印尼记遊（二）
Travelogue in Indonesia 02

我们此行既不为考察，亦不是调查，祗为作画而已。所以不能尽情浏览⻛景。在椰城逗留三天，疲於取景作画，苦於睡眠不足，总觉得腰酸背痛，双足几乎不能复举。

三日晨，醒來后本拟多躺片刻，但记起了要赴市⻓之欢迎会，不得不早点起身，所以精神困倦不堪。早餐后，我们先至李曼峰先生府上，整装待发。

十时抵达市⻓官邸，由外交司⻓引⻅，欢迎会设在迎宾馆里，到会者有博物院院⻓，教育司⻓，画家及各报记者等。首由市⻓丁•安东演说，大意略谓：“印尼向來提 倡美术，希望此次十位画家到此旅行作画，能給本国带來艺术热情，使鄰国能在艺术上更有联系，而能增进彼此之感情。印尼目前虽在争取⻄伊之主权，但对文化事业，乃不敢后人，外地画家到本国来，我们极其欢迎，我们谨以印尼⻛物，赠给十位画家，希望十位画家转给新加坡人民。”

市⻓演说完毕，由我致谢词，陈城梅译为英语。至十二 时才离开市⻓公署。

晚上八时，市府特设茶会招待我们，到会來宾有文人，画家等，数百人济济一堂。殷勤的招待，盛情可感，只因我们都是不善应酬者，处此场面，未免有点不自然之感！

招待会至十时半始散，时间已不允许我们再事留恋，趕忙整了行裝，匆匆驱⻋至机场，十一时由椰城起⻜，翌晨二时抵达巴厘，下榻於巴厘旅馆。

一日疲劳，得安於枕，酣眠暢适，真是前所未有。

Our journey was not meant for inspection or investigation; it was solely for the purpose of painting. Thus, we couldn't fully enjoy the scenery. After staying in Coconut City for three days, fatigued from seeking out views to paint and suffering from inadequate sleep, we felt backaches and soreness in our legs, making it almost impossible to stand.

On the third day, we had originally planned to sleep in a bit longer, but we remembered that we had to attend a welcome reception hosted by the mayor. Therefore, we had to get up early, despite our physical fatigue. After breakfast, we first went to Mr. Lim Man Fong's house to get ready for the event.

We arrived at the mayor's residence at 10 AM, where we were escorted by the head of the diplomatic department. The welcome reception took place at the Guesthouse, and the attendees included the director of the museum, the head of the education department, artists, and various newspaper reporters. The mayor, Mr. Ding Anton, delivered a speech, roughly stating, "Indonesia has always advocated for the arts. We hope that the ten artists who have come here to travel and paint can bring artistic enthusiasm to our country, fostering stronger artistic connections with neighboring countries and enhancing mutual understanding. Although Indonesia is currently striving for sovereignty in Western New Guinea, we do not neglect our cultural endeavors. We warmly welcome foreign artists to our country, and we would like to present a gift of Indonesian souvenirs to the ten artists, hoping that they will share them with the people of Singapore."

After the mayor's speech, it was my turn to deliver a thank-you speech, which was translated into English by Mr. Tan Seah Boey. We left the mayor's office at around noon.

At 8 PM, the city government organized a tea reception for us, attended by scholars, artists, and several hundred guests. The hospitality and warmth were palpable, but as we were not accustomed to such social events, we couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable in this setting.

The reception ended around 10:30 PM, and time did not permit us to linger any further. We hastily packed our belongings, and by car, we rushed to the airport. At 11 PM, we departed from Coconut City and arrived in Bali at 2 AM the next morning, checking into Bali Hotel.

After a day of exhaustion, we found solace in our pillows, and our deep sleep was incredibly refreshing – an experience like never before.