THE END OF AN ERA

Our time in Indonesia has come to an end.  As the finish line approached, we had a few more boxes to check on the bucket list.

First, one more trip to Australia.  Jakarta was the closest we’ve been to Australia in our 20 years together.  We were a 7-hour direct flight away from Melbourne, which meant Andrew was able to get home regularly to reconnect with family and friends.  In January, I tagged along to get another fill of clean air and blue sky.  We strung together a couple stops that included dog-sitting for Andrew’s friends in Melbourne and Coffs Harbor, as well as a side trip to Tasmania for a few days.

In Coffs Harbor, we visited a museum that featured a Holden car collection and political cartoons.  Not sure how those two things are related, but it had some cool exhibits.

Andrew shows proper form at the Coffs Harbor lawn bowling club.

And our lucky streak continues!  We may not have set any lawn bowling records, but we did win their meat tray raffle.

A hike in the rainforest in Dorrigo National Park east of Coffs Harbor...

...followed by a thorough leech check.  The leeches were out IN FORCE, which we didn't realize until about halfway through the hike.  Ewwww...

And a less leachy hike at the Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve in Coffs Harbor.  Muttonbirds (or shearwaters) are seabirds that nest underground.  It was nesting season, but they were hunkered underground during the daytime so we didn't see any.  And thankfully, we didn't see any leaches either.

Obligatory kookaburra photo.  This one was hanging out along the Yarra River in Melbourne.

The Yarra River and downtown Melbourne.  

On a ferry to Bruny Island - a day trip our of Hobart Tasmania.

We encountered the "Vomit" truck several times on our Hobart travels, including on the ferry.

Walking the beach on Bruny Island.

Andrew making friends at a wildlife sanctuary outside Hobart.

The Cascade Brewery, built in 1824, made for a frequent destination for happy hour and trivia night.

A particularly proud-of-himself rooster hung out with us during our Cascade happy hour.

Then, one more regional trip – this time to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  We wanted to fit in one more short trip in southeast Asia, and KL fit the bill.  A direct flight meant we could sneak in a visit over a long weekend, and we made the most of it.  And KL gave us a lot of things we were missing in Jakarta - green spaces, clean(er) air, and sights to see!  We loved it.

Exploring a night market in Kuala Lumpur.

We joined a walking tour of downtown KL.  Jets of mist along the Klang River have been installed as part of a tourism redevelopment effort that also includes a nighttime light show.

Cool murals on historic buildings in the city center.

Sri Maha Mariamman Temple - KL's oldest Hindu temple.

A nighttime bus tour took us past several KL landmarks, including Menara Kuala Lumpur (KL Tower), which is the tallest telecommunication tower in SE Asia and seventh tallest in the world - and which is illuminated with revolving colors at night.

The Petronas Towers - arguably KL's most identifiable image.  The way they are lit at night makes them shimmer - it's really spectacular.

The towers also have a Bellagio-esque fountain show at night.  

Andrew making more friends - this time at KL's Bird Park.

A rhinoceros hornbill at the Bird Park.  The park is a huge free-flight aviary, so of course, I had to see it.

Past meets future when we found this llama outside a KL restaurant.

Next, a return to one of our favorite places we visited in Indonesia - Labuan Bajo.  The first time we went, we did a day trip to some of the the nearby islands and stayed at a small island resort.  (I posted about it here.)  This time we stayed on the mainland and went out on the water for a snorkel trip one day.  It is some of the best snorkeling we've ever seen - manta rays, huge schools of fish, colorful coral.  The trip just reinforced that it was one of our favorite parts of Indonesia.

An early morning hike to see the sunrise.

And happy hour cocktails to watch the sunset.

The Labuan Bajo harbor is a bustling hub of small boats and "liveaboards" that provide on-the-water accommodations.  I imagine Bali was like this 50 years ago before it got over-loved by tourists.  Judging by the number of huge new resorts under construction, I fear Labuan Bajo will be following in Bali's footsteps.

And finally, making the most of our remaining time with the amazing friends we made in Jakarta.  As has been the case for all of our posts, one of the best things about serving overseas has been the incredible people we’ve met and worked with.  Jakarta was no exception.  The job was crazy and the city was chaotic, which made Jakarta a hard place to love.  But the friends we made here made it worthwhile. 

The "Pakubuwono Pickleball Association" started weekly-ish matches to blow off mid-week steam.  "Pakubuwono" was the name of our apartment building, and the "association" was our core friend group from the embassy.  Happy hours, dinners, holiday celebrations... pickleball - you name it, we did it with these awesome friends.

