today i went to pranbanan temple, about an hour’s travel by public bus from the city. i’m not sure i’ve ever seen anything like it: three temples devoted to three gods, with three smaller ones devoted to the creatures they used to get around. the biggest one is sheva, then on either side are vishnu and braman. their “vessels” or transport were a bull, a swan and an eagle. unfortunately the site has been damaged severely by the earthquake in 2006, so we couldn’t go inside sheva’s temple; but we did go inside most of the others.

i’m not sure i’ve ever seen anything like this place. reaching out and touching the ancient stone, hearing about the gods from our stumbling 17-year-old guide in training, feeling the stale hot air inside the temples; it’s impossible to describe. similar to the feeling i’d had earlier in the day listening to scores of people singing the koran through loudspeakers across the town while praying. run-down houses and buildings, paint chipping for years. swallows zipping through the thick, humid 30+ air. breeze drying the sweat on my shining face. everything just old and sepia-toned through my sunglasses.

faith is so haunting. although i don’t believe in anything god-like, i can feel it–almost tangible–when i hear it, or see it. it’s almost enough to believe it.

hassled non-stop for being a white man (mat salah), buy this, buy that; take a picture with me, fall for my con, where are you from? i miss home. looking at pictures of granville and robson full of adoring hockey fans, i feel the pride i’ve always had for my nation swelling inside me despite the disagreements i have with so many of its decisions. in this heat i crave hot drinks in the cold, or two pairs of socks, or a painful nose after coming inside.

it’s impossible to call anywhere else from indonesia: calls internationally are almost a dollar a minute, which is impossible for me because i’m so poor. phone cards don’t exist. nine hours later and yesterday, it’s hard to catch anyone on skype. i’m truly isolated but having the time of my life. i’m not sure when the last time i’ve smiled so much or been so excited to wake up was.

tomorrow maybe we’ll go to the beach.

here comes a feeling you thought you’d forgotten
chairs to sit and sidewalks to walk on

those lyrics from vampire weekend’s horchata are pretty much summing it up for me right now. thrust from a month-long stint in resort paradise straight into the messy, smelly, friendly city of yogyakarta in java, indonesia.

now, i know i say i don’t like cities, but after only a day here i’m in love with this one. the locals are either actually friendly or friendly and trying to con you (which isn’t actually that difficult to avoid); the food is delicious and cheap–my favourites so far are “gado-gado” which is basically fresh veggies in a delicious cold peanut sauce and of course tempe, soybeans in blocks usually deep-fried which tom claims are the “best meat imitation he’s ever had”. ah, meat eaters are so funny; they assume that everything that taste remotely like meat must be trying to imitate it. well, at least he likes it.

our new friend toto showed us a nice little restaurant and bar where we–you guessed it–ate and drank; an entire meal for both of us with two tallies (large beers) for under 10AUD. life is good. it is funny, though, paying say 9,000 for a beer… but 1AUD equals 8,100 indonesian rupiah. while we ate he explained that muslims, chinese and christians will celebrate each others’ holidays together; and later, we witnessed it in a massive parade celebrating muhummad’s birthday which was the day before yesterday, and chinese new year which was a couple of weeks ago. scores of cultures were involved in the celebrations and everyone was happy. get with it, gaza strip!

today we’re taking one more day to wander around and go shopping (i only have one outfit i can wear right now if i want to be culturally sensitive: no bottoms above the knee, and no low cut tops or short sleeves) then we’re off to see some temples, etc tomorrow and the next few days. soon we’ll head east to lombok as well.

miss you all! wish you were here.

things are going swimmingly. erm…excuse the horrible pun.

