Up we go - well, up and down, anyway

 "It's unreal," says Mom. "You wake up on Monday, and soon it's Friday." ICBC is dragging out her insurance claim after a car accident. It's been years since it happened. My Dad's died in the meantime, and lots of water has flowed under the bridge.

"If I didn't have Norm, I would give up already because of all the paperwork and appointments."  Today he takes her into Vancouver (1.5 hr drive) for the latest round of lawyers, medical staff, etc. It's a clear case of an immigrant driver not paying attention, but ... she has to prove that she's not faking the doctor visits (complete with charts done and examined over and over by different personnel), damage, and other care she's needed after the accident.

This borders on the ridiculous: who could negotiate this without a savvy son or daughter holding your hand? Bravo, Norm! (My brother is the best.) 

And yes, it's the weekend again.

Saturday and Sunday, February 12 and 13, 2022

We're home this weekend since BIC is online only. The hill is crowded with strangers from Jakarta. Not a good time to venture around or spend hours in the car.

Tuesday

Like all the meetings yesterday, the team meeting is on Zoom. Everyone's resigned to another shutdown and conversant online. Love these people.

Josh Viera has made great progress in coaching young adults around the world. He's the guest on a podcast hosted by J&J Coaching at #100xDUDES. (Josh Baru and Jeremiah are professional coaches from Australia and Singapore.)

Josh enjoyed himself: "It was a great opportunity to share about #LatinGate and our innovative approach to empower less-privileged emerging leaders in developing nations." I'm not a big podcast fan, but wow! I learn a lot. And I'll send more young people his way.

May I recommend you listen in on the conversation here? When you do, keep your note-taking device handy. You'll have great info to pass along in your own network. Maybe you want to consider joining #LatinGate to add your support and expertise.

Thursday

We're avoiding cars and indoor spaces with others. W did a test-walk yesterday so we don't get lost today. Before we meet the main group, we wind downhill between houses for about 1 km.

We marvel at the tight squeeze for cars parking in this neighborhood. In the USA, it would be an effort for 2 motorcycles to pass without clipping each other. Here, people learn to drive in the tightest spaces. If this is 7' wide, I'd be surprised.

See the green-grey pillar halfway down, on the left? It supports a house and juts into the lane - so the neighbor's curb is angled just enough that cars can get by. What would you bet there have been a fair amount of near encounters? Would you let your teen drivers practice on this hill? Maybe not.

On thoroughfares like this one, it's strictly one-at-a-time, coming and going. It's not a one-way street! This jalan tikus (mouse street) narrows after this gate to 4' wide = motorcycles and pedestrians only.

The plan is to walk down the hill along the river, loop across the park that bridges the water, and come back up the other side.

If you're comparing cultures, you'll always find things that seem normal here and would be breath-stopping elsewhere. For example, some men are raising a high fence along the bamboo steps of the graveyard. No one likes living near a cemetery, right? There's already a stone, brick, and cement wall. With new houses being constructed next door, it's time to build a higher barrier. They'll top it with barbed wire when it's done.

This guy stands on the existing wall (1' wide?) and holds one end of the rope being wrapped along posts up the mountainside. A horizontal plumb line?

I wouldn't have sucked in my breath if the wall wasn't 5 or 6' high on the side plus and 10'-12' (3-4 meters?) down to the drainage canal. The guy is wearing loose rubber boots ...

On another note, people like wearing matching outfits. Companies often give employees matching shirts or outfits. The staff goes on walks together (happens a lot near us), listens to motivational speeches, and does other team-building exercises. Imagine your office, with everyone wearing the same outfits. Hmmm.

Sometimes whole families dress alike to go out. At weddings, they tailor exact matches, one outfit for women and another suit for men. Or relatives will be told what color to wear.

We don't know if this is a women's group or a company dancing with a very twisty and bendy instructor in the park at the bottom of the hill. They're in matching outfits of course.

Oof. There are a lot of mud stairs up from the river on the other bank. We slip and slide upward before walking through the kampungs. I snap things old and new side by side. See the rickshaw-like becak, which is pulled by a bicycle? These were introduced in Jakarta (the capital city 100 miles away) in 1936. They're still used today. Parked beside it is a modern minivan.

