What's a kampung?

cut through?

No, it's not another one of those tasty (?) fried roadside treats, although that would be a good guess. Actually, I have been wondering what a kampung is myself for some time now. I have been under the impression that kampungs are areas within the city where the poorer Indonesians typically live. 

On the way home from another bird singing contest this morning, Ronnie and I decided to walk down one of the alleyways that we often see motor scooters coming in and out of. Ever since I began to notice them, I just assumed that they were “cut throughs” that allow motor scooters to get from one street to another without having to contend with as much street traffic.

no, it's much more

Ronnie had been curious about these little alleyways as well, so today we decided to follow one of them to see where it would come out. To our surprise, it lead us into a small “neighborhood” or village. As soon as we emerged from the narrow passageway, we were walking between living quarters that were tiny, cramped and somewhat primitive looking. I suspect these little villages are representative of the way many Indonesians live.

I learned that the original meaning of "kampung" was "countryside" or "village" but the term is often used to indicate the neighborhoods which stretch out in the back of the official roads and maintain a village-like social structure. This definition seems to fit, as these little living areas are tucked off the main roads and cannot be accessed except through these narrow passageways, either on foot or by scooter.

vendor carries chicken, fish (and flies) on left, miscellaneous goods on right

creek runs through village

foot traffic along main walkway

family living quarters

It was hard not to let ourselves peer inside the residences, as the doors stood open on most. My guess is that they do have electricity but probably do not have indoor plumbing. The pipes coming out of the sides of the building empty directly into the creek that flows through the village (see photo above). 

family run warung

Men were doing construction work or pushing their carts while children played happily, having no idea that they are poor. Laundry dried in the sun while one woman sat on the porch picking lice from another woman's hair and another was hanging more clothes. Caged birds hung from porch coverings or the rare tree. We definitely felt like “strangers in these parts" as we made our way through the village. It's obvious these Indonesians don’t see many “bule” inside their village. As is typical, we got a lot of stares but some folks were friendly and a few seemed happy to pose for photos. 

boys on bamboo ladder

mixing concrete on the ground

    

mother and sleepy baby

Taking "people photos" is always a delicate balancing act. While I want to take a photo of pretty much everyone I see, I also am aware that people may or may not respond favorably to having their photo taken by a perfect stranger. My goal is to grab a photo without offending my subject/s in the process. Some persons may be shy or easily embarrassed and some may consider a camera carried by a “bule” an intrusion into their world. I always smile when I make eye contact with another person, with or without my camera. But if I do have my camera, I smile and depending on the way I “read” the other person's response, I may or may not ask for permission to take their photo. Surprisingly, many of them not only give me permission (through their body language) but some actually seem thrilled to have their photo taken. If we are in close proximity, I'll show them their image on the back of the monitor and we exchange a smile or “thumbs up” of approval. 

life inside the kampung

happy children at play

Hopefully as I am here longer, I'll learn if this was a kampung that we wandered into today. I would like to learn much more about them and the people who live in them. And if I'm fortunate, I'll get to visit other kampungs and even become acquainted with some of the people who live in them. That's a teaser for a future blog entitled "Kampungs - Part 2." And by then, I hope to be better informed.