Hot-N-Ready Lava!

I'm so behind on my posts but I don't want to skip any awesome places we've seen so I'm back tracking!

A couple weeks ago Alo, Fran, Clementine and I all went on a road trip out of Jakarta to see an active volcano. Krakatoa is in the Sunda straight between the islands of Java and Sumatra.  The volcano exploded in 1883 killing approximately 40,000 people and the explosion was considered the loudest sound ever heard in modern history. Reports say that it was heard over 3,000 miles away - this would be like DC to Cali! So crazy to imagine.

I was a bit nervous to go visit the volcano knowing its history and that it is still active. But of course Alo convinced me to join as usual and I'm very glad he did.  It was a great experience.  We took a small boat with a couple from Spain who spoke no English but luckily Clem speaks every language under the sun. The boat ride took about an hour and a half to get out to the volcano.

These little fishermans' houses were all over the water close to the main island. I'm going to make an educated guess and say they probably don't have a Toto installed in there!

We saw multiple eruptions from the boat as well as when we were actually on the volcano.  No hot magma was flying but you would see the huge cloud of smoke coming out of the top! Our guide did show us fresh magma from an explosion days before. He said usually they happen really early in the morning around 4 or 5am.  Hiking around the volcano was HOT. The sun was beating down on us and the ash felt like fire under our shoes. Needless to say, just after a bit on the volocano I was ready for our snorkeling trip to begin!

We walked along the black sand beach which was neat because it was my first one. I've seen one in Bali but never actually had my toes deep in the sand!  I wouldn't have thought I would have liked it because I love soft white sand but that gorgeous blue water and black sand was a beautiful site to see.

The snorkling was the best I've done out here so far.  Poor Alo was feeling sea sick at the time but I made sure to take lots of pictures so he could see how awesome the fish and coral were :) I felt like a true underwater photographer this day because I think the pictures are the best ones I've ever taken.  Seeing places like this just makes me want to rush out and get our diving certification because I can't imagine how stunning the sites deep down under are.  We have researched classes and dive trips but you have to committ a couple weeks and weekends and we just haven't had a chance yet. I want to do a "test" dive first to make sure I like it before I pay to be certified.  I think it sounds so fun and great but once you are deep in the sea I hear sometimes peoples opinions change. So I'll keep you posted on the diving in the future!

As we ate lunch on the island this big guy decided to join us. I'm actually not sure what exactly it was called but he was huge, fast and had a big scary slithering tongue. I don't mind lizards but yikes! 

Australians love Indonesia because it's close by and really cheap. Since Alo makes friends everywhere he goes he decided to chat with this Australian who was so DRUNK we could hardly make sense of anything he was saying. He said he was there to surf and he was waiting on the waves. The funniest part is that the beach has NO waves and is completely still except for the waves from the boats and jetski's :) Wonder how many weeks until he realizes there are no waves? ha

We stayed in a cute little villa and Alo made an awesome dinner for us all in the outdoor kitchen.  It was a great relaxing weekend and I would recommend the trip!

So many islands...so little time

A couple weekends ago we went to Tidung Island (part of the Thousand Islands) for the day. It takes about an hour to get there on the boat so not a bad day trip at all. The weather was perfect so our boat ride was nice and smooth this time - both ways!

Tidung is two islands that are combined with a really long bridge.  So you can walk back and forth to each island. They are both very small though and not developed.  We rented bikes and rode around to the different beaches so we could see the island since we were only there for one day.  We stopped at an awesome little area for the first part of our day and just snorkeled around the really shallow water and relaxed under the hut and drinking coconuts of course!

I found this awesome big blue star fish while snorkeling around the beach.  It's called Linckia Laevigata, a species of sea star found in the shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific.  I read how they can also be aqua colored, purple, or orange so now I'm on a hunt to see those next! They are so bright and pretty under the water.

My friend Franziska from Germany hung out all day with us on the island. We are both really blonde - and there were TWO of us so sometimes the locals get quite excited. Throughout the whole day we were asked to take at least 6 photos with people. It's just cracks me up.  So basically if you are a blonde in rural areas in Indonesia - you feel like a celebrity! ha Unfortunately we didn't get photos but decided from here on out we need to make sure to ask the locals for a photo shot as well and keep a rolling count!

Alo has always wanted a motorcycle and I finally found one on this island I like too!! And this way I can actually drive yet he doesn't have to ever sit on the back :) Win win for everyone! ha

Alo convinced me to jump off the bridge between the two islands with him and at first I wasn't scared but once you get up there it looks much higher! It was fun but I felt like I was wearing earmuffs for a week after I jumped.  Not cool!

Alo found a nice little spot for a nap. My parents really need to build on of these at our place on the river!

The bridge you must walk across to get to the other island is certainly not what I would call safe.  It was gorgeous however all I could focus on was my every step because many boards were missing, rotted, or broken! Literally there would be holes as you walked along or boards that felt as though they might break off any moment...hints the sign below...Hati Hati means be careful!

