WEBVTT - Let's all go to... Indonesia! 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:06.519 You're listening to part Time Genius, the production of Kaleidoscope 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:12.240 and iHeartRadio. Guess what Will? 0:00:12.360 --> 0:00:13.080 What's that Mango? 0:00:13.320 --> 0:00:15.960 So we all know the holiday season is a busy 0:00:16.079 --> 0:00:19.040 time for postal workers, and that is the case in 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:22.200 just about every country that celebrates the big winter holidays. 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:25.239 But there is one place where the seasonal uptick in 0:00:25.320 --> 0:00:29.160 mail volume hits parcel carriers harder than anywhere in the world, 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:31.200 and that is in Indonesia. 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:33.639 Oh that's super interesting, And I actually didn't know how 0:00:33.640 --> 0:00:36.440 many people would be celebrating Christmas there, Like, isn't it 0:00:36.479 --> 0:00:37.760 a predominantly Muslim nation. 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.159 Yeah, Indonesia actually has the largest population of Muslims in 0:00:41.200 --> 0:00:44.680 the entire world, with about ninety percent of its citizens 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:48.199 practicing the faith. But Christmas is still widely celebrated there 0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:50.640 as kind of a secular holiday, and gift giving is 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:52.960 a big part of the festivities. And the difference is 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:55.560 that most countries don't have to worry about the logistical 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.640 nightmare of delivering gifts to thousands of far flung islands. 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.880 Indonesian mailmen are basically in the same league as Sanna, 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:03.680 that's what you're saying. 0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:06.360 Yeah, Well, they don't make their deliveries in a single night. 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:08.399 But they definitely have their work cut out for them, 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:13.520 and that's because Indonesia is composed of roughly eighteen thousand islands. 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.199 I had no idea, but when taken together, they actually 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:19.800 spanned a distance about thirty two hundred miles, so basically 0:01:20.200 --> 0:01:23.320 New York to Alaska. And with that much area to cover, 0:01:23.560 --> 0:01:26.600 something is seemingly simple, as delivering the mail becomes this 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:27.679 huge problem. 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:30.760 But wait, no way, all of those islands have mail service, 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:31.279 do they. 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:33.360 No, Some of the islands are pretty tiny and only 0:01:33.360 --> 0:01:36.000 about a third of them are inhabited, but delivering mail 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:38.839 to two hundred and seventy million people spread across six 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:43.240 thousand islands is pretty nutty, seriously, And that's especially true 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.039 in recent years since the country's online shopping market has 0:01:46.040 --> 0:01:50.320 grown exponentially since the COVID nineteen pandemic. So, for example, 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:54.440 in twenty twenty three, Indonesiaans spent more than fifty three 0:01:54.560 --> 0:01:57.720 billion dollars online, which is almost as much as every 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.640 other Southeast Asian country put together. And just for reference, 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.080 the country's e commerce market in the pre COVID years 0:02:04.240 --> 0:02:05.880 was only about eight billion. 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:07.880 Dollars per year. God, that's a huge increase. And so 0:02:07.920 --> 0:02:10.000 what does that do to the country's infrastructure. 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:11.720 I mean, it's really taking a toll on it. So 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:15.360 most of Indonesia's roads and bridges, they weren't designed for 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:17.400 this sort of heavy traffic, and a lot of the 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:20.280 more rural parts of the country aren't even accessible by truck, 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:23.680 which has actually forced cargo companies to get creative to 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:27.040 make deliveries. You've got everything from motorcycles to berry boats 0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:31.040 to even the occasional ox cart. It's pretty amazing, but 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:34.600 it takes a massive fleet of drivers and warehouse workers 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:36.760 to coordinate all of this, and a certain number of 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.919 animals as well. Yeah, every island presents its own challenges there, 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.560 from getting stuck in traffic and the narrow side streets 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:46.080 of Jakarta to getting stuck in the mud and the 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:49.640 rice paddies of rural Sumatra, and the variety of terrain 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:52.880 and differing degrees of development across the many islands. That 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:56.200 all presents the significant challenge. Yeah, of course, so much 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.600 so that in the more isolated parts of the country, 0:02:58.840 --> 0:03:01.639 a worker might deliver as I use, twenty packages over 0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:03.560 the course of a twelve hour shift. 