Bogor is also known as the rainy city. It apparently rains almost every day of the year in Bogor. Although it is only 45 km outside of Jakarta, Jakarta will not usually receive the same rain as Bogor. It seems that a permanent rain cloud hangs over that city. The air in Bogor is much easier to breathe and because it is slightly higher above sea level than Jakarta, the temperature is slightly cooler with slightly less humidity.
I had a really good night. Let me try and capture the mood in writing. I was with my friends from the office (teman-teman saya dari yang kantor). We started off by eating in an outdoor cafe for lunch. After we went to some factory outlets where they sell every brand conceivable from Hugo Boss to Nike.
We then went to a beautiful park which is similiar to our very own Kings Park in Perth. We had a coffee and cake at the outdoor cafe overlooking the park. There was live Indonesian band which was quite talented. They were playing a sort of music that was a cross between spanish flamenco guitar and traditional Indonesian.
Next we travelled to a very nice restaurant with a traditional Indonesian theme. All of the employees wore traditional batik and the Indonesian cap. The restaurant had a live Indonesian band singing everything from Alicia Keys, Lauren Hill, to more Indonesian music. They were also very talented. South-east Asians have beautiful voices. This restaurant overlooked Bogor city (Kota Bogor) with a view of the mountains in the backdrop. It was about 730 pm. The sun had already well and truley set. The restaurant was packed with nice Indonesian fragrences (mainly coming from the clove cigarettes that every one was smoking), the air was not to cool, not to warm, and just the right humidity. Then all of a sudden the Muslim call for prayer starts from the towers of the mosques. Bogor does not have tall buildings (no higher than 10 stories). The mosque towers can be seen from whereever you are in Bogor. Like I mentiones last time, mosques are everywhere. So from this restaurant we could here the Muslim call for prayer come over the loud speakers. It lasts for about 10 minutes. The muslim call for prayer is sung in Arabic. So from every direction, for 5 minutes, there were different voices singing in Arabic. It is very surreal.
I was at Coffee Bros this morning and I sat and had a coffee with the manager and here husband. We chatted for almost one hour while I waited to be picked up. They have invited me to come and see them every night in the cafe so they can help me enhance my Indonesian. This is a comment that they made to me: "You are very nice and not the typical Aussie. Aren't most Australians racists?" Wow! I knew that there was a stigma on Australians, but I didn't know we were "racists". So my reply was this: "Yes I have experienced racism even to myself while growing up in Australia, but we can not be generalised like that. It is like saying 'Aren't all Indonesians terrorists?'. I do not personally know one person who holds racist views in Australia. But I do know many people who are misinformed. The media paints pictures of Aussies getting blown up in your country, and since there are not many Aussies who have been here or personally know an Indonesian... the stereotype becomes 'Indonesians are terrorists!'".
They than made this observation "It is not as much a racism issue as it is a religious issue. Australians are Christians and we are muslims and the people think that the religions will not mix". This is where the God talk comes in. My reply: "No. Please don't say that Australia (or America) is a christian nation. We are a secular nation. Many Australians don't believe in God. A Christian is someone who loves God and loves people regardless of their race or religion. We are commanded to love.
Anyone who takes another life or fights another human on the basis of religion DOES NOT KNOW GOD." Our chat went for one hour and at the end I had two new friends. Traditional Indonesian Muslims. And we both received a better understanding of eachother personally and culturally. We are all people who seek peace, relationship, and security - Regardless of religion, race, or social status.
Here is a photo.
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