Going Back to our Roots - Sugar Factory - Banyumas / Klampok area

We are hunting down some family history~

Today our only day in the Banyumas/Purwokerto area - we hired a taxi-rental with driver to drive us around for about 6 hrs - trying to find out where my father might of lived when growing up.  He was born in Bandung - but grew up here in this area (at Middle School age he was sent to The Hague Holland for his education) at the age of 13.  In his young years with his parents, sister's Tante (aunt) Lidy, Tante Evie and younger brother Oom (uncle) Eddy - on a sugar plantation in the area of Banyumas and Klampok.  

We actually had to do some hunting - because of course this is history pre-war and during the 300+ yrs  Dutch colonial era - before the ending of the war in 1945. 

We first went to Banyumas where Nick also remembers his mother was born.  So we took pictures of the town.

 We stepped out of the car in the center of town just to take some pictures and then we saw

 this school letting out the kids~ From a window there were MANY smiling faces to and kids waving!
Then the whole classroom came out and the teacher called us over!

The children were so cute!  They lined up one by one..and each shook our hands and many took our hand and bowed their faces to our hand...in a gesture of kindness...my! 

 The teacher was so friendly and I think she wanted her students to chat with us!  So we did!

                    They are often shy and giggle and laugh a lot!  They so want to try their English on us!

 The teacher encouraged this one boy to come forward and say something to me.....and he finally did with much coaching from his teacher:  "what is your name?" he asked.  "My name is Ellen!" I said.  They all laughed because he got an answer to his question!  Then I asked him - ask Nico too...but then the little boy could not come out of his words - having to speak to Nico.

 He could not say it again....to Nick.....well he did pretty good the first time around!

They all wanted a picture with all of us together!  

My cousin in Holland - Edward had told me that there was a  town called Purwareja and then in that area

 2 km  north of it was Klampok - so off we went to look if the sugar factory was there?

 So we drove a little further and came into the town of Klampok and I was really really excited!

 Our driver got out of the car and sat down there with a elderly becak driver - he asked:... do you know of the old Dutch sugar factory from long ago?

Argus our driver - sat down to inquire~ the man said Yes! He directed Argos to it! But it seemed to be further out and away from Klampok - 

Just seeing the name on the sign's "Klampok" was already exciting for me!  

We crossed a river - named Kali Serajoe and I wondered if Papa had played in the water as a boy.

 So pretty - could it be?

And there was the fabriek - the factory .......

We were told there was one.... PG Kalibaigor - could this be it? 

P is Pabrik (factory) G is Gula (sugar) 

in Dutch it would be Kalibaigor Zuiker Fabriek - 

"Tante Evie could this be where you lived in those first years with the family?"

 Old houses across the street - possibly where the staff lived?

We saw many homes - all dilapidated - 

I did some research on the computer - and found this picture from the past~

You see #139? there is the name Klampok~  

Well... with many emotional feelings & good memories of my father and his family - Opa (I never meant-but saw his grave in Cimahi) & Oma Moes (who I do remember meeting as a little girl in Holland, before we immigrated to the US in Dec 1956) Baidenmann -

Papa had shared his great love for Indonesia and how he loved his childhood on the plantation as a little boy - ALL THESE MEMORIES made it so very special today!  Oh my goodness~ how fortunate & blessed I am to be here and be able to experience this ~


...........Very moving!

 Argus our driver - stopped so we could buy some Indonesian snacks - he was very helpful and could speak English well enough to communicate with us!  He is from this immediate area.

We bought some pisang - banana's for s snack in the car - and Lumpur that Argos knew to ask for!

We had a little time left over - so we decided to go see a popular area in the mountain range -

Look at this little guy sleeping in mother's arms as father steers the motorcycle! Cute!

We headed up the mountain range to Baturraden - a place many tourists come to - and there is a cave to view there. But the scenery - oh my goodness...what beauty!!! Here are some beautiful sights to share with you ~

This one is my favorite shot!

Gosh just look at that little valley!!!!! Beautiful huh all those levels the farmers cultivate with rice - so pretty!
It seems most every spot is used - wherever they can work the land the people have!

 As we climb higher - it looks a bit cloudy in the distance -rain? It does seem to happen often towards the later part of the day.

We came to the little town Baturraden and came across a park with some figures in the entry - 

Come on now Nick - let's have a picture with your buddies!

There is Nick & Argus in the distance - below ~

There was some staircases to climb up to see the view below - so up I went!

