I woke up to a freakin’ loud mosque prayer at 430am. Not cool. Indonesia needs to enforce some noise ordinances. And also, it’s disrespectful to force your religion on everyone in earshot. Not to mention, this town is home to the largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia. I was appalled at that mosque’s ignorance. Why do Indonesians tolerate this behavior?
We borrowed (not rented) a motorcycle from our guesthouse. They were generous to offer it. We rode off into the countryside, and it was beautiful. It was exactly the kind of ride I wanted to take: late afternoon, 80 degrees (27 C), slight breeze, green pastures and trees everywhere, children playing nearby.
We rode up to an exclusive resort with astronomical prices for Indonesia (starting $600/night). We asked for a tour, and they gave us a short version of the lower-grade rooms. We weren’t dressed sophisticated, so I’m not surprised they didn’t show us the fancy rooms. But it was real nice. Overpriced for the location, I think. But nice for real wealthy people with lavish lifestyles.
The young man in charge of the guesthouse took us out to the local Buddhist temple that evening. They had a class there for young aspiring monks. It was fascinating to watch. He sat outside the class (in the courtyard) in street clothes–perhaps meditating. Jameelah sat at the doorstep of the class and meditated and chanted with them as best she could. I sat for awhile and then walked around the grounds. It was a peaceful day (aside from the wakeup call).
