A young Muslim girl returning home to her family. Her stark white hijab offered a startling contrast of cleanliness and purity versus the tarnished environment in which she lives. The small village is built on stilts above a swamp. The planks of wood present a precarious walkway, easily broken and dangerous to tread upon. This is a life many of us will never experience, never fully understand, and never fully be cognizant of. Kelapa Gading, Jakarta, Indonesia Please see theRead more
Posts tagged: #poverty
Blowing Your Mind
I’ve been reading this thread on Ask Metafilter regarding one person’s search for experiences which will blow their mind. It’s amazing to see the variety of responses, and how many people cite drug-use as the sole answer. (I’m not advocating nor discrediting this, just noting). I realize this is kind of a weird and imprecise question, but bear with me here. Some background – I’ve done a lot of things in my short time on this planet in an attemptRead more
Better Days
It seems life has a way of maintaining the balance… I have a new puppy. Is it cruel to forgo the mourning period? Well, if I didn’t take the puppy the owner was going to put them on the street – and trust me, in Jakarta that’d be a bad thing. He’s probably some kind of Terrier, jet black, pees everywhere, and only about 4 weeks old. I’ll post an image of him as soon as I get around toRead more
Path of Least Resistance
I really appreciate the recent “plugs” for my work – wurh.com had some very kind words. Her ambition will carry her far in this world. Japan Window recently mentioned javajive. His writing is interesting and opens the portal to Japan through beautiful imagery. I was especially surprised to see that Quarlo has added my site to his link section. I’ve been following his work for a couple of years and always respected his selection of talented artists. I’m not sureRead more
Magelang
Chicken soup for the skeptic’s soul. The days spent in this small town were some of the most humbling and thought-provoking experiences I’ve ever had. While living in Indonesia these past years, I’ve been witness to an incredible variety of life, yet somehow these travels were, in many ways more moving. This was not a tourist town or a widely traveled path for white guys – evident each time eyes were met with mine. People were brimming with warmth –Read more
Imbalance
Stumbling out of the villa at seven in the morning, I wondered down to the cabana overlooking the beach. Sipping on Javanese coffee and gazing out upon the majestic Indian Ocean, an odd scene formed before my eyes. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it – three oddly clothed individuals carrying what appeared to be a mass of wood. As they came into focus I realized that not only were they carrying a significant amount of weight,Read more