Those you meet on the street...

The fun faces of the young who will inherit the cultural heritage of their native land.
Jogjakarta or better known these days as Jogjya, is the Arts and cultural hub of Indonesia or at least becoming one. This city is alive day and night with all kinds of Arts and cultural activities, such as the staging of the Ramayana to the street performances by various groups, amateur as well as professional. Galleries, those run by professionals and art dealers to those found on street corners, are littered in almost all over the city.

The preservation of the environment in the form of homes and gardens, highlighting the pride in aesthetic taste and values; this was where I stayed, a small lodging run by a local married to a Japanese.

To earn the trust and respect of those whom you meet is an art in itself, as these are the ones who can open many doors and opportunities for your experiences during your stay as their guest.

I was blessed again to meet the right group of individuals when I stayed at this lodging, as I learned that each individual in the group was an artist of one kind or another. It is said that only a Buddha knows a Buddha and with these gentlemen, the Buddha met the Buddhas.

When you enter someoneelse's home or village or territory for the first time learn to recognize who is the bosses, the head honchos, the lead players the gaurdians of the place and place your trust and respect in these without doubt, Insha'Allah, even if they be robbers by trade you will srill be safe or more safer.

We each have our persona that we carry with us, and this often is like a cloak or disguise to suit the occasion or circumstances; we wear our masks. Dropping all these and resorting to our true nature, we stand to receive better reception from the world. We who are able to surrender ourselves to humanity will be kept as special guest of humanity wherever we are.

And the owner was a chef who could whip up some of the most delicous Indonesian cuisine I had ever tasted on the house! What more can a traveller ask? These are people who will forever be in your memory, as writing this blog is the testimony.

The 'Three Musketeers" are sitting and waiting for their turn to perform before the audiences of the Royal Compound.

Sharing my art at the Cemeti Art center where local artists hang out and meet with others.

My transport is waiting for me to take my trips around the city.

A roadside stall, a common sight all over the Southeast Asian countries, where coconut and mango juice is the drink of the day. Those you come across in your travels may not have anything to offer you, but their very peaceful prescence is enough for you to enjoy if you are not looking for anything in particualr.

The entrance of the marketplace in the City of Solo looks like one is entering the gateway to the Forbidden City in China!

Anywhere I go, I always love to visit the marketplace. It is here that you get to see and feel the breath of life in the community. Here you are in the midst of the population haggling and peddling their wares, shopping for their daily subsistence. The smell, the noise, the taste, it all envelops your senses and makes you feel like you are a part of the society.

There is a marketplace in every small or big city in the world, open markets, Sunday markets, the supermarket, there is a market for every day of the week selling, selling se;; selling!!

If you want to study life, go to the market and start from there.

If you are the type who holds your nose shut at these markets, then the mall is where you belong and nothing wrong with that except the people you find there are just different, mostly they dont even look at you much less talk to you as they will busy pushing their carts and feeling self concious.Markets in the lesser developed countries, such as Indonesia, is a shopping experience that permeates your every sense of being. It helps to bring you back to your primordial state of mind in relationship to your fellow man. It is always a feast for the senses.

It is in the street and alleyways of life that one will find the bare nature of human existence. Here, where each and every man is out making a living amidst the hustle and bustle of the traffic and the heat, each and every man carries his or her own burden as we march along this journey of our allotted span of what we call living.

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