge cross-section of Indonesian life and street-scenes like this.

Meanwhile, I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

27th November picture of the day…

27 Friday Nov 2020

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This blog’s going to be short and sweet as there’s little to report other than the mundanities of life – unless I want to launch into politics. If I did we’d be here all night and (as it’s a Friday) I suspect we’ve all got better things to do. After all, it’s not as if the current shambles is going to go away over the weekend, is it?

So, I’ll restrain myself and save my spleen venting for another time. Besides, I have a sneaky feeling January will be a fertile time to let off steam on that front…

Instead, I’ll go straight to the picture of the day. Amongst other things I’ve been busy scanning and editing more old travel pictures from my 1997-99 grand tour. I’ve come to the end of another album with a series of pictures from the lesser explored Indonesian Island of Flores. Most Tourists to Indonesia never make it beyond Java, Bali, Lombok or possibly Sulawesi. Flores isn’t really on their radar, but I’ve travelled across the island twice, in 1992 and 1998. It’s a fascinating place as it’s very different to the more well known islands as it’s more rugged and with very different flora and fauna as it’s east of the the Wallace line.

I’ve no idea what it’s like travelling across the island now, but when I did it the roads were rough and the local bus services were ‘fun’ to say the least, but it was an amazing place to visit as it was so different. Indonesia has a great variety of cultures and religions and today’s picture reflects that. I took this in a Ngada village near Moni in Mid September 1998. The Ngada people have a fascinating history. The layout of their villages reflect this. Here, you really are stepping back in time…

If you’re interested in looking through more photos from Indonesia (or the rest of the epic trip), you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ll be adding many more shots of other exotic Indonesian Islands over the next few weeks…

Meanwhile, I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

26th November picture of the day…

26 Thursday Nov 2020

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Although today’s been spent working from home I’ve been making a conscious effort to tear myself away from computer screens and get some exercise. After spending 14 days in self-enforced isolation and not leaving the house I swore to myself that as soon as that was over I’d boost my exercise levels again. On thing I’m never going to develop is corns on my bum – so this week I’ve been out every day, getting the steps in. When you live high up on the side of a valley, exercise really isn’t a problem if you’re using ‘Shank’s Pony’ rather than a vehicle. There’s no chance of me getting more than a few metres from the house without hitting a gradient of one severity or another! I must admit I’m feeling better for it too. Mind you having to carry the full camera kit around again is pretty good exercise too – as I found out on Tuesday! I might not be globe-trotting at the moment, it’s more of a regional amble – but it’s better than nothing!

When I have been staring at screens it been to wade through emails and paperwork to sort out some more writing jobs, Ebay sales as well as continue the trek to get all my old slides scanned. I may not be able to leave the country, but the pictures I’m currently scanning of Island-hopping through Indonesia are certainly taking be places – both in space and time….

This leaves me in a quandry. What shall I choose as the picture of the day, as I’ve got so many suitable candidates. Orang-Utans in the Gunung Leuser national park in Sumatra perhaps? No, I’ve done that before (you’ll be able to see loads in the travel gallery tomorrow anyway). Maybe another gorgeous sunset somewhere? Nah, I don’t want to get too predictable. Oh, I know – something you might not have seen. Here’s a last one from Sumatra before Lynn and I started Island hopping. This was taken in Maninjau Town on Lake Meninjau, West Sumatra on the 17th August 1998. The 17th is Indonesia’s Independence day, and the town arranged a parade. Part of that parade involved local children dressing up in regional costumes, both from Sumatra and the rest of the Indonesian Islands. The country has a rich ethnic and religious mix and this parade celebrated that fact – as you can see from this picture.

If you’re interested in looking through more photos from Sumatra (or the rest of the epic trip), you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ll be adding many more shots of other exotic Indonesian Islands over the next few weeks…

Meanwhile, I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank You!

25th November picture of the day…

25 Wednesday Nov 2020

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I’ve been based back at home today after yesterday’s commission in Merseyside so I’ve been kept busy editing the pictures for my client as well as the library shots I took on the journey. Well, that and dealing with an overflowing email inbox, Ebay sales and trying to get fitter after shaking off our self-imposed lockdown lethargy! There’s been a lot to juggle and the days just don’t seem long enough to fit it all in. Oh yes – there was also a blog update on the past 6 weeks events on HS2 (our new high-speed railway). I hadn’t realised it was that long since my last update, or just how much had happened in the intervening time.

Because of the ‘action-packed’ programme I didn’t get out to complete my 12.5k steps until late this evening – which was interesting as it’s the first time I realised there is an impact from the latest lockdown(ish). During the day the levels of road traffic seem unchanged – especially when it comes to the school run. This evening was different as there wasn’t a soul on our local roads. Why would there be – there’s nowhere to go! Everyone’s at home in the evenings which makes it the perfect time to go out for a wander. There was just me, the odd fox and the occasional cat as I bimbled along the road through Scarr Woods and back.

OK, It’s late and I’ve a busy day ahead tomorrow, so here’s the picture of the day, which I scanned earlier. I took this in Mid August 1998 from the rear deck of our Homestay at Lake Maninjau, Sumatra late one evening as the sun set beyond the volcanic crater edge. Having a place that was built on the water’s edge is superb. I’d discovered the Homesty a few years earlier when I passed through on a solo trip in 1992 and I was more than heppy to find it unchanged 6 years later.

