I feel dumbstruck and dazed, after spending just 11 days in a place of different cultures and lifestyle, its worlds apart from where we're stayin. Everythin I have taken for granted seemed ever so precious in SOLO (Central Java)- fresh water ,the clean air free from dust and smoke, freshly cooked food etc .
We were fortunately enough to recieve unlimited bottles of "Aqua" water but the locals fetch their water from rusty taps thats drained and stored in containers. The Air is clutted with dust and smoke, leaving my fingernails stained with dirt and the foamless daily hair washes. The meals are cooked and left in the open for the ants and flies to get a first taste..the food is usually too spicy or salty so little quantities of "liao4" can go along with more rice. The muslims pray 3-4 times a day and I get woken up as early as 4.30 am out in the fields , extreme fluctuations in temperatures as well.
Then there's the unevenly surfaced roads, no-government traffic, lifeless streets and I could go on and on but I don't see a point. You gotta experience it to believe.
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There were some interesting occasions as well, like how our vehicles do non-stationary convoy movements - starting with a Military Police jeep in front to open up the cogested traffic, followed by 4-5 land rovers for the big Fs , a badly ventilated bus where I'm sittin in, then a few tonners fetchin the battions of riflemen. The MP jeep occasionally travelled on oncoming traffic lanes and all the slower vehicles had to give way.
For our journey up to the exercise area, the bus' air conditioner blew up and along the way back it smashed with light impact into the rear of a tonner loaded with indo soldiers. The half the windscreen is cracked and some clear evidence of dented metals, fortunately there was no injuries and I was impressed the tonner never even had a scratch. We later found out after the trip that our bus had
no brakes and the driver had to make do with engine and handbraking for the entire 3 hr journey.
The field training exercise was carried out from Mon to Wed. Basically my role was to assist my csm in setting up the area but when our vehicles arrived, everythin was placed "sui1 sui1" in order for us. In fact we were so impressed we named it a 5-star outfield, setting a new benchmark. There was a tent for eating, a sleeping tent with nicely prepared field beds, heck even showering areas and a mobile toilet towed by a tonner. The perimeter is fenced by bags of hay and guarded by local MPs at night.
My day activity was spent mostly under a tree reading a book titled "Private Dancer", borrowed from my S3. I finished half of it by the end of exercise - a basic story of sex and lies, an account of guy who fell for a thai hooker. The sky at sunset looked magnificent and by night I'll be star gazing and chatting up with a buncha mates.
On our last day the soldiers had to drain off the rest of the water in a huge container , so a few local villagers came over to collect the water. I was sittin with my mates and buncha Warrants when we spotted an old lady, perceived to be in her 40s. She, like the most locals came lugging 2 pails tied by ropes on both ends of a bamboo stick, which was balanced on one shoulder.
What looked like a simple task for a 40 year old woman didn't turn as expected, when a warrant suggested I offer her a hand and give it a try. I had to make sure the water doesn't spill whist maintaining my balance on lugging the entire load on one shoulder. It didn't take me more than 5 steps before I appeared to lose balance and quickly offloading myself. The guys esp the wo who suggested to me earlier were laughing their ass off by then. ..I somehow knew it coming but wasn't prepared it would happen so early.
Unconvinced, I stretched my arms and gave it a second try. This time the entire bamboo rested on both shoulders behind my neck whilst my arms grabbed both ends of the bamboo for balance. The journey to her house was estimated to be less than 300m but it felt like the most exhausting and tedious 300m Iv walked. One trip was enough to shag me out and later that day the woman made another 3 trips in all, and her pace could easily outpace mine. .. That experience I must say, was the most memorable one in the trip.
On the last night, my csm brought me and my buddy out for my first full body massage..Though, I must admit I was half suspecting it to not be a decent one. On entering the palour, we were asked to choose the masseuse with ~20 pics laid out on the table and the counter guy was asking if we wanted "extra", in a soft note..I pretended not hearing anythin while my csm had already taken his pick and had insisted earlier on that its a decent one.
For 2 hours I was given a rubs on the legs back arms and shoulders. At times she would stand and glide her feet along my back or twist my body in an awkward manner that I could feel my every joint splitting apart. Then it was followed by a body scrub , supposedly to rid off the dead skin and finished off with a warm shower.. Not bad for $14 huh.
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This must've been my longest post and I could go on if I wanted to.. but tts basically the memorable moments, just to name a few..The first 2 days of Rest and Relax was fucked up so it wasn't even worth a mention.
I'm impressed by the indonesian soldiers via a few small conversations with their senior officers. I even shook hands with their brigade commander. Basically for them is more brawns and physical toughness and I reckon one soldier could easily take down 5 of our men in close combats. What we could win over is our technological advancements in weapons and other machineries.
To sum it up, the trip was fucked up.. for most of the time, but a definate memorable one.
