Hari tiga dan empat (Days 3 & 4)

Day 3

We had orientation at USD (Universitas Sanata Dhrama) today.  We were given our timetables for the next three weeks.  We will be kept busy taking language classes, having school visits and meeting for one on one language lessons. 

Today, I had my first taste of rumbutan and salak.  I thought rumbutan tasted like a lychee and salak tasted like a tropical nut, though it is a fruit.  Some people say that salak is an acquired taste.  

In the evening, we had dinner at USD and met our Pendamping.  A Pendamping is a volunteer who will take us around to interesting places in Yogya.  The Pendamping is a popular and well sort after role. 

On the way home we got caught in a heavy down pour.  None of us had an umbrella, so we all got soaked.  But as the Indonesians would say “Tidak apa apa” (Whatever).  Welcome to the wet season in Yogya.   

Pendamping Saya

Diman tas plasti, Stacie? 

Day 4

Today we went to Plasoan temple and Ratu Boko palace.  The Plasoan is old runes of a Hindu and Buddhist temple.  The temple was built by a king to show his love for his wife in the 9^th century.  There are many Buddhist stupa and Hindu carvings on the walls. 

Ratu Boko has many temples, an audience hall; several caves for mediation and bathing pools for the princesses.  There is a legend that mentions that if you throw an object of value into one of the pools and made a wish a princess or goddess would appear and offer you a choice between two objects.  A new one and your original.  You would then need to carefully choose which was your original object, because if you didn’t she would take you into the water.  If you did you would have what you wished for.   

On the way back to Yogya, the engine in our tour bus cut out, so the bus had to pull over to the side of the road.  The next thing I saw was the bus driver quickly jumping out and footing it to the back of the bus to try and start it again.  This could have been a big problem, as the air conditioning in the bus also had stopped working and we were all sitting there in the humidity and sweating.  It took about 5 minutes to get the bus working again. 

Tonight is New Years Eve and we are planning to have dinner then go to the Yogya plaza.  Many street stores are selling dragon trumpets, as 2012 is the Chinese year of the dragon.  I plan to pick one of these up on my way.