If you’re interested in looking through more photos from Sumatra (or the rest of the epic trip), you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ll be adding many more shots of other exotic Indonesian Islands over the next few weeks…

Meanwhile, I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank You!

23rd November picture of the day…

23 Monday Nov 2020

Posted by in Indonesia, Musings, Photography, Travel

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Another busy day during ‘lockdown’ – or what passes for it this time. The pair of us have been occupied with work all day apart from making a determined effort to get out and get some exercise – despite the rather biting wind and dull weather, although that kept many people at home and out of our way, so it wasn’t all bad!

My routine involved swapping between scanning yet more old slides and replying to emails, along with a bit of housekeeping and cooking. Not exactly the ‘rock and roll’ lifestyle, but at least things are moving in the right direction and getting us prepared to exit what’s probably been the shittiest year on record on an even keel – which is more than some poor unfortunates will be able to do.

I’ll end today’s missive with a picture of the day from today’s batch of old slide scans. It was taken at a Homestay at Lake Maninjau in West Sumatra in August 1998. I’d spent time here back in 1992 when I used it as a base for a jungle-trekking trip to the Mentawai Islands, and there was no way I was going to miss stopping there again as it’s so spectacular and so peaceful. This photo opportunity came out of the blue as one of the many kittens around our homestay decided to explore by leaping onto a backlit table just as I had my camera to hand.

If you’re interested in looking through more photos from Sumatra (or the rest of the epic trip), you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ve been busy scanning throughout the day in order to get this album finished before the end of the week, so another 50 have been added.

I won’t have chance to add any more old slides tomorrow. Instead you’ll be treated to another rolling blog as I’m off to Widnes in Merseyside to carry out a rather interesting railway industry commission – which will also allow me to get some contemporary rail pictures too. Watch this space…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

21st November picture of the day…

21 Saturday Nov 2020

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Today’s not quite been the one I expected, but it’s been an interesting one nonetheless. The ‘other half’ has been on day 2 of a 3 day ‘virtual retreat’ via the power of the Internet. This meant Dawn was up early – and so was I, which has given us both some productive time rather than just lazing around thinking “Sod it, it’s a Saturday in lockdown”…

This morning I penned a blog about the latest weapons-grade dishonest about the HS2 rail project. It’s certainly created a stir as no other Journalist seems to have bothered to question the guff about HS2 ‘desecrating’ a children’s memorial.

With that done and the weather having returned to being crap, I stayed in and spent time editing the pictures from Thursdays railway foray on the Harrogate loop as well as continuing to scan more old slides – one of which you’ll see in a minute. I’m gradually working my way through an album of travel pictures taken on the ‘grand-tour’ that Lynn and I took in 1997-99 and right now those pictures are of Indonesia. Looking back 22 years is quite a bitter-sweet experience, not least because of the fact Lynn’s been dead for seven years now, but also because it really was a different age – and one in which we had a ball! Let me explain. In 1998 Asia had suffered an economic crisis that crashed the currencies of many of the countries we were travelling through – Indonesia especially. For the Indonesians it was a terrible time that led to a destabilisation of the country and eventual downfall of the country’s dictator President. It also caused racially based riots as the countries Chinese community were made scapegoats by some. But, for tourists and travellers who arrived once things had settled down, it was very different. I’d been in Indonesia 3-4 years earlier. Then, £1 would have bought you around 3,500 Indonesian Rupiah. When Lynn and got the ferry over from Malaysia to Sumatra in July 1998 the exchange rate was 22,000 rupiah to the pound – yet prices for most things (in rupiah) had hardly changed! You were rich! To say this took the pressure off a couple backpacking would be an understatement. You didn’t have to count the pennies at all and as the pair of us were frugal anyway, money went a loonngg way. It was a vintage time to be travelling through SE Asia.

One place we pitched up at was a magical little place off the North Coast of Sumatra, Iboih on the island of Pulau Weh. Our time there deserves a blog in its own right as we had a fabulous time with a group of people who all really jelled. Because it was hard to get to – you must have really wanted to be there – and that made all the difference to the place. This was in the days before backpacking became ‘flashpacking’ where young people would parachute in and out of places via cheap airlines. Then, you went the ‘hard’ way by train, bus or ferry. So, here’s the picture of the day, the small but beautifully formed beach at Iboih, seen sometime between mid-to the end of July, 1998. We liked it so much our planned week turned into 16 days and even then we had to force ourselves to leave…

Just out of shot to the right is Rubiah Island, which you could swim to (and a group of us once did). The coral around here was gorgeous and it was absolutely teeming with different varieties of fish. Facilities at Ibioh were basic, the wooden bungalows were simple and had no showers. You bathed out in the open with water from the communal well! The group of people we met there had pitched up from all corners of the globe, but formed a community. Looking back at the pictures I’m scanning I realise that it was one of the few places we went to where I took lots of pictures of fellow travellers – some of whom I’m still in contact with today. So it will always hold special memories for me as a perfect moment in time – which is why I’ll never go back…

If you want to see more pictures of our travels, you can find them in this gallery on my Zenfolio picture website. I’ll be adding shots almost daily over the next few weeks.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!