The most recent to Parang Valley was a short day out last Sunday because of a huge storm arrived in the early afternoon that chased us away from the area. While it perhaps left us with less time on the rocks, what we did manage to do was pure quality.
Finally back at the area we visited on our very first time at the area, below the main face of Bongkok, we had been to this place a couple of times and begun clearing the rock and area around (post: Bouldering in Indonesia 22/06/10). The rock there is pretty clean but is in the trees; in the shade but pretty humid. There are two large rocks there, both highball. While the larger one would need bolts to make it a realistic climb, the smaller one has at least two fantastic lines up it, one a central line which is pretty high, the other just skirts up the side and is quite low.
After a small amount of brushing and a few attempts, the first climb at the Kawasan Kebun went without too much trouble. Techinical face moves on a slight overhang and a powerful lock-off to a small hold just over the lip and then a better one high and left makes for an easy top out. The problem is on the left-hand side and is pretty low, Groovy is the first problem in the area. The sit start is 6C and the standing start 6B. On the front face of the same boulder, is a fantastic looking problem that I spent a good amount of time on but didn't really get too far on (there are so many projects now).
Behind the larger rock, through some (blank) caves are more boulders in another overgrown area. The whole place is worth a look and has potential but I'm just stoked to have two more quality problems added to the Lembah Parang circuit.
We heard the thunder for about an hour before we decided it was probably a good idea to head back and shortly after we got in the car, the rain came and so did the thunder and lightning; at the same time. It made an exciting end to one day and the start of another. An upside, apart from the spectacle, was that the roads were completely empty! No bikes, no lorries, cars. Plain sailing all the way home. Genius. It also gave us an early finish and an evening back in Bandung for once.
Thursday 28 October 2010
Tuesday 12 October 2010
New boulders and new problems added
Finally, we managed to get back to the valley on Saturday accompanied by Anja's parents Gary and Siegrun. It's easy to forget just how incredible the setting is; whether it was having Siegrun along who hadn't visited before that made me look with fresh eyes or having not visited the place for a good month now. First of all, driving up the beat-up road from Plered over the hills which is in a constant state of repair. Going through the villages that become increasingly quaint (to my western eyes) the further along you get. Arriving in Cikandang and seeing the now familiar faces and hearing just how peaceful the place is, it all makes for good times away from the crowds of Java.
Local Ibu-Ibu
This time, the peaks around us were enveloped in a thick mist. The sun was nowhere to be seen, the rock faces paling as they met the cloud and the air temperature was beautifully cool and pleasant. It had clearly been raining a lot and the ground was really soggy; it was a bad day to have chosen to wear flip flops. Balls. Walking down the track together towards the boulders the cloud seemed to thin slightly and it seemed the sun was going to break through. Accompanied by Gary and Siegrun for the first climb of the day on the Ombak Boulder, Anja made short work of the arete there (shame you just missed that guys) while I was shut down by the hanging prow's sit start (glad you missed that). The same thing happened on the White Boulder but real progress was made. The problem is superb and a mighty cross-though move is all that separates a project and a problem. Cheers for the encouragement Anja.
Anja on Poopscoop
The sun had come out now and things were looking dryer, so we decided to take a look back up the hill at the high-ball bloc we had cleaned with the help of Bryan Tape on the previous visit and at another boulder accross the other side of the track. The two boulders sit right by the main path; the first is 8 metres high and has a brilliant-looking pair of aretes to the left of a soaring slab which will be the descent. The first problem to go is looking a solid but top notch face climb coming dynamically up off a left hand arete on crimps and pockets. The top looks well scary. Hours of fun.
and Crabbslabb
The second boulder now called the Banten Boulder due to its gross muddy and cow-patty landing, has some lovely easier problems up it. To finish the day off, Anja topped out two quality problems on the new Banten while her parents watched on, adding Crabbslabb (Font 4) and Poopscoop (Font 5A) to the growing circuit. She climbed Poopscoop in fine style after only a handful of attempts. Sweet. The problem tackles a scoop on small edges and pockets and a tough top out. The two add to the diversity of the ever growing bank of problems we now have firmly established in the Lembah Parang circuit.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Bouldering in Indonesia
The weekend of the 10th and with Aunt Judy, Cousin Em in tow, we set off for Parang valley for a different sort of day out. Our first visitors gave Anja and I a break from the routine. Sharing this incredible area with others was something quite special. They have both climbed but neither have tried bouldering; the prospect of bouldering for the first time ever in swealtering heat and without rock boots somehow wasn't that enticing. Anja and I managed to have a bit of a go and one problem was sent: the hanging prow that eluded me on the last trip. Bear Pooh is hard 6C+ perhaps 7A I think and a really nice line.
