Slippery Stones and Soggy Sneakers in Batu

so here i am, standing in the middle of a town that sounds like it belongs in a kung fu movie, but it's actually in east java, indonesia. i mean, batu. sounds cool, right? except it's 28.93°c right now, feels like 35.65°c because the humidity is 85%. i just checked and it's basically a sauna out there, hope you like that kind of thing. if you don't, well, maybe just stay inside and order some fried rice, because that's what i did after i nearly slipped on a mossy rock and ate it in front of a bunch of school kids.

i'm not even sure why i'm here, honestly. i think i saw a photo of some weird apple-shaped hotel and thought, "yeah, that's my kind of place." turns out, it's just a hotel shaped like an apple. not even a real apple. kinda disappointing. but hey, at least the locals are nice. someone told me that the best bakso in town is at this tiny cart near alun-alun batu, and i'm not gonna argue with that. it was spicy, it was cheap, and it made my nose run like i'd just run a marathon. or maybe that was just the heat.

anyway, if you get bored, malang and surabaya are just a short drive away. not that you'll get bored here. there's a whole museum of animals made out of... i don't even know. plastic? Felt? Whatever it is, it's creepy and wonderful at the same time. i heard that the secret zoo is decent too, but i'm not much of an animal person unless they're on my plate, so i skipped it.

i did try to visit selecta recreational park, because i heard the flowers are insane this time of year. i heard that the colors look like someone spilled a rainbow and forgot to clean it up. but honestly, by the time i got there, i was too sweaty to care. i sat on a bench, ate some corn on the cob, and watched a bunch of ducks fight over a breadcrumb. it was oddly satisfying.

oh, and the weather? yeah, it's basically a steam room with a view. but that's east java for you. unpredictable, a little chaotic, and totally worth it if you're into that kind of thing. just bring extra socks. trust me on that one.