Caving

My last Saturday in Yogya was spent hanging out with the Realia teachers and students. We started the day with a trip to a cave in Bantul. As usual in this country, our transportation was a flock of motorbikes. My first time traveling in Java on a motorbike, I was struck by the beauty of the place – the countryside is filled to the brim with green rice fields, cows, and a few scattered trees. The water management system here is amazing. Although there had been no rain in the area for over a month, the rice fields were still filled with water, and bright green. The only sign of drought was trees with yellow or sometimes absent leaves.

We drove almost to the top of a hill, parked the bikes, and after donning headlamps or flashlights entered the cave. True to other caves I’ve been in, there were stalagmites, stalactites, bats, and plenty of water. We were wet up to the knees within minutes of starting the trip. The footing was rough, so the walk was very slow. The cave was not particularly remarkable compared to the Lewis and Clark Caverns in Montana (my only other serious caving experience), but it was fun to splash around in the dark with my friends and teachers for a couple of hours.

After returning to the world of light, we were starving and headed to an AMAZING vegetarian restaurant. I didn’t realize such places existed in Indonesia. I was in heaven, eating beet salad, a mushroom crepe, and ginger drink. In Indonesia, salads are a rarity, probably because uncooked vegetables carry bacteria that can make you sick. I was in heaven =)

We wrapped up the evening by going to a movie box. Think movie theater, but private. Our group picked a movie (comedy), ordered food, and sat down in our own private room complete with couch, wall-sized screen, and surround sound. Do movie boxes exist in America? Such a good idea, they should…