Sunday, August 9, 2015

Minangkabau Rumah Gadang and its wooden panels.

Rumah Gadang - the traditional house in West Sumatra's village of Pandai Sikek.


Over 300 years old rumah gadang in Balimbing.


Forsaken house in Balimbing.



Old red wooden panels.


Splendid rumah gadang with a rice barn in Pagaruyung.


Fairy house in Pagaruyung.


Wooden  panels in Pagaruyung.







Rumah gadang in Koto Gadang.


New house - old design in Koto Gadang.


Wednesday, July 15, 2015

ten deszcz jest tylko wirtualny

Od kwietnia do dziś 25 stopni nad ranem ( to jest ten "najchłodniejszy moment" ).

Czekam na deszcze od kilku tygodni. Te prognozy pogody to sobie można wsadzić w d..ę. Deszcz to pada 10 minut na dobę...




Tonight 15

A t-storm around this evening
Lo 25°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

16

A t-storm around in the p.m.
32° Lo 25°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

17

Couple of thunderstorms
32° Lo 25°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

18

Heavy p.m. t-storms; a shower
32° Lo 26°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

19

A thunderstorm in spots
32° Lo 26°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

20

Rain and a thunderstorm
30° Lo 26°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

21

Cloudy with a stray shower
30° Lo 24°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

22

Considerable cloudiness
31° Lo 24°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

23

Cloudy
32° Lo 24°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

24

Cloudy with a stray shower
31° Lo 24°

Hist. Avg.

N/A Lo N/A

Sunday, July 12, 2015

From Oenesu Waterfall to Fatumnasi. West Timor landscape

New day, new car and new driver.


We leave Soe and go to visit Oenesu waterfall.


No trace of people, all area around the waterfall is deserted.




We are lucky to be accompanied only by the sound of water and birdsong.



The old man charge an entry fee by leaving the waterfall area.


The road climbs gently.



We are heading north, toward the highest mountain in Timor, Mt. Mutis - 2,427 m. above sea level.


We pass roadside poinsettia plants...



and tombs.




The route becomes spectacular.



On the horizon, behind a mountain range is blue line of Savu Sea.


The last steep climb and we reach an elevation above 1,000 m.


Welcome at Fatumnasi village.


Kierowca w kapeluszu

Kierowcy w kapeluszach "śmigają" na drogach całego świata.





Saturday, July 11, 2015

The best silver earrings are hoop earrings

The list of  best sellers this year. Category : earrings.
The 10 pairs of the most popular silver earrings among 300 designs from #StudioApsara.
Trends are easy readable : all but one pair ->  "hoop earrings"  + only two pairs with gemstones.



Oblong hoop #10m Mustika design


Oblong hoop #142m Mustika design


Hoop #8m Mustika design


Hoop #304K  old Balinese design



Oblong hoop #137e Daddy Komang design



Hoop #573E old Balinese design modified by Leonard



Chandelier #614m Kadek design



Topaz hoop #260E Kadek design



Hoop #103m Mustika design


Onyx oblong hoop #406K Kadek design



Placki ziemniaczane w Tajlandii

Po wielu latach spędzonych w Tajlandii lista ulubionych dań zmieniała się kilkakrotnie. Nigdy nie tęskniłem za bigosem, pomidorówką, czy na kanapkami z szynką. Przyznam jednak, że placki ziemniaczane ( zwane również blinami ) są bardzo wysoko na mojej kulinarnej liście. Jest to jedyne danie europejskie, które śniło mi się po nocach.



Zaczynam sobotnie południe od wyżerki. Stos blin i doskonały jogurt smakujący jak polska śmietana.




Monday, July 6, 2015

Średni zarobek w Tajlandii w 2015 roku.

Od roku 2010 średnie zarobki w Tajlandii wzrosły o 60 %.  W drugim kwartele tego roku wyniosły 13,248 baht ( jest to równowartość $396 lub 1418 złotych ).




Kwota wolna od dochodu rocznego to 150 tysięcy baht. Przy obecnych średnich zarobkach miesięcznych w wysokości 13,250 baht dochód roczny wynosi 159 tysięcy baht.

Kwota podlegająca opodatkowaniu ( 15% ) to 9000 baht ( 1009 złotych ). Tak więc roczny podatek dochodowy przy średnim zarobku ( bez wykorzystania ulg podatkowych ) wynosi 151 złotych.

Dodam tylko że podatek Vat w Tajlandii wynosi 7% i nie ma oczywiście odpowiednika ZUSu.

Wszystkim Tajom w wieku 60 plus przysługuje państwowa emerytura w wysokości 600 baht miesięcznie, w wieku 70 plus 700 baht.

Stopa bezrobocia w Tajlandii : 0.93 %.



source: tradingeconomics.com

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Don't go to Boti village - West Timor travel

Raptures over the Boti village belong to the tunes of the past.
In a guide book published a decade ago I read :
Boti - fantastic village inhabited by people still living as their ancestors: practicing animism and completely independent from the outside world - free of cash economy.

Our Timorese guide tried to dissuaded our visit in Boti talking that almost nothing traditional is left there. I insisted to go to Boti lured by remote location of the village.


Dirt road to the village looked promising.




The road became impassable for our van and we beat last stretch on foot.








The head of Boti entertained us with a cup on nice tea and cookies.

The boss is called "young chief" unlike his deceased father. But chief in no more young. Soft speaking chief has thousands grey threads in his hair pinned in a bun.
Poor devil pressed between church, local officials and tourists gave up to pretend running traditional community.

No more traditional garb, only old T- shirts left by tourists.
No wooden floors and furniture, only ceramic floors and disgusting plastic chairs living in a place surrounding by forest.



The living room is littered with cheap plastic clocks brought by officials and a portrait of sad Jesus' family.

I understand the desire for more comfortable world and work to make meet ends each month.

There is no reason to wander half day. There are many similar villages like Boti in a radius of several miles from Kupang. Boti has undergone a transformation which ended with connection to an electric grid.



So, what can be called "traditional" here ?

The rest of roof ? until rot.


Weaving ?
They use cotton threads chemically dyed and purchased for cash.



The chief's enclosure is a blend of public office garden with national flags and a tourist resort. Somebody lost his way...

The tourism board in Timor loses its raison d'être. Soon there will be no more tourist here.