A friend and his staff run an organic and aquaculture farm. They deliver fresh produce and 2 gourami fish to our place ($5-10 worth) each Tuesday.

Wildflowers galore bloom along the trail as we walk from pavement to mud and back again.

Here's an easy stretch, fairly level and covered in dried bamboo fronds.

Someone has a macabre send of humor in this cabin: there's a mannequin dangling over the edge of the pond, plus other awful decor to deter visitors.

On the other side of his dwelling, the hill drops down to the river. Can you spot the hoses that bring city water to the other side, between the wild banana trees? These service illegal squatter homes.

One such shack is barely habitable, a mix of tin and wood scraps that shelters the bone-thin man hunched on its platform.

There's a modern three-storey house built above him. It sits on a patch of dirt mountainside, one storey below street level. From the street, you enter the house on the second floor. The hill drops away from the street to the first floor, then falls away below their brick and stone retaining wall. We expect that fancy place to slide downhill next time there's a serious earthquake. Yikes.

We slither up the hill beside his rough house, walk around a wall, and ... what?! That's a university parking lot and a sport court. Totally up to date except ...

for the two guys washing the tennis court by hand. No power washing here. One man squats with a floor brush. The other wields a hose and squeegee. Labor is cheap. It will be clean when they're done.

We cross the river on the university's bridge toward our final climb uphill. The dirt trail starts abruptly where the paving ends.

This is one of the up-hills I dread most. I'm not a stairway fan as it is, but this climb is looooong and steep on our side of the river. Today's walk is 28 flights, not including the ups and downs between.

W spots a mask-maker hard at work. Might be for the celebration that caps 2 weeks after Chinese New Year. Pretty spiffy.

See the narrow cement stairs on the right side? A family has built a concrete ramp across them to zoom a motorcycle into their gate. I plod up the main lane. My knees feel the climb but are not hurting. (However, after last year's bout with COVID, I have to pause a few times to catch my breath.)

Whew, it gets hot out (+85oF) when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds. Luckily for us, it's mostly overcast today.

I pivot and tilt my camera down the hill (below). Yeah, we've already done a lot of steps. Can you imagine going up and down to your house every day, sometimes several times? People have bad knees here for a reason.

Motorcycles buzz by in both directions, carrying building supplies, food, and people. This is a main thoroughfare.

Lunch at Ethnic begins under the trees but as the rain starts, we move under cover.

We're home and showered before friends drop by. They play with the dogs, chat, catch us up, and let us pray with them. It's a treat to see Chacha and Carlos, (and other family members when we can).

Friday

The dogs watch our every move through the open door at breakfast. They're ready to get out of the yard.

Angela arrives after 8 for our Friday walk. We cross the busiest road on this mountain to the neighborhoods opposite us. We're walking in the other direction from yesterday. With the COVID recession, many houses are for sale. Some are in serious decay.

We stop at several cafes to check out their menus. One has a makeshift perch for the gate-keeper, a chair seat nailed to a stump.

They have beautiful tea sets on the counter

and artistic cakes in the cooler.

Ok, this might be hard to see. Look at the platform below, on the middle right!!!

Someone's one-car-wide driveway ends with a launching strip. There's a low curb on the right side. The left side has rusting rebar jutting out over - nothing. The far end over the river-valley drop-off? Good luck. Nada. 

Bet you're not going to let your teen learn to park a car there, either. On the way to the parking "spot," the narrow driveway has 8' concrete walls on each side. Scrape, scrape as you back up to the street from below. It's just ... Indonesia. Maybe their helpers park their motorcycles there?

Motorcycles are adapted into many kinds of vehicles, including this 3-wheeled pickup truck with plywood sides.

Almost home, we peek past a fence to watch the spotted stag rubbing his antlers against a tree. It's bizarre to see wild creatures penned in front of that fancy house. Sometimes there's a 'big cat' pacing along the wall. Its pen has a wire ceiling of course.

Before I head indoors, I check the garden. Oh my, that monster plant has sprouted two more 4-foot-high white flowers. The base of this plant is 18" (1/2 meter) wide, for scale.

It's still rainy season here, with showers every afternoon and sometimes at night. The plants and trees are growing like crazy. 

