STAY-CATIONING

Andrew has been back in the U.S. for work for the past month-ish.  While he’s been traveling from coast to coast and getting to catch up with friends and family on the sidelines, several folks have asked me how I’m keeping myself busy while he’s away.  Well, first off, my job is never a dull moment, so it’s been keeping me plenty busy.  So much so that I’m quite content to come home in the evenings and just have a quiet night to myself.

We get some good sunset views from our living room balcony.

Our living room - a cozy spot to relax after a long day.

Not going to lie.  Many of my "quiet nights" include using our microwave.  I have yet to take advantage of most of these 1-button features, but good to know a meal of mushroom soup and roast peanuts can be accomplished so quickly and easily.

The first couple weekends Andrew was away, I walked down to one of the mega-malls near us to have lunch and go to a movie.  (They are cheap here!  I can see a first-run movie with popcorn and a drink and a nice comfy seat for less than $10.)  This past weekend, I went to go see the middle school production of “Seussical” at the international school where most of the embassy families send their kids.  The campus is enormous and contains an elementary, middle, and high school, each with their own facilities. 

This was a middle school production.  In the middle school theater.  I don't even think my middle school put on theater productions.

Those weekend activities have provided some variety… but they aren’t exactly “relaxing.”  The mall is a 20-minute-ish walk, which isn’t a lot until you consider that the roads here aren't what you'd call "pedestrian friendly" (lots of broken concrete, cars parked on sidewalks, and other obstacles that require you to watch every step), and walking 20 minutes in the heat and humidity can take it out of you.  And the school is in south Jakarta – about 10 miles as the crow flies, but at least an hour in a cab each way because of Jakarta’s traffic… and I cannot overstate how terrible the traffic is.  So I have to admit, my favorite weekend activity has just been to stay-cation at our apartment building.

Our apartment building is definitely too fancy for us.

This is the "solarium."  We've had a few happy hour gatherings in here.

This is the "observatory."  (I just realized our apartment building could be its own game of Clue!)  They set up a big screen and some chairs for the World Cup, and we watched a couple games up here.

This is by far the most deluxe place we have ever lived – and that we likely ever will live.  There are two pools, a gym, lovely grounds and indoor spaces… and they are almost always mostly empty.  Our apartment building is definitely the quietest place I have found in Jakarta.  So after a long week, it has been very nice to just hang out in what feels like my very own resort.

A gym with a view...

A yoga room with a view...

And a rooftop pool with a view.

There's also a gorgeous pool on the ground level that is hardly ever in use.  It's like a private backyard - with an enormous pool.

Don’t get me wrong… there are still a lot of places left to see in Indonesia.  But while I wait for my travel partner to return and we can take on those adventures together, I’ve had quite a lovely stay-cation at our apartment.  And if this sounds enticing, feel free to come visit us and check out our digs for yourself!

Our rooftop offers a pretty stellar vantage point to see Jakarta.  This is looking north - if you squint, you can see the ocean out there.

And this is looking south.  If you squint, you can see some mountains out there.

There's a little gazebo up on the roof that makes a swell happy hour location... when it's not raining or too windy.  It does get a bit gusty 38 floors up.

Your guest room awaits!