When I got down below again on the parking Lot - Nick & Argus were chatting with some students -and then when I arrived - they so wanted to snuggle up and take pictures with me!  Nick says they just don't see tall women with light colored hair!

 Oh the girls were having a good time - and each wanted a turn!

 ...and I was having lots of fun too!

 Many smart phones were passed around -

It is so fun to talk with the students - they so want to speak and try their English lessons - and we are glad to help out.
They were from a Catholic school ~

Well it was time to head back to the hotel - we had a wonderful time driving around in the Banyumas providence and were ever so pleased to do it with Argus our driver - he was so helpful and it was the way to do it!

We will leave this area with good memories - Maralin & Ronnie - it was special huh?

Papa would of been so pleased to know that we have been here - !!!!

Tomorrow we go back to the Train Station in Krayo and continue to travel south to the town of Yogyakarta - a town in Central Java known for its silver and also batik ~   

Bandung to Purwokerto / Bayumas Central Java

A Long Day - 

We got up at 5 am...yikes... EARLY OR WHAT????

We had a train to catch - and needed to be at the station one hour early.  All went well and we actually departed out of Bandung right on time...8 am!

 We sat "eksekutif" - and so we were comfortable.  We enjoyed out trip very much and saw some beautiful scenery!

 Our window was shaded so these sights are more colorful....and we are traveling at a speed of around 50 km per hour.

 But so pretty - most of the land is cultivated in rice fields ~

There were other tourists on board - some Dutchies - 

                                                                  Beautiful huh?

 The farmers have levels of rice fields on the mountains...so each level has been leveled with a ridge and then the lower area again is leveled and so down the mountain - can you imagine how much work that took all by hand!!!!!

Just a house along the way~

 At the Train Station - waiting we meant two friends traveling together - Djumilah who is born in Java but has been living in Holland for many years .......

 ......and her friend Willy both from Leiden -

 We had such a nice talk on the train - first Milah came to join me and chat and then she sent Willy back to us...and it was a lovely time!  Yes - Ellen and the ladies had to get her 35,000 words out! ha!
Willy had always wanted to come to Indonesia and so the two friends planned this trip together!  Milah has a chance to come to Java to meet her immediate family and for Willy - she got to experience Indonesia in a intimate way meeting friends and having a "guide" who knows the custom's, way's and areas well!

                                                             Way to Go Ladies!  It was lovely to meet them and we were invited by Milah to call when we come to Holland - and she would prepare an Indonesia meal for us!

WE WILL BE CALLING YOU MILAH AND WILLY!!!!!!! WHEN WE GET TO HOLLAND!
                                                                Hardstikke leuk! 

                  Cute little villages along the way these 5 hours on the train! See the hatchet roofs?

We arrived in Krayo at 1:30 pm and there we were in this tiny train station!  We thought - well we will take a taxi to the town we had made a hotel reservation in - Purwokerto - but the Train Station attendant - said Taksi? NO Taksi!  Becak - to bus terminal...BECAK? Nick thought he was kidding - becak is a tiny little thing....?  No he was serious!  NO WAY! Yep Yep...the only way!!!!!!

 So with suitcase and back-pack - purse and camera....in one Becak and Nico -

in the other one...off we went to the bus terminal - ! Oh my goodness I thought...if our family and friends could see us now????!!!!!!

I was able to catch a picture of Nick when we had to wait up ahead at the train tracks to cross over.... Hey Nick....are you comfortable over there????  I got a big smile and a wave! And the driver - he was smiling & grinning...those American's! 

We were all lining up and more motorcycles and cars showed up....

We laughed and enjoy the ride - held onto the suitcase that was half hanging over the edge of the becak...but it made it and we got helped by the driver - when we arrived at the bus stop - the attendant for the bus took our suitcases - so big they are in this little bus...and the bus was already jammed with people and baskets - some people had gone to the market - and the bus was full of people and stuff - and YET....

 the attendant grabbed our suitcase lifted them up into the bus - rearranged the other baskets etc and told people to move over and - yes even though Nick & I never thought there would be even a place to stand - we got in there ...anyway!  They just make it work - the people are used to being close together when in a bus etc.

I didn't take a picture I had the backpack on my lap...and my purse and could hardly even get my camera out...believe me I wanted to!  But when people started getting off the bus - I quickly took a few!  Nick was able to set his backpack on the seat - but the seats are SO' small you guys...everything built for very small people! ha!