The following weekend saw a successful completion of two projects. We were lucky with cool temperatures throughout the day and rolling motivation. Beginning with the White Boulder, a new problem has been added at 7A+. After four sessions, this problem takes a right-hand start to Simple Pleasures; sharp holds, small foot holds and big moves. Considering I'd ear-marked it for completion before the year was out, I'm pretty stoked. Just the direct start to go now and the right-hand side of the White Boulder is complete.
Feeling good but slightly drained, I needed a rest and Anja was feeling encouraged and wanted to climb. I guess this sort of thing is contagious. We set off up to the Ombak with lights hearts. Since we first found the block, the left arete has looked to be the most desirable line there. After a bit of work, Anja topped out the Ombak Arete problem. At 6A this is her finest achievements and took only a couple of goes on the day before swift dispatch. She was at full stretch on this one and had thought it impossible. Really pleased for you.
On the sister block of the Ombak block, I tried to piece together another problem but was firmly beaten into submission by it. It should keep me occupied for the time being. We'll see how it goes. Finally, a stop off at the garden area and cleaning the smaller of the two massive blocks there concluded the day and set up our next visit nicely. Looking forward to getting on to the two problems we found there. All in all a good day which felt like progress had been made. We now have six topped problems and as many projects to be completed. A few more cool days and we'll be sweet.
Bear Pooh
The following weekend saw a successful completion of two projects. We were lucky with cool temperatures throughout the day and rolling motivation. Beginning with the White Boulder, a new problem has been added at 7A+. After four sessions, this problem takes a right-hand start to Simple Pleasures; sharp holds, small foot holds and big moves. Considering I'd ear-marked it for completion before the year was out, I'm pretty stoked. Just the direct start to go now and the right-hand side of the White Boulder is complete.
Pleasurecore
Feeling good but slightly drained, I needed a rest and Anja was feeling encouraged and wanted to climb. I guess this sort of thing is contagious. We set off up to the Ombak with lights hearts. Since we first found the block, the left arete has looked to be the most desirable line there. After a bit of work, Anja topped out the Ombak Arete problem. At 6A this is her finest achievements and took only a couple of goes on the day before swift dispatch. She was at full stretch on this one and had thought it impossible. Really pleased for you.
Ombak Arete
Thursday 15 July 2010
Kawasan Kebun
Two weekends of relative inactivity on the climbing front have resulted in slow progress in the valley. Sunday the 27th of July saw another attempt by Anja and myself to find a route up to the foot of the crags on Gn. Bongkok. On the two previous attempts we had gone unprepared and been shut down by the terrain, the midday heat and a bad choice of route. We had been using the topo from rockclimbing.com to do so (which comes complete with absolutely no mention of how to approach the crag). This time we were better prepared. Carrying ropes, the rack and enough supplies for a good day out, we set off this time from the path that leads down to the boulders.
Having scouted a possible route to the lower right hand side of the crag, we first followed a series of trails through the bamboo and then went up a dry river bed. At a certain point, the bamboo stops and so do the paths. Here, the jungle really seems to bite back and you're faced with a solid wall of greenery which Anja and I spent almost an hour clearing away in order to reach the lowest face. We finally managed to cut our way through, broke the Golok in doing so and, massively exhausted, found ourselves, at last, at the foot of the real climbing on the Gunung..
From where we were, lines of unbroken rock, rise up lightly-featured in places taking you up to the main face itself. It really is an inspiring place. We went for a look around and soon realised that this largely featureless rock, as we had guessed from bouldering, would be more of a sport climbing venue than trad. With this in mind, we set about looking for the line Iraqi Affairs but couldn't locate it. It had taken us two and a half hours to reach this point. It began to look as though our whole day might soon be spent making little progress in terms of useful developments in the area which over the last few weeks have been moving along nicely, we both decided that the best decision was to quit while we were ahead.
We decided to take another look at the two large boulders that we found on the first trip out. Anja was pretty dead from the trek up the hill and I was also wiped, both a little down about our necessary decision regarding Gn. Bongkok. While looking around at the rather high-ball problems, not only did I see a pretty gnarly line, I also found a cave the went underneath the larger rock and lead to a clearing - a sort of garden area with a bamboo shack in the middle. The garden has boulders all over, of all sizes and will be the next area to be explored properly. It seemed to pick us both up and re instill the feeling that the development of bouldering here at Lembah Parang is the best use our our time in Indonesia.
Having scouted a possible route to the lower right hand side of the crag, we first followed a series of trails through the bamboo and then went up a dry river bed. At a certain point, the bamboo stops and so do the paths. Here, the jungle really seems to bite back and you're faced with a solid wall of greenery which Anja and I spent almost an hour clearing away in order to reach the lowest face. We finally managed to cut our way through, broke the Golok in doing so and, massively exhausted, found ourselves, at last, at the foot of the real climbing on the Gunung..
