Indonesia Travelogue – Part II

News waves from Jakarta

My dear Mimi & Jhum,

In my earlier mail, I should also have mentioned that the weather here is very good despite hardly any rain so far. Maximum temperature has remained below 35. Sudipto has almost a namesake as driver-Suripto; and their cook is called yati (not ‘yeti’), a sober and very well behaved middle-aged woman; they and three others are very good. Moni has picked up local language very well. The local language is written only in the roman script, but no other language is understood by most of the people.

Yesterday we had been to another tourist attraction called-‘Gelanggang Samudra Jaya Ancol’. Obviously this big complex is at the seaside-and the seaside is well laid out and well maintained, very neat and clean compared to any such area around Mumbai or Chennai or any other place in our country. I could not find out meaning of the remainder of the name.

So let me tell you that in this place there are four separate enclosures one each for variety animal show, birds and orangutan show, sea lion show and dolphin show. Children will enjoy such circus more; but I also enjoyed despite language barrier because they are well managed. Moreover for the first time I have seen sea lion and dolphin shows. There is also a fairly large aquarium with a variety of mostly sea fishes; and there is also a tunnel here to go through with large shirks/sting rays etc over and around you as I saw at ‘San Tosa Singapore.

We are fine; I hope all’s well at your end. Please give my respect and love and affection to all as due.

Yours,

BABA

Indonesia Travelogue – Part I

My dear Mimi,

Received your mail. Convey my congratulations to Mummum. It has not been possible to mail from computer at home; so have asked Sudipto to send it from his office.

Sudipto’s house is beautiful, better than the one they last lived in Delhi; locality is as neat and clean as in some western countries I have seen; I am having no work except eating innovative food, taking walk as and when I wish, swimming at International Sports & Cultural Association as and when possible, a better maintained place than any such in Kolkata, and sight seeing of course I had been to a shopping plaza which sell any thing & every thing-several times bigger than our new City Center and more advanced in their operation.

I was taken to ‘Taman Mini Indonesia’-a well designed center to showcase the country as a whole with separate enclosures for reptiles, birds-called taman burung, inland fishes, insects, butterflies, dwelling houses of various tribes, palaces etc. There are Komodo dragon, majestic cobras, pythons etc in reptile house; beautiful local birds, fishes, insects, beetles, butterflies etc. all of which is difficult to describe.

We had been to Ban dung a place that came to lime light for ‘Non aligned Conference’ in Nehru’s time. But we have seen only a volcanic range nearby called Tankopan Paralu, ewa Domas etc, which last erupted in 1969. We walked down 1200 meters or so to reach center of the crater and sat by a boiling geyser/crater. Climbing down was so difficult that I wont venture it again.


In Bandung we have attended an orchestra of local instruments mainly angklung made of bamboo; we like most of the audience, were induced to participate playing the angklung. It was god fun and an unique experience. I shall write to all of you later again.



I am ok, so are all over here. Hope you all are keeping well. Please give my regards and affection to all as due.

Affectionately yours,

Baba