0:03:03.919 --> 0:03:05.760 I mean, it sounds so frustrating, but I guess those 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:07.640 kinds of setbacks are part for the course. When you 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:10.240 live in a sprawling island nation, you know there's really 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:11.200 not much you can do about that. 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:13.320 And that is true, But the growing pains of e 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.519 commerce are just one small part of life in the islands, 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.400 and most people agree that the sheer variety of natural 0:03:19.480 --> 0:03:22.960 landscapes and wildlife and cultural sites that Indonesia has to 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:25.680 offer all of that more than makes up for the 0:03:25.800 --> 0:03:29.520 occasional late delivery. The biggest problem for a tourist perspective 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.200 is deciding which of the country's many islands to visit 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:35.160 and which experiences to try once you get there. But 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.400 hopefully today's episode will help narrow it down for anyone 0:03:38.480 --> 0:03:40.120 trying to make the trip for themselves. 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:43.200 That's right, but since we have seventeen thousand plus islands 0:03:43.240 --> 0:04:06.640 to cover, I think we better dig in. Hey, their 0:04:06.640 --> 0:04:09.520 podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:11.760 and is always I'm joined by my good friend mangesh 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:14.040 hot Ticketter and on the other side of the soundproof 0:04:14.080 --> 0:04:17.599 glass reading a well worn copy of Eat, Pray Love. 0:04:17.680 --> 0:04:20.760 That's our friend and producer Dylan Fagan. He's a little 0:04:20.839 --> 0:04:23.600 late to the party on this one. Didn't go as 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:25.560 all out as he does sometimes. But you know what, 0:04:25.640 --> 0:04:28.200 you can't do something huge every single time, even for 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:30.960 somebody as amazing as Dylan. But since the love part 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:34.039 of the book takes place in Bali, Indonesia, he's right 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:35.880 on time for today's show. 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:37.520 I mean, I don't know if you noticed, but he 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:40.360 does have empty containers from a dozen different pasta dishes 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:43.320 in the corner, and she just blasting Madonna's like a 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:44.479 prayer a few minutes ago. 0:04:44.600 --> 0:04:46.560 So I think he's gast his. 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.880 Way through the Eaton Pray Apart just to get to 0:04:48.880 --> 0:04:52.360 the love. But okay, once again Dylan is hitting a 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.880 bull's eye. But believe it or not, the book and 0:04:55.040 --> 0:04:57.680 movie Eat Pray Love was actually a lot of people's 0:04:57.680 --> 0:05:01.080 first touch point with Indonesia. Yeah, and before the book 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:02.919 came out in two thousand and six, the number of 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.599 international tourists who visited Bali each year hovered around one 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:10.039 point three million, but within a few years the number doubled, 0:05:10.160 --> 0:05:12.840 and then there was an even bigger surge after the 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:15.640 movie was released in twenty ten. You can even rent 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:19.160 out the villa where Julia Roberts stayed on Airbnb, which 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:22.520 is amazing and we should probably do a couple of years. 0:05:23.960 --> 0:05:26.920 The momentum from the movie is still in effect. Over 0:05:26.960 --> 0:05:30.360 a decade later, more than five million foreign visitors now 0:05:30.400 --> 0:05:32.640 take a trip to Bali each year, making it not 0:05:32.680 --> 0:05:35.560 only the most visited island in Indonesia, but one of 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:37.680 the most popular destinations in the world. 