APRIL IN FLORES

Indonesia is made up of over 17,000 islands, around 6,000 of which are inhabited.  From east to west, Indonesia is about 400 miles longer than the continental United States.  It takes some time – and effort – to get to those other islands from Jakarta, which is pretty far west on the Island of Java.  But back in April, when Mike and Debbie, our friends from Portland, sent us their itinerary for their epic tour of Indonesia, we decided to meet them on the island of Flores, about 1,000 miles east of Jakarta.  We met up in Labuan Bajo, a coastal town on the west coast of Flores (and which I’ll write about in my next blog).  From there, we took a short flight to Ende in central Flores.  And then from there, it was about a 90 minute car ride to our destination for the next couple days, Kelimutu National Park.  (See what I mean about time and effort?)

Stopping to stretch our legs on the car ride from the Ende airport to our lodge outside Kelimutu National Park.

The scenery along the way did not disappoint.

The distance from any major population center meant that Kelimutu National Park, and the ecolodge where we stayed, blissfully were not overrun with people.  The main attraction in the park is a trio of volcanic lakes that range in color from black to turquoise blue.  Hiking up to the top of the park to look over the lakes as the sun rises was supposed to be a beautiful, awe-inspiring spectacle.  So we had an early dinner at the lodge, arranged to have some boxed breakfasts ready for us to take with us the next morning, and made arrangements with our guide for a very early departure.  We planned to do an early hike to the summit viewpoint (with the use of flashlights to see the trail), wait for the glorious sunrise, and then do some birdwatching on the way back down.

The view from the porch of our bungalow at the ecolodge.

Alas, when we woke up the next morning (or middle of the night, really), we were socked in with clouds and drizzle.  Undeterred, we packed up and headed to the park and started to make the ascent.  It only took about an hour to get to the top, where the drizzle persisted… but so did we.  Finally, as the sky started turning from dark grey to light grey, we realized the sun was up… but it was not going to make an appearance.  Maybe later, said our guide.  We also couldn’t see any of the volcanic lakes.  While the guardrails suggested there was… something… on the other side, the clouds had settled in the craters, so all was saw was a perspectiveless wall of white.   So we hiked back down to wait it out... and get coffee.

We waited patiently at the viewpoint at the top.  Alas, the glorious sunrise eluded us.

We tried to do some birdwatching along the way back to the parking lot.  While we heard a lot of birds, and saw a couple, they were mostly as elusive as the sun.  So, back in the parking area, we sought shelter from the drizzle under the tarps of a make-shift concession area, bought some coffee from one of the proprietors, played some cards, and looked forward to our boxed breakfast… which turned out to include a hard-boiled egg, a piece of white bread, and a banana. 

We spent probably 45 minutes trying to track this bird that was making a racket and sounded like he was RIGHT... THERE. But no.

It felt like walking through Jurassic Park.  Fortunately we didn't see any dinosaurs either.

 

Heading back down to wait it out.

Seeking shelter under an orange tarp back at the concessions near the parking lot.

At last!  The sun started to break through the clouds, so we made the ascent… again… to see what we hadn’t been able to see the first time.  And it was worth the wait. 

This lake was a dark greenish-black...

...while these two were a spectacular turquoise blue.

You'd never know it had been completely socked in with clouds only moments earlier.

Definitely worth the wait... and 2x round trip hike.

We were pretty much the only people in the park, but we couldn't take our backpacks off...

...because these jerks were EVERYWHERE (if you look closely at the photo with the dark green lake, you'll see what I mean) and would grab anything they could.

The next day proved to be even drizzlier than the first, so we were glad we had waited it out to see the lakes the day prior.  We took a trip to a local village to get a sense of the traditional way of life – or the traditional way life had been.  The “village” had actually burned down several years prior and been rebuilt recently to show what traditional buildings and houses looked like.  But from what we could tell, no one was actually living there.  There were some old-timers who showed us around, but it felt a little Colonial Williamsburg-Meets-Indonesia, complete with entrance fee and loaner traditional garb to wear while walking around. 

Don't mistake Mike and Andrew for some locals.

One of the village elders showing us around.

The (recreated) traditional village.  The structures are typical and unique to this part of Flores island.

In between, we spent some lazy hours at the ecolodge, which had about a dozen bungalows tucked into a river valley.  And the river was paying off given all the rain.  The lodge and the national park were both at a bit of elevation, so the temperatures were pleasant… if not downright cool for these thin-blooded Jakartans.  April in Flores proved to be a welcome escape from the concrete jungle – in the actual jungle – and a memorable reunion with good friends from home.

