Belitung Island

Day 1: We arrived, spent time on our beach, watched the sunset and ate dinner. The evening was spent playing card games on our porch. This reminded me of Remyx days as our primary game was mafia. Angie also taught us a great game called lunchbox.

sunset

Day 2: We drove a long distance to a beach on the other side of the island. It was totally gorgeous and we spent the morning sun bathing, swimming, and eating sea food. In the afternoon we drove home, ate dinner, and Angie, Eron, and myself went down to the water to watch the stars.

Beach!

Where we tanned

Day 3: This was our day of Island hopping. We walked to the pier and hopped on a boat to travel to the first island where we got to see sea turtles. I ended up buying Angie a sea turtle to release into the wild as a birthday present. Angie named her sea turtle George and we took him on the boat with us out to the open sea to let him go. Then we went snorkeling. I had a bit of difficulty at first because water kept coming in my mouth. Dustin tested out my gear said it was fine and then watched me go under and pointed out I was going ALL the way under. Silly Tiara. Not thinking. Then I practiced and got it down pretty nicely. I saw some cool blue fish, some beautiful coral, and awesome brown fish. I swam all around and eventually made it to the Island a short distance away. There we ate lunch right before it started down pouring. It is for sure the rainy season now. We waited out the rain in the boat, and all ended up soaked. Eventually, though it was still raining, we went to another island and did some more swimming and eventually snorkeling after we realized there were all sorts of starfish around.  I ended up performing a star-fish wedding ceremony for a few of the larger star fish, and their love children attended. Eventually it was time to go home and relax a bit. I ended up heading down to star gaze on my own for awhile and was eventually joined by Dustin, and about 10 minutes later by Chris. I was glad some other people understood that we were out in the middle of nature. We had decided to all squish into one bungalow to save money, so the night ended with us trying to figure out where everyone was going to sleep/how to share 3 blankets among 6 people.

Angie, George and I! One happy family :)

letting George go in the sea!

Starfish wedding ceremony! Somplak and Sombong

Star Fish!

The whole crew!

Day 4: We were told that this day was a public holiday on the Island as the village was preparing for a traditional event. The event, Buong Jong, consisted of calling the spirits into human bodies, the human bodies dancing, and then casting the spirits out. Then they took a mini-boat out into the open ocean and released it as an offering, so that they would have good luck with fishing and sailing for the next year. We got to see the whole ceremony and to take a boat out to the open water to see the mini-boat being released. It was a pretty cool thing to experience. Afterward we were taken to the beach that made Belitung famous (it was in some movie) to swim, and then we drove to a more private beach to swim some more. We had lunch and headed back to our own beach and pool to continue swimming and I got to feel and touch lots of jellyfish that didn’t sting. It was pretty cool. I spent my evening indulging in my book until everyone but me and Angie went to dinner. We simply weren’t hungry so I forced down an apple and we decided to go for a late night swim just the two of us. We hopping in the water and drank Bintang (which translates into “star” in Bahasa) underneath the stars. “Ahhh! There’s a jellyfish in my ass!” I screamed at one point, so eventually we got out of the water and sat on the rock to chat about life and boys and typical girl stuff. Finally we showered and waited for the others to return, and were asked to go and look at the stars again, which I agreed to do, knowing it would be the last time I would see them for months.

Buong Jong: ensures safe sailing for the year

offering the boat to the sea as a sacrifice

Guys...I'm wearing a bikini. And I'm not hiding my body :)

Day 5: Basically we woke up, I read my book and packed, and went to the airport to go home. Though it is my 3^rd time reading it I am consuming the book page by page and quote by quote.

Random Thoughts from Belitung Island

So the blog post from my last trip is going to be different. Very different. I'm really enjoying experimenting with my writing. I hope you are enjoying my random, unimportant thoughts. Just click play and read on.

In the Car

As I sit in a the car with a lurching stomach from yet another 3^rd world bug I laugh out of sheer happiness. I look out my window into the jungle we are driving through to get to the beach on the other side of this “small island” off Sumatra, and I think about how vast and large this world is.

