Cock Fighting

The other day on the HASH, as I climbed a pretty narrow and treacherous slope, in the middle of what seemed like nowhere, I heard voices growing louder and louder... and lots of them! I emerged from the jungle path pretty much into the center of a huge gathering... it was a Cock Fight!



(This picture is c-Gert Holmertz 1976, but almost exactly represents the scene I came upon... more than thirty years later)


We were up in the hills, and our HASH run took us through this small, remote village... where all the men from villages miles away were gathered for this traditional, and some would say, inhumane, form of entertainment. Although Cock Fighting is part of the traditional Balinese culture, it is now also illegal.

I stuck around to see what all the commotion was about... In fact, the majority of the time, it was just a bunch of men sitting around in a circle petting their cocks... the actual cock fight itself was over in less than a minute... pretty anti-climactic if you ask me! The real hubub takes place just before the roosters are released - that's the final call for bets (yes, gambling is at the heart of this tradition)! I was peering into the circle to see what was really at the center of attention, when at one point everyone started waving their fist-fulls of money around out in front of them, calling, "hum hum hum hum hum", and I got ushered back to the outside of the circle, with warnings that the knives were sharp and it was dangerous for me to be so close. This was the betting process, signaling that the fight was about to begin...







The cock fight is a fight to the death. The roosters have sharp blades attached to their feet in order to inflict the mortal wound to the opponent. The owners get their roosters riled up for the match, then they are released, neck feathers fluffed up, and ready to strike. The winning rooster goes home again, and his master is famed and his machismo secured, while the looser has chicken soup for supper.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the event; I haven't gotten brave enough to take my camera on a hash run yet, although we run through the most amazing scenery, it's also very treacherous, wet and muddy, and I would hate to damage it! These are a few that I was able to find on the internet, and pretty much represent the scene I was privy to.

I myself praise Kali…

Since living in Bali, a new dimension has been added to the way I understand a lot of things… I guess living in a new place will do that - open your eyes and mind to new perspectives and colour the way we look at the world.

I remember this great song, "PRAISE", about a goddess named Kali by an artist called Kinnie Star. One of my planting friends introduced her to our crew one year, and in fact this particular song became what I would consider the ‘camp song’ that year.

Anyway, other than the music itself (a unique style, funky beats and mix of instruments with involved lyrics and feminist overtones), there was something more powerful about this song.

I didn’t really know what until now! Kali is actually a Hindu goddess… The "Goddess of Time and Change" is a pretty powerful and important position, I would think! (As an Ange-aside: In the Indonesian language, kali, means river or stream.... kind of in-line with the flow of time, and change, no?)

Depictions and understandings of Kali differ between different sects of Hinduism, and different geographical areas, and actually, in Balinese Hindu, Kali is not one of the 'main' gods. But my favourite interpretation is Kali as a 'mother goddess', having great compassion for her children, providing them enlightenment (this is the ultimate form she took, after a series of changes of her being). By extension, many consider her the goddess of enlightenment or liberation.



I guess the song I refer to is typical of a western-influenced view of Kali. In the west she became somewhat of a symbol for feminism, associated especially with repressed female power and sexuality.



The most common representation of her is as a four-armed blue being. The four hands are usually holding different objects; I found this explanation of what they represent: "Two of these hands are holding a sword and a severed head. The Sword signifies Divine Knowledge and the Human Head signifies human Ego which must be slain by Divine Knowledge in order to attain Moksha (enlightenment). The other two hands are in the abhaya and varada mudras or blessings, which means her initiated devotees (or anyone worshiping her with a true heart) will be saved as she will guide them here and in the hereafter."



In reading up on this goddess, it seems she is extremely mis-understood... because representations show her holding a head, blood dripping from her tongue, and a necklace of skulls, she is seen in a negative light as the goddess of death and destruction... but in reading a little further on, it seems that that 'death and destruction' are of evil, and lead to enlightenment. This small complexity is just a hint of the involved nature of the Hindu religion and their gods... you can peel away layer after layer, and never truly understand the religion completely! But if Bali is any example... you don't have to anyway - understanding every intricate detail doesn't seem to be the point; here, it's more about the overall wholistic view and virtuous way of life.

Merry-go-Round!

Well, not exactly... but just as good if you're a six year-old Indonesian kid in a small town. The carnival rarely comes to town, but in several places I've lived in Indonesia, I've seen what comes in as a close second...



This 4-seater ride was near the popular Sukawati market in Bali, but the first time I saw one was on Bunaken island... This is the best kid's ride ever - and it even comes to your doorstep!!! They're also a MUCH more ecological choice than any amusement park or carnival - the ride is people-powered!!!

Coloured Air

This is a post from WAAAAY back in September 2007...



The content is probably just as nutritious as the cartoon character which it parades as its mascot is good for stimulating the mind... Hello Kitty Wafers of nothingness but food colouring!

The latest curiosity from the shelves of my neighbourhood supermarket!

I was reading this column the other day, and had a good chuckle... then I realized, I was chuckling because I understood the references... and then I realized, I might just fall into some of these categories!!!

I picked a few of my favourites from the list "You know you've lived in Indonesia too long when..." (which actually had about 100 items on it - several I believe to be specific to living in Jakarta, which, very very thankfully, I don't!). I've included my favourites below, and added a few of my own. But just a warning, those of you who have never visited or lived in Indonesia, and who don't like to be perplexed, you might be really bored, and should just skip this blog post!