After almost an hour drive to this town Purwokerto - we stepped out of the bus at the terminal and found a taxi (in town taxi!) to bring us to the hotel Nick had booked on Agoda.com my - it was a brand spankin'

 new hotel - 6 month young!  We felt very spoiled - my so fancy!

 The Indonesia horeca - is very very particular to offer excellent service - so doors are always opened for you, suitcase always taken from you, handshakes, polite bow's and always a warm greeting and kind gestures and many many smiles!

The hotel front entry - has a guard house - most hotels we have experienced -

We were glad to arrive - 3:30 pm and we were HOT! Coming out of the mountains - to sea level again - the weather was up in the mid 90' again!

 After a refreshing shower we went down to the restaurant and sat outside on the patio- ah....so nice -

....and what did we order?  Yes...you guessed right.... Nasi Goreng and Gado-Gado again - we're hooked on that! With two small dishes of Sambal of course  (the hot sauce!)

                                               See the Sambal - yes with shrimp chips ~ Krupuk! 

Well time to relax and see plan what we will be doing tomorrow! 

My father, siblings & parents lived in Banyumas,, while he was growing up and Nick's mother was born here too...so we are going to drive around a little - rent a taxi for the day and look around a bit ~ all I have is that Papa lived on a sugar plantation and "klampot" - this might be a little area/village/or even the name of the plantation - hope to find out!  

Last Day in Bandung - Moving On!

Last evening was a very special evening with a wonderful dinner & talk with Bert Boland our new Dutch friend!  Oh what a blessing it was to meet Bert and hear his heart for Indonesia!  He was born here and left at the age of 10 when his parents moved back to Holland.  Nevertheless he has always had a love & burden for his homeland and here he is!  He has written a book - The Strangers on the Street and he was ever so kind to share a copy with us....thank you Bert - Hartelijk dank! We felt we had known one another for years - !  The 3 of us talked and talked and the time went by... ...way to fast!

This morning after breakfast we headed to the Train Station - to get a ticket for tomorrow morning  8 am departure from Bandung to Kroya. - the station we have to get out on to visit go see the town of  Pukworerto Purwokerto /Banyumas where my father grew up with his siblings and parents on the sugar plantation.  He was sent to Holland at an age of 13 yrs if I recall.to get the further education.

Nick's mother was born in Banyumas - would you believe it?  Gosh our parents coincidentally lived in close proximity from one another! Pretty neat huh?

It is a 5 hour train ride and then another 1 hr train ride to the town of Purwokerto - on a smaller intercity train.  We plan to stay there just 2 days and then head on down to Yogyakarta - where Indonesia is famous for it's silver.

Walking along the street - you have to be so aware of things - the sidewalks are not always clean and often broken up..

We walked for several miles and saw some construction - and we always stand in awe of the men working!  Making a pilar and standing up there balanced on a piece of wood - no helmet - gloves - working in rubber boots - and yet the work gets done!

 Again the scaffolds used - for us that seems so dangerous!  The guys waved so friendly to us!

 I muscled my arms and meant to tell them they are hard workers...they smiled a BIG grin!

We came to the "Stasion Bandung" and had to pull a number and waited an hour for our number to be called - it was a busy place!  Time to cool down from our long walk!

Did a little shopping at the grocery store and the young kids tried their English on us...and they were

making drinks with the blender - so they put a contraption together for us with some green leaves, and some fruit too and in the meantime chatted with us...so of course we wanted a picture of their sweet faces!

 The little shopping area have these trees that are so pretty - I call them canopy trees...aren't they pretty?  Just love them...and in this hot weather it is so nice to have them to keep things cool!

          A very fine leave they have...and the trunk of the tree is also very smooth clean and straight looking!

 Our hotel has a office for life insurance - so Nico said - hey take a picture!  Yes Nick -it's a  "INDO LIFE"   we are experiencing here in  Indonesia! ha!

For our last evening here at our hotel, we decided to eat here again...because this sweet Chef "Tony" prepared for us Gado-Gado especially for us - (not on the menu!) it is a delicious vegetable dish with that wonderful spicy peanut sauce on it! Oh My!  YUM!!!!!

Isn't Tony cute?!!!! He was so friendly and just stood there and chatted with us for quite a while after dinner!

 

Gado Gado 

                               Gado-Gado Ingredients (click to see recipe!)