Indonesia: The Final Chapter

Five years sounds like a long time, but it seems like I just finished my first two year contract. As I return home for the summer, I begin to realize that I've been in this routine for so long that part of me thinks I'm packing up to return to Jakarta. Alas, China will be the new destination in the coming months. After teaching Chinese-Indonesian students for five years, it's time to go to their homeland and see what the fuss is about.

It has been a while (October) since my last blog post and I could regale you with stories until I'm blue in the face, whether it be from me talking or you choking me. However, I'll limit the bureaucratic bullshit of educational systems and focus more on my travels and adventures.

Fast forward from October to March, when I decided to forego a big international trip for a local visit to one of my favorite Indonesian islands: Lombok. Traveling with Diane and Sammy was an adventure itself, particularly with the 7 pm vs 12 am bedtimes, respectively. Venturing back to the Gili Islands is always a great time. A weird combination of serenity, clear blue water and stinky weed.

Next was a long weekend trip to Yogyakarta, trying to do/see all those touristy things I missed out on the first time. Prambanan and Kaliburu (above) were great, though the company was better.

Last, but certainly not least was South Korea. I met Joe in Seoul for a day before heading to Jeju Island for Ben's wedding. Seoul, on the surface, seems like a great city. Though the subway was pretty packed, it was a good walking city with a large number of expats and very easy to visit. Our most memorable stop was to the Korean War Memorial (below).

This place was MASSIVE. Aside from the building itself, there was an additional area with airplanes, trucks and a small ship on the other side of the pillars [to the right]. One of the best things about this museum is that it showed thousands of years of history without bias. Walking in the war museum in Ho Chi Minh made any American with a conscious feel awful for what the country did in that war (the museum didn't show what the Vietnamese were doing to draw us into the war). However, the museum in Seoul was exactly what a museum should be: interesting and unbiased facts.

From Seoul to Jeju Island is the most commonly flown route in the entire world, and with good reason. Ben met Joe and I at the airport and we were able to see a glimpse of what the island holds. I could only imagine that this is what Maui looks like. A huge island full of expats with multiple international schools and golf courses. Needless to say, people who routinely go here have a little more money than Joe and I. Evident as we walk through crowded airports looking like hobos.

After my last 22 hour plane ride from Jakarta to Chicago, I have finally reached the bustling town of Tama. Losing my money at the casino, tending bar and Subway. What a lovely way to spend the summer before heading to Shenzhen. I can only hope that this job and school are better and more applicable to what I know the Athletic Director position to be. Until I make that [shorter] trip in August, I'll enjoy cheap booze and far too much Mexican food. Psych! There is no such thing!

The Land of Oz

The hours upon hours of economy class, delays and shit airline food finally translated to something other than greasy hair and eight bathroom visits: a week-long trip to Sydney. Coming into the city was like a breath of fresh air...literally. I was so excited to walk outside that I walked long enough to get blisters on my feet. First stop, of course, was the opera house. Every aerial shot of the opera house in Hollywood movies makes it seem so small, but up close it's a monstrosity. It was like...(Hey!) Arnold's hair at age 75. Kudos to anyone who got that reference.

That first day was a big one: the opera house, Darling Harbour, Chinese Friendship Gardens, The Rocks, etc. As my friend put it, "So, you've already done everything?" Though all the touristy attractions had been hit in the first couple days, it was kind of a relief. After the shit storm that was the first quarter of school, being able to wander through parks, gardens and green spaces was the type of relaxation that was needed. Bar hopping during the happy hour(s) didn't hurt either. 

A couple days of wandering aimlessly, lots of good beer and testing my luck at the casino allowed those blisters to heal enough to complete the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee beach. This may have been the best part of the trip. Not only was it stunningly beautiful, but it was just so simple: creating a running path along the water. Coming from a concrete jungle of 30+ million with little green and virtually no areas to walk/run, this was a treat indeed.

As I wrap up the last academic year at my school, I'm looking forward to the free agency period that is the job search. The international hiring period comes before the domestic (US), but I will be giving jobs back home a hard look as five years abroad begins to take its toll. Missing my grandfather's passing was difficult and, assuming I find a school silly enough, I'd very much like to venture back across the pond and be closer to family, friends and cheap wine. Warding off heart disease is expensive here...

Counting the days until my return stateside, which starts in Nashville for an athletic administrator's (NIAAA) conference in December. I'll be sure to bring back a good pair of boots, hat and a love of country music for my brother and family in Colorado. Until then, I'll enjoy my tank tops and 85 degree weather. 'Til next time...

Gandalf-sized in a Hobbit-sized World

Well, the second part of this blog post is long overdue. It only took a four-day weekend to find the time to complete it. Can't wait for June 18th....seven day weekends! On the last post, we left with geothermal parks around Rotorua, which is a fantastic area. I would have gladly stayed there longer, but I had a date with the Green Dragon. When a friend asked me what I was doing that day, I couldn't help myself from saying "I'm going on an adventure!"

