Strolling around

During the monsoon season here in Indonesia, everything is so green - and WET.   Very wet!  I sometimes feel that I should strap a kayak to my back when going out for a walk.

I, along with Leonie, the other South African lady who lives in the same complex we're currently bunked in, have tried to get some semblance of exercise by going for a walk when the weather looks a tad brighter.  We can no longer stroll along the beach as the flotsam and jetsam (read that as plastic and rubbish) is just so thick as to allow no clear path other than at the lowest tide.  As an alternative, we have braved the road in an attempt to find routes away from traffic and into the fields beyond.

Not pleasant.  The roads are narrow strips of potholes with occasional bits of Tarmac trying to hold them together.  No sidewalks, no dry patches other than right smack in the middle and certainly no escape from the cars who seem to deliberately head for the water-filled potholes to give you your morning shower. 

During the wet season, these so-called 'roads' are thick with mud and rubble hidden beneath slimy waters which, in turn, are doing their damnedest to disguise the abyss beneath their surfaces; deep dark slushy caverns awaiting the unsuspecting pedestrian and heaven help the myriad of motor bikes venturing down these treacherous paths.  I wonder if there are statistics of missing, presumed drowned, cyclists?

Once away from this nightmare, it's really rather pretty.  We've walked through miles of lush green (but sometimes drowned) rice paddies and come across dozens and dozens of tiny factories producing what Jepara is famous for: teak furniture.  

It's quite incredible but literally in the middle of a forest, we found tiny dwellings, all of them sawing, carving, sanding and assembling furniture.  There are so many factories that during the dry season, the air was thick with fine sawdust and the sky was never clear.  At least the constant rain of late has washed a bit of that away.

Workshops everywhere

En route, everyone is so friendly, waving and curious.  I think the sight of two European women strolling through these remote locations must be strange, an absolute novelty in their eyes.  On the whole, they really are the most delightful people.

Thankfully, it appears that the wet season is finally drawing to a close.  It has put a bit of a damper (no pun intended) on external boat projects and we really need to press on with these tasks.

PHOTO GALLERY:

All these 'factories' are hidden in the woods:

A charming ivy covered home along the way

The roads throughout Jepara are literally lined with yards filled with teak logs