It's a good thing: look at the brushcut on our formerly lush benjamina ficus tree. "Please trim the wall side and some of the branches back so our flowerbed and the neighbor's patio get some sun," I asked the yard man on Tuesday. So he did.

Dropping by my home office, I see some tubes of acrylic. Let's brush a few layers on the wacky face. (16"X24"/40x60cm canvas). Lots of paint to come for this one. But it starts to take shape.

A few weeks ago, I sketched a quick outline with Sharpie markers, which I regret.

I start with blacks and white, then add warm yellow. The marker shows through cheap acrylic paint. I need Golden Acrylics for better coverage.

There are some Goldens on the shelf. A bit at a time, I start to add color.

"Looks like your grandma!" my mom exclaims. The stern look is familiar. Except that Grandma wouldn't wear blue hair or earrings or pearls. The earrings and necklace will stay. What if I perch a blue hat on top of brown hair? She wore hats and her hair was always pulled back in a bun.

Young, wild Grandma.

Maybe. I'll keep you posted.

W and I sort through BIC talks to see what we need to write, record, and pray over in the weeks ahead. 

I'm listening to scripture when I wake at night. After the book of Numbers and a few OT prophets earlier this week, I'm plowing through Deuteronomy. The characters and the Law of Moses become more familiar each time through. What a Story!

Read more:

*The Lord said to Moses, “You cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” Exodus 33:20

*Lead me in your truth, and teach me. Psalm 25:5

*We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you. Psalm 33: 20-22

*Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:31-32

*God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for sending your Son, our savior, to show us your love. He was sent into a once perfect world to one filled ith hate and discord. Thank you for sending love to those who seek him.

Please lead us and teach us so that we may grow as your disciples. Direct us to your Word, that we may know and proclaim to others the truth that sets us free. May we never take that freedom lightly. Help us remain diligent in the study of your Word. We humbly praise you for your everlasting power and love. Amen.

Ducks, a river walk, and an entry stair to be afraid of

Thursday, February 10, 2022

We're staying in the neighborhood for today's walk. At the beginning of the walk are poorer homes, a longer walk from resources.

We can look down to a cafe - uneven steps to get there and a banner pinned to the wall.

Or look up on the other side of the crossroad to an alley that climbs back up to the main streets.

Across the river is a whole community of houses made of whatever their dwellers have found.

This old bridge connects people from one side of the river to the other.

There's no standard plan.

On the path, a man proudly poses with the chicken tucked under his arm.

Some build above the canal with concrete ramps to their houses. Others extend their terraces over the cement channel.

We pause to over look an educational area - the government is encouraging eco-walks, which is why the path is beautifully paved. However, there are posts with no more wire cable strung through them (rusted away or carried off) or bamboo ledges you don't want to lean against. A man is bathing (naked from the waist down) in the dirty water below.

At the education station, there are beautiful bonsai plants in process.

Someone is barbecuing fish in his barrel.

We walk down to say hi.

The living green wall is stunning, along the tunnel that shapes the side of the mountain.

There are ducks of various sizes and kinds.

Some have to be shooed off the path so we can cross.

The old Dutch locks regulate the rainfall so the riverbanks are not swept away.

We used to have to balance on the narrow wall along the lock mechanism to get down the trail. Look at the nice bridge they made for people once we were there ... but how the bamboo slats are worn. If you fall through, you'll be a long way down in the water-diversion canal.

At the top of the path is a house and shop. Look at those foundations - would you build your home on top of such uneven concrete pilings, on top of the wall?

On the 10' wall beside the house is a sloping wall with a 2' ledge. A little boy - 2 years old? - runs on the ledge and runs away when he sees me pick up my phone camera.

We go down the street a hundred meters to the community park. Squatter homes were moved to make way for this public space by the last mayor, a trained architect who wanted to beautify the city.

The terrace is full on the weekend. Today, a camera crew is filming a band.

Teras Cikapundung has a 20' high wall with fish sculptures on one side.

The other side has a mural.

These 6' tall carved stands carry large potted plants.

We note the intersection of the beautiful riverwalk with the busy street as we walk to the cafe. It narrows and has broken off street side. To pass and continue up the street, you have to step around and up a little pointed curb.