From where we were, lines of unbroken rock, rise up lightly-featured in places taking you up to the main face itself. It really is an inspiring place. We went for a look around and soon realised that this largely featureless rock, as we had guessed from bouldering, would be more of a sport climbing venue than trad. With this in mind, we set about looking for the line Iraqi Affairs but couldn't locate it. It had taken us two and a half hours to reach this point. It began to look as though our whole day might soon be spent making little progress in terms of useful developments in the area which over the last few weeks have been moving along nicely, we both decided that the best decision was to quit while we were ahead.
We decided to take another look at the two large boulders that we found on the first trip out. Anja was pretty dead from the trek up the hill and I was also wiped, both a little down about our necessary decision regarding Gn. Bongkok. While looking around at the rather high-ball problems, not only did I see a pretty gnarly line, I also found a cave the went underneath the larger rock and lead to a clearing - a sort of garden area with a bamboo shack in the middle. The garden has boulders all over, of all sizes and will be the next area to be explored properly. It seemed to pick us both up and re instill the feeling that the development of bouldering here at Lembah Parang is the best use our our time in Indonesia.
Thursday 24 June 2010
Boulder cicuit established
Sunday saw a number of problems sent, some more projects put up and an area of good quality bouldering finally established. Following four weeks of trips to the area, there are now 4 boulders with around 15 problems developed not all of which have yet been successfully topped out.
The first send of the day was Anja Crabb's Pleashure Cat which takes the line furthest right on the White Boulder. This follows a groove up and left onto the high slab to the top of the boulder. She puts this as one of the best problems she's done and gives it a grade of Font 5B.
The move of the ground involves a high step, then through delicate technical climbing left and a high reach and step up, a stable position is established on the high slab. From there, it's a quick trot up the slab to the top of the boulder. On the first ascent, the down-climb hadn't been finished and Anja had to wait for me to clear the path so she could come down.
The right-hand sitter to Simple Pleasures didn't yield despite a continuous assault, the sun moved and we lost our precious shade, so Anja and I decided to check out the pair of high ball boulders up the hill again. 50m up the hill from the White Boulder, we found another area with three boulders, both with shaded areas that provided our afternoon entertainment. An enourmous boulder has split at some point in the past to leave these two curiously formed pieces of rock; one takes the form of a tidal wave, leaving the other as a steep, blank slab.
On the Ombak Boulder there are two problems. On the left-hand side of the block is a very clean 6A arete problem. It really is an impressive line. Here, Anja is on the arete problem. This tackles the arete from a standing start and follows it up to a clean top-out.
The first send of the day was Anja Crabb's Pleashure Cat which takes the line furthest right on the White Boulder. This follows a groove up and left onto the high slab to the top of the boulder. She puts this as one of the best problems she's done and gives it a grade of Font 5B.
Anja on Pleashure Cat
The move of the ground involves a high step, then through delicate technical climbing left and a high reach and step up, a stable position is established on the high slab. From there, it's a quick trot up the slab to the top of the boulder. On the first ascent, the down-climb hadn't been finished and Anja had to wait for me to clear the path so she could come down.
Padding up the high slab
The right-hand sitter to Simple Pleasures didn't yield despite a continuous assault, the sun moved and we lost our precious shade, so Anja and I decided to check out the pair of high ball boulders up the hill again. 50m up the hill from the White Boulder, we found another area with three boulders, both with shaded areas that provided our afternoon entertainment. An enourmous boulder has split at some point in the past to leave these two curiously formed pieces of rock; one takes the form of a tidal wave, leaving the other as a steep, blank slab.
On the Ombak Boulder there are two problems. On the left-hand side of the block is a very clean 6A arete problem. It really is an impressive line. Here, Anja is on the arete problem. This tackles the arete from a standing start and follows it up to a clean top-out.
Anja on Ombak Arete
On the right end of the block is an equally impressive but more challenging line. This problem starts low down underneath the overhanging prow and from a sit start, climbs up the double-arete and onto the face of the wave itself. The problem slaps up both aretes until a good pocket on the right hand edge. From here, you rock onto the top of the block, round the back. I think, just to be in keeping with the way things have been going of late, the problem resisted, leaving me yet another problem for yet another day.
Underneath the prow
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Moving up
Last Sunday we were back in the Lembah Parang, this time cleaning holds, cutting back jungle and sending, well sadly just the one problem, but sending problems.
The rock is andosite, which is igneous rock and sits right in the middle of the igneous spectrum. It feels like a fine-grained granite. In places it is almost pure white, in others it is a darker grey. It tends to be finely featured, lending itself to bouldering and perhaps sport climbing and the boulders themselves are on the large side all of which should make for some quality [as yet, unclimbed] boulder problems.
The whole area is heavily vegetated and so far, we have concerned ourselves with the baldest looking boulders that are within easy(ish) reach of the path. Development on three such boulders has begun; two very large ones and a third which is a short way down the hill and the first to have been dispatched. The White Boulder, has some very good lines up it, both hard and easy and even has a newly forged down-climb. The first problem is on the right hand side of the boulder. Simple Pleasures goes at Font 6C. There is a direct SS to be added to this, coming straight up off two fine undercuts that looks to be about 7B and another in from the right that continues up and left from where Simple Pleasures tops out, which should be about 7A+. Further right is Anja's first problem, as yet unnamed and ungraded which tackles a short groove via some sharp holds and a rock-over.
