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JAKARTA HIGHLAND GATHERING
 The
events for this year's Highland Gathering are now underway. On
Wednesday we had a very The Charity Golf Day last Wednesday was
very successful. Join the rest of the fun:
FRIDAY 19 MAY - SCOTLAND IN CONCERT
- a few tickets still available, contact Susan Whistler on 0812
9485222 for details
SATURDAY 20 MAY - CEILIDH (kaylee)
NIGHT in MAD DOGS Cilandak
SUNDAY 21 MAY - THE BIG DAY!
Jakarta Highland Gathering - the unique annual
multi-cultural fun day out - attractions and events for all ages
from around the world and around the archipelago - a great way
to entertain your family, your friends and/or your clients.
Things are shaping up for a fantastic day. Don't miss it.
SCOTTISH SETTLEMENTS IN THE HIGHLANDS OF JAVA?
There are a few theories on why there are a number (I counted four
during my exploration trip last year) of kampungs in
East-Java with Scottish names. The most well-known is Glenmore, in
between Malang and Banyuwangi. One theory is that the VOC had
hired a regiment of Scottish Highlanders to protect their assets
from the Portuguese and English, but they moved to East Java when
the English increased their power in the late 18th century. Afraid
of reprisal's from the English they stayed in the mountains near
the city of Jember and never left. Another one (Source: the
British in Indonesia by Richard Mann) claims that when Catholic
Scots sought refuge in Holland they were sent to the East Indies
instead. Another, a BuGils regular, told me that they were indeed
a regiment of Highlanders hired by the Dutch and stationed near
the city of Gouda in Holland. But after a period of no work (read:
no war) they got bored and started to hassle the Gouda citizens
more and more. The Dutch decided then to move them all the way to
East-Java where they were entitled to land but not within a radius
of 40 kilometers from the coast-lines. When I visited Glenmore I
couldn't find any reminds or descendants from these Scottish. I
looked around but didn't see anybody drinking or wearing skirts. Also, I spoke to
some people in these kampungs and I could actually understand
them, another sign that they were not all Scottish descendants. If
anyone knows more about the history of the Scottish villages in
Java, please send an email to
bartele@bugils.com See you all at the Highland Gathering
this Sunday!
Indonesia's Catholic church says no "Da VInci" boycott
US Scientists Help Indonesia with Mount Merapi Volcano Crisis
Indonesia's Suharto faces stomach surgery
scroll down for more info...
FROM THE EDITOR:
 My
trip to the south coast of Java last weekend, might be the
start of a new revelation to the world of history. Stonehenge and
the Isles of Pasque have intrigued the scientists for ages, and I
don't see any reason why the stunning discovery I witnessed this
weekend won't. Don't expect a funny bar story or a story about my
brother climbing an erupting volcano; this is about a puzzling but
never discovered and explained world wonder. My equally challenged
companion in archeology on this trip was Lens. Despite the fact
that he has witnessed many relics from the past since he took
charge in Eastern Promise, he also was stunned. As always, this
story is for real.
We had a warm welcome in Kuda Laut, my favorite place to stay in
Pelabuan Ratu. Not only because Kuda Laut is owned by
my good friend Rob de Lange, but also because it has the most
beautiful scenery of the whole area. Rob has been living in the
area for many years and knows an incredible lot of hiking in the
area including a two day hike following a secret path up to
the mysterious Badui villages. I was planning to lose some
necessary weight, but the twenty steps up to my hillside bungalow made
me realise I shouldn't be too ambitious. 'There are more
mysterious things than the Badui.', said Rob calmly. Half an hour later we were
on our way, along a road with breathtaking views.
Not wanting to be a pervert, I didn't blink an eye when this
naturally pretty young Sundanese woman crossed the road. Rob
maneuvered his car through some holes in the pavement, but he had
noticed her as well. 'Its the daughter of the local logger..'. ,
he said quietly. Maybe he knew I looked at her or he mentioned it
because he knew her by coincidence, I didn't know. 'Would be a
welcome addition to the Eastern Promise staff', I heard Lens
mumbling in the back seat.
