The Belles of Banyuwangi

Indonesia started with a whirlwind of transit. I flew direct from Tokyo to Jakarta, overnighted in the airport hotel there, then navigated the crazy Jakarta airport to fly again to Surabaya, a mid-size but overwhelming city. Jakarta and Surabaya were both assaults on the senses, masses of people, sights, sounds, and smells. I was lucky to stay with a friendly, eclectic couple for my overnight in Surabaya who picked me up from the airport, let me relax in my room with some fresh papaya and coffee, took me out to a local place for dinner, and woke me up early to get me to my morning train. The poverty level in these cities does not escape you, even when just transiting through, and it’s reminded me of part of the reason why I needed to get into the developing world: to remember just how lucky we (or some of us, at least) have it in America.

An $11 “eksecutif” class train ticket bought me a peaceful six-hour trip through the east Java countryside to my destination of Banyuwangi, where I met my good friend and former college roomie Sinead! Sinead has been traveling through Southeast Asia for the past six months, so it was great to finally see her again. We’re staying at a fabulous homestay here run by a friendly Indonesian couple. We have a perfect bungalow, are enjoying delicious breakfasts and afternoons and evenings in the common open-air living room, with swinging hammocks, friendly dogs and pet chickens, and only the sounds of roosters and the calls to prayer from the nearby mosques. Our evenings consist of Bintang beer and nasi goreng (fried rice) on a picnic table and watching bats fly low overhead. The local kids sometimes stop by to hang out and practice their English with us.

 

Maya, our homestay host, invited us to a coffee plantation for their harvest festival. We accepted, of course, but had no idea what we were in for when we arrived. We were immediately whisked along to pick the coffee berries, then to watch them being roasted, then to enjoy coffee with the local politicians, then to help preside over a coffee competition.

Being the only non-locals at the festival, we were instant celebrities. Everyone wanted to take a picture with us: “Selfie, selfie!” they called out constantly, and who were we to say no? Sinead even milked a goat! It was chaotic but fantastic. We were then invited to lunch, where we enjoyed the local corn rice, tiny fried smelts, and tempeh.

By this time Maya had introduced us to some of her friends, who invited us to their band practice after the coffee festival. So off we zoomed to downtown Banyuwangi, where we spent the afternoon on a local street, grooving to our new friends’ jam session (their name is Jazz Patrol, check them out!). One member, a construction worker, had even made his recorder from a PVC pipe! Afterwards, they treated us to herbal tea. It was a perfect day. We couldn’t get over how friendly everyone was, and how welcoming they were to us. It was the sort of experience that you can only get off the beaten path; definitely not something you can review on Tripadvisor!

The following day, our celebrity was realized as our picture showed up on every local news outlet.   Click here for my 15 minutes of fame!