Progress is slow at the moment as we find our feet, clear bush and so on. Hopefully we can arrive before the full impact of Siang next weekend and have a decent couple of sessions before the rain comes. Photos to follow.
The rock is andosite, which is igneous rock and sits right in the middle of the igneous spectrum. It feels like a fine-grained granite. In places it is almost pure white, in others it is a darker grey. It tends to be finely featured, lending itself to bouldering and perhaps sport climbing and the boulders themselves are on the large side all of which should make for some quality [as yet, unclimbed] boulder problems.
The whole area is heavily vegetated and so far, we have concerned ourselves with the baldest looking boulders that are within easy(ish) reach of the path. Development on three such boulders has begun; two very large ones and a third which is a short way down the hill and the first to have been dispatched. The White Boulder, has some very good lines up it, both hard and easy and even has a newly forged down-climb. The first problem is on the right hand side of the boulder. Simple Pleasures goes at Font 6C. There is a direct SS to be added to this, coming straight up off two fine undercuts that looks to be about 7B and another in from the right that continues up and left from where Simple Pleasures tops out, which should be about 7A+. Further right is Anja's first problem, as yet unnamed and ungraded which tackles a short groove via some sharp holds and a rock-over.
Progress is slow at the moment as we find our feet, clear bush and so on. Hopefully we can arrive before the full impact of Siang next weekend and have a decent couple of sessions before the rain comes. Photos to follow.
Saturday 5 June 2010
Tomorrow in the Battle think on me. Javier Marias
This was handed to me by Gary Crabb when I had run out of good books recently. It is written by Javier Marias who is a well-known Spanish author and translator. The book follows a short period of time in the life of a man who has the misfortune of being on a date with a woman who suddenly and unexpectedly dies in his arms. The title conjures up images of war or struggle and references the man's inner struggle with having to deal with the consequences of having an affair with a woman who dies the first time they meet up for a date, a woman who he barely met.
We find out very early on that the woman is both a wife and mother and that the narrator, although invited round, is in fact almost a stranger in the house and an imposter in his place at her death bed. As the death occurs within the first few pages, the bulk of the book deals with the the way that this woman's death plays on the narrator's mind and his obsession with her and with his desire to learn more about this woman, her family. The reader follows the twists and turns of his mind and somehow Marias manages to create sensations of utter excitement but also of horror, suspense; I suppose what we are reading is the narrator's own sense of guilt and the process as he moves through this. There are dark undertones throughout the book which at times I took to be a thickening sub-plot of another side to the main character; something that certain events in the book perhaps allude to but which I think, upon finishing the book, one realises perhaps simply reflect the human mind and dark places that we all have.
In the battle certainly ranks very highly in the list of books I have read. It is simply unlike any other book I have read. Rivas' ability to write in a manner which is so like human thought, at times it is scary. We move through his thoughts and feelings and find ourselves judging him for decisions and errors he makes. The book stayed with me for some time after finishing it.
We find out very early on that the woman is both a wife and mother and that the narrator, although invited round, is in fact almost a stranger in the house and an imposter in his place at her death bed. As the death occurs within the first few pages, the bulk of the book deals with the the way that this woman's death plays on the narrator's mind and his obsession with her and with his desire to learn more about this woman, her family. The reader follows the twists and turns of his mind and somehow Marias manages to create sensations of utter excitement but also of horror, suspense; I suppose what we are reading is the narrator's own sense of guilt and the process as he moves through this. There are dark undertones throughout the book which at times I took to be a thickening sub-plot of another side to the main character; something that certain events in the book perhaps allude to but which I think, upon finishing the book, one realises perhaps simply reflect the human mind and dark places that we all have.
In the battle certainly ranks very highly in the list of books I have read. It is simply unlike any other book I have read. Rivas' ability to write in a manner which is so like human thought, at times it is scary. We move through his thoughts and feelings and find ourselves judging him for decisions and errors he makes. The book stayed with me for some time after finishing it.
Sunday 30 May 2010
West Java Climbing 30.05.2010
Checking over the Internet about climbing potential in and around Bandung this week revealed an article by a certain Reynold Sumayku, who had himself written a piece on climbing West Java. His article is not only headed by a photograph of some perfect rock in a perfect setting, it also mentions some places that I had previously not heard about. Further research revealed many of the places mentioned to be found around Plered, south of Purwakarta and therefore within easy reach of Bandung. This is the best thing to have happened, in terms of climbing since arriving in Indonesia for me and so in a state of excitement, a plan was formed and I took a look today.
