Sunday - Gudeg, Malioboro, angkringan, and pengamen with Maté and Anna
Monday - Nothing warms the soul like live jazz at a parking lot in a tropical country. Jazz Mben Senen takes place every Monday night and serves as a venue for local musicians to practice their art for a chilled-out audience. We started the night off with ice cream (Maté had durian and Anna had lychee) and ended it with ronde (1), the latter of which was sold by a random Bapak roaming the streets at 11pm. MCs of the show thought I was Thai, maybe because I was hanging with all the bule (2).
Tuesday - Considering that Agung and I both love coffee, holding our IELTS study session at a coffeeshop may not have been the smartest idea. Before we even got started, the owner, Don, sat down with us and showed us how to make siphoned coffee. He was a super friendly guy, patiently answering our questions and sharing candid stories about his business. The guy knows his stuff.
Love the place. Kopi Item is the most versatile coffeeshop in Jogja that I've encountered so far. They aim to maximum their supply of Indonesian single-origin beans (their count now is 25 types) and also know how to brew in many styles (kind of rare in Jogja). Their brew styles include Indonesian tubruk (2), siphoned, French press, espresso, pour over (i.e. American drip), and Vietnamese drip. Next month they have a coffee-brewing lesson, which I'm considering attending...
Wednesday - Maté and Anna's last night in town brought us to reggae night at Cafe Bintang, a reoccurring concert that's popular with expats, travelers, and locals alike. Our friend Dywal (from Flores) plays in the band, so it's always fun to show our support by dancing in the small crowd. My friends Grace, Zaki, Julianne, Ade, and Matt were there too.
And for the near future:
Thursday - planning to watch the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan Temple, in which my friend Zoë will be performing. A chemist turned English teacher, turned student again, Zoë is currently on a darmasiswa scholarship, studying Seni Tari (dance arts) at an arts school in Surakarta, Jogja's neighboring city. A few days ago she secured yet another scholarship, this time for graduate school in Southeast Asian studies at Michigan, beginning this fall. This lady is rockin' it.
Friday - Tomorrow morning, I'm flying to Flores with my boss for a week-long training session on pour-flush toilet construction, followed by four days in Bali to visit my VIA counterpart, Toku!
(1) ronde: a ginger-based "soup" snack, containing flour balls with peanut filling, gelatin pieces, bread, and peanuts.
(2) bule: Indonesian word for "foreigner"
(3) tubruk: a common way to brew coffee in Indonesia, which involves directly mixing boiled water with finely ground coffee and sugar.
Aw, thanks! And have an awesome time in Flores!
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