1.5 Bule’s (BOO-lays) In Indonesia

*thanks Mark for pointing it out :)

Sunset in Magalang

We had a pretty crazy itinerary for Theo’s two weeks in Indonesia and except for a few moderations, we repeated much of the same route I had traveled when I was seven years old. Get ready for a long, long blog post:

Theo arrived on a Monday afternoon and after a detour to see MONAS (Monument Nasional), we went straight to one of the best Chinese restaurants in Jakarta: Angke. If you ask pretty much any of my family members which is their favorite restaurant in Indonesia, the answer will likely be Angke. It’s delicious! If you are ever in Jakarta, make sure you go to the original Angke, not the new (and not nearly as good) one in Kelapa Gading. We ordered all the usuals plus some randoms since we had some extended family with us. I think my favorite is the kodok goreng mantega (deep fried frog legs in a butter sauce)! (Not pictured below - they were gone before I had a chance to get a picture...)

Bali: Less than 24 hours after Theo arrived in Jakarta, we were off to Bali! The last time I was here was in 2008 and I wasn’t impressed: I remember there being a lot of traffic, a lot of rain, not-so-impressive sights, and an annoying tour guide who talked too much. This time was a lot more fun! The traffic was unavoidable, but the weather was good, I planned a great itinerary (if I do say so myself), and Pak Rudi was helpful when we needed him to be (and otherwise unimposing). We hired Pak Rudi to be our driver for the two days in Bali and although (at 400,000 rupiah (~$45) per 10-hour day) it wasn’t as cheap as in Egypt, I think it was a great deal! I’m sure that Pak Rudi thought we were insane on the first day as we went to four different restaurants: Ibu Oka’s for babi guling (roasted pig), Bebek Bengil for their signature bebek bengil (roasted duck), Naughty Nuri’s for baby back ribs, and Bali Nikmat for amazing tim kerapu (steamped garoupa), sapi lada hitam (black pepper beef), udang kipas (lobster), and kangkung (veggies). In between food stops, we did manage to see the rice fields at Tegalalang:

and Pura Tamun Ayun:

Day Two in Bali: Theo saw the must-sees: Kuta Beach, the 2002 bombing memorial on Jalan Legian, Tanah Lot, Nusa Dua, Uluwatu Temple, Kecak Dance, and Jimbaran Bay. I felt like I was experiencing many of these things for the first time because with Tanah Lot, for example, our guide in 2008 took us to the temple at high tide (so we couldn’t access the temple), and I definitely don’t remember what it was like here from when I was seven...

We had to wash our hands and faces and receive a rice blessing before approaching Tanah Lot.

@ Tanah Lot

Relaxing @ Nusa Dua

Kecak (pronounced kuh-chahk) dance is a performance in which repetitive use of the word kecak (kecak-kecak-kecak) provides the musical background as actors perform various scenes. We saw a performance during sunset at Uluwatu Temple.

The chanting and shaking was a bit eerie and some of the costumes were a bit disconcerting as well. One of the “slapstick” characters approached the audience and a little girl burst into tears! Poor thing! The female performers had these really intense (and, well, creepy) eyes too!

Towards the end of the performance, one of the characters was put in a circle of fire…. As he stamped/kicked the fire out, he accidently kicked a fireball at one of the kecak singers – the man’s hair caught fire! Exciting times at Uluwatu Temple…. It’s one of those performances you know you’d never see in the US – too much liability…

Jimbaran Bay (above) is a must for anyone who visits Bali. You can have an incredibly romantic candlelight dinner on the beach with delicious seafood! It is perhaps expensive for Indonesia’s standards, but we had a whole fish, two small lobsters, one crab, six shrimp, six clams, six squid skewers, rice, veggies, and beer for under $50! It was an amazing dinner!!

Lombok: I loved it here! I'd recommend it over Bali to anyone! It was the one place in Indonesia that Theo and I were discovering for the first time together and I can’t wait to go back! We spent the first day settling in, booking a snorkeling trip, getting $6 massages, having a $10 dinner, and watching an incredible sunset at Senggigi Beach. Great day!

