4 February 1992, Tuesday.

'King saw far chi', well it is Chinese new year, and that apparently mean's 'Happy season' in Chinese, although I'm not so sure of the spelling.
I went through the usual bladder operated waking ritual at, if I remember correctly, around 9am. I ate breakfast, drunk some coffee, then at 11am, left the house with Herun and headed for the 'Timon-something', that's where the 'Houses of Indonesia' are. It took absolutely ages to get there, the sun was grilling my forehead. We got there eventually, and entered and started looking around. All the houses were really good, and it made me want to visit everywhere in Indonesia. There was also a bird park within, where I felt pretty sad because of all these magnificent bird's were kept in tiny cages, I tried talking to them, but most were beyond talking, and wanted to do nothing more than bite me, but I reckon that I'd want to do the same in there position.
We walked around, I was wearing short's under my jean's, so I took off the jean's and felt alot cooler, I carried the jean's under my arm. We went from house to house, all amazing, stopped for food and drink, and at 6pm, we left. It took nearly three hour's to get back, the traffic was chaotic. On the way home, on one particular bus, a busker with a tambourine got on the bus, one of his leg's was huge and swollen. He sung a funny song that included making fun of the only western person on the bus, guess who? He finished his song, and walked around the bus for donation's, I gave him some money and then told him in Indonesian, that I understood his humourous song, but I wasn't as stupid as he had said. His expression dropped when he realised that I had understood, and he appologized and vanished. Herun found it very funny.
We got back to the house, ate some food, drank some coffee and talked the night away, the conversation included spiritual stuff, England and Yogya. I'm sure we talked about alot more than that, but I can't remember.
At 1am, I looked down at my watch, realised the time, and went to bed. Tomorrow, we go back to Tasikmalaya in the evening, but I still have to contact CSA, to find out about my return flight, and also ring some people up, who live in Jakarta.
Hmmmmm, I wonder how tired I'm going to be, teaching on thursday morning, after travelling all night? Goodnight for now.

3 February 1992, Monday.

I awoke for my bladder only, went downstairs to the toilet, there were only two of the helper girls downstairs, so I went back upstairs. It was 9am, and I got back into bed and slept until 11am, having the most disturbing dream, which I was just about to write down, when Herun came in and told me that there was some food downstairs for me. I followed Herun downstairs and had some coffee, and then ate some rice, tempa and some vegatable stuff, it was all lovely. I spent the morning, and the afternoon until about 3pm, sitting outside the house, talking to Herun about his family and his buisness aspirations.
At 3pm, we both set out for the centre of Jakarta, it was a real treck, going from one bus to the next. Then once in Jakarta, we went to some very large shopping complexes that I had no idea existed, and then to a doctors. Herun's got a medical problem, I don't know what it is, I didn't want to push him on it either.
After the doctors, we went to another shopping place, and I bought what looked like a shortish carved stick, but was actually two hidden dagger's, my friend Lee back home collect's knife's, and he'd love it. Then we went to the pharmacy, where Herun picked up his prescription, not enough apparently, he had bags of stuff. While we waited for the bags of stuff to arrive, I looked along the counter, and noticed the condom section, they were bizarre, with name's like 'rocket' and 'tiger', and they were all covered with nodes, and in strange shapes. I bought some particularly strange one's to take back home for a laugh, and had a good time talking about them with the female assistant, we actually had a really good laugh. Herun and I then travelled the many bus's back to the house.
Once back, I showered and pooed, and then ate. Watched the television for a while, hang on, a 'Baywatch' that I'd already seen. Who would have thought I'd of remembered such a terrible program, I'm obviously ruled by my loin's.
The program finished, and we both went to bed at about 11pm. Tomorrow, I think were going to the 'House's of Indonesia', which is the place I was going to go to when I was last in Jakarta, I think, the place that has all the traditional houses from across Indonesia, but I've also got to contact the travel operators to make sure I have a place on a plane home soon. Although, I'm having second thoughts about going, Asnah's memory keeps filling my head, is it my future? I'll see what happen's later, and no doubt I'll recall and record the events, in this book.
So until then...