0:05:37.839 --> 0:05:39.760 It is funny that Bali is the only part of 0:05:39.800 --> 0:05:42.600 the country that most people experience because from what I've 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:45.000 read this week, it's kind of an outlier in terms 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:47.840 of culture. For example, you mentioned that the vast majority 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:50.760 of Indonesians are Muslim, but in Bali most residents are 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:54.040 actually Hindu. And what's interesting though, is that the Balinese 0:05:54.080 --> 0:05:58.279 people have developed the distinct take on the religion, blending 0:05:58.360 --> 0:06:01.159 kind of the traditions of Indian and Duism and aspects 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:04.760 of Buddhism and local animistic beliefs. So, in addition to 0:06:04.800 --> 0:06:08.960 worshiping the three main gods of Hinduism Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, 0:06:09.200 --> 0:06:13.320 Balanese Hindus revere a series of ancestral gods or dewa 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.800 who are specific to the island. It's pretty interesting. 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.839 That's fascinating. And I know some of these religions, like Hinduism, 0:06:18.920 --> 0:06:21.559 tend to be sort of easy to morph into other things. 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:25.159 You find people all over southern India with like Jesus 0:06:25.200 --> 0:06:27.000 on their altar along with other gods and stuff. But 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:30.760 tell me about these Deaywi I think you're calling them. 0:06:30.920 --> 0:06:34.080 Yeah, well, rice cultivation is essential to life on Bali, 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.840 so to help ensure a bountiful harvest, people make offerings 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:41.240 in prayers to de Wa three and that's the goddess 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:42.960 of rice and fertility. I like that. 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:44.960 So they use Hinduism as kind of a framework, but 0:06:45.000 --> 0:06:47.040 then they layered on their own traditions and beliefs. 0:06:47.160 --> 0:06:49.640 That's exactly right. And one good example of that give 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:52.280 and take is the teeth filing ritual that many Blanese 0:06:52.360 --> 0:06:56.799 undergo during adolescence. So much like traditional Hinduism, the Balanese 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.279 believe that there are six vices that humans need to 0:06:59.320 --> 0:07:04.960 guard themselves against. These are desire, anger, reed, delusion, pride, 0:07:05.040 --> 0:07:08.359 and envy. But in a break from Indian Hinduism, the 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:11.280 Bolanese believe that these evil traits enter the body through 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:15.400 the top six teeth and manifest themselves as sharp edges. 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.760 So with that in mind, Balanese teenagers undergo a symbolic 0:07:18.800 --> 0:07:22.400 procedure in which the points of six upper teeth, two canines, 0:07:22.440 --> 0:07:25.360 and four incisors they're filed down as a way to 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:27.239 curb the evil forces within them. 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:29.880 That's really interesting, But it sounds like not all of 0:07:29.920 --> 0:07:32.600 Bali's religious traditions are tied to Hinduism. 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:35.800 Right, That's exactly right, And some of them are completely homegrown. 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.360 For example, there's this one ancient practice you'll find in 0:07:38.360 --> 0:07:41.400 Bolanese villages where they don't let a baby's feet touch 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.000 the ground for the first three months after birth. And 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:46.240 the custom is rooted in the belief that newborns are 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:49.320 still close to the spiritual realm and therefore have to 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.040 be treated as sacred visitors from a higher plane. Not 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:52.560 a bad. 0:07:52.400 --> 0:07:54.280 Practice, I love that. And so that means they just 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:55.520 can't touch the floor, right. 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:58.400 Well, the floors are dirty, mango, so it's disrespectful to 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:01.400 let a holy visitor all around on one but it 0:08:01.440 --> 0:08:03.200 was especially if they were at my house. You know, 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.280 that'd be a dirty floor. But more than that, the 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:08.280 Balanies don't consider a baby's sold to be fully tied 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.119 to its body, so to encourage the soul to stick around. 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:13.880 The parents make sure to treat the baby well and 0:08:14.000 --> 0:08:14.600 keep it clean. 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.960 That is so like culturally beautiful. That's a part of 0:08:17.960 --> 0:08:19.840 why we can an anthplasis, right, like, like I love 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:24.080 that stuff, but it also seems so hard, Like how 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.480 do they keep the baby off the floor for three months? 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:29.080 Do they just constantly pass it around between the family. 