depiction of the battle in Surabaya which launched Indonesia's struggle for independence.
The sleeping guard let me in free of charge today (= 

 

friendly reminders of the times... the good ol days, as they say
1945, the good years...

"Freedom!!" 

After the museum, I jumped on a series of becak and rode around downtown Surabaya. For being the 2nd biggest city in Indonesia (3 million), behind Jakarta (22 million), it feels a lot more like Yogya; very few towering buildings, big roads, extravagant shopping malls or luxury cars.

Idul Fitri marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month. This is the big vacation time here in Indonesia, with people trekking all over the place to visit family and their home towns.
There are signs up everywhere; some sponsored by well intentioned mega-businesses and political parties who find an embedded opportunity to advertise as well.

statues in the city of heroes...

express Indonesians feelings about the prospect of returning to Colonialism after WW II
 

Idul Fitri signs everywhere

 

Mas Harris was done with his Telkomsel project by 1:30, and we jumped in the car & drove 40 minutes south to Sidoarjo to see the mud damage.

Stoplight intersections on the way down are frequently “worked” by people begging for money. Harris has a particularly dim view of many of these folks, whom he describes as thugs in disguise. The particular brand of thuggery here is the forced employment of kids, sending them from car to car with outstretched hands while traffic waits for the next green light. It’s hot out, there is little shade, and these kids often range in age from 3-13.

The kids yank on the heartstrings a bit more effectively than un-showered, middle-aged women. The women thugs then take the kids money & give back a skimpy percentage.

Harris’s feelings cut close to home. His mom is a Dr. Huxtable (Cosby show reference), delivering babies in his home town in Kalimantan (Borneo). Of the babies she delivers, many of the parents can’t afford to take them home, and several others have ended up being used on similar street intersections as “sympathy fodder”.

Having income & heart enough to bring some of these kids into her own home, she has adopted many over the years. Harris is the youngest of 3, but has 18 siblings at his mom’s house; the youngest is now 5. Interesting perspective & unexpected Sally Struthers moment.

While on the topic of feeling for people in extraneous circumstances beyond their control, this is a Lapindo Inc. / mother nature tag-team “eviction notice” to a few thousand people in the town of Sidoarjo.

a lot of water came up with the mud
over 4 months the mud has been drying...
to the point of being able to walk on it 

downloaded from the internet, this is another view of Sidoarjo 

Sidoarjo mud flood video:

One frustrating circumstance locals here are facing is having to wait for the outcome of the legal process of figuring out who is responsible. It wasn’t a tsunami or earthquake which destroyed these homes, so little government money is being promised to any of these victims. I read $11/day is given; but the guards I talked to say they have received no government help in 4 months. Hmm. I can’t explain that.

The justice system is being tested throughout Indonesia these days- and according to 3 security guards at the mud site (newly homeless victims themselves) they will have to wait 2 years or more to find out who will compensate them, and how much.

In the meantime, most people in the affected areas are sleeping on the floors of cousins, friends & neighbors.

20 businesses were shut down or destroyed as well, including the largest manufacturer of Black Label in Indonesia. Sorry guys!
In several places recently, the mud has dried and hardened to the point where people can walk on it.

The guards & drill site workers from Century drilling (Australian company) were friendly. Apparently a tri-country effort from Australia, America, & Indonesia is cooperating to attempt to reduce the pressure of the mud bubbling out & send the excess to the ocean.

They invited me to come see their homes. I wish I had more time! I hope to come back here later in the year & see how things are going.

the signs say it all here
"Warning, danger of sinking in mud..."
a stretch of highway that had to be dug out...
the rainy season brings frequent flash floods, so i hope these dirt barriers hold up.
 

pics from a walk around affected neighborhoods in Sidoarjo...

this is the view behind the dirt walls protecting the main highway (in the background)
 

Pic of 60 degree Celsius, toxic mud + gas boiling up from the earth in Sidoarjo
(140 deg Farenheit)

the guard post
 

Friday, 20Oct06

Highlights: sahur, Maj Franky leaves for Cirebon, bus to hero monument, pak Soeyanto, money sellers, mas Harris

Maj Franky & I overslept sahur by an hour (I cheated & ate something anyways). I tried going back to sleep, but the mosquitoes were just killing me =/

After 8am, Maj Franky got his permission papers for a 4 day vacation… He & his family are driving to Cirebon (a 12-hour drive in normal traffic) to visit the in-laws. I was invited to come,,, indeed I already have plans with Nina’s family.

Later in the day I jumped on 3 modes of Surabaya public transit (microlet, city bus, ojek) and made my way to the center of the city & the monument of heroes. It wasn’t a straight shot. Passengers on the bus were happy to see an American who can say a few words in Bahasa Jawa. An older gentleman, pak Soeyanto, invited me to his home. Sure! That’s what I’m here for… to experience the culture of Indonesia. No better way to do that than see how everyday people live.

On the drive up from Malang, Mt Arjuno
and Mt Welirang
passing through Sidoarjo 

This is fairly common for a 2-lane road.
the mini bus... 20 cents gets you 1/2 across town

warung "shops" near the bus station & zoo