I’m not one to believe in the whole “fate” thing, or the whole “predestination" thing. I believe that we make our own choices and they get us where we are. But when I think about the decisions that got me here I’m amazed at how even the small decisions can make a difference. And when I look around me I believe I am meant to be here, with these people in this moment. It is such a strange and odd feeling.

Moreover, isn’t it crazy how the choices I made broke me from a little innocent girl, and how each choice I make now is building me into the strong and secure woman I was meant to be.

Under the Stars

I’m here in a large group of 10 people. Most of them are sitting inside watching TV. Angie tried to convince them to come play some card games on our deck overlooking the ocean, but no one responded. I’m gone, out the front door. By myself I walk to the beach, 97 steps below our bungalow, unable to fathom when the next time I will get to see stars or breathe fresh air will be. I stare out at the sea and soak up every little bit of nature I’ve been given. I play with the soft sand in my hand as I look at the moonlight shining off the ocean. The waves crash up on the shore, and frogs croak in the background as I inhale the coolness of the breeze.

I think of how tiny the grains of sand are in my hand. I think of how tiny the stars are in the sky. I think of tiny I am in the universe. My finger writes random words in the sand. They are up for meditation:

Family

Nature

Minnesota

Be Here

Move Forward

Happiness

Take a Chance

Some man from the lower bungalow comes out of his hut and walks to sea line. He looks out at the sky for 2 minutes, turns around and slowly returns. No one understands.

I get my chance. I don’t take it. I am a coward.

Jogjakarta: Sultan's Palace, Water Castle, and tourist shopping

This was definitely the least exquisite day, as it was mostly a touristy day. The boys didn’t pick us up until 9:30, but we were unable to sleep in because a little kid was screaming loudly. I spent my morning sipping on free coffee from the hotel and editing pictures. I can’t believe how many I have!

We were then escorted to Sultan’s palace, and taught a brief history of all the previous sultans from a local guide. Everything in the entire place had something to do with sex. I swear to god. It was all about men, women, and the nature between them. As he was talking about the sons and daughters of the Sultans he mentioned that the current Sultan has only 5 daughters, and not sons. “And why do you think this is?” he asked. “Because I have read the book of sexual, and it is because of natural. You must have aggressive sexual. The last Sultan had 4 wives, he had 17 sons and 5 daughters. And why? Because he make aggressive sexual. The 7^th sultan had 22 wives and 78 children.” Yeah dude, let’s not mention the fact that it might have to do with the fact that the current Sultan chose to only have one wife. I’m sure it is all about the woman’s aggressiveness in bed.  There are no scientific facts to prove that the men actually decide the sex of a child. Granted the guide was 66, so I’ll give him some credit. He also couldn’t understand why the current Sultan’s daughter has been married for a year and is not pregnant.

Inside the palace

Next we took a pedicab to the water castle. This is where the Sultan came with his concubines to choose one to sleep with. The water castle has 3 pools. One for his children, one for the concubines and a private one for him and his lady of choice. He would look down on the pool, throw a flower, and the lady that caught it would be the “lucky one” who joined him.

Private Pool!

After the water palace we went to the bird market, for which I have no words other than vom-central. I seriously almost threw up. The cages were the most crowded I’ve ever seen, and the stench was beyond comparison. Then we had lunch, where they had delicious biscuits and we were able to watch a dancer perform. The end of our day consisted of shopping at the famous market for Batik and souvenirs to send home for Christmas presents. Then Andi and Diang escorted us to the airport where we sat and had a coffee. 

We are concubines. This is the Sultan's love nest. Guys....they put fires underneath to keep it warm. As if it gets cold here ever....

Looking back on this vacation and comparing it to all the other ones in Albania I’m just dumbfounded by my life. I try to choose a trip that sticks out in my memory as the best, but each of them have be so phenomenal and enjoyed with such lovely company that I just cannot chose one. I was thinking this was the best vacation culturally as I learned so much about history and religion, but then I remember being astonished by the history of Bosnia. The best part about this vacation is that it is only half over! I’m off for a week of relaxing on beaches with my co-workers. I cannot wait. CITED!

