Bali

Astrid's uncle had an employee show us around Bali a bit so we got a more off the beaten track tour. The first day we went to the monkey forest. Astrid's parents strongly refused to going in because the monkey's are very mischievous. Her parents told me to watch out for my glasses because they like to grab shiny things. Astrid and I went in and there where hundreds of monkeys all over the trails. Many people were feeding them bananas, but we did not want to make them aggressive so we did not. I think I liked the monkey forest more than the others.

After that we saw the statue in progress of the Vishnu riding the Garuda, a mythical bird. It will be taller than the Statue of Liberty when it is done. Progress is currently halted because of funding. At the same location we saw kecak dancing which told a story from the Ramayana. Late that night we all had some freshly grilled fish and prawns on the beach front. The food was very warm and fresh. It was so dark that I couldn't see what I was eating, but it tasted great. We also drank from young coconuts with straws.

The second day we went to play golf at dreamland. The 14th and 15th wholes had great views of the beaches below. I think we all chose to rembember the scenery more than our scores, although Astrid's dad is quite good. We had lunch at Warung Made in Kuta beach. I had a mahi mahi sandwich.

The third day we all went on a big boat from the Quicksilver company and it took us to a small island called Nusa Lembongan where we could do several activities. We snorkelled and went in a semi submersible submarine to look at fish and went banana boating. The current was a bit strong for snorkelling.

The last day we drove north to an area near the active volcanos, Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur. More Details later...

View from hotel lobby.

The Monkey Forrest.
A view from the boat.
A view of the tuna from the semi submersible.
Terraced rice field.
Fresh fruit stop.
A view of Lake Batur and the active volcanos.
Legong Dancer.

Legong Dancer.

Singapore Trip

We arrived in Singapore in the late morning on June 4th. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung, the best xiao long bao place in Singapore.(Dumplings with soup inside)The hotel was only a few blocks away from the Merlion so in the early afternoon we walked to the Singapore River area and looked at it a bit. We took a short boat ride down the Singapore river and looked Clarke Quay and the Boat Quay which the two popular areas with nightlife and dining. There was an extreme swing but Astrid was too scared to do it. After a long walk up the river, we each had a beer and it turned out to be pretty expensive. Oh well.

The second day we went on a bus tour of the city. They had stops at little India and Chinatown. The highlight was definitely the national orchid gallery. There were tons of exotic Orchids with beautiful blooms. Late that night we went to the Singapore Night Safari, which focusses on nocturnal animals. We took a tram ride through the exhibits and saw many deer, tigers, and leopards. A tapir walked right past me.

The third day we took a cable car ride to Sentosa Island. Sentosa is a resort Island where they currently have many buildings being built including theme parks, water parks, and a casino. We went to the pink dophin show. The dolphins jumped out of the water and hit balls around and displayed their inteligence. There was even a peacock sitting next to us during the show!

We then walked on the beach a little as well as looking at another Merlion statue located on the Island. We met up with some of Astrid's old friends in the evening for some VERY spicy thai food.The Merlion

Eating lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

The Esplanade Theater inspired by the shape of a durian fruit.

A view from the hotel of the Singapore river and financial district.

Why Singapore is the finest city.
An Orchid.
The National Orchid Gallery.

We started off the day with some golf. Everybody in Indonesia uses caddies when playing golf. They all had funny pink uniforms that covered them from the sun (see photo). We even saw a monkey climbing up a coconut tree on the course. I got pretty tired near the end and actually hit one ball backwards; didn't know that was possible. Afterward, Astrid forced me into a massage. It was my first massage, a bit painful, but otherwise fine. Then I walked around the Plaza Indonesia while she and her parents got haircuts.

While being left on my own, I ordered a mixed fruit juice. I picked the combination of fruits hastily, and the 2 employees really laughed a lot at what I ordered. They didn't think papaya and mangoes would taste good together, but it was fine. In the evening, I walked around a souvenir store for a long time. Astrid's mom was very excited about the shopping and had many suggestions, but there were so many cool trinkets it was hard to choose.

2nd Day Jakarta

This morning I got a relatively standard breakfast of chicken noodle soup and noodles. After that we went to the driving range and hit a few balls for fun. The golf balls float and you just hit them into the water. In the afternoon I went with Astrid to the national museum which she had never been to. The entrance fee was 750 rupiah (about 7 cents). The museum artifacts and summaries from the various islands of Indonesia. It's known as the elephant museum for the sole fact that it has an elephant in front.
The traffic is pretty funny. Evidently most the intersections have no signs or traffic lights. Everyone just manages to barely get through the intersections. The car we were driving in has one of those beeping warnings when you are about to hit something (useful for parking). However, when the motor bikes drive by about 1 or 2 inches from the car, the beeping goes off. As a result, it just beeps a lot and is not that useful.
For dinner we had korean bbq which is where they grill some beef on a fire right on the table (I think my contacts came close to burning from the heat). You then put a chunk of the beef inside lettuce with sauce and a piece of garlic. Quite tasty! Finished off the day with a refreshing swim in the pool.

Arrive Jakarta

We got into Jakarta early this morning. I got to meet Astrid's mom and dad (Ibu Chandra and Pak Prajogo). The airport looked a bit rural with a small building with nice red roofs and palm trees outside. The immigration and customs didn't ask anything and only took a few minutes. We drove to the house through some tiny little streets and it felt a little like a video game. The house has a jackfruit tree, coconut tree, lemon tree, and a mango tree in the backyard. The 2 little pomeranians (Cici and Milo) were very cute and i gave Cici a nice tummy rub.

On the way to dinner we saw jockeys who will hop in the car so you can use the express lanes. I had read about them in the new york times last month and how it is not always safe to let a stranger into the car(we didn't use them). The 4 of us met up with Astrid's aunt and uncle and had a nice bite to eat at the Kempinski hotel. Evidently this hotel was the first post communist internatinal hotel built in Jakarta in the 60's during Soekarno's reign in the 60's. According to Astrid's dad rock and roll was against the law at that time.

I tried the infamous durian. I was actually a bit disappointed that it didn't stink. It had no real smell and tasted quite good (halfway between a pineapple and pudding). I also tried snakeskin fruit and dragon fruit which also seemed to taste like some sort of crazy pineapples. The people here seem to be pretty nice so far and I'll be interested to see a bit of Jakarta tomorrow. According to Astrid, people in Jakarta like to take it nice and slow.

Here is a picture of the airport and then a picture of Astrid in the Kempinski or Grand Indonesia. I tried to get a good picture of traffic, but all of them turned out blurry. The motor bikes seem to get within inches of the cars going the opposite direction.

I just finished a 6 + 11 hour flight (a brief stop in alaska) and am now in Taipei for 2 hours. It was a pretty relaxing flight. I slept most the way, but I was able to watch Paul Blart Mall cop. Most the food was Asian on the flight. Lots of tea and seafood soup and porridge. The Taipei airport looks nice, but it is 5:30am here so everything is closed. I should be in Jakarta in 5 or 6 hours.

Leaving Princeton/Newark Airport

I just took a 1 hour train ride from Princeton to Newark airport with Astrid. We have a 17 hour flight to Taipei (brief stop in Anchorage) and then a 5 hour flight to Jakarta. Evidently Jarkarta is 11 hours ahead. We have several days in Jakarta before going to Singapore. I am interested in seeing what these traffic jams are really like. This will be my first time setting foot in Asia.