scuba diving is very unique. it’s like being able to fly, and being on the moon, and snorkeling; it’s wonderful and terrifying. sometimes we soar over twisted, spiky orange forests like skeletal fingers with thousands of tiny movements from all the life living in them. fish eyes peer out at us curiously. other times it’s stretches of sand with mushroom-cloud shaped trees of coral growing upwards emerging from the gloom, surrounded by a teeming population. i’m finally getting used to equalizing (you know when you dive down in a swimming pool and your ears start to hurt? it’s easy to rectify by blowing out through your nose while plugging it: it fills the cavities in your ear with more air, because what was already in there is being compressed) and blowing through a regulator (it’s noisy, and there are loads of bubbles!). i’ve taken off my mask at ten metres below the surface, learned what to do if i run out of air, how to use a compass underwater, how to make myself neutrally buoyant…the list goes on.

tomorrow we go to 18 metres, our depth limit as open water divers. the pressure increases most the first 6-10 metres, so i’m not too worried: mostly just excited to see what kind of life exists at that depth. i can’t wait to take my advanced so that i can go to 30, and dive in wrecks (there are lots, apparently, in vancouver).

i am really enjoying myself, but i’m getting really homesick. it’s getting worse every day. it’s meaningful, missing a place i wanted to leave so badly even in a perfect place like this. i hope the olympics haven’t spoiled the good things about my city too much.

in six days, we leave for indonesia. i’ll miss this place, but i’m excited to move on as well.

yes, i’m still here. today some guests checked in that i’d love to tell you about, but to stay safe i’m leaving the details until i’m far, far away.

also today, i went on my first scuba dive. i thought it would be like snorkeling, and at first it was except for the noise of the exhalation. bubbles framing my face, i descended with the three others. even though we only went to 6 metres, it was just different. i don’t think there’s anything i can compare it to, and it’s hard to explain. underwater, I breathe differently: about half the speed as on the surface. looking up at the waves from underneath was unnerving.

more on this later. i’m really tired out from being inundated with the dangers of decompression sickness.

still here. food and a roof, bed, air conditioning and a hot shower for the minimal work we’re doing is too good to pass up.

the other day in the heat, the high-pitched mechanical sounding tune of the crickets our soundtrack, covered in a layer of sweat, we followed the power lines and hiked to the non-functioning (the island uses diesel for power) wind turbines and solar panels at the top of the north end of the island. we saw a monitor lizard that must have been two metres long, and scores of butterflies. tom led the way armed with a stick he waved frantically in front of himself to destroy the webs of the army of spiders in our way.

at the top, we stood and looked down at the view (pictures to come): turquoise stretching away to the horizon, lush green, and a huge staircase to nowhere. we descended, and tried to climb the rocks back to long beach. after about forty-five minutes of rather strenuous exercise we turned back, out of water and energy. we stopped at a drizzle of water from a spring that made a natural shower in a crevasse in the rock. deliciously cold and drinkable, it gave us what we needed to go on.

it seems everything needed to go on is here. it’s the most relaxed and beautiful place i’ve ever been.

soon we’ll be taking our open water diving course, enabling us to dive anywhere in the world. snorkeling itself is almost enough: just off the shore there are thousands of fish of every colour and size you can imagine. the other day tom saw a shark, and i saw a squid. the island and the ocean around it is teeming with life.

well, i’ll leave you here. saya rindu awak kawan (“i miss you friends” in the local dialect).

we arrived in the perhentian islands about four days ago. i say “about” because it’s hard to keep track of time in a place like this. culture shocked after our fourteen hour overnight train ride from the bustling sewer-scented kuala lumpur, we accepted a ride from a local to kuala besut. the woman who sold us our boat tickets to the islands unnecessarily apologized for the weather (which was, and has been, perfect) as it’s the off season. we waited amidst smiling locals, hopped on the boat, and were taken here.

the most memorable words spoken as we walked down the dock were “this place would kick most postcards’ ass”.

it’s just what you imagine when you hear the word “paradise”; a sickly sweet but thoroughly incredible cliche of white sands, palm trees, grinning locals, delicious food and affordable, comfortable accommodation. minutes from our room is a beach with, just offshore, a teeming world of fish and coral straight out of a nature program. for just $10 each, we went on a half-day snorkeling tour and saw massive turtles, black-tipped sharks, and every colour of fish imaginable. watching them crowd together in front of our faces, fighting for cracker crumbs we crumpled under the surface, was like nothing i’ve ever experienced.