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:31.679 That's pretty much what happens. The baby can be placed 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.120 on a bed while at home, but otherwise they have 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:37.240 to be carried by whoever has the hands free. It's 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:40.080 like a continuous game of infant hot Potato, I guess. 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.760 And it lasts for the first one hundred and five 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:45.600 days or two hundred and ten in some communities. 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:46.920 Wow, So what happens after that? 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:50.440 There's a special ceremony where a pre sprinkles the baby's 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:52.760 feet with holy water and then places them on the 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:55.079 ground for the first time. It'd be pretty neat to 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.920 watch this. And there's also this moment where the infant 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.920 is finally given a proper name and it's only then 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.480 that they're considered a full earthly human. 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.840 That is really wonderful, But you know, I do not 0:09:07.200 --> 0:09:10.000 envy those parents as if dealing with an infant isn't 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:10.640 hard en huh. 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:13.040 But think about their biceps in mango. I mean, they've 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.000 got to be so strong six months of carrying an 0:09:15.040 --> 0:09:16.880 infant around. That's got to be a good workout. 0:09:17.000 --> 0:09:19.560 Yeah, a terrible one. But one of the other things 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:22.720 I'm fascinated with about Indonesia, and this is there are 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:25.320 only a few things I remember learning about Indonesia from college. 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:29.200 One was that it's actually where the word third world 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:32.319 comes from. And it's not because it's beneath other countries. 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:34.320 It's that there are a whole group of countries that 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:36.000 came together and decided they didn't want to align with 0:09:36.040 --> 0:09:38.840 the US or with the USSR. Yeah, and so they 0:09:38.880 --> 0:09:41.440 formed a third world. And that's actually but it comes. 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.400 From more interesting I did not know that origin. 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.240 The other thing I remember is that there is a 0:09:46.320 --> 0:09:49.320 lot of linguistic diversity in the country. And the official 0:09:49.480 --> 0:09:53.840 tongue is Bahasa Indonesia, which is a modified version of Malay, 0:09:54.000 --> 0:09:55.880 and pretty much everyone in the country can speak it. 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:59.560 But throughout the islands you'll also encounter a multitude of 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:02.880 local languages and dialects. In fact, there are more than 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:07.560 seven hundred languages spoken in Indonesia, which constitutes roughly ten 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:09.800 percent of all the languages in the world. 0:10:10.120 --> 0:10:10.960 Isn't that what I say? 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.920 And that rich linguistic diversity, isn't you a reflection of 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:18.400 the dozens of different ethnic groups that call various islands home. 0:10:18.480 --> 0:10:20.960 That's pretty amazing. It also sounds like it's like a 0:10:20.960 --> 0:10:23.640 total nightmare for tourists who are trying to communicate with people. 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:26.000 I mean, asking for directions in one foreign language can 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:27.520 be challenging enough for tourists. 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:29.920 Yeah, I mean, but ninety percent of the population actually 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:34.319 speaks Bahasa Indonesia. It's also a fairly easy language to learn, 0:10:34.440 --> 0:10:37.520 and of course in the really touristy areas. Plus, these 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:40.080 people also speak English. So if you teach yourself some 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:42.719 basic phrases before your trip, I think you'll get by 0:10:42.800 --> 0:10:43.160 just fine. 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:44.559 Yeah, And I was going to say, I mean, most 0:10:44.600 --> 0:10:47.400 American travelers wherever they're going. I don't know why we're 0:10:47.440 --> 0:10:49.920 pretending like it's difficult for them to ask directions because 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:51.720 they're just if they don't know it, they'll just say 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.679 it louder in English. Right, But you know, language and 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.559 religion aren't the only areas where Indonesia's diversity really shines. 