Just because I was missing the heat in the middle of European winter, and also missing my Indonesian friends, I flew thousands of miles eastbound to Jakarta for a short week holiday (March 23-30).
March 22 - 23: Flight via Amsterdam to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta airport
Basically sleeping in a freezing plane and getting on the ground in 99%humidity and 30C...shocking!
March 23 : dinner at a chicken restaurant and evening with A-chan and family
The schedule was crammed, but it was worth the short nights. Meeting A-chan's 2 little girls were definitely a highlight. They are my ideal children: cute and with a quiet presence about them like their parents.
Fried crispy chicken never tasted so good after a long flight. Even the bones just cripily melt in your mouth...It's a chain restaurant from Yogyakarta, which I need to visit one day.
March 24 : meeting with A&M at the house, before departing for Pulau Pelangi, one of the thousands islands
Early morning and in the not yet sticky morning, without much traffic we got to A&M to regroup (and for the 4As to get rid of me, hahah). After much confusion at the harbour, we got onto a boat that sped through the ocean, passing by tens of islands to finally get us to Pulau Pelangi (literally rainbow island). This was a first for me, having an island for almost only us 3.
March 24-25: bliss on a small island, double rainbows and magic underwater world
Clean white sand beach, sun and cotton clouds, coconut trees or palm trees, spacious bungalows and water so clear snorkelling was a must. There were a bit too many urchins for my taste but the experience of swimming among so many fishes and marine creatures was thrilling. And the coral reef drop into deep water was such an eerie feeling, it felt like drifting far away into deep space...
And of course, waking up with a bit of rain to finally see the rainbows were priceless. It felt like being on the edge of the world, as land met the ocean, and the water met the sky...so far remote from the known reality of the office and daily routine. The food was a bit of a disappointment (being mostly deep fried) but at least we had fresh fishes. Leaving the island allowed us to visit the lagoon and its turquoise waters, as well as the other islands in the archipelago.
March 26-27: overnight in Bandung at The Valley, and dinner on a hype terrace, shopping for cakes
Back on Java big island, we drove to Bandung, home of a top university, and mountainous city, to escape the heat and enjoy some outlet shopping. We stayed at the Valley, which overlooked the city from its terrace and rooms.Speaking of rooms, it felt like walking into an exotic wood furniture showroom. After all all we were in the homes of the exotic woods.
After a short nap, we met other friends for shopping at a popular outlet store, where some stocked up for the year, and some just got some local designer clothes. All that walking around sure deserved some energy refill, so as the night fell we drove up to a terrace restaurant with open roof, where you could lay down on oversized beds, staring at the skies. Never mind the view at night though, the food was eye popping good. I had oxtail and would give anything to taste all we ate that night again.
The next day we picked up some cakes from a cake shop and my head was dizzy with the various flvours: pandan, cheeseckae, tiramisu, chocolate, lemon, berries...torture never felt so good. We even resisted eating them on the drive back to Jakarta.
March 28-30: Flying to Padang and road trip across West Sumatra (food, architecture and lakes)
An alarm woke me up before 5am as the whole family was flying to Padang, on Sumatra island, and the home-town of my host. All 5 of us arrived safely like a group of jolly tourists, and then met cousins and family to embark on a road trip across West Sumatra. We drove together in 2 cars to se the sights, eat spicy food on the side roads, and just tease and talk nonsense in the car.
The Padang style is to be served everything on the menu at the table, and to only be charged with what was eaten. The food was mouth watering and thirst was never an issue.
After seeing the old palace Minankapau, for the old kingdom of Pagaruyung, we drove by mirror lakes, ate satay till our stomach burst, drove some more amids lush green orests and ate somemore till my mind was in heaven
We rested overnight at Bukittinggi and enjoyed the market the next day, shopping for souvenirs. We then visited the remains of an old Dutch fort (Fort De Kock) during Friday prayers, among exotic birds, before exploring the tunnel structure built by the Japanese occupation during the WWII.
Needless to say lunch was another marathon in between. Some of us got used ot it, and some were suffering an unimaginable torture.
