A long day

Exhausted, but happy after a day spent in Jakarta!

Trip to Jakarta

We boarded the train at 6:00 a.m. for the three hour trip to Jakarta. Very few of the children were tired, as you can see by the pictures.

On our way to Jakarta

de' Tropis Guesthouse in Bandung

The open -air courtyard/restaurant of the guesthouse in Bandung. It was so quiet and peaceful amiss the hectic city.

Regina and her two children

It looks like white sandy beaches in the background but it's the sulfur bleaching the soil.

Jason got the bubbles at the entrance. They looked bright red; I think they put strawberries in the bubble mixture.

3 generations at White Crater

Regina's mom came to Jakarta for a wedding then joined us on our trip to Bandung. Notice the jackets and shawls- it was actually cooler temperatures at Kawah Putih.

Sulfur shaft

Near to the pathway that leads down to the crater floor is a cave-like opening into the wall of the crater. It is here that shafts were apparently mined to collect sulfur.

Kawah Putih- White Crater

Mount Patuha and the quite remarkable crater lake that is to be found there known as Kawah Putih which translates as White Crater. The roadway up to the crater is narrow and quite rough and feels precarious as large boulders seem to threaten a collapse and landslide down onto the roadway. But once this rather worrisome road has been negotiated, we emerged into a clearing where numerous stalls have been set up to serve visitors. Here refreshments may be bought and the ubiquitous, for this area, strawberries are for sale too. It was a commercial enterprise. Climbing up to the crater’s edge and then on down into the crater, the practically nauseating smell of sulfur wafts up with the breeze. A pathway leads down to the crater’s floor and from this pathway one can look down and across the quite brilliant colors of this natural phenomenon. The lake that sits in the center of the crater is a quite vibrant white/turquoise color. At the edges of the lake’s waters, the sulfur deposits have stained the land yellow.The walls of the crater, that in parts soar perpendicularly to a great height, are made up of rock and stones that look as though they have been bleached white. Near to the pathway that leads down to the crater floor is a cave-like opening into the wall of the crater. It is here that shafts were mined to collect sulfur.

2nd annual vocabulary parade SPB

Marcel is an octopus, and Charlie Chaplin in the back right hand-side is demonstrating the word "silly"

Kindergarten students at the vocabulary parade at school

Kindergarten children demonstrating their vocabulary words. The classes had programs then the entire school marched around the neighborhood

Vocabulary parade at Sekolah Pelita Bangsa

Becak and music led the parade around the neighborhood of the school

Omar Duwur Restaurant Yogyakarta

Located in the historic silver city of Kotagede, the venue is a 150 years old colonial mansion which blends Javanese and Dutch architecture and an old and new interior.

Omar Duwur Restaurant Yogyakarta

Far from the center of the city is an interesting, modern and stylish restaurant. Not sure what the statue is representing, but the vase is holding cinnamon sticks!

Guards at the Yogyakarta Kraton

The "old guards" (and I mean that literally and figuratively) at the palace. Up close these swords or "pedang sabet" (slashing swords) are even older than the guards.

Kraton Yogyakarta detail work

Some of the delicate detail on the connecting walkways and pavilions.

Kraton Yogyakarta entrance

At the center of Yogyakarta lies a city within the city: the Kraton. Built in the middle of the 18th century, this walled-city serves as the home of the sultans of what remains of the Mataram kingdom to this day. Approximately 25,000 people live inside the walls of the Kraton. Inside are many shady courtyards connected by beautifully decorated covered walks.

Kraton Yogyakarta- open air pendopos

The large open air pendopos for listening to gamelan performances.

The atmosphere is 18th Century. It's Indonesia's answer to Colonial Williamsburg. It is a set of pavilions and a interesting eclectic set of personal effects and decorative objects.

Batik

The technique of applying wax to cloth to produce a design is very famous in Java.

Water Castle- Yogyarkarta

Two of the secret passageways at the Water Castle.

Taman Sari- Water Castle Yogyakarta

Once served as a splendid pleasure park of palaces, pools and waterways for the sultan and his entourage. The legend has it that after the Portuguese architect built this palace between 1758-1765 he was executed by the sultan in order to keep his hidden pleasure rooms secret.

Courtyard Duta

courtyard at Duta- Waterfall into the pool, hanging orchids. Every morning I sat here and drank my coffee.

"parlor" at Duta Gardens

This hotel had a comfy room with shower and a/c! What more could I have asked for? It also had a peaceful ambiance and a central pool. It was also located near a wonderful coffee shop (Ministry of Coffee) and a restaurant that featured Jazz one night.

Duta Gardens view from balcony

After the temples, we went into the city of Yogyakarta and stayed at this simple, but charming hotel. It was our base for the next two days as we explored the sites of the city

I'm back!

It's been quite a while since I blogged. Part of the reason - I got to have an adventure with Doctors and hospitals in Indonesia. I woke up with pain in my lower left abdomen one night that just would not go away. It came in spasms and after three hours I finally decided that there was something wrong. Regina and her husband came and took me to the materinity hospital. The "supposed" ER doc had my blood pressure checked (160/80) informed me that I had a spastic stomach, gave me a shot and told me I could go home. I was in so much pain I couldn't move. After a half-hour of him sitting stone-faced and quiet, and me writhing in pain, Regina asked him how long it took for the medicine to take hold. He responded "5 minutes". Obviously my problem was not a spastic stomach. I was admitted to the hospital and watched the sun rise as I waited for the internist to arrive at 7:00. In the meantime, ants visited me, crawling up and down on the wall near my head, and a nurse who could only say "Obama." The intern came in wearing the Indonesian version of a Dr.'s white coat; it looked like the top of a very cheesy tuxedo. The intern informed me that he was going to take an ultrasound (my first!). Later that morning I had an ultrasound, where the nurse/aide smeared the jelly on my belly with a spatula. I kept thinking of Betty Crocker as she swirled the jelly from one side to the other, as the Doctor commanded. To keep a very long story mercifully short, I went to five different hospitals, one so appalling I can't imagine anyone gets out of there alive, and five different "specialists". Finally it appeared to be a small kidney stone, or crystals, which I was able to pass while drinking copious amounts of water. Now back to the travels and pictures!