Lombok Island

One of our stops was to Lombok Island, Indonesia.  Lombok is probably what Bali was like before they put in an international airport and our guide told us that Lombok is building an international airport to open next year, so look out Bali....I predict that Lombok will be the new Bali!  So I won't bore you with the ships tour, it was okay but when we finished the half day tour Brad hired our guide and a driver to take us to see the real Lombok.  We wanted to see the villages and how the people live and taste some of the local cuisine.

It's kind of the place to hang out and weave.

Really beautiful!

Everywhere we went I was drawn to the children, they are so beautiful!

Dress Up!

Apparently a fashion statement in the making........

Brad had to have a hat like his!

Our driver and guide

First stop was a weaving village. This was not a touristy set up at all.  This was a real little village where all the women weave to help support their village.   They have a little shop there where they sell some of the pieces and others are taken to the market to sell.  We visited with a few of the little ladies as they worked.  The Indonesian people are so happy and warm.  It is always amazing to me....I guess I'm a little jaded from visiting Mexico but these people are just genuine.  They love everyone and they smile and try to communicate.  

Next stop our driver just pulled over and showed us a typical house....or we would say a compound. A group of houses that extended families live in. He showed us how they dry the rice from the rice paddy and how they cook and it was amazing. A world apart from us. Still cooking with wood. Doing many things by hand. Hauling water from a well.  After we had walked around this little place and our guide had used the toilet, we said, do you know these people and he said no but they don't mind.   And they didn't!  How funny!

This is where they dry the rice

The Kitchen.....not kidding!

Toilet......really not kidding

Water Well

Cute kids

Baby Chicks

Finally persuaded her to take a picture....then I showed it to her!  

Little family store.....one every twenty steps everywhere in Indonesia.

Adorable baby boy!

Last stop was a local restaurant for some local food.  We specified that it had to be really clean.....really clean!!!!  That was a must.  Our guide took us to a lovely little place that was very clean and we had a ton of food, more than enough for the four of us for less than $12.00.  Really!  I was amazed.  Drinks and everything.  Such a lovely day....very fun, we felt like we really got to see the REAL Lombok!

BOROBUDUR ON SEMARANG, JAVA INDONESIA

WE STOPPED AT SEMARANG ON THE ISLAND OF JAVA IN INDONESIA.  FROM THERE WE TOOK A 3 HOUR BUS RIDE TO THE COMPLEX OF BOROBUDUR. 

 A FIRST FOR US WAS TO HAVE A POLICE ESCORT.  OUR PARADE WAS FILLED WITH FOUR BUSES AND PEOPLE ON THE SIDEWALKS WOULD WAVE AT US AS WE WENT BY.  

THE CITY ITSELF WAS SHOCKING TO ME.  EVERY SQUARE INCH WAS TAKEN UP WITH EITHER HOVEL OR HOUSE DEPENDING ON HOW YOU LOOKED AT IT.  PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.  SHOPS AND STORES LITERALLY LINED EVERY STREET AND EVEN THE ROADS THAT LED OUT OF TOWN,  WERE LINED WITH FRUIT STANDS.  THERE WAS SUCH A MIX OF BUILDINGS, SOME WERE VERY NICE AND NEW, SOME MADE FROM BRICKS AND SOME WERE JUST A LEAN-TO WITH CORRUGATED STEEL SUPPORTED BY BAMBOO POLES.  I SAW INDUSTRY EVERY WHERE FROM FURNITURE CRAFTSMAN TO LUMBER YARDS THAT HAD PILES OF BAMBOO, TREE TRUNKS FROM VARIOUS TREES, STICKS, BRANCHES.    ALL NEATLY PILED.  LOTS OF MOTORCYCLE REPAIR SHOPS....MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THERE WERE TONS OF MOTORCYCLES ON THE ROADS.  LOTS OF ROAD SIDE FOOD AND FRUIT STANDS AND LOTS OF STORES WITH ALL KINDS OF GOODS.  

BOROBUDUR IS THE OLDEST THING I HAVE EVER TOUCHED.  IT WAS BUILT AROUND 700 A.D.  NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE BUT ABOUT THAT TIME.  IT IS A COMPLEX TEMPLE FILLED WITH BUDDHAS AND BEAUTIFUL ANCIENT CARVINGS.  SO AMAZING AND FANTASTIC TO LOOK AT.  THE CARVINGS ARE SO INTRICATE, JUST ONE SQUARE IS AMAZING AND IT IS FILLED WITH HUNDREDS OF CARVED BLOCKS.  