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:01.000 So the island nation is also home to thousands of 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:04.800 different species of plants and wildlife, including, and this is 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:08.800 super cool, the world's largest lizard, the ten foot long 0:11:08.880 --> 0:11:12.760 Komodo dragon, and the world's largest and most pungent flower, 0:11:13.200 --> 0:11:16.719 the fifteen pound raft Lesia, or the corpse flower as 0:11:16.760 --> 0:11:17.160 it's known. 0:11:17.360 --> 0:11:19.520 Yeah, the size of the floora in fauna there really 0:11:19.559 --> 0:11:21.880 struck out to me as well. You might assume that 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:25.240 everything in an island ecosystem would be pretty shrimpy, but 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:29.560 they've also got the Sumatran tiger, They've got Javin rhinoceros, like, 0:11:29.720 --> 0:11:31.520 they're kind of grown big in Indonesia. 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:34.040 It's the Texas of that region, I guess, but I 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:36.360 should mention it's not just the islands themselves that sport 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:40.120 such hefty critters. Situated between the Indian Ocean and the 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.800 Pacific Ocean, the Indonesian seas are home to some big 0:11:43.840 --> 0:11:47.839 time marine species like manna rays, dolphins, dogongs, which are 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:51.719 like sea cows but also boast nearly six hundred species 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:52.319 of coral. 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:54.440 You know, I've got to be honest with you. I 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:57.120 had no idea there were six hundred species of coral. 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:59.160 That was the whole point of this episode, Mango, was 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:01.280 for you to learn that fact, and so now we 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:03.800 are done. Well, some of them would be pretty tough 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:05.800 to pick out in a line up, but it's a 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:10.200 stunning level of biodiversity. Nonetheless, Indonesia's reef system spans just 0:12:10.400 --> 0:12:14.160 under twenty thousand square miles and represents about eighteen percent 0:12:14.280 --> 0:12:15.599 of the world's reefs. 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:18.120 Wow, so I'm guessing you should definitely book a boat 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:19.160 tour when you're there. 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.240 And maybe even a diving expedition to get the full effect. 0:12:22.320 --> 0:12:24.840 But you know, for any listeners prone to see sickness, 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:27.040 keep in mind that you don't have to look underwater 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.880 to enjoy Indonesia's abundance of wildlife. You can just as 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:33.720 easily look up. And that's because the nation's islands boast 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:37.440 a full two percent of all the world's bird species, 0:12:37.480 --> 0:12:38.880 more than two hundred. 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:42.680 In total, So biodiversity on land, in the sea, in 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:45.240 the air. Honestly, I do want to go there now, 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:46.640 but I also feel like we should be including a 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:48.920 part time genius coupon code for anyone who books their 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:50.880 travel with the words pega. 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.960 That's exactly right. Well, as you pointed out, Indonesia is 0:12:54.000 --> 0:12:57.840 definitely a biodiversity triple threat. In fact, Indonesia actually claims 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:00.480 the second highest level of biodiversity in the world world, 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.760 just after Brazil, which is why the region it occupies 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:07.360 is sometimes called the Amazon of the Seas. But what's 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:10.280 really incredible is that Indonesia still has the potential to 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:13.199 knock Brazil out of the top spot because many of 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:16.120 its more remote islands have never been fully explored. 0:13:16.360 --> 0:13:17.240 That is insane. 0:13:17.360 --> 0:13:19.160 I had no idea. Yeah, In fact, there are still 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.040 new species being discovered there, like in twenty twenty, a 0:13:22.120 --> 0:13:25.480 research team from the National University of Singapore reported on 0:13:25.520 --> 0:13:28.000 a treasure trove of new bird species they found while 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:31.839 exploring an isolated trio of islands called the Wallashian Island Chain, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:35.080 and their discovery was especially notable because while there are 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:38.200 more than ten thousand new animal species found there on 0:13:38.360 --> 0:13:41.360 average each year, very few of them are birds. 