Home at Last

It was so nice to sleep in my own bed in my own apartment. After traveling for two days, I was able to stay awake until the impressive hour of 8pm before falling into my bed. Before I get lost in the joys of being back in the land of street lights, sidewalks, and Diet Dr. Pepper, I thought I should share the highs and lows of my last week in Indonesia.

I finished my project deliverables! It was after all the reason I was in Indonesia. The last week was a frantic exercise in time management to finish all the edits and formatting on the manuals I was creating, but I was able to get it all done and submitted to my organization before the end of Friday rolled around. It was nice to leave without having any project work needing to be finished.

I was also able to get a couple new experiences in Jakarta before flying out.

View from Sky Bar. 

Interesting art display in Pacific Place mall. 

Cocktail at Potato Head.

Milk shake at Magnum Bar Cafe. 

Dessert at Magnum Bar Cafe.

It is hard to believe now that I am back that 11 weeks have gone by. My apartment looks the same, though a little messier than I thought (I might miss the housekeeping that came with my Kost). I remember my way to the grocery store, though remember that there are crosswalks and sidewalks seems a little harder. If you every get the chance to travel to Indonesia do not pass it up. It is an amazing and diverse country, and there are still many places I hope to explore one day. I just would not suggest Jakarta as a destination. 

Very Volcanic Views

This weekend  I had my last Indonesian travel adventure. In preparation for the 40 hours of travel I have ahead of me, I spent about 12 hours traveling this weekend, so I could glimpse the sunrise at Mt. Bromo. Jessie and I set off early Saturday morning to catch our flight from Jakarta to Surabaya (a city in East Java). At the airport we met up with Lindsey, a friend of Jessie's traveling through Indonesia on her way back to Australia. After an uneventful plane trip we met our driver and started the 4 hour drive up to the hotel at the edge of the Bromo National Park. 

First view of Bromo form the hotel parking lot.

View from the hotel room porch.

Sunset

While I would not recommend the food at the Lava View Lodge, the views more than make up for a not so great dinner and breakfast. At 3:30 the next morning we were awaken to start another hour of traveling up bumpy mountain roads to get to the viewpoint. After an hour standing at the viewpoint, I was complaining about the cold, not a normal occurrence here. However, the views were well worth any minor teeth chattering.

Sunrise

Anak Bromo, Bromo, and Semeru

Anak Bromo, Bromo, and Semeru

Three Angels

After catching the sunrise, it was back down the mountain to cross the sea of sand and climb to the top of Bromo.

Hindu Temple at the base of Bromo

Climbing up Bromo (Lindsey, Jessie, and I)

View into the crater. It is tradition to throw an offering into the crater. 

View looking down at the climb and all the people coming up.

At this point, it was still only 8am so we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and a little rest before starting the drive back to the airport again. At 6pm on Sunday, we finally made it back to the Jakarta airport. If you ever make it to Indonesia, I would  definitely recommend putting Mt. Bromo on your list of things to see.

Two weeks til ... (Part 2)

My summer of blogging and adventure started with a post title "Two weeks til..." It seems weird to think that time has flown by and it is two weeks until I am traveling back to Little Rock.

I have A LOT I am looking forward to getting back to in Little Rock. There are of course the creature comforts I miss - coffee, my kitchen, salads, my car, street signs, sidewalks, green space, speaking the language, and my iPhone (disco lights are not a special feature you want in a phone). I am looking forward to finishing my degree. I will be completing my Capstone project in the fall. I am anxious to start my final project and my last two classes. I can't forget catching up with all my classmates as they return from their own adventures and meeting everyone in Class 8, though obviously not as awesome as Class 7!

At the same time there is a lot I am going to miss and many things still left to do in this part of the world. I have one last adventure planned for next weekend. I will be traveling to Mt. Bromo to get one more volcano in; however, I was unable to make it to Krakatoa or to see orangutans in their last natural habitat. There are so many places left to visit in Indonesia, I hope to be back soon. I am also leaving behind many new friends. I know that some I will keep in touch with thanks to the marvels of modern technology, but I will miss my Jalan-Jalans with Jessie as I force her to explore the many nooks and crannies of Jakarta.

This has been one of the most exciting and frustrating experiences of my life. I feel a new appreciation for all that I have in my life and a renewed inspiration to continue along my path of public service. Hopefully I can finish all my project work in the next 10 working days!

Five Years Ago

This morning I woke up and turned on my computer. I logged into Skype and got a message from one of my favorite people, one Sarah Carroll, with a link to http://www.bestbuddies.tv/live/. From over 10,000 miles away I got to relive the experience that started me along this path to public service.

Five years ago, I had what was sometimes the pleasure to intern at Best Buddies International. I saw sometimes a pleasure because somehow at the end of the year my accomplishments included sharpening 500 pencils two at time, dress as a pirate, transferring a box of floppy disks onto the shared drive, archiving years of membership forms (a challenge when you have to type the word box repeatedly with a missing X key), and cleaning multiple cabinets, desks, closets, and offices. That being said, I met some of the most amazing people and I was introduced to the wonderful world of nonprofits through a great organization, Best Buddies. What was supposed to be a summer internship turned into a year long internship. Then a year later I returned to Best Buddies for two more years of gainful employment.

