Not sure if this Business Of The Week is going to make The Wall Street Journal, but I admire the enterprising nature of this guy.

Since the demise of the Polaroid Camera, I thought that the days of people coming up to you in the street saying that they could take an instant photo of you near some tourist landmark were over.

Boy, was I mistaken.

On my recent trip to Indonesia, I came across the Instant Digital Photo Man – and he instantly had my nomination for Business Of The Week.

He offers to take your picture near the Ampera Bridge in Palembang.  But with a digital camera, not a Polaroid.

He also carries around a printer that he plugs the camera into, and then prints of the photo in a couple of minutes.

The tools of his trade are below:

Ironically, he was happy for me to take a photo of him doing his job after he had taken a photo of me and members of the Wongkito Blogging Community.

Considering there are few jobs in Indonesia, I thought this guy had great initiative, and hence, deserves the Business Of The Week Nomination!

Today’s Silly Travel Photo is one that I took recently on my month long Travel Blogging trip to Indonesia (you can view the feed of this trip here).

It’s the Spanner Car Door Handle!

This photo was taken inside an Angkot, a mini-van form of public transport in the southern Sumatran city of Palembang.  The door in question was the front passenger seat door.

When you live in third world countries, people have to improvise in any way they can, and this is an example.  You make use of what you have.  Sometimes, people cannot afford to buy spare parts.

But the Spanner Car Door Handle is nothing when compared to other automobile improvisations.

I’ve heard of stories in South Africa where mini-bus taxi drivers attach two plumbing wrenches to the steering column when there is a fault with the steering wheel.  I didn’t have the scary opportunity of capturing a wrench steering wheel for a Silly Travel Photo, but if you have, send it in!

So there you go – this weeks’ Silly Travel Photo has some sort of meaning!

The Spanner Car Door Handle is just one way improvisation can be used to fix your car.

I've been back home in Brisbane for the last few days thinking about the awesome trip to Indonesia I have just experienced.

The 4 week trip felt like it lasted for 4 days!  I had such a blast, and I'll never forget it!

I was amazed at the variety of experiences I had on this trip.  Each place was just so different in character, feel, and food!

When I originally thought of this trip idea, I wanted to experience the real Indonesia – not the tourist one. 

The only way to do this is to stay with the locals and have them show you their world.  That’s exactly what I received – and so much more.

I was shown the very best of Indonesia.  And I saw the very best of the Indonesian people.

So to all of Indonesia – Thanks so much for everything.

Unfortunately, Indonesia does receive some bad press, but the hard reality is that 99.9999999% of their people are extremely wonderful, hospitable and caring human beings, and I have definitely been grateful to receive this hospitality.

My job was to show all the good in Indonesia, and I think I've accomplished that!

Thanks to the local blogging communities, there were so many things that I experienced that would have been almost impossible as a solo traveller. 

Things such as drinking Teh Telur (Tea With Egg), Kacang Memet (Shaved Ice with Red Beans), eating Cow’s Nose with Peanut Sauce.

Experiences such as an Indonesian Wedding, the off the beaten path areas of Banda Aceh, and Muara Takus temple.

These are experiences that money cannot buy.  I am so grateful that I was able to be part of your lives.  I consider myself very lucky.

And I think I’ve made a few more friends in Indonesia!

Thanks so much again, and I hope to see you again soon!

I would also like to thank Air Asia for their support for flying me to and from Australia.  Hope to to this again sometime!  

For other bloggers out there in cyberspace, the websites of each Blogging Community I visited are listed below. 

Drop an email and say hello – I'm sure the Indonesian bloggers will be happy to hear from you, and follow each other on Twitter.  They're a friendly bunch and love to have a good time.

Here are the websites:

Banda Aceh – AcehBloggers.org

Pekanbaru – Bertuah Blogging Community

Palembang – Wongkito Blogging Community

Bandung – Bandung Blog Village, Batagor, and RumahBlogger.

Semarang – Loenpia

Surabaya – Tugupahlawan

I had such a good time this year. I might have to try and swindle another trip next year!

Anyway, normal service at The Travel Tart will be resumed from next week! 

Keep an eye out for a return to the crazy, wacky and downright absurd aspects of world travel today!
 

Hi there to those in Pesta Blogger land.  I’m writing this from Bandung. 