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.960 You know, I always love every year when you see 0:13:45.000 --> 0:13:48.360 that like catalog of new animals and it's like a 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:51.760 new animal just drawt It's so fun. But I'm curious, 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:54.559 why is it that birds aren't part of this well 0:13:54.600 --> 0:13:55.640 it's largely because. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:57.840 Birds are one of the most highly studied animal groups 0:13:57.840 --> 0:13:59.520 on the planet and we have a pretty good idea 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.040 of which one are still out there. And as a result, 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:04.960 less than two hundred new bird species have been identified 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:07.800 over the past thirty years. And that's why it's such 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.160 a big deal. When the team discovered a whopping ten 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:13.600 new species of songbirds in Indonesia, it was the first 0:14:13.640 --> 0:14:15.840 time in more than one hundred years that so many 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.640 new bird species were identified at the same time in 0:14:18.760 --> 0:14:22.000 one small area. And with that discovery comes the hope 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:25.480 that other remote regions could also be hiding untapped pockets 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.320 of biological diversity. The trick is defined and protect them 0:14:29.320 --> 0:14:33.200 before climate change and other human related activities prevent us 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:34.120 from studying them. 0:14:34.640 --> 0:14:36.680 Well, I definitely want to talk a little bit more 0:14:36.680 --> 0:14:40.400 about birds and about the Harry Potter effect. But before 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:44.360 we do that, let's take a quick break. 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:59.560 Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're making our 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:03.400 way through through Indonesia. Fascinating place and Mango, did you 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:05.280 say something about Harry Potter before the break? It was 0:15:05.360 --> 0:15:06.400 quite a tease there. 0:15:06.640 --> 0:15:09.040 I did. And this has to do with birds and 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:13.160 bad human behavior. So According to a twenty seventeen study, 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.040 the popularity of the Harry Potter series led to a 0:15:16.040 --> 0:15:20.040 significant rise in black market owl trading. Not something I 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.760 was expecting. Apparently, the wild caught birds had always been 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:27.480 sold there as pets, just in really small numbers. It's 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:29.720 less than point oh six percent of the birds sold 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.600 in market before two thousand and two. But then the 0:15:32.680 --> 0:15:35.440 Harry Potter books come out and the movies are released 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.400 in Indonesia, and by two thousand and eight the number 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:40.440 has shot up to zero point four to three percent 0:15:40.480 --> 0:15:41.400 of the market. 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:43.840 I mean, I will acknowledge that that is a pretty 0:15:43.840 --> 0:15:46.880 steep uptick, but do we really know that Harry Potter's 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.520 to blame? Like there could be other factors at play here, right, Yeah? 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:50.600 I mean outcast has. 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:52.760 Owls as well, so maybe that was the reason. 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:53.920 That's it, But that's it. 0:15:54.120 --> 0:15:57.360 As the researchers noted in their study quote, in the past, 0:15:57.440 --> 0:16:01.480 owls were collectively known as burung han to or ghost birds, 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:04.440 but in the bird markets now they are commonly referred 0:16:04.480 --> 0:16:07.880 to as brewing Harry Potter or Harry Potter birds. 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:11.760 I mean that I feel like I take back what 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:13.960 I said earlier. I feel like, that's pretty good evidence. 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.560 Yeah, and since Indonesia doesn't really keep crack of its 0:16:17.640 --> 0:16:20.720 dative owl population, it is tough to say to what 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:23.800 extent the owl craze is affecting the wild owl population. 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:28.200 The studies authors have encouraged the Indonesian government to make 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:30.440 owls of protected species to help cut down on this 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:33.080 legal trade. But you know, at the time of this recording, 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:34.080 it's the line happened yet. 0:16:34.200 --> 0:16:36.640 Yeah, well, I'll do my part. I will scratch off 0:16:36.640 --> 0:16:39.600 owls from my souvenir shopping list there and thankfully though 0:16:39.640 --> 0:16:43.440 Indonesia has no shortage of unique legal mementos to remember 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:44.080 your trip by. 