INDONESIA TOUR of Ben Oostdam and Paul Billeter, 1999-2000

SURABAYA Sunday, January 16, 2000

This was a rather hectic day, starting before 07:00 on consultations with our neighbors. We first took a taxi to the Port of Kali Mas, but this port was too modern so we recruited an old becak driver to take us to the "Pinisi", sailing schooners.	click on thumbnail to go to Pinisi-harbor
Next, he gave us a ride or we walked along the Kali Brantas, which was narrower than I thought and also dirtier.
We then entered the old Arab town where we paid our becak man a goodly sum and proceeded on foot. This is a fascinating and lively area. I was accosted in flawless Dutch by an 82 year old Muslim who finished High School in Holland and went home by ship on May 1, 1940 ....just in time!
After our tour and participation in a wedding procession, we found two becaks and had our picture taken by Abdullah, who graduated from Georgetown University. He explained to the drivers to take us to the Chinese Temple.
On by becak across the famous "Red Bridge" to a shopping center, where we ate an early lunch at ...MacDonald's! - after which we repaired to the hotel for a siesta and shower. Promptly at 14:00 (2 p.m.) we took a taxi to our next destination, Asia's largest zoo, for which we need two pages...	click on thumbnail to join us in the Zoo!
We left the Zoo about dusk accompanied by two charming ladies who would introduce us to eating DURIAN. After goodbyes and dressing up a bit, we searched by taxi for the large Navy house of my former Royal Netherlands Naval Academy (KIM) friend Soegito and his wife Els. We spent a pleasant evening here telling each other historic tales.