I think to me scarcity is very much of value. Eg: China has a Manichean temple, and there's very little left of the Manicheans anywhere. Harbin, China, has a Jewish synagogue: there are, obviously, very few synagogues relatively anywhere in the world, particularly not in Asia, so that's super-interesting. (Relatedly, I'd find a synagogue in a central European city likely of more interest than one in New York.) A Manichean temple or Jewish synagogue in China is of interest just by being there, whereas the bar is much higher for Buddhist or Taoist or Confucian temples (the Great Mosque in Xian is also interesting, partly because of its heritage, but also because mosques are relatively rare in China). Zoroastrian and Baha'i things are interesting, too, just because you don't see very many of them.
That applies to natural stuff as well: Borneo rainforest is particularly interesting because it has so many endemic or close to endemic species (orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sunbears, pygmy elephants, yada yada). Everest is particularly interesting because it's the world's highest mountain, etc.
When I think about my Indonesia bucket list, I tend to think of Papua (I've not been to PNG), including the Raja Ampats—that's endemic wildlife and remarkably diverse cultures and languages—Sumatra, in particular Lake Toba, which is big and old and a remnant of a super-volcanic eruption, as well as being beautiful and having an unusual culture, and the Bandas, which is a history thing (Run being swapped for Manhattan). I would also like to get to Malang at some point because it sounds lovely, but I'm not itching for it because it doesn't have the scarcity factor of the other places I've mentioned here. And I'd love to see the pygmy elephants in Kalimantan, but I'm not sure I'm committed enough to spend two weeks getting bitten to pieces looking for them.
Any wet market,Mercado, night market. Anywhere anytime :) Food what’s new, what’s different? What’s eaten locally. Food gambling, take a gamble and try something new :)
I think to me scarcity is very much of value. Eg: China has a Manichean temple, and there's very little left of the Manicheans anywhere. Harbin, China, has a Jewish synagogue: there are, obviously, very few synagogues relatively anywhere in the world, particularly not in Asia, so that's super-interesting. (Relatedly, I'd find a synagogue in a central European city likely of more interest than one in New York.) A Manichean temple or Jewish synagogue in China is of interest just by being there, whereas the bar is much higher for Buddhist or Taoist or Confucian temples (the Great Mosque in Xian is also interesting, partly because of its heritage, but also because mosques are relatively rare in China). Zoroastrian and Baha'i things are interesting, too, just because you don't see very many of them.
That applies to natural stuff as well: Borneo rainforest is particularly interesting because it has so many endemic or close to endemic species (orangutans, proboscis monkeys, sunbears, pygmy elephants, yada yada). Everest is particularly interesting because it's the world's highest mountain, etc.
When I think about my Indonesia bucket list, I tend to think of Papua (I've not been to PNG), including the Raja Ampats—that's endemic wildlife and remarkably diverse cultures and languages—Sumatra, in particular Lake Toba, which is big and old and a remnant of a super-volcanic eruption, as well as being beautiful and having an unusual culture, and the Bandas, which is a history thing (Run being swapped for Manhattan). I would also like to get to Malang at some point because it sounds lovely, but I'm not itching for it because it doesn't have the scarcity factor of the other places I've mentioned here. And I'd love to see the pygmy elephants in Kalimantan, but I'm not sure I'm committed enough to spend two weeks getting bitten to pieces looking for them.
Any wet market,Mercado, night market. Anywhere anytime :) Food what’s new, what’s different? What’s eaten locally. Food gambling, take a gamble and try something new :)