Hobbiton was a short-ish trip from the city and when I pulled up, I could only think of one thing: this place makes BOAT LOADS of money. For roughly $60, you could join a tour of 24 through Hobbiton. Tour buses (fully loaded) left every 15 minutes and tours ran from about 8 am to 6 pm. I haven't taken a math class in about a decade, but 'boat loads' seems like an appropriate sum. My boring business mind aside, Hobbiton was pretty spectacular. Kept in pristine condition, taking Gandalf's Crossing into Hobbiton was like entering the mythical Middle Earth itself. All of it ended (where else?) at the Green Dragon, where you were offered a pale ale, dark ale or ginger beer that is brewed specifically for Hobbiton. While tour guides worked like clockwork to ensure tours moved steadily throughout the Shire set, they had fantastic tidbits of information about the movie that would drop the jaws of any LOTR geek, myself included. Did you know that Peter Jackson insisted on four more Hobbit Holes being built on an adjacent hillside just in case the camera panned out and caught that hill in the background? As we'd say here: gila!

The rest of the trip was still pretty great, but it was much more relaxed. At this point, I was running pretty low on cash (No, I did not buy a replica of Gandalf's pipe for $120 at Hobbiton. Wasted wine money!), so I decided to forego the Bay of Islands north of Auckland and took the winding roads to Piha. Kitekite Falls, part of the Hillary Trail, was spectacular and immediately eased any doubts I had about changing my plans. Piha itself was a small, quiet beach town that was not overrun with tourists. Quite the change from the overcrowded Hot Water Beach on Mercury Bay. Anyone who plans to go there best claim their spot two hours before low tide or else....good luck.

With my wallet empty and my knees rubbing my temples, I took my budget airline back to the Concrete Jungle. New Zealand was a wonderful experience which calls for a lot more time if you want to explore it probably. When high school teacher salaries rise to $150,000 in the States and we tack on another month of summer, I'd love to go back. Who knows? Maybe this bad boy will still be available for rent again....

My last month and a half will consist of Sports Day, documentation and final year exams. Such a joyous trio...though I plan on a lengthy Bali visit prior to being stateside by the end of June. Yeah, Bali...no big deal, right? Keep some diesel on ice for me, I'll certainly need it after this Indonesia muck. 'Til then!

When I Used To Think Worms Were Disgusting

After no free weekends and monotony that is Term 2, I was happy to spend whatever necessary to get the hell out of Jakarta and have an enjoyable trip. So I chose Kuala Lumpur....psyche! Jakarta 2.0 was just a pit stop on the way to my true destination: New Zealand. I touched down and fell in love. It's 70 degrees? Heaven.

I wasted little time in Auckland (though it seemed to be an awesome city) before heading down to the famous Waitomo Caves. Thankfully, this is one time my lack of research paid off. In my haste to book things last minute, I reserved a tour which I thought was run of the mill. However, we bypassed the touriest-filled caves and explored two caves with a small group of ten. Spellbound Tours did not disappoint, as the glow worms lit up the underground river cavern more beautifully than anything I've ever seen. The top half of the picture is what my camera caught (get your shit together, Nikon) versus what it ACTUALLY looked like. Surely the trip could only go downhill from here, right? As a wise man once said (for you, Nate), "Not so fast, my friend!" 

I traveled further south and strapped on my trainers to take on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Through most of the first 4k of the hike, a stream flowed steadily within ten feet of the path. The tranquility of it cannot be described, only experienced. Then....whack! Once you cross Apline country, you get smacked with 30-40 minutes of a relatively steep incline and steps. After reaching the south crater, I paused prior to starting the final ascent. While reaching the summit would lead to breathtaking views of the rear crater and the Blue Lake, I was ill-equipped to ascend to the already cloud-covered mountain top (only had a tee and shorts). Swallowing a small amount of disappointment, I made the surprisingly solitary descent back to bottom, back aching and dogs barkin'.

However, the boots didn't stay off for long. I spent the next two days at geothermal parks: Orakei Korapo and Wai-O-Tapu (trying saying those three times fast). As I walked through both parks, I could only think to myself that this is unfair. It's unfair that one country is THIS beautiful. Why can't some place like...I don't know...Jakarta have just ONE thing this beautiful. It'd make life more tolerable. Alas, I had to be content with New Zealand in the now. Though it certainly hasn't disappointed thus far.

....and this was just the first leg! Tune in soon for the stories of the second half of my trip: hobbit holes, natural cathedrals and the happiest of campers!

The Most Bromantic of Honeymoons

After a slew of Singaporeans spent the majority of the night with them questioning our heterosexuality, I figured I'd just own it and make it the title. Of course, it's bound to happen after my former roommate and I ventured to the Maldives for our term break. 

While our friends would make jokes about couples' massages and honeymoon suites, we were able to reflect on what our trip really entailed: beautiful islands, sharks, stingrays and all-inclusive drinks (a policy in which they're reconsidering after we were through there).  