I would recommend this island and go back to it again. Wouldn't stay the night since there aren't too many nice places (and no toilets of course!) but it's great if you need your fix of clear blue waters and calm beaches.  

She put the lime in the coconut...

I've already discovered many new local fruits and fun things I love! My biggest obsession so far is called Nata de Coco - one word - YUMmmy! 

Nata de Coco is translucent and jelly-like and is usually served as a dessert item. You can mix it with fruits, ice cream, frozen yogurt, or just eat it plain which is what I do. Some of you may not like the consistency but I love it. I'm really big into anything chewy or jelly like though.  And the biggest plus is that it's not bad for you! Well technically I can't tell how much sugar is added to the kind I buy since it's all in Bahasa, but it's very high in fiber, low in calories, and no cholesterol.

Nata de Coco is produced by the fermentation of coconut water.  It's originally from the Philippines, the largest coconut producing country in the world, but is produced today in Indonesia as well. Since Indonesia comes right behind the Phillipines in the production of coconuts - I'm surely getting in my fix of them over here! When we were at the beach the other weekend at Tidung Island, we asked for a coconut to drink and they literally walked over to the trees, collected the ones that had dropped, chopped off the top and put a straw in it. They like to keep things simple over here :) 

Brunch at Cafe Batavia

Alo and I had heard great things about Cafe Batavia so we decided to venture out and try it one Saturday.  It's got the original colonial ambiance of old Batavia, the Dutch name for the former capital.  The restaurant is located on "the square", where they have games, music, food and bikes to rent.  I was hoping they would have a market with lots of great things to buy but no such luck. I did however buy three scarfs from a little vendor and they cost about 5 dollars total so that was exciting.

Would much rather ride around in this car daily than our stylish VAN! :)

These two men were in the middle of the square and had these large, long whips  and would just snap them on the ground which would make a LOUD horrible sound. Wasn't sure what the appeal of this was but was sure I would not be getting in their way - OUCH!

The funniest thing I think I saw was this "ride" for little kids. It played music and the little kids would sit on the tiny bikes and go, up and down, up and down. Sounds normal right? Maybe until you see it. This guy was just riding a large bicycle looking thing in the back behind them and he was the power behind the whole machine.  It gave us a good laugh!

Alo made friends with all the locals and played some of their games. It cost about 10 cents for ever try.  Good thing since he lost every time! ha

After our afternoon of venturing around the old city we needed some AC and a cold drink! 

Cheers!

What is better than one cake? Two!

So I'm really behind on my postings but hopefully one day soon I'll catch up!

It was Alo's birthday July 18th and we had a couple friends over to celebrate (yes we have found a few!).  I was in a mad panic at the grocery store looking for ingredients to bake a cake or some kind of yummy dessert. As you all know I'm not a fan of cooking - but love to bake and make anything sweet since I have a sugar addiction! The other minor detail is the fact we don't have an oven - well a real oven. I wasn't so sure how the tiny toaster oven would perform for this special occasion. Long story short - Ranch Market saved the day and I bought their Tiramisu instead. Phew. They even offered to write Happy Bday Alo on the cake - wasn't sure how it would turn out on Tiramisu but I was impressed!

Ranch Market is awesome and makes me feel slightly at home while grocery shopping! Except for their prices! Woo everything is so high - but regardless I love it :)

So when our friends came over for dinner for Alo's bday, they brought some beers and something for Alo...can you guess what it was?

It was pretty funny! We all laughed wondering what the lady at the bakery must have thought when they had two requests in the same day for an ALO. ha We had a nice dinner and Alo had a good time. The next night I took him to Lara Djonggrang, a local traditional indonesian restaurant to celebrate. We tried lots of Indonesian food and I really loved the atmosphere of the restaurant.  So all and all it was a successful first birthday in Indonesia!

The real Jakarta - who knew?

So before I ever moved here it was constant speculation such as ...what's the weather like, what will the dress code be like, what will the city look like?!? So I thought I'd update everyone on the real Jakarta!

First off, it's a huge HUGE city. Certainly bigger than anywhere I've lived before. Of course what did I expect since Jakarta has almost 10 million people and Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country in the world. Whew. They aren't lying! This place is packed. My Dad would just LOVE it :)

So second of all, the traffic is horrible. And not just traffic but getting a taxi as well. Tonight I waited in line for one entire hour just to get a taxi - not fun. Here they have lines for taxis, you don't just hail one.  Well the traffic was no surprise to me since it is the one thing Alo did mention beforehand and every review online mentioned the horrendous traffic! DC has alot of traffic but this is even more insane. And add in a million motor bikes, old grungy buses and pollution and you can imagine what it's like.  They don't really have traffic laws or speed limits. I think it's just kind of a free for all so it's quite the ride getting to a from work everyday!

Which leads me to my next point, the language barrier. I think I imagined that more people would be able to speak English. Cab drivers usually don't speak much English so I've learned the basics to get myself around town. The language barrier at work is a bit challenging but not too bad. In general everyone speaks some bit of English. Some of my colleagues have studied in the states and speak perfect English however others speak very broken English.  I help some of my co workers by correcting their English when they write and they help me by teaching me Bahasa so it's a win win for everyone! My boss mentioned the company would pay for a classes today so I'm really excited and hope to sign up in the next couple weeks and really start learning!