we’ll be working for maybe a week or two for food and accommodation at shangri-la, the resort where we’re staying. next we push on, up through thailand.

the happiest song i’ve ever written in my entire life

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i’ve got a pair of sandals and they serve me well
i’ve got the sun on my shoulders and a wishing well
i’ve got the ground below and the sky above
i’ve got friends at home who are still in love

and the seconds go by tick tick tick tick
it’s our world and i’m living on it

i’ve got some things to lose and the world to gain
thoughts that bring me pleasure, thoughts that bring me pain
i’ve got the means to stay and the means to go
i could make a choice or go with the flow

and the days go by flip flip flip flip
this is life and i’m living it

there’s a story that i could tell you
might leave you feeling good or leave you feeling blue
it’s the past and future and the now, all one
it’s a dove and a rose and a car and a gun

and the years go by bit by bit
it’s the truth and i’m dealing with it
and as time goes by tick tick tick
i am loving every bit

48 hours of hard work, ha! this is to fill in the gap between sydney and melbourne. i wrote it all at bondi, shut away in my room, sunburnt to hell, emerging only at night to revel in the southern sky… enjoy. remember: only 48 hours.

evergreen

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a steep street down in summer sunshine to the seaside
i’m watching turquoise crash and wash away at my feet

a wad of bills to buy myself some time alone
there’s no one in the world who knows just how to find me now

the summer stretches on and on into the future
a bus roars by as sand is displaced under my feet

i’m crazy cause i’m wanting for a different shade of green
when cold comes it holds on to branches
holds on to me

trains

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i’ll keep it inside
i’ll keep it alive
not letting it go
not letting it show

everything is new
(so i’m) i’m taking it to you
everything is new
so i’m taking it to you
i’m taking it to you.

sunlight
too bright
dirt under my red nails
under
some queen
breathe in stale air tonight

humid
humour
stay dry drink dry don’t ask me why
asking
questions
i know you know the answers to

cut it
leave it
split ends split mind i can’t decide
can’t reach
out to
the people i am closest to

i’ll be on my way
there’s lots to do today
i won’t meet your eye
as i say goodbye

every grain of sand
every line in my hand
is all i have to show
for letting this go
letting this go
letting this go
letting this go
letting this go.

hospital

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the future isn’t now
that place isn’t here
so it isn’t real

you are not my friend
you’ll never know enough
so it isn’t yours

you asked me for too much
you’re not the one i want
what does it take?

i am not okay
someone check me in
someone hold me close
and never let me go

we’ll shut ourselves inside
and turn off all the lights
forget about the world
let simpler things unfurl

if only for a day
chase all my fears away
leave protest for the rest
consider ourselves blessed

and i will whisper words
that you have never heard
i don’t know who you are
but you can have my heart

buy another thing
to make your footsteps ring
so you’ll shine and whir

you’d better not eat those
it’s the choices that you make
that will bend and break

so many ways to think
it drives you to the brink
and there’s no right way
what does it take?

i am not okay
someone check me in
someone hold me close
and never let me go

we’ll shut ourselves inside
and turn off all the lights
forget about the world
let simpler things unfurl

if only for a day
chase all my fears away
leave protest for the rest
consider ourselves blessed

and i will whisper words
that you have never heard
i don’t know who you are
but you can have my heart

flick/thump

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this song is a joke
i’m not even at that party anyways
whatever
i’m going to the beach ch ch ch ch ch …

friends

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goodnight, goodnight to you and me
there’s still a few hours when we both are asleep
sometimes i feel so far away and alone
can’t wait until the days when i am home

but when i come i will bring this summer sun
to light your days
and stories to tell while we sit all together again
my friends

i long for a small town where sun sets on sea
with a score of people that i know love me
and a small flat that’s near everything that i need
why’d i leave? why’d i leave?

but one thing you showed me is how to make the best of what i have
and that’s what i’ll do until i can see your faces again, my friends