One thing I've found really fascinating in Indonesia has been the variety in religious beliefs and cultures. I'd heard that Indonesia was over 90 percent Muslim, so I had not expected to see many other religions. However, Indonesia is a big, spread out country; we crossed through three time zones and covered a lot of ground... so to speak. Each island was very different from the others and the locals took great pride in their individual island's culture and main religion.
Kisar was predominantly Christian, the village of Mokko on Adunara was entirely Muslim, while most people in Flores were Catholic. Bali stands out as the only Hindu island in the country and Kalimantan's population is mostly comprised of Muslims. For us, this meant that, except in Bali, where the Hindu religion is very tolerant of Western culture, we tried to keep our dress very conservative. Well, sleeves and longer pants are all well and good, and have their place, but I might argue that that place is not on tropical islands. Bali was quite a relief as far as clothing was concerned and I definitely appreciated getting to wear tank tops and shorts on land.
In all these places, people seemed very dedicated to their faiths. The Hindu women in Bali spend up to 30 percent of their time making religious offerings. These offerings, made of woven palm fronds, flowers, candles and rice, can be found in almost every doorway in Bali and make it necessary to traverse sidewalks with care. And even when the careless foot does crush an offering, as must happen with so many tourists and residents wandering the streets, it matters little, since all the offerings are refreshed every day. In Kelimantan, the call to prayer has been a constant soundtrack, since the many mosques broadcast it through huge speakers five times a day so the chanting fills the air for miles around. When we wandered through the town a few days ago, we saw the lovely outfits the locals change into for the evening prayer. On Kisar we arrived in town on a Sunday and were met by many of the locals after they'd spent the morning at church, and in Macoh, the centerpiece of the village was the mosque.
And oh, how beautiful these temples, mosques and churches have been! Tanah Lot, in Bali, was built on the tidepools, out of the rock itself, and is backlit by the sunset every evening. Here on Kalimantan the mosques are topped with beautiful, brightly colored bulbs. Everywhere we go, places of worship are beautifully crafted and well taken care of.
So while I've never been much of a student of religion, I've very much enjoyed learning about these different faiths. It's made it that much richer and deeper an experience.
Goodbye Indonesia and thanks for all the memories!