Senggigi Beach, Lombok Island, Indonesia.
6 years ago, I went to that beach, with a boy I only knew by the name — the boy I was in love with.
The beach, to me, was not so an amazing place. But I want to visit it again someday, to show my son “this was the beach where mama dated papa for the first time’. 
Not many Indonesian of my generation would bother to watch a wayang kulit show (shadow puppet). Reasons are:
1. They’re not fond of wayang kulit.
2. They don’t understand the language (the noblest form Javanese language).
But I love wayang kulit, even though I never get what they’re saying.
Facts!
#1. A wayang kulit show normally starts at around 9pm and ends at around 4am. The dalang (master of puppet), sinden (Javanese singer), people who perform gamelan music (as the background music for the show), and loyal audience, must stay up wide awake all night, sitting. So they drink ‘kicking’ coffee, it’s Javanese coffee + sugar + salt + hot water.
#2. Wayang kulit show is expensive. It’s like paying Britney Spears to sing at your wedding party.
True literature can exist only where it is created not by diligent and trustworthy officials, but by madmen, heretics, dreamers, rebels and sceptics. But when a writer must be sensible… there can be no bronze literature, there can only be a newspaper literature, which is read today, and used for wrapping soap tomorrow.
Yevgeny Zamyatin — Essays
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