The barber of Selo
Selo, Java. 24 December 1985
I think this was in Selo – a small village in the saddle between the volcanoes Mt Merapi & Mt Merbabu.
Chilling on Nias Island
20 January 1986, Lagundri Beach, Nias Island off Sumatra
Lagundri Beach was a fabulous chill-out spot after nearly 2 months of wet season travel through Bali, Java and then Sumatra. I spent 10 days there with the last 6 at Yanty’s. Caught up with Alain & Evi again after a week apart.
Typical diary entry for most days was spent the day eating, reading, relaxing in the hammock, swimming and throwing the frisbee…a day similarly spent in idleness and relaxation – wonderful! Finished reading Conrad’s ‘Lord Jim’ and Knut Hamsun’s ‘The Wanderer’ & started Graham Swift’s ‘Waterland’. Played lots of cards.
The photo is one I took on a self-timer on the tripod – so of all people I should be ready – but not, pulling a face on the left. Mr Milyani, his wife & their large family, plus Evi, Alain crouched down, James – a kiwi from Nelson – at the back. I listened to James’ cassette tape of Hunters & Collectors’ “The Jaws of Life” on his superior walkman. I had swapped my Smiths tape for James’ copy of ‘Waterland’.
This was our last day here and we left at 6pm on the back of motorbikes heading to the Teluk Dalam wharf and then on a battered old cargo boat heading to the mainland port town of Silbolga.
Lagundri Beach
I believe this area was badly impacted by the 2004 tsunami with most of the beachside accommodation destroyed. Then it suffered a double-blow three months later with a bad earthquake in 2005 killing 900 on Nias Island.
More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Nias%E2%80%93Simeulue_earthquake
Trip to Bagan
2 April 1986, Burma
A morning tea break at a village on the way to Bagan, Burma.
Bus trip to Jiri, Nepal
Charikot, Nepal. 17 April 1986
Not much sleep, up at 4.45 a.m. Walked [from the Earth House, Thamel, Kathmandu] to the bus station at 5.30. Put the pack up top and got a seat near the door next to an Aussie, Phil, whose been in Nepal 3 months already. Underway at 6. Crammed in, about 100 of us. Outside the city limits a lot of folks went up on to the roof.
Before very long we began to ascend, very slowly. A narrow circuitous route that mercilessly taxed my patience. Some impressive mountain scenery, very steep valleys that were terraced and cultivated. Hardly any land that hasn’t been used. Tree cover is sparse, a lot of trees have been planted but perhaps only in the last 15 years so they’re uniformly small.
We ate some biscuits and 2 mandarins only before lunch at Muldi about 1. My first dahl bhat, not bad, eaten by hand. And tea.
Stopped at Charikot where we had our trekking permits checked. [Getting a trekking permit back in the day was a tedious task. Had to take and leave your passport with the Central Immigration Office (the CIO) – way out of town; fill out a trekking form, provide 2 passport photos, and show a bank receipt that I had changed enough money – at the official rate, not black market – of $5 a day for the 4 week trek. When I got there the queue was right round the corner of the building and it took me 90 minutes to hand everything over].
A fine day but extremely hazy. Occasionally we’d spot a snow-capped peak [such as Gauri Shankar at Charikot] but generally unimpressive due to the conditions.
The last 2 hours on the bus up till 6pm when we finally arrived at Jiri [the start of the Everest trek] were relatively comfortable as a lot of folks had got off at their various villages, could stretch our legs.
Taken to the Sagarmatha Lodge, bed for 4 rupees [23 rupees to the dollar exchange rate]. A good meal of dahl bhat, walked through town. Wrote this up.
Greasy pole, Henley on Todd Regatta
31 August 1985
The Henley on Todd regatta is Alice Spring’s alternative to London’s rowing regatta. The Todd is the local river but for most of the time it is bone dry. The regatta is held in the sandy bed of the dry river and the ‘boats’ are empty shells with teams holding them up & running a la ‘The Flintstones’.
The ‘boat’ races weren’t much fun but the greasy pole was. 5 people standing on one another’s shoulders to hopefully snatch the bottle of Bundy rum and salami off the top. Chris managed to get to the top and get the Bundy.