We spent the next day on the famous (and beautiful!) Gili Islands! Our boat trip out to Gili Trawangan cost 10,000 rupiah each (~$1). Luckily, we refused a guy who tried to make us think that taking a private charter boat to the islands (200,000 rupiah) was the best way to go given our “late” 11am departure. We spontaneously booked a diving trip with a dive operator and about an hour later, this massive storm came in. The once-sunny sky was covered in dark grey clouds and you couldn’t see more than 5-10 feet out on the water. The rain was also falling so hard that, with the super strong wind, it hurt upon impact! I think we were lucky though because we got in a good half hour of snorkeling pre-storm and by the time we were ready to dive, the storm had miraculously cleared! Pretty good diving too…

Theo saw his first turtle!

There are three famous Gili islands: Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air. We got a taste of all three because after snorkeling on Gili Trawangan and diving off Gili Meno, we took the island hopper to Gili Air. Gili Air is the least developed of the three and it almost felt like we had the island to ourselves. We sat enjoying a delicious grilled fish dinner with no one else around to disturb us. We ended up having to take a private charter back to Lombok because the posted public boat schedule is just plain wrong! It lists an 8:15pm departure from Gili Air to Lombok but the “pm” is a typo! Theo had even received verbal confirmation (or so he thought) that the evening boat exists. Hmpfh! It all worked out though: I was able to bargain a bit in Indonesian and we ended up meeting some nice people who chartered us safely back to Lombok and later dropped us off at the hotel.

Unfamous Gilis: There are less popular Gili islands in the southwest off of Lombok – these were wonderful too! Theo and I snorkeled the entirety of Gili Gede and then had the most amazing time on Gili Sudak.

This island is a paradise(!) that thankfully, other tourists do not frequent. We had the place to ourselves and I for one loved every minute of it!After about three hours total of snorkeling, Theo and I wandered merrily along the beach picking shells, unaware of the devastating sunburns we would later discover. Ouch.

Stopping by the Sukarara Weaving Village… Using traditional weaving methods, the women are only able to complete 10-15cm of these cloths per day!

Bandung: On Christmas morning, we took a 6am flight from Lombok back to Jakarta, and then drove straight to Bandung. Unfortunately, Bandung was less fun than I wanted it to be. Because of the holiday, it was way too crowded and traffic was a nightmare! After visiting one of the jam-packed outlets for instance, it took us about an hour to move approximately three blocks. Ridiculous! Visiting Tangkuban Parahu 18km away took two hours (each way) to get to! Although it smelled like sulfur, it is quite beautiful here. I had no recollection of being there as a child…

Leaving no time to rest, we took a flight to Jogjakarta the morning after we got back from Bandung. The famous dish in Jogja is Nasi Gudeg (rice, chicken, boiled egg, boiled jackfruit, crispy (and Spicy!) beef skin, and either tempe or tofu):
Eh. I didn’t love the food in Jogja/Magalang actually…. Not to complain, but Magalangan (a mix of fried rice and fried noodles) was too sweet… Nasi Kambing (goat kebab) was too fatty… Tongseng was just not worth eating... (too much coconut milk)… and Mie Kakap (noodles made out of fish) was too oily.

I think the only thing Theo really disliked was the durian...

The best things there were probably the ayam goreng (fried chicken) and bakso kakap (fish balls). I felt like we were eating constantly and somehow, we managed to do as much eating as sightseeing, with stops at two of Maria’s caves, Bandungan, a soy-bean factory, a view of Merapi (the volcano that erupted in 2010), Prambanan, and Borobudur.

A view of the Merapi Volcano and
devastated land from the lava flow...

It was raining pretty heavily for most of our visit to Bandungan so Theo and I only saw three of the nine temples. They apparently all look the same, however. The highlight is probably my 70 year old aunt getting on a horse, screaming nonstop, and getting laughed at by her younger 62 year old sister. :)

Prambanan was equally rainy making the trek up the temples’ steps wet, slippery, and muggy. The rain was a bit miserable to be in, but we are all smiles:

And then there was Borobudur! it is amazing! Despite the destruction (from an earthquake I think), it is still an impressive site:

It's supposed to be lucky if you can touch the buddha... I did it!

Also of note, Theo was approached twice for photos at the temple. This makes five times total that Indonesian people have asked to have their picture taken with him. It’s not just that he’s a bule because he was approached twice in Bali and there are plenty of bules there!

Theo’s Last Night:The day after getting back to Jogja was New Year’s Eve and Theo’s last night. He’s always wanted to stay at a Four Seasons so as a Christmas present, I got us a room there to celebrate the New Year.