Jogjakarta: Pindul Cave and Parangtritis Beach

We got to sleep-in, which really meant we got up at the same time, but had time to shave and relax a bit rather than rushing to get ready. We drove about and hour and a half away and were introduced to our cave tubing guide for the morning, Thomas. His English was a bit rough, but we either laughed or nodded in understanding. I was told it would be safe to take my camera with me, but I was still a bit skeptical. The camera survived and the pictures are awesome! Thomas was like our personal photographer the entire time, getting pictures at different angles placing us in the right place for the light, therefore we dubbed him “Thomas, the little engine guide who could.”

drip-drop, we are getting beautiful!

We went through Pindul cave, which had 3 parts, it got darker and darker until you reached the light from heaven. In the first chamber we were shown the swallow nests, and as we continued to the second and third chambers we were shown bat families and bat poop on the wall, and told legends about the cave. In one area it is believed if the water drips on you and you are female you will be more beautiful, and in another area if you touch the rock and are male you will be more strong. Once we reached the light of heaven we got out to swim, rock climb and jump a very short distance to the water.

After some time cooling off in the water, we were piled into a small truck and driven 2km to a river. I felt like I was back at summer camp, in a tube, on a river, lazing about. We were told there were all sorts of scary animals, especially sharks, and sure enough (in the form of a rock) there was. 

OH MY GOD! A SHARK!

Eventually we came to a waterfall and were able to jump, first 5meters off a bridge, and then 10 meters off a cliff. I was fine with the bridge, but the cliff freaked me out a little. Angie had to talk me down a bit, and finally I screamed “Go Pack Go!” and went for it. I almost made a rookie mistake of keeping my legs apart, but remembered about 3M before I hit to put them together. Thus in my picture I look like a complete idiot. Oh well, at least we were able to show up some older men who were too nervous to jump. 

yeah, a little nervous

We cooled off under the waterfall and were on our way, with a large group of Indonesian men who kept taking our pictures. Once we got off the river we played with bubbles using some Indonesian plants Thomas showed us, while waiting for our ride back. Sweet ginger tea and traditional Indonesian music to relax for a bit and then it was time for lunch, as it was already 2 in the afternoon.

awesome!

Andi and Diang were unable to take us back to the city for lunch, since it would have been too late, so we were asked if we minded eating a local place. This was no problem for us. We were served soup, veggies (I think papaya leaves in garlic pepper sauce) and the BEST chicken I have ever had. I started with a leg and continued digging in until suddenly I noticed there was a head. They had literally cooked the entire chicken for us, and it was so good that me and Angie ate every single bite. Anyone watching us eat this thing would surly have thought we hadn’t eaten in days. We nibbled on the bones, including the neck, until every inch of that thing had been devoured.

best. chicken. ever.

The car ride to our next destination was quite long, so I snoozed a bit, and eventually was awaken by Diang hitting a small bump, to which he responded by apologizing over and over again. Then we were told a bit about the beach we were going to, though we had already heard the legend of the beautiful princess who haunts the beach. If you wear green (her favorite) color she gets jealous and will take you. Angie was, of course, wearing green, and so Diang and Andi got nervous and told her she mustn’t stare out at the sea or she would be taken. 

sunset!

We were also told that we could not swim because the water was too rough, and no ship had ever been able to pass this beach and survive. We spent an hour or so walking along the water, watching crazy kids surfing in these dangerous waters, and be asked to practice English or take our picture. We decided that from now on we will just pretend that we don’t speak English and Angie will speak Afrikaans while I speak Albanian back. I was craving a beer, because when don’t I crave a beer, and I was lucky enough to find a shop that sold it. 

