31 October 1991, Thursday.

It's been only a week but it feels like four years, probably because I've seen so much though.
I awoke this morning at around 9:30am after having several dreams about being back home, and back home in hospital with all my family around me, they were all loosely based around my return to England after the first week(Just like when I went to France for six months, and returned ten days later).
I crossed the road and ate breakfast in the little warung(cafe) oposite, then walked up the beach in search of the others who were going to Ujung Kulon National park, found them and told them to meet us at 7am, then bumped into Nita again, I returned to my guest house, ate some fish and rice, went out for another walk up the road this time, chatting to people, just walking.
At 5pm I got washed and dressed and to 'The Ray's' beach house for dinner, they barbecued some huge tuna, but they weren't the most logical of people and just put the whole fish on the grill. I chirped up, and proposed that we chop them in half, so that they cooked quicker, but they had none of it. Later, they took the fish(enak) off the barby and steamed them. It was a lovely dinner, mashed potatoes, carrots and steamed/barbecued tuna, very european. We ate, then played cards, it was at this time that Emily leaned to the side, and one of her big boobs fell out of here top, she briskly plopped it back in, and I contained my hysteria to my mind, were I laughed for the entire evening. They all went to bed at around 10pm, so I left.
I went to the warung and bought some water, mosquito coils( insectercide), mosquito creme, stomach and dirorea pills and last but by no means least importantly, I bought a mosquito net, because I've realised that I have a golf ball size bite on my leg, there not smaller than English mosquito's, it was all a ruse.
I then headed back to the guest house in the pitch black. I threw my things in my room and then went to Mr. Ujung Kulung national park rangers house(Mr Amir Hasan). Stayed til about 12 midnight, then with Unus, went back to his, talked with his friends for about an hour, then Unus scared the life out of me, with a big dead spider.
At that point, I decided it was my bedtime, and returned to the guest house.
I started writing the journal, but then fell asleep whilst in the process, so I'm actually writing this on the 1st November in the rangers office in Labuhan.

30 October 1991, Wednesday

I've nearly been in Java now for a week, I'm relatively brown, I have seen the heart of the earth (the rainforest) and have also organised to go on a three day trip into the thick national park rainforest, the home of the illusive if not athletic white rhino.
So, keeping this in mind, I decided to have a lie in.
I awoke at around 10:30 am then meandered around the place, reading, talking and drinking a lot of tea. Then at around 2:00 pm I headed off to the Krakatau beach hotel's beach, there I met Nita a gorgeous Indonesian girl trying to sell me a piece of material for 10,000 rp (well over). We talked, haggled, joked, fought, only joking we didn't fight. Then I left her, after buying the cloth and a pair of shorts, both totaling 7,000 rp. Oh and I bought some manis, then told the others who I would be going with and time to meet on Friday, about our expedition to the rainforest.
Sat on the beach until 4:00 pm at which time the thick clouds roll overhead, and the skies open their floodgates and let down a torrent.
But knowing of the oncoming soaking, I headed home and got something to eat in the warung opposite. After food me and Unus (his name wasn't Trrr) left and went to his house, there I saw him "Fly to the God", which is Muslim prayer. We then left for the beach (oh, and I bought some soap and flip flops).
The beach was empty, it was sunset and walking back, I started talking to a pretty 18 year old English girl, very rich, very snotty but nice. We arranged to go out for a drink at 7:00 pm (she was with her family and lived in Jakarta, daughter of Ambassador).
I went back, showered and washed my clothes, put on my new shorts and headed off. We went to the local restaurant with her family "the Rays", and had desserts, talked, her father paid (result!) and went back to their very nice beach house, funnily on the beach. At 10:00 pm her parents (by the way, her name is Emily) called the bedtime bell and I left. They also invited me over for dinner tomorrow, fish me thinks.
I returned home along the pitch black beach, and hung out my wet clothes, doused my body with mosquito repellent and noted this boring entry into the chronicles of my expedition across Java "the land of the smile".
Ah, and my stomach problems have cleared up now.
Yeah, I've started becoming a lot more fluent with my diary entries, maybe I'm maturing in the ways of the world, or maybe I'm getting more boring.

29 October 1991

Trrrr, organised with me to got to a waterfall in the forest today, and he woke me up at around 8 am. My stomach was really hurting me, but I got dressed and went over the road to a little cafe come shack thing, and had some lovely food, I also tried to explain dirorea tablets ( which went down well with the locals eating there breakfast next to me ). They understood and sold me a tablet then and there, ate some noodles with spinach and egg. Its really nice but very hot(spicy) Thats what might be giving me runny bum! Then I bought some flavoured bread and chocalate rolls and water for the journey, and set off for the waterfall. We travelled through at least 2 miles of rainforest around a mountain to get there, and I used up a whole film, snapping away at views and vista's, tree's and plants and animals. The waterfall was amazing, I had a dip, but there was millions of small mosquito's everywhere, but I found a monkeys scull on a rock. On the way back we dropped in on a little house to try some.....( can't remember what it was called) and some coffee and got out of a storm. We stayed a while, then headed back, going past buffalo's, goats, sheep and chickens. The people here are so lovely.
Stayed in my room for a while, then ate at the resturant at the krakatu hotel, I have now realised that Trrr is after my money...
At the resturant I organised to go in a party of six to the 'Kualong national park' for 60000rp, its for 3 days. After talking about it for a while, me and Trrr went to Mr.(Kulang park ranger). Had coffee, and I learnt loads of words in Indonesian, he seems to have no alterior motives for his kindness, I hope! Then back to the mosy pit.

