More on Bali in the next post but first --
I woke up early yesterday morning and the weather was really nice: sunny but cool, and the air felt clean. It was Sunday and the first morning of Ramadan, so the streets were really quiet. I decided to go for a walk and take pictures of cats. I wouldn't look for cats; I would simply allow cats to happen. In Jakarta they happen with great frequency.
I ended up walking for 20 minutes, never getting more than three blocks from the apartment, and photographing thirteen kitties. I'll be posting the ten best pics.
This is Andri, a boy who lives down the street from me. He's sitting in front of a tiny shop that sells water; hence, the cooler in the background. Andri nominated himself to be my helper, and spent a few minutes running around finding cats for me. This was against the rules, but of course I didn't mind.
The cat is called something like Gunam or Ganum. A lot of kitties here are feral, and run away from strangers, but Gunam/Ganum is at least partially domesticated. He was very relaxed and even let me scritch his head.
5 comments:
love the blog. i used to live in Indonesia so this is a welcome way to stay in touch
Thanks! It's been a pleasant surprise to acquire some readers beyond family and friends. From your blog, I gather that you lived in Jakarta ten years ago, you now live in Vancouver, you have a nice eye for photos, and you know a hell of a lot more about science than I do. Do you miss Jakarta?
yes i do. though I admit after a total of about 3 years there i got sick of the traffic and other little things that started to wear thin. I was there before suharto fell so it was really in the heyday, before the tension of 9-11 and the econonmic crisis. I could use a few days in Bali right now though,so enjoy. Check out munduk in the central mountains - beautiful. Also if you get to Lombok i recommend Pondok Santai in mangsit.
great photo of the boy with the cat. the kitty looks like he owns that bench.
looking forward to more of your cat pictures...
(my sister just got a new kitten and sent a photo. he's got that "too cute to be believed" kitten look. makes you want to squeeze him).
Ya, BFY, I hear you re: the traffic. I find the pollution even more difficult. If the air were nicer we could actually walk to many of the places we need to go. After a short walk on the roads, though, my lungs feel like they've been smoked on somebody's satay grill.
You should come check out the busway, though - the new dedicated bus corridor. You can get all the way from Blok M to Glodok in half an hour, even in total macet!
We'll definitely take the travel recommendations.
As for kittens, M, they can be kind of tragic here; they look so scruffy and vulnerable growing up on the street. They're still playful, though. It's reassuring to see them pounce on imaginary bugs or try to catch shadows. I guess they still get some kind of kittenhood, in spite of it all.
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