Happy 3 months in Indonesia and 3 months of knowing each other :)

Me and Angie split a large on the beach while random strangers once again came up to take pictures with us. We managed to get away with only taking one, but it was absolutely ridiculous that these people managed to miss the sunset because they were taking a picture with us. We headed back to the car and poor Andi was searching for us because he was nervous about Angie and her green. Dinner was seafood, but I could hardly eat as I was so stuffed from the chicken. Chris came over to the hotel with beer and we exchanged stories of the day and watched How I Met Your Mother before passing out.

Jogjakarta: I left my heart in Dieng Plateau

After another breakfast of chicken, noodles, and rice, I treated myself to two delicious coconut dessert rolls. They were so good I couldn’t resist a second. We were picked up at 7:30 again, and were driven 3.5 hours to Dieng Plateau. I spent the first hour or so blogging, and editing photos, and then began to notice all the beauty around me. And by beauty I mean green. Lots and lots of green. I kept thinking to myself that I had my hiking shoes and even though I was wearing a dress they could just drop me off right here and I’d spend my day hiking. 

Beauty!

Eventually we got up in the mountains and I began to notice an increasing amount of plantations. I grew more and more excited the higher up we got. Our first stop was to look at the view, where we were fed peanuts which were soaked in milk? Maybe. I forget. But I know the reason for eating them was so that you would have lots of energy to make love, since it gets cold in Dieng plateau in the winter. For real? Probably like 20 degrees celcius Angie had previously commented on how much cooler it was, though we were both still wearing short sleeve and shirts and felt comfortable. Then we headed to see Arjuna temple, which was a nice change of pace as there were very few tourist there, and no one asked to take our picture. After exploring, and playing in the grass for a bit (a commodity here) we were escorted to see a volcanic crater. 

Arjuna Temple

It smelled like sulfur, and all around the water was bubbling. Andi informed us that the sulfur water and rock is used to create medicine for itchy skin or skin with sores on it. At least it used to be. Now everyone is turning to western medicine. 

crater

Our final stop was at Telaga Warna. 2 boys in leather jackets were our escorts here and I was a little nervous when they started leading us to the top of the hill, on a random dirt path. Luckily I was in my element, so for part of the way I ended up leading the group. Hiking in a dress and flip flops wasn’t the best experience, but was much cooler than any other option. My dress had a ton of pricklies in it when we got down, but overall I’d try it again. The view at the top was breathtaking and I remembered reading about these lakes when I first started researching Indonesia. The lakes are different colors, and change color depending on the time of year you see them. 

pre-hike

At the bottom of the hill the leather jacket boys kept asking for our facebook names or emails. We refused and got in the car. We were then taken to yet another delicious lunch before being driven 3.5 hours home. 

Top of the hill

You begin to learn small things about people after being in a car with them for so long. Our driver likes his hard candies and likes to giggle at mine and Angies message alerts. He’s quite cute, but doesn’t speak much English, but apologizes over and over again every time we hit a bump. We also managed to listen to 1 album 4 times. It was called Roberta, but really it was just popular songs sung by a person named Roberta. It was actually my favorite album in the car as well. Killing Me Softly was on it as well as Marvin Gay, and the voice was a bit jazzy as opposed to just awful like all the other Indonesian singers. Once we arrived back in Jogjakarta we headed to dinner, which consisted of tofu, and beef, and some strange soup. Not too bad, although the dessert was the worst I have ever had. 

Once we arrived back at the hotel we got ready and headed out for some beers with Chris. We met up at a local backpackers area and Chris brought his friend Rose who he had met at the hostel. We shared itineraries as she was traveling through Indonesia for 2 whole months. This evening made me happy of our pre-planned, no work trip, but also ready to get back out into that crazy, I have no idea what I’m doing traveling. I think over winter break I want to take a small solo trip. I have no idea where I’ll go, but I think it’d be fun to do 4 or 5 days on my own, stay in hostels, and meet random people. I have an entire 5 weeks off, so I think I could easily fit this in. Any suggestions about where I should go?