Speaking of learning, I've learned that there must be some pretty wealthy folks in this country since the shopping is insane here.  I've never seen anything like it. There are so many malls I literally cannot keep up. And they are all HUGE. There are at least 3 Louis Vuitton within a mile radius from our apartment. Along with multiple Guccis, Tiffanys, Mont Blancs, Pradas..well you get the point. So I haven't got to shop much at all ...which is both a good and bad thing. Besides all the designer high priced stores, they also have normal American stores like Banana Republic, Gap, Nine West, and even Forever 21 !(but it's more expensive of course). I was originally imagining Jakarta having lots of markets with vendors who sell lots of arts and crafts they make but I think I was just thinking that because Bali had all those great things.  So far no great market like that, but I'm still on the look out.

The dress code is what I hoped it would be like - the same as home! I basically wear anything I wore before. All my colleagues dress just as I would, so that was a relief to find out.  I didn't have to buy a new wardrobe :) Being the world's largest Muslim country, I expected to see alot more conservative dress. But really it's not that different.  The majority of Indonesians in Jakarta do not wear the Hijab (the scarf that is worn on their head).  Oh and one more thing I forget about the dress code - you can't leave the house without your high heels! Whether it's a Friday night or a Sunday afternoon, Indonesian women have their high heels on wherever they go.  And I mean HIGH heels.


One of the biggest things I miss....water. This might sound silly but being here has made me appreciate water so much more! Not being able to drink and cook with the water that comes right out of the faucet really makes you realize how we take it for granted.  One night our water dispenser ran out of water while Alo was out of town traveling and man was that a small crisis of the night. I ran down to our mini mart in the basement and there was only one guy working so he wasn't able to help me bring the water up to our apartment. So I decided I could carry it by myself. I'm a strong girl but wow those things are heavy! I finally somehow get it through all the doors and up the elevator, and then hard part came next...getting this huge water jug turned upside down so fast that I don't pour the entire thing all over the floor. Well you can imagine how that worked out :) I made a big mess!

Which is my next topic...cleaning. Something that is hard to remember doing often since we now have a maid! It's truly awesome and I'll probably never be able to live without one now - thanks Jakarta.  But really, it's great.  She comes twice a week and does everything from cleaning to laundry to even cutting up our fruit (like watermelon, etc).  Asians surely live an awesome lifestyle when it comes to service. Everyone has drivers, cooks, maids, and nannies.  What a life!

And the last thing for now...TV! I was pleasantly surprised at the selection of channels we have. We have a basic cable so no guide that tells you when and what will come on but that's ok considering it would be in Bahasa Indonesia anyways.  We have a variety of Australian cooking channels I really like. Alo already thinks their Australian accent is rubbing off on me! ha We also have a channel called "Starworld" and it's probably my favorite. It has a European form of the America show, "So you think you can dance?" which I now love and also has American shows like Greys, 90210 and Desperate Housewives. The funny thing is though they are a season behind so I've seen everything. But it's still nice to turn on the TV and see familiar shows. Oh and a couple movie channels like HBO and Star Movies. We don't really need the movie channels since you can purchase DVDs here, like new one still in theaters or not yet released in America, for about $1. And series of TV shows cost about $3 or $4 for an entire season. We have probably bought about 40 movies and 10 seasons of shows so I think we are set for awhile!

Hope this helps you understand a little bit about what it's really like over here so far..much more to come!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

Alo took off a couple days from work and since we were both without our passports (still in the process of getting our Kitas - 1 year stay visa) we decided to venture out of the city and head towards the mountains and rural areas close by.

Our first stop was Bogor.  As we drove along, the view was much greener than Jakarta but the traffic still held strong.  We decided to try out the safari park called the Taman Safari.  It turned out to be awesome and I would highly recommend it.  We stayed in the car and drove through the entire safari park.  This might sound boring since we had to stay in the car but it was honestly really fun.  Alo and I bought lots of carrots from vendors on the street before we entered the park. So as you can imagine...the animals LOVED us :)

I just adore this guy - he looks like he is smiling at all times!

The lions and tigers would walk right next to the car so we were too scared to put the window down all the way! I didn't want Alo getting eaten by a lion on his day off :)

This zebra wanted some kisses! They were so funny!

After the Taman Safari, we headed to Puncak to check our the paragliding. Luckily we were there too late in the day and there were others in line ahead to paraglide so we had to postpone that one :) Not quite sure if i'm ready to run off a mountain in Puncak yet, but stay tuned! It was fun to see others do it. They made it look so easy! No worries, we found a zip line instead so we got a small thrill for the day!

While driving up the mountain we got to see all the tea plantations. I really admire the women who pick the tea leaves as a living. Talk about a hard job! They are on very steep hills in the hot sun picking the tiny tea leaves off the trees and carry a huge woven basket on their back to put the leaves in.