28 October 1991.

Awoke at around 10am, I hadn't been eaten, and it was a really beautiful day, no clouds, just sun, sea and millions of people asking if you wanted a massage or some food or clothes. Its so hard turning down the pretty one's. So, I had a massage, back, front, face, nearly everything, and bought some banana's and a mango, and that was breakfast.
Spent the whole day, well up to about 2:30pm on the beach and in the sea. Then checked out with Brendan and ate in a little cafe. Bought some post cards, and then said goodbye to Brendan, he went one way down the road towards Labuhan, and I started walking north, away from Labuhan to find cheaper accommodation. Walking for about 20 minutes and it started to rain, but then I found the place, relatively unsoaked.
The room, 75000rupee's a night, and tea and coffee all the time, the room is very nice, if a little mosqito infested, but I've been fine so far. It seems that the mosquito's here are much smaller than the gnat's we get back in England.
It's 4:15pm, I've paid for 2 nights, the rains still pouring down, I've got a glass of tea, and feeling fine. I'm also getting used to the loo's now, and it doesn't feel that hot anymore.
Apparently its totally out of season too come to Java, and in-season there would be...(I wrote that yesterday, and I can't remember what I meant to say.)
At night I went out to eat and then went for a walk with this bloke called Trrrr(isn't it terrible, I can't remember his name!)
He's a dead nice bloke, he teaches me some Indonesian and interprets for me, he is respected in the small community I am staying in.
He took me up to a womens house(shack) and only afterwoods, when we were leaving, he told me that she was a prostitute. We walked back down the road, and I got back to the guest house at midnight.
I have now aquired the art of dirorea, amazing stomach pains also.
Bad nights sleep, mosquito's had a gormay, poached, lightly salted white meat. The dirorea didn't help my sleeping ability.

27 October 1991 Sunday.

After getting up and having a wash, me and Brendan went down to 'Angies Cafe', a cheap little place just along Jalan Jaksa. Breakfast for me was lemon ice tea and noodles with egg and vegatables, very nice indeed.
Two 18 year old Indonesian girls came in and started practicing there English. There names were Yusnito and Rina, apparently I'm not fancied enough.
At two o'clock we headed for Kalderes bus station, where we could catch a coach to 'Labuhan', a town on the west coast. The place was packed, but we made it onto a bus and reached Labuhan at 10pm.
I was really tired and hungry, and then we had to take a rickshaw (I don't really know what there called, but well.) and this poor little Indonesian bloke peddled me and Brendan for what seemed like miles, with our heavy backpacks as well.
We got to this place called the Beach hotel, it was $9 for a beach house for 2 people, its terrible, there's loads of mossy's(mosquito's) and millions of ants, there's a trail of them coming from outside going into the toilet, which is at least a sit on loo. The big guard ants that patrol the stream are about 2cm long, theres gecko's everywhere, and bats, some are really big, and they swoop just above your head. Had some really good food here, and I'm now writing this on the beach, its really lovely here, I'm really excited, I just hope the ant's don't eat me tonight.

26 October 1991, Saturday.

Last nights sleep was very good, and the morning was fresh. I had bread and coffee for my breakfast and gave some thought to sorting out my future.
Apparently Stove, is actually Steve, I misheard him before. Well, Brendan, Steve and I all started out together, then we got a bit lost, Steve decided he was better off on his own, and left. Brendan and I found our feet, and went off to find the national museum, people in Jakarta just come up and talk to you, which was brilliant because I managed to find out how to get to the bus station, and nearly everwhere. We done the museum, great stuff, but just like any museum around the world. Then at 1pm we headed off for the old Dutch capital 'Kota', Indonesia used to be a Dutch coloney. Got to Kota, had a good look around and met a guy called 'Abdul', he showed us everywhere, he was the nicest bloke in the world, but I think he only had eye's for my brown one. We all went to the Jakarta seafront, and an amusement park, didn't go in, then moved on to some bars. We made it back to our place on Jalan Jaksa by 9pm. On getting back we spoke to an Indonesian guy who promised us a much better room, and food for the same money, so we got our gear and went there. We then met a French and a Dutch guy, who were already staying at the new place. We all went out together to a local cafe/bar and got very drunk.
Its never gone below 100 F, but hardly any sun, also all the girls keep smiling at me, this is good. Although today in Kota, I bought some noodles from a little street trader, and I'm now convinced that I ate rat. Hmm nice. Now to sleep.

24 & 25 October 1991

From Heathrow, London to Prague took around 2 hours, the plane must have been around 20 years out of date, and the food they served was disgusting. Got to Prague at 5 pm by my English watch. Then waited for an hour or so for my next flight. On the old plane, from London to Prague, I sat next to Harold and a likewise stupid old croan. They explained to me, the do's and don'ts of travelling, and I nodded.
The plane from Prague was completely different, it was an air bus and was really nice, there was video, loads of nice food and drink served every two hours and a six channel music station. But once again, I had an annoying person sitting right next to me. She was a little meek American women, a missionary flying to Kuala Lumpa. The journey took another six hours to get to Dubayy, and then another six hours to Kuala Lumpa, stopped there for another hour, then back on the plane for another two hours, and arrived at my destination Jakarta, the capitol of Indonesia.
Outside the airport, I jumped on a bus with a Swiss guy called Stove, the bus was heading for Jalan Jaska, the road where all the cheapest hotels, come hovels, are in Jakarta. The bus ride cost me 3000 rupee's, which is around one pound of English money.
I'm now staying in a room on Jalan Jaska, with Stove and an Aussie bloke called Brendan, both in there late twenties. The beds costing me about 5000 rupee's for the night. I'm very tired but very excited about being here.
I can't see what I'm writing, but I just went for my first poo, and king cockroach thought he'd introduce himself to me, lovely, absolutely scared the life out of me. The loo's are just holes in the ground, I mean, I knew what to expect before, but I'd never dumped in one before. You live and learn. Well I'm to bed and sleep now, it's so hot.