Packing up and shipping out. 

And there goes our stuff.  We'll see it again in La Paz... insh'allah.

We knew we could rely on our friends to help clean out our alcohol cabinet during a final happy hour.

Almost half of my time in the foreign service has been spent preparing for and serving in Indonesia.  After a year studying Bahasa (Indonesia’s language) and then three years working in Jakarta, I’m now back in Washington DC.  I’ll be here for several weeks of training to prepare for my next job in Bolivia, and then on to Portland for “home leave.”  New friends, experiences, and adventures await, but for now, it’s the end of an era.

SIMPLER TIMES

I posted my last blog on January 19… the day before the inauguration.  I haven’t posted since then because it hasn’t seemed like the right time.  Programs I’d been working on have been canceled.  Amazing people I’d been working with have been laid off.  Everything is different, and to carry on posting blog updates about our travels and experiences seemed like it could be tone deaf.  But... we are carrying on.  Every day.  Trying to continue doing good, important, meaningful work.  And trying to take advantage of the incredible opportunity we’ve been given to experience other cultures and to share those experiences with you.  So with that in mind, here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to.

In my last post, I mentioned our trip to Laos in December to visit friends from Harare who are posted in Vientiane now.  And yet other friends from Harare, now posted in Nigeria, met us there for a pre-Christmas reunion.  This is one of the truly miraculous, wonderful things about this job.  We have made incredible friends at each post where we’ve served – and we get to reunite with them in amazing locations around the globe!

Rooftop drinks and sunset views on our first evening in Vientiane.

Trying our hands at some carnival-type games set up on the street on our walk back to the hotel.  They didn't score a stuffed animal... but did end up winning a bottle of coconut water.  Always important to hydrate!

The full Harare friends reunion.

We only had a few days, so we only got to see Vientiane – the Laos capital – but we were enchanted.  It’s like stepping back in time.  And compared to the traffic, and noise, and bustle of Jakarta, Vientiane was a welcome change of pace. 

This overgrown Buddhist temple called That Dam (or Black Stupa) was in the middle of a roundabout.  As good of place as any, I guess.

These colorful tuk-tuk-meets-motorcycle were everywhere.

I hope electricians are getting paid overtime.

Pro-recycling and tree planting street art.

Our friends organized a day trip for us to take in many of the local attractions – including the Victory Gate (known locally as Patuxay), a monument built in the 1960s to commemorate Laos’ independence from France – but that ironically resembles the Arc de Triomphe.   

Our transportation for the day.  Everyone on the bus!

All aboard!

The Victory Gate.  A little bit of Paris in the middle of SE Asia.

A view of the intricate artwork inside.

And views across Vientiane from the top.  

Look at that sky!  So nice to see clouds instead of smog!

We also visited Buddha Park, a local tourist attraction with over 200 Hindu and Buddhist statues, and Pha That Luang (or Great Stupa), a huge gold-covered Buddhist temple in the center of the city. 

The Mekong River had recently flooded and several statues in the adjacent Buddha Park had been damaged.  But this one in particular spoke to me.  I feel you, Buddha. 

The reclining Buddha was the flagship statue in Buddha Park.

Also spotted this reclining Buddha at another stop during our day trip.

Laos tapestries, which have vibrant colors and intricate designs, are a part of their culture. We stopped at a local workshop and glimpsed how they are made.

The impressive golden Pha That Luang, complete with Buddhist monk.

One of the other beautiful temples we visited.  I loved the colors and wood carvings.

I'm going to remember this "stop fighting of relatives posture" - it could come in handy.

They also arranged for us to participate in a Baci ceremony, a Laos national custom, at their house.  Local staff from the embassy organized and led the ceremony.  It is often performed to celebrate major life events, like births and marriages, or, in our case, to welcome someone and wish them well.  It was deeply moving to participate in such a unique cultural experience.

We were all presented with traditional sashes to wear as part of the ceremony.  We encircled a central offering tray decorated with banana leaves, flowers, and other items symbolizing love and longevity.  The man in the blue shirt recited Buddhist chants to invoke deities and spirits to help restore harmony. I think we could all use more of that. 

During the ceremony, white cotton strings are tied around a person's wrists as a symbol of good luck and peace, and the strings are typically worn for a few days after the ceremony.  We wore ours for the duration of the trip, and mine are still on my nightstand.  

Our trip to Laos provided an opportunity to enjoy one of the things I continue to love most about this job - a chance to appreciate a new culture... and simpler times.