Monthly Archives: February 2010

loading a truck 2

loading a truck 2 Originally uploaded by about indo             I promised someone some eye candy this weekend, here it is. See my flickr page for the rest of the series. (double click on the pic) The guy in the background got caught in an unfortunate pose, hehe.
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Dangdut!

Here is a fine example of this style of music.  Mostly influenced by Indian soundtracks, having a strong Middle Eastern influence, I’d be interested to know how much Indonesian influence it actually carries. The subject matter is almost always sentimental and about love. Anyhow, this girl has a good voice and pretty too. Anyone know who she [...]
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Motorbike in Yogya

The availability of cheap Chinese motorbikes has caused big changes in transportation over the past decade.  Bikes are on the streets everywhere you go, filling up the spaces between cars. They don’t mind squeezing between trucks and busses too, sometimes with tragic results (they don’t often realise the drivers of heavy vehicles sometimes can’t see them). They [...]
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Safety last

Ladder in a warehouse Originally uploaded by about indo Ok, in order to do some work on the ceiling, the workman stands on the top rung (yes, the top rung) of this ladder, which stands on four pallets, which stand on a scaffold. To give you an idea of scale, you can just see a two-storey office [...]
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Cute bird

I never knew a bird of prey could look so cute.  When I was teaching in Jakarta, a high school-aged student came to class with a few feathers attached to his backpack so I asked him about it.  It turns out he kept a collection of raptors at home.  He offered me a falcon but naturally I couldn’t [...]
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Courage in adversity

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/09/indonesian-earthquake-survivor-saws-leg The above links to a story about a young man, Ramlan (18 years old), who all but cut his own foot off to escape from a building which was in danger of collapsing after an earthquake.  His foot was trapped by a steel girder and he knew that an aftershock would finish him off, so he [...]
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Taxi Adventures

Originally uploaded by runasnaps TAXIS In most of the world’s big cities, it can be difficult to find a cab when you need one. Not in Jakarta. Step out onto the street at any time and you’re almost certain to see half a dozen. There are exceptions, of course. Friday lunchtime is not good because most of the [...]
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Padang food picture

Best Padang Food Ever Originally uploaded by John Orford A typical place setting.
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Padang food

Something of a cover-all term for the spicy cuisine of North West Sumatra including Aceh and the areas controlled by the Minang people.  Other than the fact that it serves the dish most loved by Western tourists (beef rendang) the surprising thing about a Padang restaurant is the way the food is served. Rather than presenting [...]
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Bee sting therapy

Due to the shortage and cost of qualified medical practitioners, there is a huge demand for medical services. The gap is filled by a vast range of ‘alternative medicine’ and traditional practitioners. It seems to me the bee treatment could work along the same lines as accupuncture, or maybe the poison in the sting has [...]
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