Diwali!!!!

Not only did I get to witness Diwali decorations in Singapore but I was also lucky enough to celebrate Diwali in Palembang! A few weeks ago Hafiza and Amy made some Malaysian-Indian friends and they invited us over to celebrate Diwali with them on November 15th. Luckily enough, we had that day off for Muslim New Year anyway. Party time was set at 8pm and the girls and I got all dressed up, hired a taxi, and headed out to the house. Unfortunately, navigating the intense labyrinth of Palembang is quite the task and my usual driver (Samsudy) got us unbearably lost and we ended up here.

Next to a dirty Palembang canal, driving down a road that wasn't a road, with no idea where we were.  Eventually we did end up at the party after a few more interesting turns and 2 confusing phone calls.

When we walked into the foyer, we were greeted by our hosts, as well as the most gorgeous design ever.

 SO BEAUTIFUL!

 If you could see from the other photo, it was 2 peacocks surrounded by tea lights

 A close up on the dyed rice

After that it was all about Indian baked goods and delicious food! I met a bunch of new people and made many new friends. Overall, it was a fantastic night and I'm so sad that I only get 2 more months with everyone before I head back home. Happy Diwali everybody!

 

Songket

Most places in Indonesia have their own form of traditional printed and/or woven fabric that is specific to that location. In Palembang the traditional fabric is called songket and it is a finely woven fabric made with a loom and ridiculously expensive. Recently, one of the Indonesian teachers I work with took myself and the British Invasion to check out some of the shops. It was pretty interesting and I although I couldn't afford any songket I was able to buy some unique gifts for friends and family back home. Enjoy the photos!

printed batik fabrics

a woman using a loom to make some songket

the finished product

 gorgeous material but too rich for my blood

These are the traditional hats worn by men at important events(i.e. weddings) in Palembang

Hafiza and Amy probably laughing at the silly American (me!)

 

Singapore

As I mentioned in my last post, a few weeks ago I spent a long weekend in the thriving metropolis of Singapore. That city, and my cousin who lives there, are life-savers.  The main reason for this trip was to get extra pages to my passport. In my recent years of travel and visa collecting, I have run out of places for countries to stamp my entry and exit of their lands. Aside from that, I had 5 days to explore, shop, and relax. Awesome.

Indonesian shops have the greatest names

The view from the guest room at Cousin Jim's apartment

My first 2 days were spent shopping on Orchard Road and getting my visa taken care of. The apartment is only a half mile walk from the shopping district and that is quite dangerous.

  The ION center in all of its glory

Given that this was my 5th trip to Singapore it was about time that I made an effort to see Chinatown and Little India. Best. Idea. Ever. Both areas are within walking distance of each other and so after I got off the metro stop in Chinatown I spent the rest of the day wandering, eating, and taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

One of the market streets in Chinatown

  The gorgeous and massive Buddhist temple

Entrance to the temple

An ornately decorated Hindu temple

 Naturally, I run into a church wherever I go

My next stop was Little India and unbeknownst to me, Diwali (Deepavali), a festival about light, was just around the corner in November, so the whole area was decked out in amazing colors and signs for the holiday. Diwali is one of those festivals that I've been teaching to my ESL students for the past two years without any idea of what it actually entails. This was a very pleasant surprise.

Happy Deepavali everyone!

Fantastic street signs and amazing food to boot!

 Another Hindu temple

I happened upon a marketplace and loved the decorations and clothes being sold

 My amazing lunch at a vegetarian Indian restaurant

Goodbye, Singapore! I'll see you in January when my contract is over and I meet Dad for our Thailand adventure!

The night skyline of Singapore from Cousin Jim's apartment

 

Pictures

I'm in Singapore on a magnificent 5 day holiday and don't have enough time to write anything but because upload speeds are phenomenal, here are some pictures of my life. I hope you like them.

Having a chat with some of the Palembang housewives

 

Tanning on the roof of my house and looking out over Palembang.

 The mosque near my house.

 Some of the mooncakes I bought to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival.

 A pile of dead and live chickens at the traditional market.

 A Chinese man chopping up delicious pork for me to bring home!

 An ad for Romi Herton. He is the vice mayor and his face is EVERYWHERE in Palembang.

 An Indonesian SUV. Family of five on a motorbike. Safe? No. Economical. YES.

 My awesome new box of pencils that I use on my drawings for the MoM.

 What can I buy in Palembang that is made in the USA? Double sided tape.

 The government building for South Sumatra.

 My delicious vegetarian lunch from the Buddhist temple.

 The pool that I swim in at the hotel where I go to the gym.

 Hilariously epic advert for a new ice cream called Magnum Gold!?

