Jogjakarta, Indonesia

You might think you are in Indonesia, but you are really in the Pokémon Universe. Meet Pikachu. Put him together with Hello Kitty, and you've got the two most famous icons of Japanese pop culture. Can you believe Pikachu is already 25 years old? [2016]

Bandung, Indonesia

"Let a new Asia and a new Africa be born." And, guess which country wanted to emerge as the leader of these aborning realms when the pathbreaking Bandung Conference convened in 1955. Indonesia, of course: the world's fourth most populous country (out of almost 200!). Enjoy what remains of Geography Awareness Week 2021! [2016]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Pura Tanah Lot is an active Hindu temple. It is one of seven sea temples along the coast of Bali, the "island of the gods." To each come the faithful to pray, and all are in the market for an offering fit for deities. The purchase of preference: flowers and flower petals. [2018]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Sea arches are short-lived. Here you see evidence that one has collapsed, turning what was a promontory into an island perched upon a wave-cut terrace that is accessible on foot at low tide. Why would you want to walk there? Because it is the site of Tanah Lot temple, part of Bali's Hindu landscape. Remember: The religion of Bali is Hinduism. [2018]

Beraban, Bali, Indonesia

Here is an ancient Hindu temple on a sea arch. Even though Bali is a volcanic island, this bedrock appears to be limestone associated with mature karst. The arch itself looks like the roof of an ancient cave, part of a landscape that has been uplifted and attacked by waves and currents. In geologic time, sea arches are quickly erased by nature. [2018]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

All Hindu temples on the island of Bali make space for offerings known as canang sari: baskets made of palm leaves and filled with flowers and other botanicals. [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

Temple guardians take different forms in different cultures. This one presides over the entrance to a Balinese Hindu temple in Denpasar. Big ears, big eyes, big nose: He hears, sees, and smells everything. It's a gentle reminder: God is omniscient. Then, there are those not-so-gentle looking thumbs. [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country, but this is obviously not a mosque. It's a Hindu temple on the island of Bali, one of the few parts of the world outside the Indian subcontinent, where the majority of the population is Hindu, albeit Balinese Hindu. To survive in majority-Muslim Indonesia, they declared themselves to be monotheistic. [2016]

Jakarta, Indonesia

Let's bring back the colonial era! Can't you imagine these bikes on the streets of Amsterdam? In case you are not 'in the know,' Batavia (now Jakarta) was the capital of the Dutch East Indies, now called Indonesia. Kota Tua is the place in Jakarta where the colonial era lives on. [2016]

Bandung, Indonesia

Real Animal Characters: Real characters have something unique about them. On this picture, though, you can't see what makes the Arabian camel unique. What is it that you can't see? [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

If you visit Bali for New Year's Eve, you will be surrounded by Hindu temples rather than Christian churches. While you are here, though, please notice: These Hindu temples are used every day, not just once a week like the places where Christians worship. Wherever the eve takes you: Behave yourself! This is God's world, earthquakes and all. [2016]

Bandung, Indonesia

Wherever you live, keep your folk culture alive. And, if that culture includes traditional dance, learn the moves and perform, just as these young women are doing. Their feet, hands, and bodies, rather than their faces, express the essence of Javanese history and transmit it to the next generation. [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

What's the tree of life in coastal regions of the tropics? The coconut palm. It provides food, water, oil, fiber, and building materials. Today, you can add to the list coconut honey, wine, vinegar, sports drinks, geotextiles, fiber board, erosion-control mats, rubberized car mats, and biodiesel additives. [2016]

Bandung, Java, Indonesia

Also played on an 8-by-8 board is chess. It's another game that unites the nations. In fact, 185 countries have chess associations, Indonesia included! That means someone here has the chance to become a national champion and go on to the 'worlds.' [2016]

Bandung, Java, indonesia

The puppets here, called wayang golek by the islanders, are elements of West Javanese folk culture. Get the kids hooked on puppet theater early and hope that their devotion to the art sticks with them through adulthood. That is the role of the arts in nation-building. Can you think of any other cultures that have inherited a strong tradition of puppetry? [2016]

Jakarta, Java, Indonesia

Indonesia's national monument (an obelisk, just like ancient Egypt!) is topped by the gold-leafed flame of independence. From what country did Indonesia gain independence in 1945? The country featured in tomorrow's post provides the answer. [2016]

Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

It doesn't matter that garlic was introduced from China, it is now a tried and true part of Indonesian cuisine. Just imagine what you could do with garlic in a country that includes the fabled Spice Islands. In reality, though, she is probably just getting ready to make some fried rice, Indonesian style, or maybe some clear vegetable soup. [2016]

Jogjakarta, Indonesia

There must be a survival advantage to skin art. When the 5000 year old "iceman" was discovered in the Alps, he had tattoos all over his body. Today, tattoos are just as popular, even on the other side of the planet. This one looks very Javanese. [2016]

Jogjakarta, Indonesia

Indonesia depends on the Roman alphabet as the script for its official language, Bahasa Indonesia. On this street sign, however, the 'language of Indonesia' must share the spotlight with an ethnoregional tongue, Javanese, which has its own alphabet. JL is an abbreviation for jalan, meaning street. [2016]

Jogjakarta, Java, Indonesia

Hanging out! All it takes is a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. The scene is repeated all over the world: We hope without the graffiti. But even the graffiti may be nothing more than an expression of humans' gregarious nature. [2016]