You may have seen mud pools in a volcanic area, where the mud boils away like porridge in a pot. The “mud volcano” Bleduk Kuwu (3 h north of Solo, Java) is a bit different: the cool mud looks like a huge fresh cow patty, in the middle a gas bubble the size of an average cubic metre rises every few seconds and finally bursts with a loud gurgling sound.
Here in Indonesia, an astonishing number of people earn their money by getting on buses with their guitar and singing a song for a bit of change. Today this happened eight times – a bit annoying in the long run. Apart from that, I’m treated to Indonesian rock now and then on buses (in the other countries they only play pop crooners) – some of which is pretty damn good.