1. Indonesia 2019 Photo Tour

By Michelle Alten

 

We are traveling in Indonesia, an archipelago of 18,000 islands, a country with the fourth largest population in the world.  After a long flight from the U.S. via Soeul, we paused for a day of relaxation on the Coast of Bali. 

Moving on to Solo, on the island of Java, we find ourselves in a hotel where every wall and every corner is home to a work of art—boldly painted and costumed puppets, intricately carved wooden screens, life-sized husband and wife figures, striking masks.  I could wander the halls for hours.

All photos copyright Wolfgang Kaehler

Today we strolled barefoot on the cool marble floor of the Puro Mangkunegara, a keraton or sultan’s palace, through the turquoise and gold-adorned audience halls of the king and a courtyard garden dripping with white monkey flowers.  At a batik workshop, we tried our hand at the delicate task of applying wax to cotton fabric using a wooden tool—a remarkably difficult task.

Stained-glass window at the Puro Mangkunegara
Batik workshop
Street scene in Solo