This was an amazing decision!! We watched movies, ordered room service, and at midnight, we saw about 15 different fireworks shows from our 14^th floor balcony. I couldn’t have asked for a better night! We spent the next morning swimming in the rain and then relaxing in the spa at the Four Seasons.:)

Theo also got to try padang food before he left... SPICY!

(They lay out all the dishes you might like to eat and you pay only for what you take...)

Coming Up: Life in Indonesia, The Best Diving Ever, and Continent #7!!!

*I’m playing a bit of catch up again because I’ve just left Indonesia and have finally made it to Continent #7!!! Australia, Here I am! I leave Cairns tomorrow to spend a few days on a liveaboard diving the Great Barrier Reef!!!

Finding Nemo

I found Nemo while scuba diving in Manado - my first dive since getting certified in October. The island of Bunaken is world renowned for its diving and I did three dives with a dive master and two Germans. They were three really cool dives. I saw a lot of fish which, unfortunately, I cannot identify. But I definitely saw Nemos, Triggerfish, and a Mandarin. I saw really awesome coral, sting rays, and eels too. Visibility was great! The highlight for me and my zen moment in all of Indonesia was watching a sea turtle swim past me. It was so calm and graceful, flapping its arms/wings (?) slowly and deliberately... If you flap your arms three seconds going up and three seconds going down, that's what it looked like. Really spectacular!

A three hour flight from Jakarta, the city of Manado is very beautiful. It's surrounded by still-active volcanoes, hills, and more greenery than you can imagine. We were staying up on a hill in neighboring city Tomohan, where the weather was actually cold at times - not at all what I expect from Indonesia. People in Manado like to eat and they like their food spicy. I had heard the the food is so so good there... but I wasn't so impressed. They do have a lot of fish and things to try that I've never had before. For one, dog. I didn't try any though my host had some in the freezer... (eee!) They also eat bats, but we couldn't try any because the store was closed. Apparently, they grab the bat by its wing, slam it down to kill it, and then cook it. So sad! A cooked bat costs approximatey $2.

There are less strange things too, that I was actually able to try: Mangga Dodol, a super aromatic and sweet mango is one you can only find in manado and the city makes an excellent Kelapertart (coconut-ish pie). We had a roasted pig for dinner one night but it was too fatty for my taste, especially the skin. Jojo, I bet you would have loved it and all the eating in this city. :)

Randomly, we went to the zoo at night when it was already closed. They let us in the cage with Tarsius' (dwarf monkeys). They are kind of cute, but kind of creepy too - with big bug eyes and heads that can rotate 360 degrees. I don't think we were technically supposed to be at the zoo since the animals were sleeping, but I also saw a Cus Cus, a Musang/Luwak (the animal that poops out the special coffee), and a pig unique to Sulawesi.

Another random story: My host told us about an area of Sulawesi in which the dead walk to their graves. I don't fully understand how it happens, but its voodoo or black magic or something that is used to make them walk. There are places cut out for them in the mountains and they are able to find their rightful place. Crazy!

The last day in Manado, we saw a lake with three colors and then rushed around town like mad women on the hunt for food. Our flight was at 2pm, and at 1:00pm, our host insisted we stop and eat Bubur Manado. (Congee a la Manado with a mix of squash, spinach, corn, rice and noodles.) After lunch, she wanted to pick up Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) but we said no, better to head to the airport (!). But, we still had to stop for Kelapertart and were still half an hour away from the airport!! I'm all for making the most of your time in a new city, but this was cutting it close even for me. Luckily, we made it to the airport in time (15 minutes before the flight) and we've safely arrived in Jakarta.

I have mixed feeings about Manado... I loved the diving, I loved trying new things, and I loved our hosts! Everyday was beautiful and almost every place was beautiful. But, me, my sister, and my cousin felt either really sleepy or headachey pretty much the whole time there... possibly explained by the elevation, but maybe something in the air? I developed something like an ear infection too! And, let's just say I was a little too efficient with my bowel movements for the four days there... (sorry if that's TMI).

New Years and a Wedding, Indonesian Style

NYE: I think one of the big things to do in Indonesia for New Years is go to Ancol (pronounced AHN-chole)... there's a beach there... bars... and Disneyland. I didn't go there. Apparently, you have to head over in the morning on New Years Eve or you just can't get in. Either they close it early or the traffic is impossible - I didn't get a clear answer. But there was a wedding rehearsal that morning so it wasn't meant to be. Instead, my sister, a lot of cousins, and I went to Kelapa Gading, a mall.