Andrew and I tried to do a hike around the lodge property.  Alas the rain had washed out the trail on the other side of this "bridge."

Feeling peckish after our hard-boiled egg and bread breakfast, we found this cafe for a yummy lunch.  Debbie and Mike have visited us at every post we've been overseas.  It has been amazing to have these great friends and familiar faces everywhere we go.  

BRUNO IN BANGKOK, SHOWTUNES IN SINGAPORE

Jakarta is a city of over 11 million people.  For a population that size, there are surprisingly few big-name concerts or shows that come here.  So when Bruno Mars came to Bangkok for a couple shows in March, and then the Broadway show Hamilton had a run in Singapore in May, we ventured forth to take in some song and dance… and see a few other sights along the way.

Saying “we saw Bruno Mars in Thailand” sounds ridiculous.  I know it!  But Bangkok is less than a 4 hour flight from here, so we made a long weekend of it.  In addition to the show, we played tourist on an evening tuk-tuk tour that took us to some scenic spots in the city.  And we wandered on our own during the day to take in some new sights.  

A stop at Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn)... at dusk.

Part tuk tuk, part disco, the nighttime tuk tuk tour was a fun way to see the sights!

Our tuk tuk tour also took us to - and through - Bangkok's flower market.

No shortage of flowers, in every color, in this massive market.

We passed by some other bustling night markets too - they were sorting long beans at this stall.

One of our favorite things about Bangkok - so much good food... everywhere!  We weren't even sure what was being made here, but there was a line, which seemed like a promising sign, so we got in it.

The final result - sort of a coconut pancake-meets-taco.  I had to google it later to figure out what it was.  It's called khanom krok, and yes, it was delicious.

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Not to be outdone by the food, we also found some tasty beverages in Bangkok.  I enjoyed this cocktail in the bar at what is now the W Hotel, but had been built as a private residence int he late 1800s and later served as the Russian embassy for 50 years.

The aforementioned W hotel/swanky bar venue.

The concert itself was at an outdoor arena outside of the downtown core.  Being a bit wary of what that could mean for traffic getting to and from the venue, we booked a room at a hotel just across the street from the stadium so we could get there on foot.  By far the most genius hack of the trip.  The hotel even had a rooftop bar where we had a beverage while listening to the sound check, and then a night cap while watching the road crew break down the stage.  And in between, the show itself was amazing!  It was a full house and great energy – both from the band on the stage and the crowd in the stands.  Being basically a agoraphobic hermit, I was a bit nervous about being in a stadium with a 65,000-person capacity… but it was a great show and a great night.

View of the stadium from the rooftop at our hotel.  Best logistical decision EVER!

A spectacular sunset view while the crowd starts to assemble for the concert.  Thank goodness the sun was on its way down by the time we got there because even then it was about 90 degrees - plus humidity.

OH!  AH!  I'm a sucker for fireworks.  Plus a super entertaining, high energy show with great music?  Aw, yeah.

I'm pretty sure we brought up the median age of the concert goers.  But it was super fun!

Fast forward to Memorial Day weekend.  Another long weekend presented another opportunity to get out of Jakarta and take in some culture.  This time, it was to Singapore to see a production of Hamilton.

Saying “we saw Hamilton in Singapore” ALSO sounds ridiculous.  I get it!  But Singapore is only a 2 hour flight from here, so even though it sounds exotic, it’s basically like flying from Seattle to Oakland, which is definitely NOT exotic.

We had visited Singapore for a long weekend last July.  But on that trip, I’d been feverishly preparing for a Secretary of State visit, so it wasn’t the relaxing, engaging cultural experience I’d hoped for.  This time, we made up for it.  We joined a walking tour of Chinatown one day, another walking tour of the Little India district another day, re-visited the botanic gardens to enjoy some time in outdoor green space, ate a ton of great food… and saw an amazing Broadway show at the theater at the Marina Bay Sands (the hotel with what looks like a ship balanced across its three towers).  I mean, sure, why not!

We visited some cool old Chinese temples on our Chinatown walking tour.

Thien Hock Keng temple was built in 1820...

...and is surrounded by Singapore's modern skyscrapers.  

A nighttime drive-by of the Buddha Tooth Relic temple - we have yet to make it inside to see what type of tooth they have on display.  My money is on a molar.

Very cool murals in Singapore's historic neighborhoods.

"I'd like 10 percent of the air conditioning unit commission."  -Scott Rose (if Scott Rose were to visit Singapore).