What I love about Best Buddies is the simplicity of its mission ... to promote inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through friendship and jobs. This morning I got to relive a little of that mission as I watched the opening ceremonies for Leadership Conference from my room in Jakarta as I Skyped with Sarah. The passion of the volunteers and buddies jumped off my computer, reminding why I love working in this field. It is amazing to think of how things have changed in 5 years. The way technology allowed me to sit thousands of miles away watching Leadership Conference.

If you have never heard of Best Buddies take a moment to check out their website www.bestbuddies.org. If you feel inspired take a moment to sign the pledge to End The R Word, www.r-word.org.

Jalan-Jalan for Java

One of the things that has perplexed me the most being in Indonesia is the difficulty in finding coffee. In a nation synonymous with coffee - Java, Sumatra - there is a surprising lack of places which serve actual coffee. By actual coffee I mean coffee that comes from beans and brewed with hot water, not brown granules that dissolve in water. There is an abundance of people selling instant coffee. You can find it at Circle K, little street stalls, and even people riding bicycles with packets decorating the handle bars. However, in my opinion if you are going to have a vice, addiction to coffee, you should enjoy the quality stuff. I don't believe in fake sugar or powdered creamer.

Today, I had enough of the instant coffee. It just was not working, so I took a morning Jalan-Jalan (walk if you haven't remembered your Bahasa from previous posts) to the nearest coffee shop which happens to be about 20 minutes out of my way. The problem with this is that tomorrow I will want a latte again. While I normally would not mind a 20 minute walk, in Jakarta it is a different story. The humidity and pollution quickly make you rethink your journey, especially when you have to wear those clothes at work all day. The traffic makes you question the wisdom of cross streets - just close your eyes, hold out your hand as a barrier, and take the first step (DON'T ACTUALLY CLOSE YOUR EYES). Luckily today there was a little breeze and it didn't seem quite so hot, at least when you were in the shade. That first sip of my ice latte made it worth it, though tomorrow I think I might opt for extra sleep. Needless to say I am counting the days, 17 to be exact, until I am back in Little Rock with my many coffee making appliances.

Singapore Part Two

 Saturday in Singapore was a little less exciting, mainly because of the showers that persisted throughout the day. I don't know why I insist on forgetting to bring my umbrella/rain gear when I travel. However, even with the rain I had a fun morning at the zoo. First was breakfast with the Orangutans. This means you eat breakfast while watching the orangutans and then get to take an overpriced photo with them. After breakfast I speed walked through the zoo so I could catch sights of most of the animals before I needed to catch the bus back at noon. Below are some of the zoo highlights:

 

 

 

 

 

 After the zoo I went to the Art and Science Museum for Andy Warhol and Harry Potter. Unfortunately no photography was allowed inside of the exhibits.

Having rained throughout the day Saturday, Singapore decided Sunday deserved perfectly clear blue skies. I decided to walk from my hotel down the river to the marina and visit the Gardens by the Bay, Singapore's newest park. Below is the photo journey from start to finish.

Clarke Quay - Starting Point

Boat Quay

Statue of Sir Raffles

Outside Asian Civilization Museum

Pedestrian Bridge

 

Obelisk outside Victoria Theater

Arts and Science Museum

Singapore Flyer - taller than the London Eye

Gardens by the Bay - End

Cross over into the Gardens. The large structures are super trees - they generate solar power.

Singapore was a successful weekend, except for the flying out part. My flight was about 2 hours delayed. There were some funny moments at the airport as Singapore efficiency met Indonesian lack of efficiency. 

Time to get back to work as I only have 20 more days left in Indonesia.

Singapore Sights

This morning I grabbed an early (5:40 am) flight from Jakarta to Singapore. I am exhausted after my early morning and day walking the city so I will let my pictures do the talking. 

War memorial

One of the many signs that enforce Singapore's efficiency.

Little India

Little Indida

China Town

First meal in Singapore: delicious strawberry and mango shaved ice.

Fun pedestrian bridge.

My hotel.

Fountain on Orchard Road.

Weird mermaid statue on Orchard Road.

This reminded me of an avocado.

One of Singapore's tributes to the upcoming Olympics.

Art on the marina.

View from dinner at Level 33, a microbrewery on the 33rd floor.

The most interesting fish and chips I have eaten.

Is it a bench or is it art?

Another bench.

Don't worry the cows are under surveillance.

War memorial to the Indian soldiers. 

 I don't know if it just because I am coming from Jakarta, but I am loving Singapore. It has public transportation, sidewalks, people are not allowed to smoke most places, and there is no trash!!! Hopefully it continues to get better as the weekend goes on.