Singapore!

We are currently on a bus about to cross into Malaysia having just officially departed Singapore. Singapore was the shortest stop on our South East Asian tour with only a two night stay so we wanted to make the most of our time but also relax a bit. We were fortunate enough to be able to stay on beautiful Sentosa Island, to the south of Singapore proper, with the family of one of our volunteer friends from Tonga, thanks Rei! 

I knew Singapore was going to be a very unique city but I was still surprised by how different and special it really was. There is definitely a very futuristic vibe to it especially along the rooftop gardens and with some of the newest high rises. On our first day, we ate lunch and wandered through a couple huge malls. Sadly our budget did not allow us to buy anything....besides a $17 bag of candy /:, but the malls had huge, cheap food courts with an overwhelming selection of choices! Afterwards, we walked over to the Gardens by the Bay which is a new and very impressive park. One of the coolest things we did there was a canopy walk through a large, man-made tree structure (see pictures below). The sun had just set and the lights were beautiful. Our climb was perfectly timed and we got to see a Christmas light show with music before leaving. We all agreed that the city felt very romantic. For dinner we went to Little India and had an amazing $7 meal with banana leaf plates and great spices. Each of Singapore's neighborhoods felt very ethnically homogenous, right as we exited the MRT station we truly felt like we were walking into a 'little India'. It was also nice to avoid the tourist restaurants and eat local cuisine instead. 

On our second day, we got a bit of a late start after sleeping in until 11am; however, we all felt catching up on sleep was necessary.

 First, we went to Chinatown for a late lunch where we each chose a different stall at the huge hawker food court. Throughout our trip, each time we order different foods, we have been naming someone the 'winner' of the meal - the person who ordered the tastiest, most interesting dish. I would like to point out that I have yet to 'win' a meal  and I continued to lose in Singapore, especially when I chose the fried wontons for lunch in Chinatown and the green tea flavored snow ice for a snack later on. Perhaps in Malaysia I will make better choices. After exploring Chinatown a bit, we walked through the scenic Colonial District looking at some of Singapore's older architecture and taking pictures with many statues including the large Merlion, Singapore's mascot. I was very excited to visit Bugis, the middle eastern neighborhood, for dinner. This area had a lively vibe and a beautiful mosque. We went to a Turkish restaurant and smoked shisa (hooka) which was a first for me. We split a bucket of Singapore's Tiger beer and some ifo (delicious) hummus, it was a relaxing night and the four of us really enjoyed sitting together and talking about our adventures so far. 

Our time in Singapore went by quickly but definitely left a strong impression; each of us thinking that it would be a great city to live in one day.  

We also had amazing luck boarding our bus to Malaysia. We arrived to the terminal only seconds after the bus pulled in and ran to the ticket counter where the woman had already printed our tickets and we were able to make it aboard. Next stop Melaka!

Katy

City slickers on the MRT

Gardens by the Bay

Canopy walk!

At the top, a bit scary

On the streets of Chinatown 

Shisa

Bus to Malaysia

Sampai Jumpa Indonesia!

It has been a rushed and busy few days as our time in Indonesia has come to an end. After our volcano hike, there was just enough time to shower and eat before we were off to the train station. After eleven hours on the train from Banyuwangi to Surabaya and then Surabaya to Yogyakarta, we were all feeling ready to get to Yogyakarta. After a late arrival and dinner, we collapsed into bed, only to have to wake up at 4.45am to beat the masses of people and Indonesian school groups who flock to see Borobudur temple everyday. A UNESCO world heritage site and the biggest Buddhist temple in the world, the Borobudur temple is a beautiful place to visit and admire each of it's six levels showing various Buddhist teachings and tales. Our attempts to avoid the school children, who seem to come to Borobudur not for the temple's sake but to find tourists to practice their English with and take pictures of, were foiled however and we found ourselves meeting students around every corner.

Our time in Indonesia has now come to an end-as I write we're on the plane to Singapore- and we leave behind our friend Peter who is staying in Yogyakarta for an internship. He has been an awesome addition to our group, and we will miss him as we continue our travels. 

I have been very happy to get to share the country I grew up in with this group while at the same time getting to see parts that are new to me as well. Indonesia has certainly been fun, but we look forward to the next stop on our trip, Singapore (and to sleeping in past 4.30am!)

