Today was our day to see the village of Kalibaru. Supri arrived at 9:00 with two dokars. Tanja, Wahyuni and I got in and drove first to the main highway which we followed for ten hair raising minutes, then to smaller roads which took us through the tiny lanes of the village. Supri’s goal was to show his village and several of the small cottage industries that thrive here.

First stop was an aluminum pot and pan factory on the side of the highway. Hanging outside were row after row of pots, pans, ovens and utensils which had been made in this tiny shop. We went inside and watched a half dozen men working by hand, pounding aluminum rolls into all kinds of shapes.

We drove down small country lanes and kampongs to the brick factory, a set of brick kilns under a roof, behind which were rows and rows of bricks drying in the sun. Several workers were digging clay, mixing with water and pressing them into molds to dry on the ground before being fired. Hard work!

Across the road was a series of shacks, starting with a fire under a roof  on which was a 50 liter pot bubbling away. Several women and children sat watching and stirring. This was the final phase of boiling down the coconut syrup to make sugar. We walked behind these buildings through a dense forest of mosquito infested cacao trees to a man whose job it is to climb all 40 coconut palm trees twice daily to harvest the fruity sweet nectar from the coconut flowers. Up he went, quickly, 30 meters to the top, a large plastic gallon jug dangling from his belt. Bits of hard flowers rained down on us, then he was down with a thin, sweet watery liquid which would be boiled down to sugar. Very hard work for very little profit, judging from the status of their dwellings, but they all seemed to be proficient at their jobs. Little kids came along, cartwheeling and wanting high fives constantly.

The dokars then took us to the old village, with tiny lanes lined by houses and shops, very lovely. We ducked into a very narrow and dark alley, ending up in a tiny workshop with more fire heated pots where tofu was being made. By hand. Great quality, very labor intensive. Down the street was a factory where peanut snacks are made.

We then crossed the busy highway on foot and entered the local pasar or market. Everything under the sun was for sale in a huge, low ceilinged series of stalls. The food especially was fascinating, with produce and fresh meat and dried chips and fish of all kinds sitting out, flies buzzing all around and no refrigeration. Quite a scene. We tried some fruits hitherto unknown to us, very sweet and refreshing.

Our tour ended with a visit to the house of Supri, a beautiful small house at the end of a neighborhood street on the rice fields with a view of the mountains. Supri beamed with pride as he showed it to us. We had cappuccino and spekkoek with homemade emping and enjoyed the breeze and the view. Delicious.

Riding in a little wagon drawn by a small little horse over backroads and through kampongs made you feel you had gone back in time at least a hundred years.  What a great way to see rural East Java.

For pictures see Tanja’s Facebook