Last week, we took a late night trip to a shrine on Mount Kawi. Though located in mainly Muslim Indonesia, this site attracts Chinese pilgrims hoping to attract wealth. A bizarre cultural mash-up resulted.
We arrived at about 9 pm and climbed the mountain path, which was lined with houses and shops. It was chaos, and the burning incense didn't help our addled brains.
We passed hundreds of people waiting to pray at the grave site. We were invited into the altar space and asked to kneel at the grave, ahead of the poor people who waited in a separate room for hours. We knelt by the altar filled with incense and flower petals for a moment, whispering to each other in the confusion. Even though we didn't know who this man was or what he did, we were given special treatment. It felt wrong.
While there, we saw a wayang kulit, a traditional Indonesian shadow puppet show, accompanied by female choir and gamelan. We only stayed for two hours of the show, which usually lasts about seven. Because we didn't understand the story, paying attention was difficult, but at the halfway mark, a comedian came onstage and invited several CLS girls onto the stage. It was awkward.
We arrived home at about 2 am. Here's us the next morning:
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