Moving to Malang

Photo 1: Parangtritis from up high
Photo 2: UMM mosque

So the first part of my trip is over and the second has begun. I left Yogya last Saturday after spending the previous week mostly lazing around. On Friday I finally went down to Parangtritis with a few other ACICIS people on their bikes. The beach itself isn’t particularly scenic – a vast stretch of black volcanic sand framed by rough sea on one side and a stretch of ramshakle warungs on the other. We clambered over the cliffs and ate rambutans (my current favourite in-season fruit). On the way back to Yogya we stopped at Imogiri as the others hadn’t been there yet. I had visited at the beginning of January, but still managed to have a look at some areas I hadn’t seen last time.

Saturday night Dan and I took the travel down to Malang with everyones luggage in the back. It was a tight squeeze and as a result we had to sit in the front…without seatbelts…driving way too fast…with a driver who looked like he was about to fall asleep… But we arrived safely just before 5am. Later that day I moved into a kos that had been found for me by Anne (currently doing honours research in Malang) and her friend Ani. Ani met me when I arrived and helped me move all my stuff. My room isnt as big as the one in Yogya, and I don’t have my own bathroom, but the area has lots of character, heaps of student services (including very cheap, very tasty food), its close to campus and the girls in my kos are friendly – so im just going to stay here. Certainly saves me the hassle the others are going through trying to find somewhere to live!

Our first three days at UMM have been good – we’ve been given our horrible UMM uniform, had a few (short) lectures and done a couple of ‘field study’ trips to a ciggarette factory, illegal stone mining site and a chinese temple. Today is Chinese New Year (a public holiday) so we have no more lectures until next week.