During the week I spent in East Java, we went on what I considered to be three main excursions. The first involved a long bike ride from Paron to Ngawi Town early on Saturday morning to check out the Van Den Bosch Fortress. East Java was once Dutch Colonial territory, and Ngawi Town is located at the intersection of two rivers, the Solo and Maduin. Naturally, such a river connection warrants what would be considered a “stronghold,” so the Dutch colonists built a military fortress within 100 meters from where the rivers meet. It has been a long time since the fortress was used for Dutch military purposes.
I once inside the courtyard, I noticed that there were a bunch of motocross banners. John enlightened me by explaining how the grounds were commonly used for motocross races during the past few years, and it was easier just to leave the banners up year-round I guess. It would be a pretty awesome and unique place to watch a race, to say the least.
Also, not long after we arrived, we noticed a group of school kids following us around, who were somewhat shy until I asked if I could take their picture. Then, I noticed, it was hard to get them to stop getting into every photo!
My favorite thing about this place was definitely how the straight lines of the worn building juxtaposed with the invading nature. It made for some interesting photography!
After getting a fill of photos, we headed back into Ngawi town for a couple of laps around the park’s track and some breakfast. Somewhere along the way we lost the kids who followed us around, but not before I was able to snap one last shot of John having a conversation mid-ride.