2 February 1992, Sunday.

My eye's were first opened when the girls came in, I shook off the morning feeling, rolled over and jumped back on the dream train. A tap on my leg by Herun woke me for the second time. I got up and washed my face, changed my t-shirt and joined Herun eating breakfast.
At 9am, we got a bechak to an awaiting bus, caught that to the bus terminal and then jumped on a bus to Jakarta. The journey was long, the bus's were really hot and dusty, by the time we got to our destination, I was grime incrusted. We arrived at Herun's families house in Jakarta at around 7pm, and was introduced to the family, I then showered, and took my time, and it felt absolutely lovely, I also had a poo.
Herun's brother is a guide and speaks very good English, although he has a very strong American accent. It's a very nice house, I just thought I'd include that. We ate, then watched the television, Alfred Hitchock and football. While watching the football, I ate some noodles, a welcome food intake, and when the football finished at 11:40pm, Herun and I both went to bed.
Well, it's been a day just as long as any other, but trying to explain and remember hours of a bus journey doesn't really seem that necessary, and seeing as how we were travelling for around ten hours of the day, the amount of information I had to write about was very little. Now, looking at tomorrow, through the other side of sleep.

1 February 1992, Saturday.

I awoke still feeling tired and yearning for the toilet. I trudged out of the bedroom after having some coffee and started walking downstairs, when Aji called out from upstairs, 'there's a western person outside'. I walked out into the already burning sun, wiping the pockets of sleep out of the sides of my eyes. One of the bechak driver's led me across the road, where I saw her, I said hello, and she replied the same, then we went through the whole introduction conversation thing and then with her Indonesian friend, that also happened to be Aji's friend, both came into the house and had some coffee.
She was a nurse from Brighton, and had already stayed in Tasikmalaya some month's before, and was now going to marry her local boyfriend. She hardly spoke any Indonesian, and what she did speak, was in an English accent, but was very nice a friendly. They both left on there bike's after saying that she would return, when I had returned from Jakarta. I had arranged to go to Jakarta with Herun this evening, well I arranged it ages ago actually.
After they left, I quickly headed for the toilet, and then releaved, I cooked up some noodles and egg's, we ate that, which was lovely and then together with Aji, on his motobike, went to his friends house and had some jack fruit. Aji was a little disappointed because he said that his friend had promised to cook some stewed rice. When the downpour had finished, at around 6pm, I jumped on the back, and we rode home.
I had a little go of Aji's motorbike while Aji went in and got his jacket, I am completely awful on the thing. Then we went round to the western girl's house. Alison, that was her name, was staying, and had some tea and chatted, then went on to the warung for some dinner, and then home again. I packed up some gear in my rucksack and then we zoomed round to Herun's house by about 8pm.
I thought that we were leaving for Jakarta tonight, but apparently not, Herun asked if I would like to stay there for the night, and I excepted. We had some bit's to eat and drink, and then went to bed at about 11:30pm.
I meditated before going to bed, I felt a lot of unrest, I suppose it might have been because I was still very tired from channeling energy from my hand to his daughter's damaged wrist, it is amazing how hot it get's, the right hand surges with heat, whilst the left hand is cold, they are like positive and negative. I must work out how to recharge my batteries, as it were, if I can that is.
I slept with the towel over my feet and all my clothes still on, I had no blanket, nor was I offered one. I felt a presence in the room, but it didn't really effect the quality of my sleep.

31 January 1992, Friday.

On account of my late night lastnight and tonight, this diary entry is being written tomorrow on the 1st. Well, I awoke from a deep, sweet sleep at 10:30am, had my morning poo, but my mandi only went so far as my face and arm pit's. I had also received a letter in the post, from Mum, that included some photo's of my parents trip to Denmark to see there friends Torban and Liz, although I didn't know that until I saw the pictures and read the letter.
At 11:30am, Aji and I went to the warung and had some breaklunch, because we had no food at home, we had a lovely meal, then at 12:30pm we left and Aji dropped me on route to Elise's house, I caught a bus, then walked a further distance to get to her house, although I'd only been there once before, I remembered the way, which was lucky. I stayed there until 6pm, talking and admiring her boundless beauty, her eye's upon me, make's me feel like putty. But the time came all to quick, I left a little dismayed, apparently her father doesn't want her to have any boyfriends, I'd really love to paint her. I left Elise's house and walked up the road to the bus stop, accompanied by some bloke, we talked as we walked.
I caught the number four bus back to Pancisilla, then found my way through the hundreds of close set houses back home to Lengkong. You have to walk down very narrow walkways, it reminded me of a rat run. I should imagine it was very much similar to a pre great fire London. On the way back to Aji's house, I stopped and bought some noodles, egg's, coffee and sugar. When I got back to Lengkong, Aji wasn't home, and I sat outside with the bechak driver's, talking and singing.
Aji returned home at about 7:30pm, he joined me with the bechak driver's, then we both went inside and I cooked us up some noodles and egg. Then at about 9pm, we left on Aji's motorbike to town, and went to the cinema and watched Robin Hood at about 10pm, the film was very entertaining, and I was very glad to see that most of the actor's, well, apart from Kev, were British.
We returned home, made some coffee and talked for a while, as we were talking , I lied down and pulled the sheet over me, and ceased conversation, actually ceased stayed awake, I suppose it was about 1am. My lips are very dry and cracked, still with a covering of purple, but now bleeding more and more frequently, I sure they'll be better tomorrow.

