Reminiscences 2025
There were places I wanted to go on my “sabbatical tour” in Southeast Asia that David and I visited after jumping off the May Term bus. That included Kuala Lumpur, whose train station we had stopped at in January, and Indonesia. One of the goals for me for this part of my sabbatical was to meet with Scouters–and I did.
Kuala Lumpur is a reasonably recent city, located at the site of a gold 
discovery in the late 19th century. Though the government has moved to nearby Putrajaya, KL is still the business center of Malaysia
Continuing my interest in Scouting around the world, David and I met with Eric Khoo, the International Commissioner, in Malaysia. We had a wonderful dinner in a restaurant of his choice, and I later found a neckerchief he had contributed to the museum for BP in Kenya!
Indonesia was a challenge because there was a contested election occurring. We consulted the State Department about going, but got nothing definite.
We went anyway on Garuda Airlines. The first day, the election, was really quiet. Essentially, everything was shut down, and we could go anywhere, which was a novelty, believe me. Traffic in Jakarta 
usually resembled traffic in Los Angeles. We spent some time with the Scout headquarter staff, who took us to their camp. At one point, they sat us down in a cabin, and, it being Friday, went to the mosque for midday prayers.
Unlike any other Scout organization, Indonesia uses a coconut seed instead of the compass trefoil. The coconut symbolizes toughness and adaptability, fitting for the world’s largest Scout organization. It’s a school-based activity, but also had an important and not forgotten role in the war for independence from the Dutch.
We took the train to Yogyakarta, passing through the flat and fertile fields of Java. The city is considered the cultural center of Indonesia. It has two 
well-known ruins of earlier days (Prambanan, a Hindu shrine, and the restored Buddhist masterpiece, Borobudur), and is the only kingdom left in Indonesia. During the Revolusi (the war of independence), Yogyakarta was the rebel capital. We saw all three of the sites, but 
what was really memorable was meeting Scouts. We went to their meeting place–where they drew water from well!
One amusing incident. An enterprising youngster approached us and told us he collected foreign money: “Could you give me some for my collection?” I was moved to assist the numismatist.
From Jogja, we flew to Bali, the Hindu island amid the Muslim sea that is Indonesia. Its beaches are famous (and full of Aussies, who live close by), 
but the cultural features are quite distinct. David and I had a tour, and I remember going through a village where our guide talked about how it had once been Chinese dominant. A pogrom in the l960s had significantly reduced that ethnic minority. Being Christian or Buddhist, Chinese, and relatively wealthy had and has attracted hostility. In fact, as I recall, because of the election and suspected violence, some Chinese tour groups cancelled their proposed visits.
Fortunately, for us, the tranquility promised was what was delivered. Given a choice, I’d go to Bali over Hawaii.
It was also a chance to stop in Manila, partly to complete my tour of Scout visits. I recall that the Scout uniform was as close to mine in the 50s as I’d seen since the 50s, but then I remembered that the Philippines had been an American colony since the Spanish-American War (and the insurrection that followed it). It was the most “American” country we visited–with baseball scores, among other left over Americanisms. The jitneys were colorful ways to get around, but Manila still bore the earmarks of the brutal battles for the city in World War II. Makati City was where the new skyscrapers were.
And then it was time to come home, a three month journey. I wonder if I still have a room on Fell Avenue?