Jogjakarta: Borobudur, Village life, Mount Merapi, and the Prambanan ballet

Our morning started with a traditional Indonesian breakfast of rice and pasta. Can I just say that I’m pretty sure I managed to put back on 5kgs since this vacation started. Yuck! The fresh guava juice was out of this world!

Then Andi picked us up to drive us Borobudur: The 8^th wonder of the world. I spent the time in the car enjoying the scenery and messaging my best friend back home about how crazy the world is, and my thoughts on soul mates: We definitely have more than one, because I’ve met so many already. Though none of them have been the exact perfect combination for me to consider spending the rest of my life with. I’m not minding this right now. I think it is great to know that there are so many out there for me to find.  I’ll keep searching.

Borobudur! The largest Buddhist temple in the world. 

We arrived at Borobudur after an hour long drive and were escorted into the park area where we were told about the history of the temple, how the volcanic eruption in 2009 effected it and what they have done to restore it. I have been very interested in studying Buddhism since last fall, and I was looking forward to learning a little more about it, after completing an introductory book about a month ago. Everything in the temple has some sort of symbolism and I’d try to post about all of it, but I’m sure no one really cares and I can’t remember all of it.

Borobudur!

I’ll share my favorite parts: The top of the temple is called Nirvana, so the steps to the top are very steep to symbolize that the trip to Nirvana is not easy. The stupa on the top 4 levels of the temple are represented in 8’s. 1 on the top layer to represent god, 16 on the second top layer, then 24, and then 36. These are all numbers divisible by 8, the number that represents the 8-fold path that Buddhists should follow. When you divide them by 8 and add up their quotients you get 1+2+3+4 which equals 9. In Buddhism 9 symbolizes the end of life. Inside each Stupa is a statue of a Buddha, and you can see through to him by looking into either diamond shaped or square shaped holes. This represents the ability for everyone to discover religion on their own. The diamonds represent the uncertainty of life, and the squares represent the balance of life. Sorry for my major rant. I just could not get over the insanity of it all.

Buddha in the stupa!

Meanwhile many, many Indonesian people kept interrupting our guide to ask for pictures. This happened yesterday as well, but it was always while we were taking photos, not while the guide was talking. I got really, very, frustrated. I think I screamed “I’m trying to learn here!” at one of them. I wouldn’t have minded so much if it was one picture here and there, but if you took one you immediately had 20 more people lined up to take pictures of you. Angie was very calm and took pictures while I went off and explored, ignoring the influx of “Excuse me, photo?” that kept coming my way. I tried my best to put myself in their shoes by thinking of someone famous I’d like to have my picture taken with. I’m sorry, but if I saw Aaron Rodgers and I were at the largest Buddhist temple in the world, at the same time, I think I’d still be focused on the later.

missing Buddha head

This got me longing for the solitude of the Balkans. We’d go just about anywhere and it would be empty and silent. It also made me realize that when I go back (if I go back) it won’t be this way. Seriously people, it’s beautiful, but you totally shouldn’t go, because I don’t want it to be ruined. Once the door opens it can never be shut. I began to think about Buddhism and the beliefs. Mainly the first belief that we are human and we always desire more. Our wants can never be fulfilled. Here I was standing on top of the largest Buddhist temple in the world, high on my list of places to visit in Indonesia, and all I wanted was more. Pull yourself here, Tiara!

After we made it out of the park we were driven to a small nearby village. A man came out of his house dressed in a Celtics jersey and I started to giggle a little. Then he went and changed into his Sunday best for us, we were given sun hats, introduced to another tour guide named WeWe and escorted to a small carriage with a single horse attached. The man drove the carriage to another small house to observe and help make cassava chips. We certainly did more observing than helping, but they tasted delicious! We were shown how the family has to get water from the well, for bathing, and to boil before drinking. Most of the local families do their laundry in the river during dry season, because there simply isn’t enough water in the well. Made me feel quite bad about my own lifestyle. 