The Tan Tang Niah house - built in 1900, it's the last Chinese villa in Singapore's Little India. 

The impetus for this trip to Singapore!  Hamilton!

It was quite the crowd for this sold out show.

Concerts – check!  Show tunes – got it!  Maybe not in Jakarta, but just a puddle jumper away!  (And bonus - the Singapore airport is awesome!)

This is Andrew trying out the slide from the second floor to the first floor in the Singapore airport.  

VIBRANT MIGRANTS VS. THE VOLCANO

We’re already in to JUNE?   How can it be?  Once again, I’m very delinquent in keeping you all updated on the comings and goings of the Vibrant Migrants, so let me get cracking and fill you in on what we did… in March.

A local holiday gave us a long weekend in early March, so we decided to get out of Jakarta on our first real road trip since we’ve been here.  We’ve traveled by planes, trains… and now automobiles!  We hired a car and driver for the weekend (I’m not driving in Jakarta’s crazy traffic!) and headed about 3 hours west to the coast of Java (the island we’re on).  This would be our launch point the next day for a boat trip and hike around… an active volcano – Anak Krakatoa.

The "resort" on the coast where we stayed the night before our trip out to the volcano had all these huge painted boulders dotted around the property.  (That's the name of the hotel on this spectacle-wearing, cigar-smoking chimpanzee.)

Do not adjust your screen.  That is a rock - not an elephant.  The paint jobs were REALLY impressive!

The Krakatoa volcano erupted in 1883.  It was one of the most violent volcanic events ever recorded, and destroyed most of the island on which the volcano was located.  Subsequent eruptions since 1927 have built a new island in the caldera left after the Krakatoa eruption.  That new island is called Anak Krakatoa (which means Krakatoa’s Child).  Anak Krakatoa has had several eruptions of its own ever since, including a major one in December 2018 that caused a tsunami that wiped out about 180 miles of coastline and was the second most deadly volcanic eruption in the 21^st century.  It has continued to have smaller eruptions ever since, including most recently in September 2023.

And no, I didn’t know any of that until we were walking around on Anak Krakatoa with our guide.

Heading out to sea from the Java coast - and the ever-present air pollution.

Behold!  Anak Krakatoa!

After about a 90-minute boat ride (on a rather small boat with a very loud motor), we arrived at Anak Krakatoa and followed our guide up to the “summit,” which is only about 400 feet above sea level… because the thing keeps exploding.  When we got to the top, we could see the active cone that is forming, complete with steam and sulfur smells.  Our guide informed us that “it seems quiet today,” so he proceeded to lead us through the scree, around the cone, and back to our boat – in total, about a 90-minute hike.  But let me tell you, that 90 minutes was the absolute HOTTEST I have ever been in my life.  We were walking on loose, jet black, volcanic rock.  Basically, a barbecue.  Not an inch of shade to be found because there is not a plant to be found because, again, the thing keeps exploding.  

Hati-hati!  Indonesian for "be careful."  The rest of the sign basically says, y'all are crazy for coming out here, yo.

Did I mention we were the ONLY ONES here?  One other group arrived on a boat, walked to the top and back down, and headed back out.  Not us.  We were in for the long haul.

View from the summit at the active crater, which was slightly below.

That's me and our guide, who I'm sure was assuring me I could go closer if I wanted.  Nope, I'm good here, thank you very much.  

The walk back to the boat was through a field of fumaroles that were pumping out sulfuric gas that burned our throats and made us cough.  “Just hold your breath through here” – helpful advice from our guide.

Negotiating the large, loose scree around the base of the crater - in what felt like 500-degree heat - was a true test.

Heading back to the boat through the field of fumaroles.

There were sulfur deposits around the fumaroles that made for pops of bright yellow and orange against the jet black rock.

A pause to admire the view... and to get mentally prepared to keep scrambling over the scree.

I don't think I'll ever make it to the moon... but this was pretty dang close (if the moon was actually a giant fireball).

We loaded back up onto the boat for the return trip to shore (with a stop along the way to jump in the water in an effort to try to regain some semblance of a normal body temperature), and then onward from there back to Jakarta… where I think we both took a collective deep breath.  It was an exceptionally unique experience – setting foot on and walking around an island that is growing underneath your feet… and could possibly decide to pop again at any time.  In this episode of the Vibrant Migrants vs. The Volcano, the Vibrant Migrants won… but I don’t know that we’ll be seeking out a rematch on a super active volcano again anytime too soon.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh... 

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