All Indonesian losmen’s have their idiosyncrasies, and Setia Kawan is no exception. Usually the idiosyncrasy is in the toilet department and in particular dodgy flushing mechanisms. In some places the cistern is just not connected to the water supply, whilst in others the mechanism is so fragile it may work once, if luck allows, and then give up. So there is almost always a tap on the wall under which stands a bucket with a plastic scoop to provide an manual means of clearing the toilet bowl. At Setia Karwan the cistern generally works perfectly and we have little need to call on the bucket and scoop arrangement. What is missing though, is a basin. Where to wash our hands and clean our teeth? Washing hands is easily dealt with – the tap on the wall and the bucket suffice. But for cleaning teeth it’s either directly over the toilet or the bucket which then has to be emptied into the toilet. Neither terribly ideal, but hey, this is Indonesia.
Mandis, or showers, are another interesting feature of the Indonesian bathroom although they rarely seem to feature in the hotels that westerners frequent. Sometimes they are to be found alongside public toilets and can only be distinguished from the latter by the fact that there is no ‘squatty’ present. In both there is a large tank of water with a plastic scooper, but in the mandi the scoop is used to pour the water over yourself.
Andy recently came across something which looked similar to a mandi but was actually a toilet – where you just pee on the floor. Fortunately, he’d read about it in Lonely Planet beforehand – but you do have to careful!
Today, is pretty much a ‘do nothing’ day. A bit of time on the internet, some lunch, reading, chilling and finalising our travel plans to Pangandaran on the south coast. After much too-ing and fro-ing between travel agents and considering all the options – two trains; two buses; or train and bus combos – the tourist shuttle direct to Pangandaran seems to be a no-brainer. Tourist shuttles cater for small groups in air conditioned mini-buses and generally travel door-to-door. More expensive, of course, than the train or public bus, but still quite cheap by UK standards, much more comfortable, convenient and far less hassle. We leave tomorrow at 9am.