Wednesday, 18Oct06

Highlights: 0300 sahur, Blitar, Bung Karno, Bendo (friend Indah’s hometown), Karangkates, night bus, Harley ride

Getting up at 3 in the morning is painful when you went to bed 2 ½ hours earlier, but much more enjoyable with company. Bu Ida made beef sate, rice, chicken, and bottomless cups of hot sweet tea! Mmmm!

Later, the whole family came along to take me to Blitar, the hometown & burial site of Bung Karno, 1st President of liberated, post-colonial Indonesia (1945-1967). Sukarno was a charismatic leader, and remains a fascinating chapter of Indonesia’s history. His official library is here, and his tomb is often visited. I guess when a small town has such a famous son, everyone is a big fan. Anyone who’s heard of Natick, Massachusetts has heard of Doug Flutie. Ha ha. Big apple, small orange I know,,, but you get the point. (=

Blitar is a pretty small town, but according to Google it has over 1 million inhabitants. I don’t know where they all live. It’s like rural Mississippi here. As far as I know, it’s on the map because of one man. Even Doug Flutie can’t top that. (=