Well, it's now Boxing Day. And we have survived. At least most of us have survived. I hope. Truly.
My Christmas was different this year. An eventful and varied day for me.
on the 24th, by car and driver to Malang, a delightful and cool small city in the hills of East Java (Indonesia). For an overnight stay, a memorable breakfast, a swim in the hotel pool, then a gala lunch with local friends made all the merrier by Java Sunrise cocktails and a shared bottle of Iceland sugar cane vodka mixed with fresh mixed fruit juice, slices of lime and heaps of ice cubes. And of course food, far too much of it, but well, it's Christmas, isn't it?
In the afternoon after another refreshing swim, by car along a narrow and winding paved-potholed road to the Bromo Hills with an hour's stop at Nongkojajar, a once-thriving Dutch colonial resort town now reinvented as an agriscience community, to look at market gardens, local architecture, the pasar (= market, colourful if barren of interesting tropical fruits and other culinary treasures), a ten-minute stroll up and down the Main Street, pose for seemingly endless photo ops with locals and politely fend off one local belle who insisted I hop on her motorcycle to be taken to the local imam who would marry us (!), then a slow cruise along a winding mountain road, with occasional rain squalls and low hanging cloud to cover the landscape in an eerie greyish glow. Fortunately for me after my indulgence in local hooch, I had an experienced hire river to negotiate all the hairpin turns along the way.
Finally home to my villa in Surabaya by 5 PM for a long nap with the house cats and at 9 PM, an alfresco late dinner with local friends who kindly brought many plates of leftovers from their own gala Christmas family lunches. I ate and drank too much and landed in bed just before midnight, fat, happy, and thoroughly stuffed with good things such as Indonesian cooks can provide.
Truly a memorable day, if somewhat less merry by not being with and sharing the largesse with my (otherwise loved) family and friends in Australia. Times to be relived in March when I return home.
I've just downloaded the day's photos. In all 109 images, all seemingly keepers. But I would think that, wouldn't I...
Lest I forget, my late good wishes to all hear for a happy and enjoyable silly season. Christmas is now past and Boxing Day is on with its usual capitalist vengeance, but the new year is yet to come, then it will be '25. Time flies!