30 January 1992, Thursday.

I awoke a t 6am, my bladder straining, but still withstanding leakage, I went for a wee, and on the way back upstairs I noticed that I hadn't locked the window, and it would have been very easy for someone to get in during the night. Although, I don't think anyone had done, and I locked everything so that when Aji woke up, he would would have thought that it had been locked all night. Then I went back upstairs and went back to sleep.
At 11am, I awoke for the second time, feeling very hungry and weak, my stomach was renching like some ringed pre-fabricated rubber, I bet you don't know what that looks like. I lay for a while, writing last night's entry, then heard some voices downstairs. Two of Aji's friend's came upstairs and asked where Aji was, they left and I went downstairs. The women next door asked if I'd eaten, which they new I hadn't, on account of the fact we didn't have any food in the house, and I hadn't been out yet. My stomach forced me to accept the women's offering, and then thanked me by not stretching and contracting in spiradic, painful intervals.
The cold sore's are still there in their hord's, I washed my lip's, and got most of the purple and green stuff off, then re-applied more purple stuff.
At 3pm, I was already on a public transport mini bus heading for school, going to meet Elise, I had arranged to go to her house two day's earlier. I suppose she's kind of my girlfriend, she's very beautiful. So, with my umbrella rolled up and held infront of my face, I started talking to her outside the school. She pulled the umbrella away, saw my hideous purple coloured lip blister's and apparently really didn't care, and said I was silly for hiding them. Everyone else has laughed at me, which obviously make's me feel even better about them. Anyway, I didn't go back to her house for some reason, I couldn't really understand, I'm going round there tomorrow. Elise caught her bus home and I walked back to the school, talked for a while, then went with Asep, first to one of his friend's, then to another's, the same pretty girl that we visited a couple of day's ago. We sat and talked, then looked out of the window to see a massive black cloud, covering the sky. That was the sign of our departure, before the rain fell to hard.
A bus came along just as it started to spit, I came straight home to Lenkong. Agie still hadn't returned, I stood talking with the bechak driver's for a while, then locked the house up and left to go to Herun's house at 8pm.
Got to Herun's house and talked and ate, drank and had some dorean(big weird spikey fruit, I tried before in Carita, but didn't like it) and really liked it, I didn't before, then watched some television and left at 12:30am and started walking back to Lengkong, on the way stopping at the telephone office, and made a collect call home, to ask whether anyone(Dad, Ian) had already bought a ticket for Indonesia. The answer from my Mum was no, so it look's as though I'll be home within the month.
Am I excited? Am I sad? I really don't know.
Me and my Mum talked for about half an hour about everything and nothing, and the time flew past, I put down the phone, and started walking home to Lenkong. Whilst walking back,I thought of my life here and my life back in England, I sung some song's, I've realised that I am going to really miss Tasikmalaya and Indonesia. Got home and went upstairs after checking that I had locked everything up this time, and started writing today's episode in the journal. I'm sitting outside the bedroom on the wooden table/bench thingy, I just done some exercising, and looking in the mirror, I have noticed that most of my hideous sore's have dried up, but there still purple and not at all kissable. I'll go to sleep now, I was going to meditate, but my stiff neck and lazy eye's and dragging me to bed.
Once upon the bed, I close my eye's, at about 2am.
This new book seem's to be making me write more, I think that it's the thousands of blank page's that are left in this book, and my knowledge that I may not be here much longer.