Suddenly Rob stopped the bar and pointed at some hilltops in the
distance, less than a kilometer away. 'There it is', he said. 'A
never explored piece of a man made structure.' At the top of a
hill, just visible through a dense forest, we could see the
contours of an unnatural formation of rocks, topped on each
other. Even from the distance it was clear that these rocks were
enormous in size. We drove into a small side path and, although
we hadn't seen anybody for a few kilometers, we suddenly arrived
in a small kampung where the road stopped. It was like stepping in
another world, in an other timeframe. Where chicken and ducks
hurried away, kids popped up. Some older people looked in surprise
at this small delegation of white people. We asked for permission
to climb the hill and it was granted in a friendly manner. The tiny overgrown
path became steeper and steeper. A farmer carrying loads of
banana's on his back stopped and looked up in surprise while his
jaws fell wide open. Not after long we reached the
top of the hill and thus the rocks.
It looked like an enormous Stonehenge, but
then with much bigger stones in a less organised shape. Four huge
pillars carried a much bigger roof of lava rock. I estimated this
rock cover to be 5 meters high, by 5 meters wide and 10 meters long. The
four pillars however were equally huge. I noticed 4 narrow entrances,
one in every wind direction. The whole rock formation was on top of a hill that
overlooked valleys in all directions. It must have
been created by men, but by how many? 10.000? 100.000? How did
they ever get these huge colossal things up here? Truly amazing that it had
never been discovered by scientists or archeologists. It could
actually bring a lot tourists to the area.
Lens wrangled himself through one of the entrances, but got the
shock of his life as there was a person sitting inside! Inside the
rock formation somebody was praying! It turned out that the
praying man was
there three days on, three days off. It was a generation from
generation thing, he explained. 'Sounds like the Eastern Promise',
I whispered to Lens. It was a mysterious experience to be on that
rock. A most interesting trip.
Back in Kuda Laut we rewarded ourselves with a beautiful and
delicious rijsttafel. I can highly recommend Kuda Laut in
Pelabuan Ratu, if you want to escape Jakarta for a few days. The
owner Rob knows some great hike routes in the area. Ideal for
losing weight.
Back in Jakarta it is business as usual and although business in
BuGils is picking up again, now the rumor goes that Taman Ria is
planning a new project, making it unclear for BuGils if we can
stay or not. After five years they have finally demolished the
sinking ship in the Taman Ria lake. My brother finally came down
from the Merapi slopes and is now save and well in Jakarta (read
BuGils). Last night we participated in the always popular Quiz
Night and ended rock bottom. I told my brother we should have left
Friesland a decade earlier. Too late now. 'Doesn't matter',
said Herman. 'In the end of night you will receive your sales
report from Widi, just before you sleep. If I count the number of
customers tonight, I think, in the end of the night, you
are the winner.' I ordered two jenevers and wanted to cheers to
that, but when I turned around he had left already. Running after
his girlfriend, who was waiting outside. 'If Indonesians had to
be colonized, many wish it had been by the British', wrote
Richard Mann. 'If Frisians have to be colonized, it might as well
be by the Javanese...', I mumbled to myself, before finishing the two jenevers and followed them home... - Bartele
PERFECT LOCATION, GOOD FOOD
AND GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY
 RESORT
KUDA LAUT, CIBANGBAN BEACH NEAR PELABUAN RATU
T.
0266 7076771, 08161438669, 081513594461 (Ima), 081513594462
(Anita), E-mail :
kudalautbeachresort@yahoo.com
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD:
Boxing bout sparks brawls
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pugnacious Australians just
love a good fight -- in the ring or in the pub.
Friend left as deposit at gas
station BERLIN (Reuters) - A German woman
left her friend as a deposit at a gas station because she did not
have enough cash to pay for her petrol, police said Wednesday.
Woman Gets 'DO NOT RESUSCITATE' Tattoo
DECORAH, Iowa - Mary Wohlford has made it
perfectly clear what her final wishes are: it's written in ink —
on her chest. Wohlford, 80, had the words "DO NOT RESUSCITATE"
tattooed on her chest.
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The
biofuels trend has reached Asia in a big way. In Indonesia, the
government is pondering teaming up with Malaysia to become the
"OPEC" of palm oil, usable as a "biodiesel" motor fuel. India is
aggressively exploring alternatives like the jatropha "wonder
plant" and ethanol. Biofuels are no slam-dunk, though: their
viability without subsidies remains questionable, as is their
impact on overall agriculture. 
Happy Hour prices EVERY Saturday and
Sunday. This Saturday Leanne the manager in Cazbar is celebrating
her birthday. All 7255 readers of this newsletter are invited
