See photo Album Ramadan 2011 (Previous post slide show) for additional photos of the Idul Fitri community activities. This Holiday marks the end of Ramadan.
After 3 months at our permanent site, we finally got the
opportunity to get away for a little vacation. Our trip started with 2 nights
of camping on the beach. The first night, we went to Pantai Parangtritis. This
beach is huge and has large cliff walls and coral boulders, perfect for
blocking the wind. We arrived at sunset, so after finding some food, we started
the search for the perfect camping site. You would think with the abundance of
beaches, we would see more campers, but we ended up being 2 of maybe 10 people.
Daniel had no problem getting the fire started, thanks to the abundance of
coconuts scattered on the beach.
The following morning, we woke up to people already walking
the beach. It was funny to see their reaction when they see us and our stuff,
clearly having slept there the night before. We took our time packing our
things and enjoying the morning on the beach. The water was still too cold to
swim so Daniel made a sandcastle instead. It turns out Bahasa Indonesia (BI)
has no word for sandcastle. For the next night, we wanted to find another
beach. Buses don’t run to other beaches and we’re not allowed to ride
motorcycles so we made it our mission to find someone to take us to another
beach. The first group of people gave us lots of information about the area and
mentioned that a handful of beaches that were west of Parangtritis but wanted
way too much money for a ride. But thanks to our knowledge of BI we found
someone who would take us to another beach for about $8.
The second beach, Pantai Kuwaru had black sand! We were
definitely the only non-Indonesians and the beach was packed. This beach was
new and known for their fish. We found a “restaurant” where you could pick the
fish you wanted, killed right before your eyes, and then cooked to order. Not
thinking, Daniel ordered a kilo of fish so we ended up with 4 good sized Gerami
fish, baked sweet and spicy. Probably the best fish we have ever had, and since
we ordered so much, we had leftoversJ. The fish, veggies, rice,
and a young coconut drink cost us $6.
After lunch, we walked the beach and killed time until
sunset (when everyone goes home) so we could set up camp. The sunset was
beautiful. That night, it took a little longer to get the fire started. This
beach had strong winds and huge waves so a lot of the wood was damp. Just when
we started to wonder what we would do if we couldn’t get the fire started, it burst
into flames. God was putting our worries to bed. To end the night, we cooked
our fish, some veggies, and peanuts and had a feast in front of the fire.
After “roughing” it for two nights, it was time for luxury.
We made our way back into the city of Yoyga by way of walking probably 7 miles
to the closest bus. Paige learned too late, that her shoes were not made for
walking long-distances. The rest of the trip, she limped around thanks to a
huge blister on the ball of her foot. War wounds from Indonesia!
Arriving in the city, we went to the grocery store and
bought a lot of the things we’ve missed since coming here. Hamburger meat,
steak, cheese, spaghetti, beer, hot chocolate, etc. Then we found the
traditional market to get fresh fruits and veggies. The next two days was food
heaven after we checked into our private villa. This villa had a private pool, king-size
bed, 2 showers with HOT water, a toilet with TOILET PAPER, air-conditioning and
a huge kitchen! You don’t realize how much you’ve missed these things until you
suddenly have them all back. Hot showers are a gift from God and Paige may have
taken 8 of them in 2 days.
The last two days of our trip we did site-seeing around the
town. In Yogyakarta, there is still an active Sultan with a palace and
everything. We were able to see the swimming pools and ruins from Sultans who
lived hundreds of years ago. We visited Borobudur which is the largest and
oldest Buddhist Temple in the world. The size and detail of Borobudur is
exquisite.
The site-seeing was fun, but the highlight of the trip was
enjoying the mornings and evenings slowly cooking delicious food and enjoying
every bite. Daniel made a burger that could easy sell in America. Paige’s
omelet could feed a family of 5. And the cinnamon/brown sugar glazed apples…oh…
my… gosh… (In BI - Astaga!)
We couldn’t be happier to have had the opportunity to spend
our 2nd year anniversary in such a new way. It was nice to get away
from the village life and act like a tourist, but then surprise most by speaking
enough BI to travel like a local. We know now, we are exactly where we should
be. God is good.
2 comments:
Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a fun trip.
BTW, you guys are the best story-tellers!
Happy Anniversary! And yes....hot showers and air conditioning are the BEST!
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