Army Boots From Bandung, Indonesia in Japan

Tuban – The Earth-Eating Village of Indonesia

In Tuban, a village in the East Java  province of Indonesia, earth is used to make “ampo” a creamy snack believed to have medicinal properties.

According to Rasima, the ampo cook of Tuban, there is no real recipe to making this bizarre snack. All she does is look for clean, gravel-free soil, in the village’s rice paddies, pound it into a solid block, using a stick, and scrape rolls out of it,with a bamboo dagger. The rolls of soils are then baked and smoked for an hour. Rasima then takes the earthy snacks to the village market, where she earns about $2, to supplement her family’s income.
Tuban is the only earth-eating village on the planet. There are people, around the world, who enjoy eating sand, or kaolin, but not baked soil. Villagers believe ampo is a natural pain-killer, and that it makes babies’ skin softer, if eaten by their pregnant mothers.
As for the taste of ampo, “it’s nothing special, it feels cold in my stomach” says one of the Tuban locals, who has been eating ampo, ever since she was a child.












via REUTERS
Photos by REUTERS via Daylife

Green School in Bali, Indonesia

Welcome to the green school in Bali, Indonesia. It provides its students with an education about the amazing environment that we live in. It is a holistic and relevant education. During the construction, only bamboo, elephant grass and clay were used. Cement was used just in some places in the foundation. The central and the most important building is the "heart of the school." It is perhaps the largest building in the world built entirely from bamboo. Its dimensions are 18 meters high and 64 meters long. General area of the school includes a variety of structures: apartment buildings, classrooms, office building, and cafes. The school gets electricity from environmentally friendly sources of energy: hydraulic turbine generators and installed solar panels. It seems that considering the way we are polluting the earth, everyone should attend.

Bali Sea Temple - Pura Tanah

 

Bali Sea Temple — Pura Tanah

One of Bali's most important sea temples, Pura Tanah Lot ("Temple of Land in the Middle of the Sea") is a spectacular sight, especially at sunset. 20 More images after the break...

History
The tiny island was formed by the gradual erosion of the ocean tide over thousands of years. The temple of Tanah Lot is said to have been founded by the 16th-century priest Nirartha, one of the last priests to come to Bali from Java.

What to See

The temple of Tanah Lot stands on a rocky island just off the southwest coast of Bali. One of Bali's most sacred sea temples, Tanah Lot is dedicated to the guardian spirits of the sea. The temple itself is said to be guarded from evil by the sea snakes that inhabit the caves below.

The temple itself is not accessible to visitors, but magnificent views can be had from a variety of points nearby. Crowds especially gather on the terraces nearby to watch the glow of the sunset behind the temple. Naturally, there are plenty of souvenir shops and cafes with a view to keep you well-supplied while doing so.

Quick Facts

Names: Pura Tanah Lot; Tanah Lot Temple; Temple of the Land in the Middle of the Sea; "Sunset Temple"

Type of site:   Temple
Faith:             Balinese Hinduism
Status:           Active
Dates:            c.16th century
Location:        SW Bali, Indonesia
Hours:            Not open to visitors.