Those you meet on the street...

The fun faces of the young who will inherit the cultural heritage of their native land.
Jogjyakarta 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 cutlural activities such as the stagin of the Ramayana to the street performances by various groups amature as well as professionals. Galleries, those run by the professionals and art dealers to those found on street corners is 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 asmall 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 has our persona that we carry with us and this often is like a cloak or disguiase to suit the occaision 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 a speciaol guest of humanity wherever we are.

And the owner was a chef who can 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 writng this blog is the testimony.

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

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

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

A roadside stall, a common sight all over the South east Asian countries where coconut and mango juice is the drink of the day. Those you come across in your travels may not have anyhting 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 market place 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 market place. It is here that you ge to see and feel the breath of life in the community. Here you are in the midst of the population haggling and peddaling their wares, shopping their daily subsistance. The smell the noise the taste it all envelops your senses and make you feel like you are a part of the society.

There is a market place in every small or big cities in the world, open markets, Sunday markets, the Super market, there is a market for every day of the week selling, selling se;;ing!!

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 on the street and alleyways of life that one will find the bare nature of human existance. Here where each and every man is out making a living amidst the husstle and busttle of the traffic and the heat each and every man carries his or her own burden as we march along this journey of our alotted span of what we call living.

Click on the images to see better....