Unknown to the outside world, the village of Cikandang is hidden away in a valley dominated by two rock escarpments of formidable proportions which dominate the landscape all the way down to lake Waduk Jatiluhur glistening in the distance. Parang's rockface (above) rises from the valley floor right to the sumit, with unbroken lines of upto 250m and provides the main focus of the area. Opposite, Bongkok has rock starting higher up, measuring up to 150m in length. From both rock faces, as far as you can see, the valley is peppered with large boulders which lie amongst sawah and bamboo and make this an idillic setting. There is a peaceful feel to the place and it feels as if time has stopped or at least slowed to a trickle as you walk along the winding path which rolls gently downhill.
This seemingly idillic spot is really quiet in terms of traffic. The area curently has a few routes recorded on both Gn Bongkok and Gn Parang but as far as I can tell there has been recent development or activity. The Parang face is known as Tebing Parang. There are photos dotted around the internet for example here. Rockclimbing.com has seven routes listed on three sections - East, North and West Wall - but there is little or no route description for these. Some appear to have been bolted while others are left trad and there is also an aid route (Ural 28 A2) on the north wall.
Over on Gn Bongkok the face is smaller but no less impressive. Information about this wall is less forth-coming but again rockclimbing.com has six routes shown on a topo and three routes are described quite well. Two are single pitch and one is a two-pitch route. There is also a photo of a tasty-looking 7b project. Bongkok appears to be more accessable than Parang from the ground.
The next thing to note is the boulders on the valley floor. There are hundreds scattered about. Just walking down through the valley along the path I found a couple of projects. One looks like a dream. I had a pull on the holds and it felt very much like it will go. Looking around there are so many up in the bush, down in the sawah. People have listed a couple of boulders on rockclimbing.com but neglected to describe where they are or what the routes / problems are like but the potential for bouldering is perhaps what excites me most.
All in all, after a trip there to check it all out, I was left feeling very encouraged. I planned to go there, see what ther place had to offer and see if I coud find any good rock that might warrent a return trip. What I found was a valley with two spectacular rock faces, both of which lend themselves to multi-pitching and single-pitch routes. I've put a selection of photos on rockclimbing.com (my new best friend it would seem) to give more of an over view of the area. The next step will be having a climb which I'm looking forward to immensely. That's the plan for this Sunday; climb. I look forward to writing my next post!
Directions
From Jakarta / Bandung toll: exit toll at Padalarang. Turn right at the main city centre intersection, following signs to Purwakarta. Stay on the road for Purwakarta through Darangdan and after 37km turn right to Plered. Head through Pered on the main road for 12km - straight through a cross road signed Selo Agung at km10 - and turn right onto a small road heading for Cikandang (Just ask people around if unsure). Follow this road as it climbs through settlements for 25 minutes and turn left just after you enter the village, signalled by bamboo fence posts (see image)
View of East wall of Gn Parang
Unknown to the outside world, the village of Cikandang is hidden away in a valley dominated by two rock escarpments of formidable proportions which dominate the landscape all the way down to lake Waduk Jatiluhur glistening in the distance. Parang's rockface (above) rises from the valley floor right to the sumit, with unbroken lines of upto 250m and provides the main focus of the area. Opposite, Bongkok has rock starting higher up, measuring up to 150m in length. From both rock faces, as far as you can see, the valley is peppered with large boulders which lie amongst sawah and bamboo and make this an idillic setting. There is a peaceful feel to the place and it feels as if time has stopped or at least slowed to a trickle as you walk along the winding path which rolls gently downhill.
This seemingly idillic spot is really quiet in terms of traffic. The area curently has a few routes recorded on both Gn Bongkok and Gn Parang but as far as I can tell there has been recent development or activity. The Parang face is known as Tebing Parang. There are photos dotted around the internet for example here. Rockclimbing.com has seven routes listed on three sections - East, North and West Wall - but there is little or no route description for these. Some appear to have been bolted while others are left trad and there is also an aid route (Ural 28 A2) on the north wall.
Over on Gn Bongkok the face is smaller but no less impressive. Information about this wall is less forth-coming but again rockclimbing.com has six routes shown on a topo and three routes are described quite well. Two are single pitch and one is a two-pitch route. There is also a photo of a tasty-looking 7b project. Bongkok appears to be more accessable than Parang from the ground.
Gn Bokgkok's main wall
The next thing to note is the boulders on the valley floor. There are hundreds scattered about. Just walking down through the valley along the path I found a couple of projects. One looks like a dream. I had a pull on the holds and it felt very much like it will go. Looking around there are so many up in the bush, down in the sawah. People have listed a couple of boulders on rockclimbing.com but neglected to describe where they are or what the routes / problems are like but the potential for bouldering is perhaps what excites me most.
Unnamed project with Bongkok in the background
All in all, after a trip there to check it all out, I was left feeling very encouraged. I planned to go there, see what ther place had to offer and see if I coud find any good rock that might warrent a return trip. What I found was a valley with two spectacular rock faces, both of which lend themselves to multi-pitching and single-pitch routes. I've put a selection of photos on rockclimbing.com (my new best friend it would seem) to give more of an over view of the area. The next step will be having a climb which I'm looking forward to immensely. That's the plan for this Sunday; climb. I look forward to writing my next post!
