A pathetic update...

So, since the last update it's been a couple weeks, but I've gotten too lazy to update or even collect photos from friends on the events.

After Madiun, I went back to Yogyakarta, to see some temples, art galleries and chill out for the weekend.  It was fun, and we had a relaxing weekend.

The following week, my friend Mary (who was a college room mate for the summer before senior year) met me at work on Wednesday, and we hung around Surabaya for a couple days, then went off for the weekend.  We first went to the Safari Park, which is a big park that you drive through in your car looking at different animals, you can drive right past lions and tigers, and even get stopped if the animals cross the road.  They have African, Asian and other animals all around the park.  At the end you can pet and hold baby orangutans, I even got to pet a 3 year old lion who was huge.  It was really cool, and not too bad for the animals, compared to some zoos in Asia.  

We then went to Bromo, and the waterfall nearby again.  I had been there, but some people hadn't, and no one to the waterfall.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves.  Mary moved on to Ijen, and I went back to work for the week.

The next weekend, I went back to Bali for my friend's birthday, and spent the weekend lazing around on the beach, surfing, and going out at night.  It was a long two nights and I am very tired today.  

I told you it would be a horrible and pathetic update, but thats what I've been doing for the past couple weeks.  I hope to get some pictures soon, but I'm not sure when.

Surabaya news: I moved into a new house, without Aircon, and without the "good qualities" the older house had.  It's new and modern, but meh. I liked the old house, and especially liked the aircon.  They have said for about 3 weeks now it's "going to be installed soon".  I hate that they can't just tell us they're too lazy to get it done right away, then forget, and then try to scramble and sort of get things done later on...  what happens when you work for a big company with too many employees, I guess...

That's all I got, happy Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving marks my 2 years living, working and traveling in Asia, as I left the day after Thanksgiving 2007.  It's been a great two years, and I expect it will continue to be fun.

I'll update more next week.

Rob

Mediun and Lake Sarangan

To keep with the weekly posts of what I do, I can write about this past weekend, where a couple of friends and I got on a train and headed into the mountains of central Java, in search of a horribly touristy lake that doesn't see any foreigners. 

We took the train to Madiun, where we met out friend Intan's Aunt, Uncle, Mother and Sister, and had a big lunch with them.  We then took a taxi an hour up into the hills to the mountain 'resort' town of Sarangan.  It's HUGE on the local Indonesian circuit, and tons of families and tourists come here.  But none are white, and therefore, we were quite the spectacle for them.  It's a little muddy lake, where you can take "speed boat" tours around the lake (read: large pond), take a horse trot around the lake, or get in a swan-shaped paddle boat to fight the winds in the middle.  It's hilariously small but packed with people.  We spent the weekend relaxing, and as it was 1200 meters above sea level, enjoying the crisp air in the evening and winds. 

The landscape around the lake is better, some mountains shoot up, and the hills all the way down are filled with crops being grown, terraced rice and corn and other vegetables.  I think the drive down was the best view we had the whole weekend, looking up on big mountains shooting up and their sides all terraced and multicolored from agriculture.

It was a quick weekend, therefore a quick update.  As previously mentioned, its just nice to get out of Surabaya.  It's been hot and humid.  The rainy season has yet to come, and we're all just waiting for that little break in the heat, and the floods to start.  We'll see how it goes, as the local teachers all talk about floods and leaving clothes at work because you'll be "soaked" when you arrive.  Sounds good to me...