Daaaamn, apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.
Our tour of Mini Indonesia begins at 1pm. I've taken Chuck to see the National Museum to pass the morning. We visit a section that I missed the last time I dropped by. Oddly enough the logic of the displays was essentially identical to the previous section, tracing the course of human evolution and development of culture through study of Indonesian history.
I have taken the aforementioned pills purchased from last night's visit to the pharmacy. Whoa. Can't believe they're allowed to sell this stuff over counter. Must be some form of opiate. I'm reeling on my feet. It's a miracle I don't crash through the display cases. The thing that scares me the most, when it comes over me, and I loose control...I like it.
The tour was a total bust. At first I was pissed that we were stuck in a bus. The whole park was jammed with traffic and people. No wonder. An island the size of England holding two hundred million is a recipe for choking claustrophobia. But as we stepped out to see things up close I figured it better to just stay aboard. What a sham. Taman Mini IndoIndah has all the potential in the world to be an amazing sort of living museum. Instead it's a bizarre circus where traditional houses from all over the archipelago are intermingled with disgusting modern entertainment. Carnival grounds are populated with entertainers in colorful bear costumes that must be just sweltering in this heat. God get us out of this heinous mess.
The only worthy part of the tour was a visit to the nearby cultural museum. Inside displays held traditional crafts and clothing from the entire island chain. Some more examples of Balinese carvings were of most interest. All in all a nice museum but it couldn't chase the sour taste from my mouth. Once again, Indonesia falls short.
Sunday, the last day of vacation rolls around and I'm at wits end. Sorry Chuck. I need a break from all this. We've done our best. We've managed to take in three very different islands, see orangutans, Balinese dance, a massive volcano and other nonsense all in the matter of two short weeks. But I need a vacation from vacation and I can tell you're ready to get on to Japan. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Write me soon and post pictures. At the airport I embrace my brother once more before heading back to Bogor. Work awaits. I am to teach Saturday mornings again.
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