After a questionable landing coming in Male, we touched down and were immediately surrounded by beautiful, teal-colored water around the airport's island. After spotting our speedboat, we made our way to Bandos Island Resort. This resort had it's own island, house reef and nearby shark-breeding point. It cost a pretty penny to stay there, but we were incredibly well fed, had a variety of activities to choose from and never lacked an adult beverage. 

Just renting gear and snorkeling around the house reef was a treat in itself. While the reef lacked the color we had envisioned, we were able to see reef sharks, sea turtles and weird species of fish (that followed us all around the island, strangely enough). 

After stretching out with a couple drinks at the over water bar, we were able to just relax and stargaze until bed time (9:00 PM sharp!). Some of my friends might scoff at the latter, but spend years in a city like Jakarta and the simple things like fresh air and stars are not taken for granted.

I'm enjoying my job here, but in the time it's taken to write this blog I've received two emails from parents, feedback's been given on my graduate project and two of my hairs have turned grey. 

While my time in the Maldives was great, I'm truly looking forward to being home with family and friends in December. Surely I can adjust quickly to an Iowa winter after two years in a subtropical climate, right?

....bring my sweatpants to O'Hare, Mommy. 

Another One Bites The Dust...

'I should have stuck with baseball,' I thought to myself as I was sliding across the pavement. That was my only thought as I crashed my motorbike on the way back from Tomohon. As is tradition with Indonesian drivers: No turn signal.  No checking of the mirrors. No look over the shoulder. With any motorbike spill, the whole town stopped to check the situation. After picking up my bike and bleeding from the majority of my right side, one local knows enough English to say "drive slowly." Because there's no way to convince them that it was NOT the bule's fault, I start my bike and take off.

Alright, enough complaining from me. Let me not mask the fact that the spill was after visiting Tomohon Market. This famous market (signs entering translate to "Extreme Market")  is known for having some...unique goodies. What you see pictured on the right are vampire bats. Yes, bats. Wingless, died-screaming-while-being-cooked vampire bats. You couldn't pay me to eat bat, so I moved on....when I really should have left. Walking past the severed pig's head, anaconda and skewered jungle rats, I find the dogs. If only they had been cats...I'd be okay with that. But a charred, wild dog on a spit for sale almost did me in. Surely that's the worst of it, yes? False. The cooked dog was facing the still living dogs in a cage, just waiting. For all those PETA peeps and avid dog lovers, probably not the place for you.

After a couple days in Manado, I hopped a long-awaited boat to Bunaken Island.  This is still a relatively remote island, even though Bunaken is starting to gain a reputation as a world-class diving destination. Our day trip was led by our fantastic guide who was decked out in an orange polo, pink/green board shorts and a blue fishing hat (which looked more like a bonnet). I'd feel bad for the guy if he wasn't wearing the biggest of smiles. Classic Indonesia. I'm not a huge diver, but snorkeling was as you'd expect in Indonesia: fantastic.  High levels of visibility, great walls of reef and...turtles! Suck it, Andrew.

This trip came on the heels of my trip back to the states. As busy as I was, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and was thrilled to see so many people.  Wedding season was in full swing and I was proud to welcome Anne to my family. My brother did something right, finally. My congrats also to Kellen and Caitlin, Jamie and Allison, Jimmy and Megan, Alex and Naomi, Kenny and Whitney (name your son Josh and I'll bring you more poop coffee!). What a mouthful. That's all I can muster right now as the large Bintang on my right calls my name. It's no diesel, but it will do as I lay on the beach looking at this...



'Til next time, folks!

Let us rejoice! Marking is complete!

I’ve had an extended leave of absence from this blog in recent months.  While many are happy about that fact, some will be joyed to see it resume. By some, I mean my mom.  Who says still says I’m special on the inside. Thanks, mom.

Kidding aside, there is a lot of catch up on.  While I’ve been blazing through these last five months, things are about to slow down substantially as I prepare to end my tenure at my current school and visit ‘Merica after a year of imported Diesel.  My football (Yes, football. Not soccer) team decided to go undefeated in divisional play and make it to the semi-finals of our Cup. One of the top four teams in all of Jakarta, I’m okay with that. Proud of them all and that will be one of the toughest things to swallow when I leave.

For the travel junkies that may read this to hear about my grand adventures, my school breaks have been pretty tame.  My spring break was a three-day excursion to Singapore (to fill up on booze, mixers and peanut butter M&Ms) only to return here and give extra classes to my graduating class. Great use of my limited time here in Asia, I know.  But alas, we have to do what’s best for the kids. My teacher friends understand what I mean, unfortunately.

However, my roommate and I were able to visit Yogyakarta a couple weeks ago.  This historical city in Indonesia is home to some of its most famous temples and absolutely ridiculous amounts of batik (If you don’t know what batik is, look it up.  It’s amazing).  We had a jam-packed two days which included shopping, temples, shopping, Dunkin Donuts and more shopping. 

I can’t wait to be back stateside, folks. Really. Busting at the seams waiting for my brother’s wedding, visiting my family and friends, drinking good beer and breathing quality air.  Just a couple weeks away now, so mark your calendars and have that diesel on ice for me.  See y’all soon!