Indonesia 2012: Streets and Markets

A walk around Kew Gardens at night, guided by Christmas Illuminations.

December 2012

A world away from the vineyards, safaris and huge shopping malls in Cape Town Wharf, Langa is a township where the Apartheid government sought to control Black South Africans, yet the people forged a tight-knit community that resisted and persevered. Today it’s a vibrant place that educates visitors on its history and suffering through the heritage museum, and welcomes you to explore the Arts & Culture Centre, as well as walking streets full of play, small businesses, and food stalls serving the community.

The production floor at Glass of Malta runs on skill and heat - craftsmen working glass straight from the furnace, shaping, cutting, and finishing each piece by hand.

I tried my hand (with a lot of assistance) at batik painting in Kasongan, Indonesia.

A true spur of the moment trip. I grabbed my bike and my camera. The next day I wandered the streets as darkness fell and the light and decoration of the intra muros came to prominence.

After three solid days of walking the city, I did something I don't usually do and took a ride on one of those hop-on, hop-off tourist buses that tend to be found in the big city.

Another of those places where it felt surreal to walk the pathways of a place I'd seen in everything from Asterix graphic novels as a kid, to movies via many history books. Every footstep, a connection to the past. I visited on a bright but changeable February morning and the queues were still deep. I cannot imagine how busy it must be at the height of summer.