Treasure Hunting

Many years ago in a land far, far away, I worked for my hometown's city planning department. Truth be told, it was the most rewarding and most challenging job I've ever had and even though I'm not involved in planning anymore, urban planning remains my passion.

In addition to traipsing around in the woods, I love to walk around in the older sections of the city of Malang to look for cool vestiges of the past. Malang was embraced and developed as a vacation and resort town during the colonial era and there are remnants of that time all over the place, especially buildings and private homes.

The central administrative area of Malang lies around this garden roundabout called the Tugu (the monument in the center; in this picture the amazing tree is in the center)

Tugu Malang (Central City)

It is a lovely place, but what strikes me the most are the trees! The trees are humongous and their branches stretch far over the sidewalks and roadways creating a canopy of green beauty. As a tree lover, it was good news to learn that the mayor issued a decree making it illegal to post signs on them.

Around the Tugu

It's not too hard to walk here - the sidewalks, where they exist, are clear and mostly free of obstructions. I've always been a big supporter of pedestrian rights and accessibility, so I will say again that there is so much more to see when we walk rather than riding in a car, on a motorcycle, or even on a bicycle. Walking is the best way to get to know a city and to see things that otherwise might be missed.

In the central city of Malang, there are markets, parks, historic buildings, and good places to eat. Sometimes it's hard to know where to go, but some rules of thumb are helpful: look for what you like (I like big trees so I'll head in that direction), ask locals and people for advice (people here seem to be proud of this fine place and know what's cool to experience), and watch where you're going (just because you're on the sidewalk or other place that is usually not frequented by vehicles on wheels doesn't really mean that much all the time)! 

An example of the kind of small road that draws me to the center

This one took my breath away - a surprise
on an afternoon walk!

Flower Market

Statuary viewed from the famed
Jalan Ijen

A fenced-off jewel, seemingly abandoned

A lush aisle, or "gang"

 Walking around the center city of Malang always yields something special - whether it's finding something unique and unexpected or finding exactly what you were expecting (lots of green, old architecture, and delicious pecel), walking is the way to see more and to experience more in the magnificent Bhumi Arema.

Salam Satu Jiwa!

Food: Friendly, Fresh, and Flavorful

Friendly? How can food be friendly?

Terraced rice paddies 

As a part of a culture that values time spent being together with others (bersama-sama), food is often shared and enjoyed in that context, as well.

Peppers and tomatoes along the mountainside

Fresh vegetables abound and dishes that I can eat and love are not hard to find. Nasi (rice) Pecel - blanched vegetables with peanut sauce over rice, is my very favorite and there are many different compositions available - some even with flower blossoms!

Eggplant, papaya leaves, cassava - leaves, too, and a litany of other fresh greens, compliment almost every meal and the obligatory plate relishes that can be sparsely dolloped elsewhere become a hunk of fresh cabbage, raw peas, cucumber, or tomato here...in short, people eat their veggies and maybe that's why I am often not the tallest person in the room!

Fresh meal of nasi empok (rice with corn), tempe, eggplant, 
and other vegetables, as well as spicy sambal 

Other traditional and famous foods include Bakso (meatball soup), Cwi Mie (flavorful noodles with diced chicken, sometimes meatballs and fried wanton), gorengan (fried foods including tempeh, tofu, sweet potato, bananas, and many more), Angsle (delicious warm coconut milk drink with bread cubes and noodles flavored with pandan leaf, as well as tapioca pearls), and jajanan pasar (very traditional treats that use coconut, special rices, and usually Javanese sugar - too many kinds to list).

Delicious treats from cassava, coconut, corn (!), types of rice, and other natural ingredients....served with a healthy spoon (or two) of Javanese brown sugar syrup - YUM.

As this is the introductory post for food, it is brief and incomplete. More posts to follow with more pictures, more descriptions, and more examples of the wonderful kinds of food to be found in the Magnificent Bhumi Arema.

Boiled foods including bananas, cassava, sweet potato, mbothe (a root kind of like cassava), and peanuts 

Salam Satu Jiwa

Getting Outside

My very favorite thing to do in the Magnificent Bhumi Arema is to get outside. It is so green here and there are so many opportunities to really get outside and enjoy nature. Some places are easily accessible and some not so much, but the opportunity to get out and traipse around in the woods, mountains, fields, and wide open spaces is, by far, my favorite thing to do.

It seems to be that vegetables play a large role in the cuisine in this area and it makes sense, then, that there would be so very many farms. These areas make for some of the most scenic vistas and I am always in sheer awe of the strength of the older farmers carrying heavy loads down steep, slippery hills or walking almost straight down to tend their fields. In addition the purely bucolic scenery, the areas farther out in the rural areas are, for me, pleasant to visit.  There is hardly any trash, the air is fresh, and there is little traffic save for the occasional farmer deftly carrying an incredibly over-sized load on the narrow trails.

The mountains that ring the city give way to beaches to the south and most of them are not crowded, even though they are spectacularly beautiful. Swimming is touch and go as the currents can be unpredictable and downright dangerous. The water is clear, fresh and each beach offers a different experience.

This first post is just an introduction to some of the sights and scenery that fortify the spectacular heart and soul of the magnificent Bhumi Arema.

Salam Satu Jiwa

Enjoy.

Cangar

Gunung Arjuno (Arjuno Mountain)

Coban Pelangi (Rainbow Waterfall)

Karangploso

Coban Jahe (Ginger Waterfall)

Near Coban Rais, Batu

Near Coban Rondo an elusive and photogenic black monkey

Coban Rondo

Near Singosari

Karangploso