A Devout inside The Temple

So, on that Christmas day, I went up to Klenteng Sam Po Kong in the outskirt of Semarang. I thought, it’s a kind of tribute to the ancestors. Among many things that capture my attention was this man.

He was praying and I could see he, wearing grey uniform, works there. And he is a muslim.

He was praying, eastward, among the pillars of the temple, dedicated to Confucianism. And after that, he continued doing his chores of cleaning and lighting up the candles.

Isn’t he the living example of tolerance?

Dive and Jive

 

 Photo by Dwi Ariyogagautama  

I am so overjoyed having ever dipped in Alor waters. It was a rainy day, with big waves and strong current yet my friends and I endured them all and enjoyed it. Welcome to west monsoon, said Yoga. Indeed. I only dived once but it is one of my best experience albeit brief. Definitely look forward to dive in Alor again.

Who Needs a Blue Sky Holiday?

 

One brief clear sky moment, by Diah R. Sulistiowati

Who needs a blue sky holiday? thus sings Daniel Powter in Bad Day. Who needs it anyway? I don't mind not-blue-sky holiday. Been on it. Last week, it rained hard. One hour the sky was clear, then it rained for hours. It went like that every day that we developed a rain-or-shine-here-I-come attitude from early on. MbakDiah, MbakTeja, and moi really had great times in Kupang and Alor.

An Office with a View

 

Yoga's office is literally by the sea. It has the view of the inlet, the sea, and the islands. Here, he has watched numerous dolphins and whales passing by. Wonderful, eh! An office with a view indeed.  

 

Seeing Red

 

one of the Temples, across the pond

I’ve heard this many times: Cheng Ho (aka Cheng He), a mariner and diplomat, sailed to Semarang, Central Java, long long time ago. Like seven hundred years ago. (By the way, I wonder how a eunuch aka castrato could be that great man of power!) Along, he cemented another layer of what our ancestors apparently have always had: a great sense of tolerance. Our ancestors loved him. They did and perhaps he did, because he later traveled again to what now is Indonesia several times.

A muslim himself, Cheng Ho reportedly built a house of worship—Chinese style—which later was “baptized” a kelenteng alias a temple for Kong Hu Cu or Confusianism. How cool is that. And people said, you haven’t gone to Semarang if you haven’t gone to this temple. So on that Christmas day, after Christmas sermon at Gereja Blenduk (GPIB Imanuel), I went straight there despite the fact that dark clouds were hanging above the city.

I entered the gates with thanksgiving. It is beautiful indeed. Full of red, a color signifying, among others, wealth and happiness. Here and there more temples are being built. The smell of burning incense filled the air and I instantly remembered of Engkong’s house. He used to burn incense in the morning before going to work. 

And here I stood in the center of the complex, an open space. Before me is a long pond, separating the square with a row of temples. They look charming and I wanted to go across the river, err, pond. How can I go there? I asked someone. Deep river, my home is over Jordan…

If one wants to go there, they have to buy tiket wisata ibadah or ticket for pilgrims.

I approached the nearest temple which bears a sign: remove your footwear when entering. So, I removed my shoes. Then a man in uniform approached me, asking, “What are you up to?”

I wish to see inside, replied I.

“Are you going to say prayers?” he asked.

No.

“Then go!” he barked.

But why? I inquired.

“Don’t ask, don’t argue. Go!” he barked yet even louder.

I was totally confused. I retrieved and went to the next temple. My goodness, I read a sign “Only worshippers may enter” next to “remove your footwear when entering” sign. Oh I got it! So, if you are nonworshipper, you may not enter the temple. Please remain in courtyard.

I am so sure I didn’t see any “only worshippers may enter” sign in the previous temple! I wanted to bark at that unfriendly man, yet I understood, I was only a guest here. And I didn’t want to ruin my day, but then his day! Christmas is all about sharing love and joy, eh? You bet.

I circled the temple complex and admired its beauty and history. And then it rained hard, so hard the water vapor entered the inside building in which I took refuge.

I, like other worshippers, took shelter inside. Of course, I removed my shoes and asked for their permission, “Hi, I am not a worshipper, but could I please come inside until it stops raining?” They welcomed me inside. 

 the temple, on Christmas day

How grateful I was since it rained for three straight hours, mind you! I thought to myself, “This is the beauty of tolerance. Cheng Ho must be proud of it!”

A Year Younger

 

This lovely building is a year younger than the house I used to live at Lawang, Malang. Why would Dutch people put the year on the top of facades is a matter I have no knowledge of. It reminds me of that house at Jalan Argopuro 15. "Anno Domini 1910"

 

“I Dream of Eden”

 

Visiting the gardens made him sad again. He promised to take his mother here to see flowers from all over the world. Didn’t he mention to her that they have olive trees? She loved to use olive oil for her youthful skin. Yes, her skin looked youthful even when she was dying. Yes he did mention it to her. The dwarfed trees remind him of her.

And for a while he forgot about it when he saw white lilies and tiger lilies. The flowers produce strong, woody smell. He thought the blooms were sprinkled with sawdust but when seen closely, it was the pollen. He once again got distracted by the chance of finding roses of Sharon, a kind of hibiscus. The name sounds beautiful to his ears. Then he found out that camellia can grow so tall. Nevermind the pungent smell, the flowers look so showy. And its leaves look like those of tea.

It rained outside and he was raining inside. He was sad that she would never be here to see everything that looks so bright, so beautiful. The gardens are lovely. If he could imagine what Eden—sans domes—might have looked like, here it is. But then there is Eden Project in Europe.

Gardens are said they boost longevity. S thought, the Chinese proverb is true: if you want to be happy for a week, cook a swine. A month, get married. For life, tend a garden.

His mother never liked flowers that much. She only planted edible plants. But she did admire them, like bunga rias (a kind of torch ginger, a food flavoring), domiana (a herb with red appearance, thought to have medicinal purposes), and banana flowers (which she cleverly cooked and served with sambal). He remembered that one day, like months before they moved to Jalan Hamid Rusdi, she gave him Rp500 to buy a small orchid in order to make him happy. And she even transformed her front garden in Java with bright red florets of roselle which aroused the neighborhood’s curiosity.

Outside of the glass domes, it was raining and he was still raining inside. The sickly sweet smell of tea hybrid roses made him even more sad. He remembered, his mother let a pot of rose grow. Perhaps as a gesture of remembrance. Her mother—his grandmother—used to distill and sell rose water in the market.

But then he remembered, she is already in Eden now. The real Eden. Eden sans domes. Not only flowers, she will find fruits also and animals. It is where lambs are playing with lions.It's where hummingbirds are abundant, so are butterflies. He's sure, she is happy there.