Public Holiday

Monday was a public holiday in Indonesia (Nyepi - Balinese New Year and day of silence) and I decided to leave my 10 kg guidebook at the hotel and go for a wander in the general direction of Soekarno's National Monument. It was hot and clear, and hundreds of people had come to the park to fly kites, play in a soccer tournament (very Jakarta cool - American hip hop blaring), and nap in the shade.

The plaza follows the proud tradition of authoritarian architecture: the central monument is particularly impressive because it is surrounded by sweltering concrete - people are forced back under the palms at a perfect viewing distance.

I circled the monument and moved through the park's 'neighborhoods.' My favorite section was dominated by paths of raised river stones - some set on end. People here are very keen on reflexology, and men and women, shoes in hand, walk or lie on the stones for therapy. I gave it a try and was impressed by how enjoyable yet lo-tech it was. In the same area some masseurs had spread out blankets and when I arrived a veiled woman was receiving a shoulder rub under a tree.



Apart from those calmer moments, I spent much of my weekend going in and out of shops picking up some new clothes, buying books (including the former Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas's excellent and frustrating The Pebble in the Shoe on Timor Leste- wow does he hate FRETILIN), and getting a trendy haircut. There is something in the mall-loving, music and media-obsessed, city culture that reminds me of America. Maybe it is not bad to jump back into the mainstream for a while - especially when it is flowing with such hyped-up energy.