When we look down from the coffee shop on the street, the river below is beautiful. Tall trees hang over the banks at the turn in the river.

This is a green city - with swaths of jungle between heavily populated villages.

It's frequent that the washbasin has mothballs in it to prevent roaches from coming up the drains into the room.

The park below is a destination before our snack. From above, the squares of the walk are symmetrical and straight.

On the way back, we see this beautiful reed siding.

Walking through the family graveyards, we wonder at the red-leafed plants between graves.

The uneven steps narrow and narrow between graves to a dirt trail. Watch your feet.

Here's another narrow (no-rail) staircase that we avoid for a wider option.

In the evening, before bedtime, I nail up a few paintings. Though the frames are different sizes, the canvases are the same. I aim to get them level.

The art draws the eye through the living room toward the back of the kitchen cabinets.

The wall opposite gets the small wayang puppet we found in a furniture worksheet, ages ago. Propped on pushpins so I don't damage the antique, the handle disrupts the zig-zag of the staircase just enough to merit a second look.

The bouquet of roses, pussy willows, and mums from Imlek (Lunar New Year) last week is still fresh and beautiful. Ibu Grandy uses fresh flowers. We always appreciate her creativity.

Termites felled a papaya tree with 9 fruits on it, over a week ago. I took all the papayas, scattered across the lawn, and put them in a tray to see if they will ripen. "If not, is it garbage?" I ask the helper. IbuS says no, they can be cooked. I give them each a fruit for their family. 

IbuA, who is cooking today, gets to work on a coconut creamed green papaya dish for lunch. "Better still if it is made with chicken," she says. Ok, so get some chicken from the freezer. She makes enough for 3 bags - which will go into the freezer once they cool. Some day we won't have time to cook when company comes. We'll have creamed papaya chicken.

She's also cooks rendang, the traditional spiced beef of Indonesia. She slices a roast and starts the slow cooker with a paste of spices and leaves. There's another half-bowl of strong-smelling paste beside the pot. 

"Put in the rest once the water boils off," she instructs me. "Add water if it seems dry." I've got time for a nap after supper, and there's still water in the pot.

After an hour's sleep, the alarm rings for my appointment with a spiritual director on the other side of the planet. She's getting up early, while I'm at the end of the day. She reads scripture and asks for my responses. My heart is touched and my mind buzzes with the idea of God with us.

In the kitchen, I add the paste to the slow-cooker. The smell of rendang fills the house. It's late before I get to sleep.

Friday

As we walk through the streets in the early morning, many wonders catch the eye. Look at these pods on a tree.

This cafe has an open courtyard. The weather is good enough here to dine outdoors all year long ... provided it's not raining.

These wild roses juxtapose with broken paving.

We notice a strange stairway, without a landing at the door. The balcony beside it extends "not quite" to the second step from the top. To get into the building from that balcony, you step across space to the top step. I hope the door opens in ... 

"Good for young people though, isn't it? They will be quite agile," says my walking buddy.

We stop to explore some governments houses. Each one is named for a flower: Dalia, Orchid, Rose, etc. They have several guest rooms and ensures. There's no stove in the kitchen "but you can have catering" for up to 12 in one kind of house and up to 16 in another. It would be great for a convention; at about $10 per person (full house), it's a deal, especially with a gazebo for barbecues and a big yard to hang out in.

Bags of building supplies lie heaped along the lanes. It makes the already narrow roads impassible for cars.

Lots of decisions to make today, across continents and the city. I get to most things on the to-do list and shelve the rest for tomorrow.

The Bandung Book Group meets online this afternoon, discussing Katya and the Sun. The author's description, the interpersonal challenges (including with a robotic companion,) the ethics and dangers in genetic engineering, and family dysfunctions make this an interesting discussion.

Read more:

**The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings. Pslam 115:16

*From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. Luke 12:48

*I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2: 1-6

*Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

 

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

    and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and 

all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

 

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:11-14

Moravian Prayer; Almighty God, help us to be good stewards of this world that you have created for us. You have given us the responsibility of cherishing it as a precious gift. Please help us to preserve the earth and all that is in it to honor and glorify you. Amen.