Directions
From Jakarta / Bandung toll: exit toll at Padalarang. Turn right at the main city centre intersection, following signs to Purwakarta. Stay on the road for Purwakarta through Darangdan and after 37km turn right to Plered. Head through Pered on the main road for 12km - straight through a cross road signed Selo Agung at km10 - and turn right onto a small road heading for Cikandang (Just ask people around if unsure). Follow this road as it climbs through settlements for 25 minutes and turn left just after you enter the village, signalled by bamboo fence posts (see image)
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Albert Camus - The Outsider
The Outsider written by Albert Camus was published in 1942, his first novel, it is a mind-blowing piece of literature; it really allows you to look at life from a slightly different angle and is a major work of philosophy, dealing primarily with absurdism.
The book is used by Camus to explore the theory of the Absurd: a paradox which deals with the idea that although, as humans, we cherish life and value existence highly we are all destined to die and are conscious of our own mortality. Everything we do is futile in the face of this mortality. How can anyone enjoy life knowing that they are sentenced to death? Something like unhappiness is easy to deal with as we know that happiness will follow: we've been unhappy before but we have also been happy and we know that the two follow one another (Parmenides), but any enjoyment of life is impossible due to the meaningless of it. To illustrate this, Camus sentences his main protagonist Meursault, to death and the book follows the life of this character before and after the sentencing.
The Outsider is set in the author's own birth place of Algeria and chronicles a short period of the life of the main protagonist's life leading up to his untimely death. The book is split into two sections. Part one details the funeral of the protagonist's very recently deceased mother and Meursault's murder of a local man while the second part follows the same character's court trial for murder. In this way, Meursault confronts death in three distinct ways including facing up to his own end. The book leaves the reader uncertain about the nature of Meursault; although it is written in the first person he gives nothing about the his own interpretation of events and has a complete emotional detachment from what is happening around him:
"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know. I got a telegram from the home: 'Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.' That doesn't mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday." pg.3
The reasons for this detachment depend on the reading of the book one adopts. It is maintained throughout witnessing his own mother's death, the murder and his own road death trial. One interpretation for example, is that the character suffers from asbergers or autism to some degree; unaided and misunderstood as he stumbles through his own life and causing the reader to feel wonder, empathy, frustration as they read:
"And the more I thought about it, the more I dug out my memory things I had overlooked or forgotten. I realised then that a man who had lived only one day could easily live for a hundred years in prison. He would have enough memories to keep him from being bored. In a way, it was an advantage." Part 2, Chapter 2, pg. 79
If the book has a bizarre feel to it it overall, this can be explained in part by the fact that it is used by Camus to explore the theory of the Absurd. I find the theory of the Absurd and the way it is expressed through this book fantastic. Reading the book as an exploration of the theory: Meursault's emotional detachment is explained in an instant. This paradox deals with the idea that humans cherish life and value their own existence highly; they seek happiness, comfort and perhaps knowledge and more. Despite all this thirst for living, when all is said and done, we are all destined to die and everything we do becomes futile in the face of or own mortality. How can life have any meaning for you if you are aware that you will die. Coping with unhappiness is possible: we know happiness is sure to follow, but the meaningless of life means any enjoyment of it is impossible.
Monday 12 April 2010
Roberto Bolaño's The Savage Detectives
The book focuses on two Mexican poets, Arturo Bolano (a ficticious alter-ego of the author) and Ulises Lima and documents their search, over twenty years, for Cisarea Tinajero, a mysterious dissappeared writer and founder of the real vicerismo movement. It is told in three parts. The first and last are diary entries by a young student who, through his involvement in Bolano and Lima's gang of real viceralistas, ends up leaving Mexico DF with the two. The main, central part of the book consists of a series of various freinds' and acquaintances' accounts of meetings with and reflections on Bolano and Lima, and their lives between 1976 to 1996.
The central part of the book is an audacious undertaking, in terms both of the scale of what it chronicles -twenty years of searching through Mexico, Spain, France, Israel and even Africa- and in the narative technique used to tell this. Some of the writers give numerous accounts, others appearing just once; some are a couple of paragraphs while others are over twenty pages long. What impressed me most was Bolano's ability to adopt the persona of these fictitious characters, and use them todescribe a certain period of one or the other of Lima or Bolano's lives. One character simply retells tales that Bolano told him. Fantastic tales and short stories in their own right. Another character is asked by Bolano to assist him in a duel with a critic who Belano feels has misrepresented him. Later in the book, there's a passage from a woman whose spare room Belano rents. She's a body builder who falls in love with Bolano, but with whom Bolano has little, if anything, in common. Sometimes I found myself stunned by the brilliance of these first person naratives. The content is so rich, giving you an awful lot to dwell on.
