Flores
is part of the Indonesian archipelago that's north of Australia. Though
it's in no way westernized, it's more beautiful because of it. For
diehard cinephiles, it's like traveling to the island they used on
Jurassic Park. Amazeballs. We stayed outside a town called Moni our
first two nights in (what seemed like) one of the two available
locations for travelers. Usually no electricity, no running water and
mosquito nets. Cold bucket baths and some good ol' Indonesian home
cookin' (aka rice). But, the conditions were necessary if we wanted to
scale Mt. Kelimutu. I wanted to use the word 'scale' to make it seem
like we did something more than walk, but we didn't. Mt. Kelimutu is
know for having three craters that hold different colored lakes. I don't
know who I have to talk to get it labeled as a world wonder, but I will
find them. Not only are they different colors (black, brown and teal
when we were there), but they change depending on the different minerals
in the water at that time. Did I mention there was a waterfall at the
bottom of the trail down the mountain? Uhh, cha!
The
rest of the trip was traveling to a different location (Maumere), going
to a cave and snorkeling. We didn't explore the cave as much as we
would have liked, but we were warned of pythons in the deeper, wetter
part of the cave. No thanks. However, I did see (again, for all the
nerdy cinephiles like me) the same spider they used in the 4th Harry
Potter film. And yea, I understand how lame I sound writing this.
Snorkeling
was awesome. Not only was the water crystal clear, but we saw a rift
that was caused by an earthquake at some point. Different types of coral
reef then a sharp and distinct drop off. Looked insane and a little
scary. Men in grey suits could have popped up at any point and we'd have
little warning. Craziness.
Coming
back to Jakarta will start the final push for the academic year.
Preliminary tests (yes, you heard me right: preliminary tests) will
start almost immediately upon return. After those two weeks are up, I
have the next two weeks with the students to review the Prelims. At the
beginning of May, they'll begin their ACTUAL tests that will last a
total of five weeks. Franklin Delano!
I
plan on coming home mid-June for Ashley and Willard's wedding. Shout
out to all three couples getting married. Apologies to Josh-Emily and
Joey-Jessie for not being able to make yours. If this ends up being my
last blog post of the year (my mom is now crying after reading that), I
hope I get to see you all when I'm back. Two weeks is a small window,
but I'll keep in touch and try to see as many as I can. Enjoy the
everlasting winter in Iowa, I'll stay here and soak up some cosmic rays
in the 85 degree weather. The only upside of the former: plenty of time
for drinkin' diesels. Have one for me and hope for warmer weather.