This is just a quick one, because I need to get out now and see Bandung and write about it!

Anyway, the time in Palembang was great! I really enjoyed it.  I really did feel like a rock star there.  I guess foreigners (or bule) don’t stay there too often.

Everyone was so friendly and hospitable, and that’s what I love about Indonesia.  This applies to the entire trip so far, and I the rest of the trip will surely be the same! 

Palembang was a continuation of the great hospitality and experiences of Banda Aceh and Pekanbaru.

I was a bit overwhelmed with the attention, especially the tonnes of photos that were taken with me.  But hey, I enjoyed feeling like a rock star!

Here is an example: being interviewed at FeMale FM about the Air Asia Pesta Blogging Communities Trip. And the following calls of people ringing in wanting to chat to me!

If you really want to hear my voice, listen to the radio station because they asked me to do some voiceovers!

And thanks to everyone from the Wongkito Blogging community. 

Here is a tip for other travellers – get in touch with them and they will be more than happy to show you around Palembang – and practice their English with you.

They are fantastic tour guides!

During my time in Palembang, I was staying with members of Wongkito at a student boarding house. 

Thanks to everyone for letting me stay there. 

I hope I didn’t snore too much Rusli!

Anyway, I’m off to see Bandung!

Air Asia can get you to Indonesia so you can explore the great diversity of this place.  Check out their website for their great deals!

Besides checking out life along Sungai Musi River in Palembang, Indonesia, there’s a lot more you can do there.

Here we go:

1. Visit the Ampera Bridge. 

This is the main link between the northern and southern parts of the city. 

This bridge is best viewed at night when the neon lights up.  Night is best to walk on the bridge, as the activities range from watching people fish to watching people’s first dates.

2. See the massive Chinese Pagoda and ‘Tree of Love’ on Kemaro Island.

Just ask a pump boat operator near the Ampera Bridge to take you there.  The pagoda was built by the Chinese community in Palembang.

If you write your name and someone else’s name on the nearby ‘Tree of Love’, you will be happy with them for eternity.

3. Visit a Songket Factory

Songket is the south Sumatran fabric.  It takes a person 1 month, working 6 days a week, to produce a piece of Songket fabric.

Each thread is woven into a row of intricate patterns.  Prices start from about 1,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah, or about $US100. 

The amount of effort that goes into each piece is astounding.  That’s patience I don’t have.

4. Eat a truckload of great food

Palembang has it’s own unique cuisine, such as the previous post I wrote on the Shaved Ice with Red Beans drink. 

I have been subjected to copious amounts of food thanks to the Wongkito Blogging Community.  Palembang Food is very spicy, but it’s not so hot that it detracts from the flavour (well, not for me anyway!). 

Here are some of the things you can try:

Durian

Durian is either a fruit you love or hate.  It is banned from many places, such as hotel rooms and public transport, because of it’s often pungent odour.  But I don’t mind it now and then. 

A hot tip is not to mix Durian with beer, otherwise you will be burping up Durian for hours.

There are Durian stalls around Palembang that you can visit for dessert!

Ikan Brengkes – Fish in a spicy Durian Sauce

The sauce is called tempoyak, which is a blend of fermented durian, shrimp paste, lime juice and chilli.  Tastes great!

Model – this is Crab balls in a soupy mix.

Pindang – a spicy , clear fish soup

Sop Buah – Fruit Soup

This is refreshing on a hot day – which are most days in Palembang.

Usually, these meals were finished off with a photo with whoever had cooked my meal.

The lady in the brown, black and white dress has a baby due soon.  She mentioned that she would like the baby to have my nose and my mouth.  I don’t know why. 

I thought it was a bit late for me to have any influence!

5. Visit the local bustling markets

There’s all sorts of things for sale here.  Such as fish:

gekkos…

and crickets to feed the gekkos.

6. Walk past the biggest mosque in town, the Mesjid Agung.

7. Take a boat across the river to Kapiten Island to see village life, and traditional houses.

8. And check out the Museum Sultan Machmud Badaruddin II for a number of historical displays

If you ever get to Palembang, check these things out. I’m sure the Wongkito Blogging Community would be keen to help out!

Air Asia can get you to Indonesia and loads of other destinations.  Check out their website for some great airfares.