Road to Rantepao

On our way to Rantepao, heading out into rice paddies,

the taxi driver tries fiercely to convert me to Islam in Indonesian .He speaks of heaven and hell. I pay him and I am free of his taxi ride. From the bus window, cozy stilted houses on rice fields, Masjid tops glitter, bright green shingled gingerbread houses and spindled trees languish smokily along the road, Dangling stuffed animals Stuffed hearts dangle in bus window, We ride for more than 10 hours looking out at the various sceneries, electric tubes in hardware stores, wire chicken wire in rolls. A chicken sits in a bicycle. Cock cages, food under porches, beans on blankets under stilted houses and little pink curtains in windows along roadside. We have lunch with soft winds on the sea, we eat baked fish with many tiny bones. We leave the coast for up the hill, into the jungle, huge leaves shadowy, mountain houses nestled in the rocks, .. Steep cliffs cabbages ,purple flower pots. A little girl runs up the hill. dangling in the front window of the bus. Night descends blue florescent lights, Spots of white light in the mountains. Rains hard as the bus finds our lodging. Ultramarine indigo glow lights in the bus..