MY TRIP

Yes, I realize it's been ages and ages since I last posted. In fact, it's been more than a month. But I have my excuses for my laziness and delayed postings...which mostly consist of working, sleeping and drinking my way through the week.

At least I'm honest, people.

So, on to something slightly more important: my trip. My friend Jessica (from back home in London) has been teaching at a private school in Jakarta where the children are fluent in English. She teaches advanced English Lit classes for students who will (frequently but not always) head to schools in North America once they graduate. It's a busy and challenging job, but (as expected) she's excelling and loving her time there.

Anyway, Jess had a two week break for the Ramadan holiday, so she invited me to come visit Jakarta and then play on the island of Bali. It was a looong 22 hour flight, but totally worth it in the end.

JAKARTA

Riding the Ojek

This is how Jess gets around -you hire an Indo, and they drive you anywhere you want to go. Yup...that's me riding a motorbike without a helmet...

This was the quality of the shopping at the mall near Jess' house. Had to take the picture, given that I knew Kendrah would be drooling over the very thought of the beautiful shoes.

This is the hotel room we had when we stayed in a hotel in Jakarta. It was called the Hotel Mulia and it was 5 stars all the way. They even had someone to drape your napkin over your lap every time you sat down in a restaurant. We went for their Champagne Brunch one morning and it was incredible: champagne (duh!) and sushi and pasta and bread and cheese and oysters and....

You get the picture. Amazing.

Our rooftop pool. This was directly beside the spa, where we splurged (a relative term, since our entire stay was still well under budget) on 2 massages during our 3 day stay

One of the ways that Indos earn money. There isn't any social assistance or welfare there, so everyone has some type of job to earn their living. You've got to give them credit for their creativity, as they manage to fill every niche imaginable. This guy walks up and down the highway selling water and fruit to passing drivers.

My friend Jessica

We went to this restaurant called Koi one night. It was a fusion of Asian and European food. An interesting and delicious meal.


We went to the "Premiere Theatre" when we were in the city. It's only slightly more expensive than the regular theater, but your (HUGE) armchair fully reclines and you're given a pillow and a blanket to cuddle with throughout the movie. Plus, the staff bring snacks and drinks directly to your seat. Not a hard way to spend the night!

After the luxury of Jakarta, it was onto the raw beauty (and excessive drinking) of Bali....