Of course during nap time, we set off on the road, going down the plateau through the 49 turns that ended up on the lake, and drove towards the cousins house, amid landscape that reminded me of eastern Madagascar, with coconut trees, wooden houses, and a beautiful sunset.
The next day was a day of leisure on the beach, as we went to Air Manis beach to enjoy some sand beach and coconut juice. A last play on the beach concluded my memory of Padang, along with sad goodbyes with new friends.
And on a cultural note, West Sumatra is a matriarchal society where the family line is along the women's line, who hold all the rights, land, and inheritance. Men are leaving the nest to seek their fortune, so historically many famous men in indonesia are from West Sumatra as they sought fortune outside their hometown and pursued career in politics, literature, etc..
March 30-31: Last minute hanging out with A-chan
I arrived late from Padang so couldn't play with the kids so much. And so with a sigh the next day I had to end my vacation in Indonesia, leaving A-chan and her beautiful family. See you next time and for a longer time!
March 22 - 23: Flight via Amsterdam to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta airport
Basically sleeping in a freezing plane and getting on the ground in 99%humidity and 30C...shocking!
March 23 : dinner at a chicken restaurant and evening with A-chan and family
The schedule was crammed, but it was worth the short nights. Meeting A-chan's 2 little girls were definitely a highlight. They are my ideal children: cute and with a quiet presence about them like their parents.
Fried crispy chicken never tasted so good after a long flight. Even the bones just cripily melt in your mouth...It's a chain restaurant from Yogyakarta, which I need to visit one day.
March 24 : meeting with A&M at the house, before departing for Pulau Pelangi, one of the thousands islands
Early morning and in the not yet sticky morning, without much traffic we got to A&M to regroup (and for the 4As to get rid of me, hahah). After much confusion at the harbour, we got onto a boat that sped through the ocean, passing by tens of islands to finally get us to Pulau Pelangi (literally rainbow island). This was a first for me, having an island for almost only us 3.
March 24-25: bliss on a small island, double rainbows and magic underwater world
March 26-27: overnight in Bandung at The Valley, and dinner on a hype terrace, shopping for cakes
Back on Java big island, we drove to Bandung, home of a top university, and mountainous city, to escape the heat and enjoy some outlet shopping. We stayed at the Valley, which overlooked the city from its terrace and rooms.Speaking of rooms, it felt like walking into an exotic wood furniture showroom. After all all we were in the homes of the exotic woods.
After a short nap, we met other friends for shopping at a popular outlet store, where some stocked up for the year, and some just got some local designer clothes. All that walking around sure deserved some energy refill, so as the night fell we drove up to a terrace restaurant with open roof, where you could lay down on oversized beds, staring at the skies. Never mind the view at night though, the food was eye popping good. I had oxtail and would give anything to taste all we ate that night again.
The next day we picked up some cakes from a cake shop and my head was dizzy with the various flvours: pandan, cheeseckae, tiramisu, chocolate, lemon, berries...torture never felt so good. We even resisted eating them on the drive back to Jakarta.
March 28-30: Flying to Padang and road trip across West Sumatra (food, architecture and lakes)
An alarm woke me up before 5am as the whole family was flying to Padang, on Sumatra island, and the home-town of my host. All 5 of us arrived safely like a group of jolly tourists, and then met cousins and family to embark on a road trip across West Sumatra. We drove together in 2 cars to se the sights, eat spicy food on the side roads, and just tease and talk nonsense in the car.
The Padang style is to be served everything on the menu at the table, and to only be charged with what was eaten. The food was mouth watering and thirst was never an issue.
And on a cultural note, West Sumatra is a matriarchal society where the family line is along the women's line, who hold all the rights, land, and inheritance. Men are leaving the nest to seek their fortune, so historically many famous men in indonesia are from West Sumatra as they sought fortune outside their hometown and pursued career in politics, literature, etc..
March 30-31: Last minute hanging out with A-chan
I arrived late from Padang so couldn't play with the kids so much. And so with a sigh the next day I had to end my vacation in Indonesia, leaving A-chan and her beautiful family. See you next time and for a longer time!
