For all three of you that read this blog (hi, mom, Marisa, and Irfan!), I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you on why shooting in Indonesia is very much like camping. Here goes:
- Brackish, highly suspect water is common in both scenarios.
- You should always carry your own toilet paper. And you always pack it out (lest you want to be that embarrassed foreigner explaining to your Indonesian host why you broke their toilet)
- Headlamps are indispensable. In Indonesia, they come in most handy when you’re experiencing mati lampu (blackouts) 1-2 times a day.
- Raingear is a must. Especially when it’s musim hujan (rainy season) and heavy downpours can happen in the blink of an eye. Riding on the back of a motorcycle in the pouring rain is not fun, especially when all you can think about is sheltering your raison d’être (aka your camera).
- Fill up on calories. This is a rule I try to abide by every day. Salads? Who needs them? I start the day off with some heavy nasi kuning (yellow rice with meat, crackers, and egg), take in some mie pangsit (fried wonton noodle soup) for lunch, and then end the day with some coto (oily soup filled with chunks of unidentifiable meat).
- Always carry extra clothing with you. Dimas, my newest and very resourceful production assistant, always carries an extra shirt. Meaning he’s the only one of us fit to be seen in public at the end of the day.
