Down at Mucky Joe's
(organization)
Hello ,
Soon it is Spring bank holiday weekend and official start of the Summer tourist season.. Are you stock up? Look at our Indonesian goodies below.
Greetings from Bali, where I have just arrived after a few days Yogyakarta, Java. Last week I was telling you about Buddhas, Angels and Scarves.. You can read about it here.
It's been a mad busy few days with our agent lining up a full programme from the moment I stepped off the plane. Actually not quite that moment, International arrivals in Yogyakarta is probably the worst organised in the world. Think a hall the size of a bus, two lines for passport control, a counter for visa on arrival tickets and a hole in the wall through which the luggage is just tossed. You get your luggage at the wrong end and have to practically weave through a mass of bodies coming the other way to get out. It is a logjam madness, all made worse by helpless officials wanting customs papers and pretending to do security, if you don't fight and push you will never get through. Last time I was here there was two planes arrived at the same time. Crazy.
Domestic arrivals by contrast is bliss, so if you ever visit don't go direct.
Our Indonesian agent and local agent, Ringo and Gede where waiting patiently for me.. outside domestic arrivals.. so it took me a while to track them down.
We went to see Mucky Joe, the stone mason. Not his real name but an approximation of his Javanese name that kind of suits him. Dusty calm and solid with dreadlocks and muscles. He is a cool arty tough guy.
His company make the sandstone oil burners we stock.
He had been working on some new designs we had given him and I was keen to see. Stone numbers that can hold a candle. My idea is you can give a rather grand 50th carved in stone candle holders for a birthday (any age actually) and give something that unlike a cake your friend can keep forever and it's not even fattening.
Mucky Joe's home, studio and factory all occupy a jungle compound that runs along side a fast running stream. Cutting sheds are built on bridges over the steam so water can flow in and out keeping tooling cool and dust to a minimum.
It is early evening as we sit on the veranda of his house discussing an order. Bats swoop out of the trees while purple dragon flies skim the stream.
Across the stream are paddy fields of glinting green, rice ladies in conical hats knee deep working the paddy as the sun sets behind the distant volcano.
I had just arrived, jet lagged, unwashed, unkempt but fallen in love with Javanese life already.
Strangely yesterday was a public holiday in Muslim Java.. the Christian bank holiday I was repeatedly told like I should know. After checking on the internet I found it to be:The Ascension Day of Jesus Christ, and a full on holiday. Having just arrived in Hindu Bali I find they have the same holiday, only it is on Saturday (tomorrow). Everywhere will be closed they tell me. So it looks like I finally get a day of rest :)
You can see some of Mucky Joe's creations below..
More news next week.
Take care
David
