BALI TO MADURA VIA EAST JAVA...

arrived in java around 4 pm on a tues and noticed differences immediately from bali.. the food was a little different, with 'bakso' (a spicy soup with beef dumplings), 'nasi pecel' (rice with veg and a peanut sauce, sometimes with prawns?) and 'mie goreng' (like a stir fried noodle with vegetables) seeming to be typical east java fair, also there are no signs of my favorite 'babi guling' here as muslims dont eat pork.. due to the lack of tourism and the fact that i can now pronounce and order food properly in bahasa, they are charging me the local price which is amost never more than 5000rp per meal (about 55 cents). i usually get 4 amazing meals in a day for about $2..
another big difference was the loud voice of a man singing in arabic over loud speakers that echoed through every neighborhood, a subtle reminder that im not in kansas anymore and that this place is totally different from anywhere ive ever been..
i found a couple of trees next to the sea and was setting up my hammock when my new friend edi stopped on his way home from work.. we started chatting and his english was really good.. i told him what i was doing and he insisted that i come stay the night at his home.. he went slow and i followed him about 10k on my bike to his neighborhood.. he showed me around the city on his motorbike and i had some killer 'mie ayam' (a spicy noodle soup with veg and chicken).. i was really happy to meet/stay with edi and his brother, they were so nice and made me feel at home.. i woke up at 4am to the a capella muslim chants blairing from the nearby mosque.. i hit the road early to try to catch the 2pm ferry to madura which was in a port town called jangkar about 80km away.. riding in the morning is the way to do it here, before it gets too hot.. all the little villages smelled of smoke and seemed surreal.. small children were piled on motorbikes driving themselves to school.. lots of people talk to me and are curious as to who i am and why i am on a bike.. there is no tourism at all in the towns here which i love.. most people smile and wave and children go crazy, but everyone stares at me and makes me feel a little awkward.. though i cant blame them, if i saw an indonesian walking through the lower east side with a machete carrying bundles of banana leaves i would stare too!!