Borobudur

Last Sunday I went to Borobudur. It is a Hindu temple about 1.5 hours away from Salatiga where I live. Below is a picture of the temple. It used to be one of the 7 wonders but something bumped it off the the list. My friends wanted to drink snake blood when I went there but friend that knew where to try ended up not going as you would imagine I was very disappointed(sarcasm). It was a good trip. I went there with some Indonesian friends of mine that were from that area but moved to Salatiga.

Coffee

Yesterday I was able to go to a coffee plantation for a cultural event. It was a real good trip. When we got there we got on these vehicales which took us up the mountain.

On the way up we had a really nice view.

I found out coffee beans are actually seeds and are red when they are ripe. They have a small amount fruit on them that you can eat.

After we visited the coffee fields they also had some with coco trees. Coco beans are also seeds from a fruit. When It is ripe it is purple. Coco seeds also are purple on the inside and taste like bakers chocolate, but the fruit tastes good.

Hi everyone I am now in Salitga which is where I will be studying Indonesian. I will start orientation this tuesday. I am looking forward to get the laguage learning process started. I do not have any pictures to post yet but some will be coming soon.

Drivers Licesne

Today I went and got my Indonesian Drivers license and also a Indonesian Motorcycle license. I did not have to take any test I just had to pay 35 dollars per a license. Their driver license also have a copy of you thumb print on your license. I have never ridden a motorcycle before but my roommate tells me that the bikes around are small enough I should not have too may troubles learning.

I Made It!

After a couple of long flights I am finally in Indonesia. I am really excited to be here.

Below is a picture of the flight path from LAX (Los Angeles) to TPE (Taipei, Taiwan)


I arrived at LAX at about 5:30 and Ben and Ruth Kane got there at about 8 pm our flight did not leave until 1:30 am but we wanted to be sure to get there early in case there were any problems. I was there earlier because I had a friend Cliff drop me off after I we picked up my visa at the Consulate in Los Angeles. Here is a picture of us waiting to board our flight at LAX


Our plane stopped in Taipei just to refuel. Then we were off to Malaysia where we would have a lay over before going to Jakarta. Here is a picture of the flight path.



I Arrived in Jakarta yesterday. Right now I am at the NTM guesthouse in Jakarta. This Sunday I will be heading to Palu. That is the city where my visa was processed. After that I will be going to Salatiga which is where I will be learning the culture and language of the Indonesian people.