Java Country Drive

Even though it was a two hour drive from Semarang to Borobudur, it was far from boring.

To keep us from getting caught in traffic, we had a police escort.
Our bus was the first one out of the port, so we heard short siren bursts along the way.

Speaking of cars, near the temple of Borobudur, I saw a whole lot of VW Things. Not sure what that’s all about.

I enjoyed learning that rice fields here keep owls in birdhouses to catch mice. During the day, farmers encourage wading birds as another form of natural pest control.

When our guide pointed out groves of rubber trees, I was surprised how skinny the trunks were.

At one busy intersection, I saw a woman dressed in red, who seemed to be wearing a monkey mask. Wonder what the story was with her?

I saw several versions of the potbellied man with the white face. Our guide told us that businesses put those out front to protect from evil spirits.

We had an excellent guide named Gundar. One of the first things he told us was that Javanese people only have one name. They have no middle or last names!

I also found it interesting that men often keep songbirds. Not only are they pets, but they often enter them in songbird singing contests, which can have very big prizes.

On the ride home, he taught us a cute little Javanese song about a cockatoo landing on a windowsill. I’ve had it stuck in my head for days!Read more