You know you've lived in Indonesia too long when...

* You too believe traffic lanes, stop signs and one way streets are mere suggestions and that sidewalks were meant to drive on or they wouldn't have paved them. You also tend to use your rear-view mirror as a distance gauge, not to check traffic... because 'if it's behind you, it doesn't exist'!

* You can drive 60 kmh two inches from cars on either side of you, but cannot back into a parking space in an empty lot without two guys yelling “Kiri…Kiri Terus, Terus, Terus…”

* You differentiate between the rats that are ok to find in your house, and the ones that are not

* The footprints on the toilet seat are your own (*I finally understand the reason for the sign I saw ages ago in the bathroom in the Manado Mall...)

* You no longer wait in line, but immediately go to the head of the queue (I'm still WAY too Canadian to do this!)

* You're willing to pay to use a toilet you wouldn't go to within a kilometer of at home

* It is no longer surprising that the only decision made at a meeting is the time and venue for the next meeting

* You find it saves time to stand and retrieve your cabin baggage while the plane is on final approach

* You are quite content to re-choose your order six times in a restaurant that only has four items on the menu, because everything is 'habis' (out of stock), and you know that you can assume that if you visit again next week, or next month, it will still be 'habis'!

* A meal of rice, ramen noodles and fish sound like a well-balanced meal (the noodles accepted as vegetables here)

* Taxi drivers understand you... and you them!

* You own a rice cooker

* When crossing a busy street you believe that a limp wrist motion with your right arm creates a force field that repels oncoming traffic

* Even you start to believe that Brian Adams, Celine Dion and Avril Levine are the only three Canadian musicians that exist

* You look left, right, backwards, forwards, up and down before crossing a one way street.

* You've seen every Hollywood blockbuster three weeks before its premier

* You know at least fifty Indonesian acronyms, including BuGil (Bule Gila/ Crazy Foreigner), Curhat (curiga hati/ heart-purging dump session), Jumpa Berlian (Jumat Pagi Bersihkan Lingkungan Bersamaan/ Friday mornings, clean our neighbourhoods together), etc, etc

* You often eat at kaki limas or street vendors (the thought of mystery meat, or street meat, a distant concern)

* You carry tissues in your pocket for 'emergency stops'; OR, even more over the line... you don't have toilet paper in your bathroom anymore

* You answer the phone in Bahasa Indonesia

* You're stoked because your new flashlight came with a built-in cell phone!

* The blowpipe salesmen stop trying to sell you a blowpipe

* You don't find it odd that when you order a cold beer, the waiter serves you beer with ice in it; OR, even more Indonesian... you prefer your beer warm!?



Ok, so on the whole, I'm still safe... haven't crossed the line of living here too long... I UNDERSTAND all the references, but I certainly haven't incorporated the practices into my being... so I'm ok... right? ... right?

Edamame

No, it's not a comestible maternal figure (although it wouldn't surprise me, the Indonesians certainly do love their 'singkatan', or short-forms, and this could easily become the short form for edible mammy!) It is, in fact, something edible: edamame is another yummy Asian delicacy. It is a preparation of baby soybeans in the pod. I think it is more common in Japan, China and Korea, but I first tried it here in Indonesia.

The best part: Preparation is simple! The pods are boiled (or steamed) in lightly-salted water and served whole. They are consumed by using one's fingers and teeth to squeeze them out of the pod, which is then discarded.



The name itself is Japanese. Edamame literally means "twig bean" (eda = "twig" + mame = "bean"), supposedly a reference to the short stem attached to the pod.

In Chinese, young soybeans in the pod are known as maodoujia, literally "hairy bean pod". I find this more descriptive, and appropriate!

It seems edamame is usually served almost as an appetizer, but I'm also loving it as a healthy, nutritional snack!

Guess the name of this sacred site!?!



There are several of these geological formations all around Mayalibit Bay in Raja Ampat.

Kid in a boat...





I love these dugout canoes in Raja Ampat!

Back to Sorong

Well, I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but the meeting I was requested to come to Sorong for was cancelled, and nobody let me know until I arrived! Oh well, at least this means we can focus on the Kalabia, right? Wrong. The two 'bosses' aren't anywhere to be found. Ok, so at least I can join the Kalabia in the field and provide a little motivation and training for the Kalabia team, right?... Wrong again. The seas were rough, and no boat was willing to take me as far as the villages the Kalabia was working in at the time.

So... stuck in Sorong... waiting... waiting... waiting...

At least one day I joined a team going out to the island where the newest post is being constructed - Dayan Island. It's breath-taking, which isn't much of a surprise, because ALL of Raja Ampat is... here are a few photos:

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

The Team in Sorong is on quite a low these days... and what with several people taking off for Holidays, others for an 'End-of-Contract Break Period', and still others off to do Professional Development activities, those left behind are extremely deflated.

So Canada Day was a good excuse for me to gather them all together and do something fun before heading home at the end of the work day! I had stored away a bunch of Canada souvenirs from when I was home, and this was the perfect opportunity to get them out! We had snacks and did a quick but riotous 15-question quiz about Canada, and then divvied up the spoils! It was lots of fun, and the black-forest cake was actually one of the better ones I've had in Indonesia!








Hope celebrations at home were fun, and the weather was beautiful for you all!