PPLH Environmental Centre

Continuing along, this was a great place that we stayed sadly only for a night on our way to the glorious Mount Bromo.

At this centre they have lovely guest bungalows with cool outdoor bathrooms and lots of giant and strange insects (surprise surprise). They also have natural wastewater systems (of a constructed wetland variety), and organic agriculture, composting and garbage management programs and promotion of traditional medicinal herbs and medicine (jamu) - and an educational centre to support all this.

During our stay we did a walk through some stunning rice fields and traditional mountain villages. It was very beautiful here and the views from our bungalow were stunning!

Mosques in Indonesia, like most places of worship in the world, are incredibly beautiful places. this mosque is relatively modest - but in the crazy streets of Indonesia, you can find peace and serenity inside the airy walls of the mosques.

Below, we stopped in at an old lady's home who made delicious coffee - the British people must always extend their pinky!

This is becoming a theme, but this was a giant spider hanging out by my bed when i arrived! Stay tuned for more giant spider encounters.
Mine and Bella's bungalow! It was the kelinici (rabbit bungalow)
Morning view


The wicked outdoor bathroom

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Part of an onsite water treatment system

This was our guide, showing us the pod from a strange baobab like tree. the cottony insides can be used to stuff pillows, etc.

Some pictures from our walk - it was stunning overlooking deep valleys. The rice terraces are truly impressive in their construction and irrigation systems.






This was a 91 year old woman who lived very simply and made us coffee and laughed and smiled like a teenager.


Kids in their spare time would keep watch of the rice fields when it was nearly ready for harvest to scare off birds



This is a traditional muslim graveyard - *i believe* the headstones are oriented west-east, with the head facing the west towards mecca. They are surrounded by frangipangi trees.
I found this to be an interesting mix of the old and the new - in the back the pyramid shape is a solar water heater, and in the front is a traditional guardian statue.
This was our guide who had worked/volunteered with PPLH for almost as long as it had existed (since about the early 1990s i believe). He was trained in traditional medicine and was very knowledgeable about using native herbs to treat illnesses. Here he is siting with some spices that would make up the sultans tea we had tried in Jogja. It is just a general overall health boost drink! ill make this for you when i come home, whether you want it or not:)

This was a lovley place that i expressed overemphatically to this man i would be happy to volunteer if they had a need for water specialists (if i can call myself that?).