Our ride for the afternoon

We were shown the plants they use to dye Batik (native dress) red, some quite large jack fruits, and then we headed to see a view of the river and some different plantations. The river looks decently clean and we were shown the area where three different rivers meet. The rivers carry ash from when Mount Merapi erupted and villagers will dig it out, dry it out, and sell it for its nutrients. Then we walked to the cassava plantation and were able to see a man working to pull up the cassava from the ground. The whole row of cassava would yield him about $5. I’m not even going to tell you how much time it takes to grow, for fear that you might start crying. 

cassava plantation

The next part of the journey was the scariest: through the salak (or snake skin fruit) plantation, and the trees all have thorns on them, which are apparently poisonous.  WeWe showed us how the plants have to be pollinated by people individually and then allowed us to taste the fruit from the tree. Me and Angie had tried this fruit several times in Jakarta and had been disappointed on almost every occasion. It always tasted bitter and disgusting. This fruit, however, tasted sweet and incredible. I ate all of mine up and we split a second. 

scared of the thorns.

The last part of our village journey was to a small house where we were offered jasmine tea and cookies. By cookies they meant sweets made of rice and sugar, but it was still delicious. We were also offered brown sugar cubes, however you weren’t supposed to put them into the tea, just suck on them while you were drinking the tea. This reminded me a lot of the Bosnian coffee traditions. Another great part of the day came when we were asked to play traditional Indonesian songs on the Kepyak (similar to a xylophone.) I immediately thought about my brother, and was able to capture a video of it, though I made several mistakes. Definitely a highlight of the trip, though I’m not sure of anything that hasn’t been.

Next we visited Mendut temple, which houses a large statue of Buddha. This is also where women go to pray for a baby. I lit some incense and created some small twisted version of the prayer. We walked clockwise around the temple looking at the relief and then headed to a large tree (I forget what kind) to swing like Tarzan. I was surprised at how sturdy the branches we swung from were. After we finished several children followed in our footsteps. Me and Angie are always such good examples.

saying a prayer to have a baby....

I'm a monkey!

We were taken to lunch, which was at the same restaurant as the previous day, only the Borobudur version instead of the Jogjakarta version. Hopping back in the car we were driven to Mount Merapi. I snoozed on the way, completely exhausted, and when we finally arrived we were unable to see much because it was so cloudy. Andi said it is all up to nature whether or not you can see the volcano. We walked around for a bit and me and Angie found a place to squat and pee, before opting to cut our losses, skip the jeep ride, and head home for a shower, as we figured visibility would be quite bad.

Next up was our romantic dinner and Ramayan ballet in front of Pranamban temple. Andi got us the best seats for dinner and we were able to look out and see the beauty of the lit up temple. We giggled that we would probably have front row seats to the ballet, but in all seriousness we were escorted to the center of the 3^rd row in the VIP section. The ballet was stunning, and we were lucky to have a short description in front of us as all the singing was in Bahasa. The costumes were beautiful, the music was traditional, and the squatting they did during the dancing made our quad shake at the sight. The whole thing took place right in front of the lit up temple. The story was one of love and loyalty, and of course in the end, both of these virtues won. At intermission we were offered snacks and coffee, and once the ballet was done we were escorted to the hotel where we fell asleep quite quickly.

ballet!

Jogjakarta: Prambanan and Leowak coffee

My alarm rang at 4:00am and it was off to the races. As we got ready Chris kept mumbling that he would clean up and we should just focus on getting ready, as he was heading to Jogjakarta later in the afternoon. What a sweet guy. Our Indonesian friend had called a taxi the night before and after having a bit of trouble translating what the security guards were saying to us, we managed to find our taxi, and he was able to get us to the airport in about 45 minutes. Love the non-traffic in the mornings. Once we arrived we realized we weren’t able to check in quite yet, so we used the restroom and opted to get Krispy Kreme donuts to celebrate our vacation. This is going to be an excuse for everything (eating poorly, drinking poorly, not working out, sitting on my ass) for the next two weeks. We had zero issues at the airport, which was a nice change of pace, other than the $4 service charge we had to pay just to get in. How ridiculous! There are so many hidden costs to traveling.