Going to the mall is THE thing to do in Indonesia and going on NYE was no exception. We had dinner in the food court :) This mall had a "Creating Food Adventure" section where you put money on a card and swipe it at different vendors selling anything from an iced mung bean banana thing (es kacang hijau) to satay kambing (goat shishkabob). I chose vendor Pangsit Njonja Njoo for no other reason than that the sign read "since 1938." I ordered the Mie Babi Tjintjang and the Pangsit Kuah ... something like ground pork over noodles and wonton soup.... It was probably one of the best meals I've had on this trip, and for only about $3.30. My sister, on the other hand, chose wrong: For some reason, she got the Chicken Piccata - enough said.

After dinner, we pushed through the crowds towards the entrance of the mall's big NYE show.... It was hot and crowded and not where any of us wanted to be. I was thinking to myself "really? NYE at a mall?!" (Boo!) The show also cost 100,000 rupiah (~$10) to get in-which is relatively expensive here; we opted instead to buy some beer/wine and go back to my uncle's apartment.

It was close to 11pm at this point and we couldn't get a taxi. We also didn't know where to buy alcohol! My cousins don't drink .... my sister and I are the naughty kids from America who do lol. Our uncle came to pick us up because a taxi tried to charge us a "ridiculous" flat rate of about $4. But once in the car, at 11:40pm or so, traffic completely stopped. I don't know where the traffic started, but we were completely stuck as far as I could see in front of us and behind us. NYE stuck in Jakarta traffic... somehow very appropriate ... it ended up being awesome!

It was everything I wanted... to watch fireworks in a crowd of people and celebrate with my sister. Close to midnight, we got out of the car and joined other people to watch fireworks exploding right above our heads. Incidentally, Indonesian people do not count down... So, my sister and I had our own mini countdown about two minutes past midnight when we realized it wasn't happening. Immediately after the fireworks show ended, horns started blaring as people were ready to be on their way. It was a good night! In summary: first dry NYE in seven years, no countdown, midnight toast with iced lemon tea, closer to fireworks than i've ever been and a pretty awesome night :)

A Wedding: The morning of Jan 2, two women came over to the apartment to do everyone's hair and makeup. A wedding is a big deal here. My uncle said that you see pictures of people in albums that look nothing like them because they are so made up... big poofy hair, fake eyelashes etc.. So everyone got dressed and made up and went to the church for a two-hour Catholic ceremony. I didn't understand much of what was happening. Some observations: the groom kisses the bride on the forehead instead of on the lips, people pray (seemingly) spontaneously, and a lot of songs are sung throughout the ceremony. We got snackboxes as wedding favors... awesome!

The reception was scheduled for four hours after the ceremony...still slightly jetlagged, my sister, mom, and I took a nap messing up our poofy hair. But back at the apartment, everyone was getting touchups and changing into evening attire. Most of the women wore long ball gowns circa prom (for me) 2002-2004. Both the bride's mother and groom's mother wore a lot of jewels to represent wealth and prosperity for the newlyweds. My cousin said that approximately 600-800 people would attend the reception. Here is how they all fit: the reception was basically standing-room only and people migrated from one food station to another. The food was really good - lontong cap gomeh (sticky rice with five different sauces), dim sum, and satay especially.

Right at the start, the bride, groom, and their families made their entrance and there was a small "show." The bride and groom kissed (on the lips this time) while flares fired and cheesy music played. Then, the bride and groom slowly brought a knife down the side of a fake cake. Not sure why. They each took a bite of their own cake, but since there was no real cake to speak of, no one else got cake. There were tons of desserts, but I guess in Indonesia, there's not one cake that everyone shares. Next, the bride and groom each poured one bottle of wine down a stack of champagne glasses. Why? I don't know. They didn't drink any of that wine. The toast was dry for everyone except immediate family. But, since no one really drinks alcohol, they each took a tiny sip and that was pretty much it. I don't know why but this tendency towards sobriety fascinates me! First dry wedding I've ever been to! Wedding in summary: No alcohol, no cake, and aching feet from standing, but wonderful to see all my family dressed in their sunday best and it was also probably the best wedding food I've ever had! Cheers to the newlyweds :) Can't wait for my next Indonesian wedding in hopefully November of this year.