The book is realist in its descriptions and has an incredible richness in terms of the language. I have to admit that when I first picked up the book, I was overwhealmed. It had been a long while since I'd done much reaing in Spanish and it did seem a little daunting. It is certainly a book that you can return to, and understand more and more with time. It is the first book that I have read that is so closely tied to poetry and was an awakening, with regard to how beaurtiful writing can be. I'm now completely sold on LAm literiture. With Javier Marias and Jose Saramago, every book I pick up at the moment feels like it's the best book I've ever read.
Sunday 4 April 2010
Work Now, Climb later
Climbing has taken a back seat since arriving in Bandung. The first indication of this came perhaps just before Christmas, in the Harau Valley, in West Sumatra. My interest in the Harau Valley was first sparked by the casual mention of a group of self-sufficient climbers in the Lonely Planet and the subsequent Internet searches that gave a hazy view of definite climbing possibilities. The Valley is a stop-off on the backpacker trail, with the waterfalls of Lemba Harau incorporated into tours to the area around Bukkitinggi. It consists of a single road around which there are villages in a rural setting which back onto distant rocky outcrops. As you continue up the valley, the rock gets closer, the dwellings get fewer and sweeping 100 metre expanses of yellow orange and blue rock rising from emerald green rice fields continue kilometre after kilometre and lead finally to the village of Harau itself. We stayed at the Echo Homestay, a place very close to nature providing an ideal location from which to set out on day trips into the valley itself.
While we managed to fit a visit to the place into a one week trip as well as cart a rope, shoes and harnesses along on the trip, we didn’t get any actual climbing in; in the three days we spent there we only took a look at the rock and the astounding scenery around from ground level. In retrospect it seems like a genuine missed opportunity, and in writing this I realize just how upset I am, while at the time it felt like we tried, although perhaps not with a full effort, to get onto the rock and get some climbing done. By the time we had psyched up to give it a go on the afternoon of the second day, the rain began and didn’t let up before we left to Danau Maninjau on the morning of the third.
While the circumstances and the rain were perhaps partly to blame I can’t help thinking that a fear of the prospect of having to down climb, of the bolts (which were for the most part in good condition), and of my unfamiliarity with the conglomerate rock all went together in creating a certain reluctance to climb and prolonged the climbing until it was, by accident, too late to do so. The trip to Maninjau made up for the lack of climbing for the most part.
In Bandung, we found a local climbing wall within the first week through a friend of Anja’s and went down a couple of times initially and then, when I started work I managed to get it together enough to trek down twice a week at 9 a.m. to have a rewarding pre-work climb. The wall is at a local outdoors shop Eiger on Jl. Cihampelas and by Indonesian standards is pretty good. It is a fully free standing 25 metre overhung, bendcrete-esque artificial wall with holds, bolts enough to get you to the top at about French 7a climbing. Inside, the shop has large glass windows looking into a small bouldering wall made of similar paneled climbing wall with a flat section, a stepped roof, overhung by about two metres and another by around one.
Coming from the UK and having worked at both The Edge in Sheffield and the Manchester Climbing Centre sets my expectations of how a climbing wall should be far too high. Having just one lead wall and small bouldering area at the Eiger Climbing Centre, both with questionable safety issues puts a slight damper on the whole experience. Still, the walls present enough of a challenge to keep me occupied. Throughout the month of March though, I haven’t been down. I put this down to the fact that I haven’t been out on rock since arriving in Indonesia. It really does kill the motivation. Let’s face it, indoor climbing just isn’t the same.
All in all, now that the dry season seems to be making a, appearance, I hope to be able to post some information about climbing around Bandung in the coming weeks and to be able to get motivation back up to the level it was prior to leaving the UK. Bandung has much in its favour in terms of climbing: the local competition climbers who, while perhaps being unable to go outdoors as much as one might hope, are always ready and willing to share a session. So Citata becomes less of a dream and more of a reality.
The Eiger Wall
While we managed to fit a visit to the place into a one week trip as well as cart a rope, shoes and harnesses along on the trip, we didn’t get any actual climbing in; in the three days we spent there we only took a look at the rock and the astounding scenery around from ground level. In retrospect it seems like a genuine missed opportunity, and in writing this I realize just how upset I am, while at the time it felt like we tried, although perhaps not with a full effort, to get onto the rock and get some climbing done. By the time we had psyched up to give it a go on the afternoon of the second day, the rain began and didn’t let up before we left to Danau Maninjau on the morning of the third.
While the circumstances and the rain were perhaps partly to blame I can’t help thinking that a fear of the prospect of having to down climb, of the bolts (which were for the most part in good condition), and of my unfamiliarity with the conglomerate rock all went together in creating a certain reluctance to climb and prolonged the climbing until it was, by accident, too late to do so. The trip to Maninjau made up for the lack of climbing for the most part.
