Wow – how has it almost been 6 months since we’ve arrived in Indonesia? In some ways, it seems like we’ve been here for years – time is a funny concept in the tropics and on the equator: the sun rises and sets at the same time every day and the weather is either hot and dry or hot and rainy. I often find myself looking at my phone to remember what day and month it is because it certainly didn’t feel like Christmas or fall were approaching although Starbucks proudly offered Pumpkin Spice Latte (thankfully iced since it’s just so, so hot here …. Have I mentioned the heat in Surabaya?).
Since our arrival, we have all been busy settling into our new home (and finally moved to our “permanent” home) and routine. The kids escaped for their “week without walls” school trip where Luca snorkeled and planted coral reefs on Lombok island and Juliana explored ancient temples in the heat of Central Java. John and I settled into our newly joint home & work life (this is a first time with both of us working in the same place!) and John seems to have “gone native” embracing Indonesian culture and fashion! I have never seen him shop for so much clothing.
We quickly discovered that the close-by Gili Islands will be our happy place (amazing snorkeling) and are busy planning new trips around the archipelago.
Oh, and we already had our first visitors! Oma and Opa did not miss a beat to plan to spend Christmas with us and made the long, long journey to Surabaya. I think we’re all still shocked that they both AND their luggage made their tight, 1-hour connection in Singapore.
While there is not much to do in Surabaya, we kept ourselves busy by supporting our favorite in-house model at her fashion show at the major mall on Christmas Eve, eating lots of pizza, getting massages often (one of the major perks of living in this part of the world!), and visiting the old part of town where some of us may have not been the most comfortable at the traditional market in which we had to wade through pools of water in the fish section while taking in new smells, sounds, and sights.
We spent New Year’s on the Gili Islands (of course) where we spent much time in the water and Opa discovered his passion for watermelon juice and also learned of the power of the sun at the equator.
Opa, John, and I also visit Mount Bromo for a day – an active volcano a few hours away. And yes, you can hike to the top of the crater and peek into the cauldron (don’t worry, there’s a “safety fence” – fine, just kidding – the fence was a sight to be seen!)…. It was quite an experience especially since it started thundering on our hike up and I may have asked a few times if we were confident that the rumbling was coming from above us and not from below. So yes, a bit unnerving but the scenery and landscape is just absolutely amazing there.
And just after Juliana officially became a teenager, Oma and Opa made the long trek back home – now it’s back to work & school routine for us and yes, more trip planning! Stay tuned!
Kids with Diplomatic Immunity 