MoM-Museum of Megan

Although I have repeatedly assured them, Mom and Dad have requested evidence that I am not living in a bamboo hut in the jungle.  Sometimes it feels like I am, with the amount of mosquitoes and ants that I encounter in my living space.  So far I have lived in two rooms in the house.  My first room, The Cave, was on the first floor, next to the kitchen. Benefits: Good AC, close proximity to the kitchen, and no stairs. Drawbacks: There was a leak in the ceiling, cave ambiance, and a window looking out on a cement wall.

 Closet and window to the cement wall

 Bed, desk, and doorway to the hall

Kitchen and stairs to the second floor

Before my friend Diane left, I called dibs on her room, also known as the Temple of Light, and moved up there the day after she left. IT. IS. AWESOME. It has windows on two sides and one of them looks out onto the second floor balcony. I never knew what all the fuss was about when people would talk about natural light, but it really does make a huge difference in a space. 

The Temple of Light

 

 My desk and window looking out on the balcony

 

Before I start expounding on the amazingness of this room I would like to take note of one major drawback of the whole house. Tile floors. The entire house is tiled from top to bottom and I feel like I'm living in a bathroom. I've never missed carpet so much in my whole life. Just yesterday I was making my morning coffee in the kitchen, when I slipped on the tile, bashing my pinky toe into a cement corner. It's now a vibrant shade of purple. Let's hope it doesn't fall off.

 Anyways, my new room is absolutely fantastic. I wake up naturally at around 7 a.m. when the morning light pours in through my windows.  The room has great energy.  The main wall was frighteningly blank when I moved in, so I have taken up drawing to fill it with pictures of the people, places, and things I love and miss. Unfortunately I can't draw faces on people, so it looks like an exposition of an Amish family. My apologies to those of you who have been showcased.

Welcome to the Museum of Megan

 

 

As my internet connection is terrible, I will be uploading more MoM pictures later.  I love and miss all of you!!!

Palembang Plumbing...or lack thereof

Palembang is polluted. Not in the same way that China was. The air is much better in Palembang than in Shijiazhuang, but nowhere near as good as the crystal clear Adirondack air. No, Palembang is covered in a not-so-fine layer of plastic bags and general garbage. They haven't figured out city-wide plumbing yet, so there are open sewers and gutters everywhere. The smell is indescribable.

 The road near my school. A rather narrow, but still pungent gutter example

Please bear in mind that this city is ancient. Wikipedia tells me that it is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia. It was formed organically over hundreds of years. Many of the roads twist, turn, and end without warning.  It would be a civil engineer's worst nightmare to try and figure out a centralized  system.

Some websites claim Palembang to be "The Venice of the East." If you take this to mean that Palembang is an elegant and tourist filled metropolis then you are incorrect.  This is absolutely true if you know that this is referring to the fact that in Palembang, when it rains, it floods, creating canals out of the usually dry roads. Here are some pictures of the second time when I was stuck in a flood.

Drinks

Here in Palembang, the variety and quantity of liquids that I imbibe on a weekly basis is quite impressive. Given the average temperature of 90 degrees, you would be drinking a lot too.  Here is a quick glance at my favorite Indonesian beverages.

Name: Orpin (orange+pineapple)

Location: Kopitiam Restaurant

Price: 18,000 rupiah

Stars:***

Name: Bandrek (hot ginger and milk awesomeness)

Location: Jalan Veteran-Mitra Night Stand

Price: 10,000 rupiah

Stars:****

Name: Dogan (young coconut water)

Location: Next to my school

Price: 5,000 rupiah

Stars: ***** (it's tasty AND healthy)

Name: Ades (don't worry, it's just water)

Location: any store

Price: 3,000 rupiah

Stars: ** (1 star for being water, another star for the worst possible name)

Name: Sumatran or Balinese coffee (depending on which island I'm on)

Location: my kitchen or hotel room

Price: almost free

Stars: ****(this coffee is so good it doesn't need cream or sugar

 Name: Jahe Wangi (ginger tea)
Location: my kitchen
Price: 2,000 rupiah
Stars: *** (it is good but an imposter of the tea from my massage place)

 Name: Es Teh Tawar (plain iced tea)
Location: Any restaurant in Indonesia
Price: 3,000 rupiah

Stars: *(I mostly drink it because it's cheap and sugar free) 

 Name: 100 Plus
Location: Indomaret->my house
Price: 7,500 rupiah
Stars: *****(imported from Singapore and tastes like what Sprite wishes it could be)
 

 Name: Air Minum (drinking water)
Location: my kitchen
Price: free
Stars: ***