Hallo! Hallo!Hey, mister!Hallo, miss! Where are you from?How old are you?Whats your name? Eyes are following you everywhere you go. You have white skin and for the hungry eyes your skin (lack of) colour is fascinating. You are actually 50 shades of tan but, still, for them you are the interesting creature that comes from faraway lands. Padang Panjang is noisy and becomes quiet only after visiting Padang, the provincial capital of West Sumatra. Padang Panjang is somehow unclean but after a few days garbage becomes part of the decor. Everything you want to buy has an added foreigner fee. But you smile, bargain and maybe get the fair price. Everyone smiles here, but you dont trust their smiles. They follow rules of personal conduct that just dont make sense to you: Do not hold hands in public they say to the Spanish couple. Do not point finger Do not lay on grass in front of police station Wear formally and at the same time they follow you with their hungry eyes and disturb your peace of mind calling for your attention. Your own rhythm gets slower day by day. Food here is so spicy your eyes weep, your nose starts running and your ears hurt. But with every bite foods become better and better. You start missing the road, although its been only a few days since youve arrived home, your home for the next year to come... New ways, new people, new feeling, new sensations...
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 08:00:01 +0000