THE TIERS OF THE BUILDING REPRESENT DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF A PERSONS LIFE AND THE TOP LAYER IS NIRVANA.  WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME WALKING AROUND IT, TOUCHING IT AND ENJOYING THE BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT THERE.  

Brad and His Beloved!  It's the boat!

Borobudur 

Some of the beautiful carving!

This place was amazing!

Mt Merapi the volcano that covered Borobudur in ash!  Still smoking as you can see!

One of many Buddhas

The carving was amazing!  The entire temple was carved like this.

Bradley

Karen

Me & Buddha

Nirvana!  The very top level represents Nirvana!

The boat!

Cute Me!

If you want to learn more about Borobudur click here.

Kuching, Sarawak on the Island of Borneo in Malaysia

Today we spent some time in the beautiful city of Kuching Sarawak on the island of Borneo in Malaysia.  We set off in the morning to see the Orangutans.  We took a tour bus out to the rainforest where there is a preserve for the nearly extinct Orangutans.  In this preserve they teach them to care for themselves and get them ready to be released back in to the wild when possible.  We arrived in time for the first morning feeding, a supplement that they provide to ensure that they all have enough food to eat.  We saw several, about 8 in all including 2 mamas with their babies.  

In the afternoon we took a shuttle into town and spent some time exploring the many shops and of course checking out the local food.  We found some fun buys, the Malaysian ringit was $2.80 to $1.00 american dollar and so everything seemed very cheap including the food.  We ate at a local cafe for about $7.00 which included 3 large noodle dishes and chicken fried rice and two drinks.  Wow!  It was amazing good food too!

Some of the highlights of the day were a chinese buddha statue, the goddess of mercy that I purchased for 280 ringit.  Eating a sweet potato fritter from a street vendor.  Discovering the birds nest a local delicacy made from real birds nests, eaten as a dessert.  Viewing all of the various markets with their dried fishes, dried shark fins, dried sea cucumber....too many to name, it was marvelous.  Such a treat for the eyes to see how another culture lives.  Simply amazing.  

Orangutans

It was pouring rain....

This is a mom and baby.....look close...see the baby?

Snarfing the good food!

Trying a local favorite

These are the edible birds nests.  REAL birds nests made into a delicate dessert.

Shark Fin.....dried..???

Singapore is Safe and Clean and Safe

Subways are such an interesting slice of humanity.  Nearly everywhere we travel we spend a lot of time on subways, because it is a convenient and inexpensive way to get around.  It is a great place to people watch and the subway says a lot about a city....without ever saying a word.  So it was on one of our evenings in Singapore.

When we arrived in Singapore it was 2am in the morning there.  Our cab driver was particularly talkative and friendly and he let us know that Singapore is a very safe city.  He said we could feel comfortable walking around at this time of night anywhere in the city.  He said crime is so low in Singapore it is almost non-existent.  I was amazed, knowing that it was not the same in America.  There are plenty of places in my hometown of Seattle that I would not feel at ease in during the day, let alone at two in the morning.  

We thanked our cab driver for his advice but we did not take him up on it that night as we had flown for nearly 20 hours and all we wanted was a chance to lay flat again and sleep!  However, the next night we found ourselves rambling around the city on the subway and indeed we felt very safe.  The subway, like the city, was very clean and orderly.  

We swept on to a train and as we sat down I noticed a man across from me reach down and pick up a pink wallet off the ground.  It was a cute hello kitty wallet (the obsession of  Asia it seems, you see it everywhere, shirts, purses, wallets)  that obviously someone had dropped.  I was surprised to see his quick action of scooping it off the ground and I must admit I thought the worst.  I thought he was going to stuff it in his pocket, I thought he would look around to see if anyone was watching first.......but he didn’t.  Instead he was intently looking through it.  I again thought the worst and I waited for him to look up at me and notice me watching him.......but he didn’t.  Instead he pulled out his phone and dialed a number from the wallet.  No answer and so he began looking through it again, found another number and dialed.  No answer again, so then he did what every good Singaporian does on the subway, he leaned his head against the window and promptly fell asleep.  That is when I snapped this picture, I wanted to remember this beautiful Singapore man who was soon to be someone’s hero.  Thank you for telling me taxi man.....now I have seen for myself, Singapore is a very safe city indeed.


Some more of Singapore:

Hotel in Singapore (On the Way)

Singapore enchanting little street thingy-ma-bob!

Chicken Rice....first thing Brad wanted to try!

The Hawker Food Court

Singaporing in the Rain

The Biggest Mosque in Singapore