In Bandung, we found a local climbing wall within the first week through a friend of Anja’s and went down a couple of times initially and then, when I started work I managed to get it together enough to trek down twice a week at 9 a.m. to have a rewarding pre-work climb. The wall is at a local outdoors shop Eiger on Jl. Cihampelas and by Indonesian standards is pretty good. It is a fully free standing 25 metre overhung, bendcrete-esque artificial wall with holds, bolts enough to get you to the top at about French 7a climbing. Inside, the shop has large glass windows looking into a small bouldering wall made of similar paneled climbing wall with a flat section, a stepped roof, overhung by about two metres and another by around one.
Coming from the UK and having worked at both The Edge in Sheffield and the Manchester Climbing Centre sets my expectations of how a climbing wall should be far too high. Having just one lead wall and small bouldering area at the Eiger Climbing Centre, both with questionable safety issues puts a slight damper on the whole experience. Still, the walls present enough of a challenge to keep me occupied. Throughout the month of March though, I haven’t been down. I put this down to the fact that I haven’t been out on rock since arriving in Indonesia. It really does kill the motivation. Let’s face it, indoor climbing just isn’t the same.
All in all, now that the dry season seems to be making a, appearance, I hope to be able to post some information about climbing around Bandung in the coming weeks and to be able to get motivation back up to the level it was prior to leaving the UK. Bandung has much in its favour in terms of climbing: the local competition climbers who, while perhaps being unable to go outdoors as much as one might hope, are always ready and willing to share a session. So Citata becomes less of a dream and more of a reality.
Sunday 14 February 2010
And done
The blog has definitely been forgotten. In all the excitement, finding time to write about what's going on here has been.. well, in a way there has been plenty of other things to get on with. However to bring this page up to date: I have moved into a house in Bandung in an area of North Bandung, Dago, and since January I have been working for English First as an EFL teacher.
The two months that I've been in Indonesia seem to have flown by. After the initial week or so staying with Anja's folks in Upper Dago; their village is Ciburial, a week which, thanks to Gary and Siegrun's fantastic hospitality and culturally balanced environment, provided a gentle shift from West to East; we both headed to West Sumatra, the Island north of Java for one week, before returning to Bandung and heading to the south coast of Java to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Anja's parents. New Years was vastly different to the last few and was spent at Fashion Pasta an Italian restaurant which overlooks the city of Bandung. The night was accompanied by a small string band and four singers who rotated throughout the evening, which played a variety of eastern and western music and felt special. It was one of those events that you know is a once only affair. The set-up was two guitars, mandolins, and an instrument that I'd describe as a three-string cello and was simply surreal. What was really funny to see, was the way in which the majority of people seemed to bring in New Year together at midnight and then by quarter past, seemed to evaporate.
That more or less covers life in the first month in Indonesia in terms of events and what happened. Personal reflections are harder to put down on paper. I'm not sure that the phrase culture shock would be proper for the way I felt when I arrived in the country. It was more a sense of pure wonder. In a way, with the abundance of photos and information about anywhere you care to look at on the Internet, you can create a fairly good mind's eye of how a place might look and feel; you expect the heat and humidity when you step out of the plane so when it happens it isn't so much of a shock, but it still feels incredible. An entry in my diary from the first few days here reads: I'm astounded by everything and surprised by nothing. Livingwithin view of but outside the city, in the hills meant that Bandung wasn't in my face initially. It also heightened the intrigue: looking at it everyday, down below, wondering how it worked and what it felt like.
For me, one of the greatest experiences when stepping outside the environment to which you've become accustomed, is the feeling that so much is so new. The knowledge that you're really looking at the world and noticing it objectively. You walk around, drive, ride, all with eyes wide open, attempting to take everything in. To this end, everything here is so different visually, from what I've become accustomed to in Europe.
The two months that I've been in Indonesia seem to have flown by. After the initial week or so staying with Anja's folks in Upper Dago; their village is Ciburial, a week which, thanks to Gary and Siegrun's fantastic hospitality and culturally balanced environment, provided a gentle shift from West to East; we both headed to West Sumatra, the Island north of Java for one week, before returning to Bandung and heading to the south coast of Java to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Anja's parents. New Years was vastly different to the last few and was spent at Fashion Pasta an Italian restaurant which overlooks the city of Bandung. The night was accompanied by a small string band and four singers who rotated throughout the evening, which played a variety of eastern and western music and felt special. It was one of those events that you know is a once only affair. The set-up was two guitars, mandolins, and an instrument that I'd describe as a three-string cello and was simply surreal. What was really funny to see, was the way in which the majority of people seemed to bring in New Year together at midnight and then by quarter past, seemed to evaporate.
For me, one of the greatest experiences when stepping outside the environment to which you've become accustomed, is the feeling that so much is so new. The knowledge that you're really looking at the world and noticing it objectively. You walk around, drive, ride, all with eyes wide open, attempting to take everything in. To this end, everything here is so different visually, from what I've become accustomed to in Europe.
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