Prambanan Temple

We were early so we had to wait a bit, and they switched our gate, but we managed, simply by following the crowd. We both dozed on the flight, thought neither of us fully slept. We were greeted by Andi (our guide for the week) and a driver (Diang) who immediately took our bags from us and escorted us to their car. Andi gave us a brief history of Jogjakarta and told us that originally it was independent, but later joined Indonesia once it gained independence. Our first destination was Prambanan temple. Andi explain that it was the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and that it acted a symbol of the unity and acceptance between Hinduism and Buddhism as it was build by a Hindu Princess who married a Buddhist man. We spent the first 15 minutes or so taking pictures of the outside and being paparazzied by random Indonesian people. I seriously felt like a celebrity. Andi took us into each temple that we were allowed in (several are no longer standing or safe, due to past earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.) He explained a lot about the Hindu statues and about the Ramayan story, and also taught us that you must always visit a temple by going around it clockwise. I forget why, something about the representation of the shortness and sweetness of life and time. Tomorrow evening we will see the ballet in front of the temple, but the story is also engraved on the inside of most of the temple. It is the story of ture love and acceptance of our position in life. I chatted with Andi a bit about religion as he asked if we were Christian. I told him I was extremely interested in Buddhism, as was he, and we chatted about the things that made it so optimal. Mostly the fact that it is all about what you make it and are willing to put into it. After we finished walking in the temples we did a quick run of the museums, before heading to lunch.

Exploring the less stable part of the temple

At lunch we were served soup, rice, veggies, seasoned chicken, fish with a delicious pepper onion sauces, beef which reminded me of pot roast, and fruit for desert. Angie and I couldn’t believe how delicious everything was and that we were living this life. After lunch we were able to see how they make silver items in Jogja. This is something they are known for, and I couldn’t believe how many steps it took to make the items, or how inexpensive the items were. 

Leowak

The best part of the day was definitely a surprise. I had talked to Andi about coffee and he asked if I heard of Leowak coffee. I had come across an article about it when I was deciding if I should take a job here. Indonesia is known for it’s coffee, and coffee connoisseurs from all around the world come to try Leowak coffee. Basically the coffee is made from beans found in “cat poop” as I originally read. The leowak looks more like a lemur to me, but I was able to hold one, and try the coffee all for free. 

each step of the process

Basically the leowak loves to eat coffee cherries, and once the fruit is digested the beans stay whole and come out in their poop. Then people take the poop and peel away the layers of the coffee seed. They then roast the coffee. Oh my god people! It was the most incredible cup of espresso I’ve ever had!

Mmmm...poop and coffee

After our coffee experience Angie and I were escorted to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxation. We swam, we tanned, we rested. I uploaded pictures and before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Chris ended up staying a hostel just around the corner, so he walked to our hotel and was able to join us for dinner. It was wonderful and consisted of a wide array of meats, along with incredible garlic broccoli, fruit plates, and of course, rice! Post dinner we headed to the square and were surprised to see lit up bicycles and pedal cabs everywhere! It felt like Christmas, which is a feeling I usually hate, but when you are living away from home anything that feels like home feels great. We were told that there were two trees in the middle of the square, and the story is that you make a wish and if you can walk through the center of the trees blindfolded then your wish will come true. The space between the tree is quite large, so this seemed like an easy task, however, Angie failed desperately and ended up going to far to the right. I was able to walk almost directly through the center, though I didn’t really feel like I was close at all. Apparently I almost walked into a bum at one point. My dream will come true, but I can’t tell you what my dream is. Chris managed to run into the fence of one of the trees. 

waling through the center of the trees. 

After this fun activity we completed the most difficult task ever. We rented a 3 person bike and tried to bike around the square 4 times. Angie was originally sitting up front, but she made Chris trade her and poor Chris had to steer us, which was quite the task. Eventually we figured out that the key was to all start at the same time. Then we just had to figure out how to slow down/speed up enough to avoid the traffic. After we completed the challenge of 4 laps we were escorted home and crashed in bed.

great times with great friends!