31 July 2013

Wanderings among Javanese rice fields

Independent solo rider on my motorbike, I could stop wherever and whenever I wanted – and so I did, in particular among those rice fields as I left Papandayan volcano. While completely unrelated, I couldn’t but connect the rice terraces to the Inca terraces I had seen in Peru (Machu Picchu, or the surprising circular ones of Moray). The healthy green colour of the rice plants, their symmetry and their alignment, as well as the few colourful harvesters lost in the middle of the fields all captured my attention.

And then there was this wooden barn which somewhat added to the bucolic and serene atmosphere: flowers growing on its roof, misaligned planks, rusty metal sheets contrasting with the greenery, the grating possibly enclosing chicken or farm tools.

Life had briefly come to a standstill.

That’s when I felt a “pressing urge”... Murphy’s law for sure, applying to me so I couldn’t enjoy the peaceful moment. I’ll spare you the details and the fact that there was no spot the slightest bit out of view…