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:46.000 So what do you think about it? Because when I 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.640 looked online, it seemed like most people were either giving 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:52.920 like decorative mini surfboards or wooden fallacies, neither of which 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:54.440 I really want to take home in a suitcase. 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:57.240 Yeah, both of those are very popular choices and tourist 0:16:57.280 --> 0:17:01.120 spots like Bali, but neither is what you'll call culturally authentic, 0:17:01.160 --> 0:17:04.080 I guess. And another famous but TACKI offering is the 0:17:04.119 --> 0:17:09.120 so called civet cat poop coffee or kobe luoc. I'm 0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.560 probably not pronouncing that correct. In fact, I'm guaranteed I'm 0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:14.600 not pronouncing that correctly, But this is basically overpriced coffee 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.639 beans that have passed through the digestive tract of wild 0:17:17.720 --> 0:17:21.159 civet cats. Now, supposedly the beans produce a smooth or 0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.320 less acidic coffee with notes of caramel and chocolate. I 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.439 guess they've been eating caramel and chocolate, and that's because 0:17:27.480 --> 0:17:31.199 they've been fermented naturally in the animal's stomach. But unless 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.840 you're a die hard coffee lover, you probably won't be 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.320 able to taste the difference. Plus, you know, the coffee 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.639 cherries have been pooped out by an animal, which some 0:17:38.640 --> 0:17:39.960 people would consider disgusting. 0:17:39.960 --> 0:17:42.920 You know some people, well, I actually remember talking about 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:45.119 that while ago in our coffee episode. So we're not 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.520 doing coffee, we're not doing many surfboards. What is left 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:48.840 to buy? 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.520 Well, there are a few strong contenders, depending on which 0:17:51.600 --> 0:17:54.639 islands you visit. For example, on some of the smaller islands, 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:58.879 you'll find traditional villages renowned for wooden carvings, handcraft is 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:03.479 silver jewelry, and fresh made chocolate sourced from local cacao beans. 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:06.320 But no matter which part of Indonesia you visit, you'll 0:18:06.320 --> 0:18:08.280 have the chance to buy one of the nation's most 0:18:08.480 --> 0:18:12.120 iconic and culturally meaningful products, which is the hand dyed 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:16.240 fabric known as batique, found in everyday clothing as well 0:18:16.280 --> 0:18:19.280 as in consumer goods running the gamut from pillowcases do 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:22.919 iPad covers. The traditional fabric is an indelible symbol of 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:25.280 Indonesian identity, and. 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:27.920 This is something that's exclusively found. 0:18:27.680 --> 0:18:31.159 On the islands. Not exactly. You can definitely find in 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:34.840 other countries like China and Egypt. But the dying techniques 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:38.000 that's used to make it was first developed in Indonesia, 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:41.000 and the process has been passed down within families from 0:18:41.040 --> 0:18:43.480 one generation to the next, and different parts of the 0:18:43.480 --> 0:18:47.560 country have their own characteristic designs and colors. For example, 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.919 in Central Java, most batique garments are shades of brown 0:18:51.000 --> 0:18:54.199 and cream, while coastal communities tend to prefer brighter shades. 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.600 So while you were talking, while you're just yapping over 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:01.400 there at some pictures and these are intricate, I mean, 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:04.720 they are elaborate, and they're really beautiful, but none of 0:19:04.760 --> 0:19:06.600 this is being stitched on right, like you said, these 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:08.160 patterns are dyed by hand. 0:19:08.440 --> 0:19:11.200 Yeah, and the process is every bit is painstaking as 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:13.320 it sounds. So the way it works is that crafts 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:16.679 people draw the designs onto cotton and silk using dots 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:19.399 and lines of hot wax, which they apply with a 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:22.920 special tool basically a small copper container with a pipe 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:25.719 spout at the end of it. Now, once the wax cools, 0:19:25.720 --> 0:19:28.119