Life on the Musi River

We've had so many wonderful experiences the last several days! But without reliable internet, I haven't been able to post. So rather than starting from the beginning, I'll start from yesterday. Julie and I are back in Palembang after four days in Sekayu. Palembang is the capital of South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan). It's a hustling, bustling kind of town and we've seen a nice slice thus far. Our host for the day was Lydia, a math teacher from Palembang but teaching in Sekayu. The day started with a visit to a wet market, where produce, meats and live animals are sold. Later we took a leisurely boat ride up the Musi river. The river is a major thoroughfare and many people still live along the banks in traditional south Sumatran homes (wooden homes on stilts). Our goal was to visit Kemaro Island, a teeny island with a Buddhist temple at its center. We made it there and it was lovely but it was the Musi river that kept me rapt. It was so vibrant, colorful and dynamic. It was alive. Children frolicking.  Fathers and sons fishing. Women rocking their children to sleep. People bathing. Laundry and kites and flags billowing in the wind.

And of course boats; big and small, wood and metal, fast and slow, ornate and simple. Thoughts of the Tigris, Euphrates, Indus and Nile came to mind. Rivers give birth to civilizations and continue to sustain them. Naturally my thoughts then drifted to environmental decline of the rivers, but that's another post for another day. On this day there was so much to absorb! If I looked on one side, would I miss something on the other? I was transported on that river ride, to another time and place and words just can't do it justice! Perhaps a few pictures will help? All photo credits to my partner in crime, Julie Wakefield. Thanks Julie!