-chiara

A front view of the Borobudur Temple

Katy, Joey and me before being bombarded by Indonesian paparazzi a.k.a. School children 

Joey, Michael and Peter at a warung (a Indonesian street side restaurant where you sit on the ground) trying fried duck

Ijen Volcano

Nov 10, 2014

The past two days have been filled with a lot of traveling interspersed with some cool adventures.  Yesterday, we took a bus ride from Bali to the neighboring island Java.  Yes, we took a bus the whole way!  The ferries that travel between the islands are so massive that they can fit up to 20 buses on it.  We averted a minor crisis before getting on the ferry.  We had stopped for 15 minutes and I felt that it was the opportune time to use the restroom (the facilities on the bus were perhaps the grossest I have ever seen in my life.)  I exited the bus and upon returning from using the bathroom I saw the bus driving away!  Thankfully, Peter speaks fluent Indonesian and was able to stop the bus while I ran it down.  The look on my face had to have mirrored the looks of the rest of the group whose faces were smashed against the windows with looks of terror as I wove through traffic.

The ferry was 30 minutes and pretty uneventful.  Leaving Bali which is predominately Hindu and arriving in Java which is predominately Muslim was fascinating.  Though only a short distance away and both being a part of the same country, the atmosphere was completely different.  Where in Bali everything is covered in Hindu statues and temples, Java is populated with mosques with the call to prayer blaring over the loud speakers.  The call to prayer has been something that I have wanted to hear for a long time.  It was the first time for Joey, Katy, and I to experience it. 

Our guest house was small but adequate.  It was a house with 3 rooms furnished for guests.  It had basic amenities: electricity, running water, and a place to lay our head.   It reminded us a lot of our homestays in Tonga and the atmosphere was relaxing and laidback, probably because we had the whole place to ourselves.  We napped briefly before waking up at 1 am to embark on our most epic adventure yet: climbing Mt. Ijen. 

Mt. Ijen is an active volcano that emits blue flame at the bottom of its crater.  This is an extremely rare phenomenon caused from molten sulfur that oozes from the fissures.  There are only 2 volcanoes that do this in the world: Mt. Ijen and another volcano in Alaska. 

The locals have harnessed this natural occurrence and have created an industry out of it.  Every day, miners trudge an hour and a half up the slope and then down another 45 minutes into the crater.  If this doesn’t seem hard enough, they then have to haul out a minimum of 130 pounds of sulfur per load, in baskets, back up the crater and down the mountainside while contending with a volatile environment: sulfuric gasses and the threat of landslides. 

We mimicked the miners’ daily commute unburdened by a load of sulfur and we still struggled.  The trail was loose soil and gravel and sometimes the slope was a 45 degree angle.  Thankfully, we had a local miner as a guide: Sam.  He is a really cool guy and was all smiles and full of encouragement while we sweated up the trail and down into the crater.  He also provided us with gas masks which were a necessity because of the fumes which was something we didn’t think about. 

The sweat and pain in the glutes and thighs were totally worth it.  The blue flame emitted from the fissures was incredible and was the only light in the pitch black.  We then watched the sunrise come over the summit which illuminated the acidic lake at the center of the crater, an absolutely incredible experience. 

We did have a little bit of a scare.  Just as we were taking our photo in front of the lake we heard a deafening roar from across the crater.  It was a landslide and the other tourists started running from the lake.  Our guide remained composed and started telling people not to worry and restored a sense of calm.  Later, he told us that he was scared because he didn’t know how bad it was going to be but was worried that all the tourists would stampede making the situation much more dangerous.  Thankfully, we were unharmed. 

On the way back down, Peter, Joey, and I lifted a sulfur laden basket.  It was inordinately heavy and my legs were shaking just standing.  It is amazing that these men can do what they do.

This excursion has probably been one of the most impactful experiences of my life and has put a lot into perspective.  First and foremost, it was epic: we climbed into a volcano and saw a rare natural phenomenon!  It was also heartbreaking.  I have never before been confronted with such a dangerous job and people eking out a living; each miner makes 12 dollars a day for back-breaking labor.  On our way back up, miners stopped us to try and sell us sulfur molds of turtles and other little statues to try and earn a little bit extra money for their families.  None of us had money so we couldn’t purchase from them.  I wish I could have.  I wish I could stand at the bottom of Mt. Ijen and buy every statue from every miner.  When I think about our guide, who is so wonderful and kind, going to the mines tomorrow to carry up 130 pounds of sulfur from the crater of a volcano to only make 12 dollars for his labor, I am moved beyond words.  What is even more heartbreaking is that he will stand at the top of the summit, smiling and sweating, trying to sell little turtle molds to passing tourists.  He deserves better and I wish I could help. 

How many times have I complained about working?  How many times have I labeled my labor as “back-breaking?”  I now know what back breaking-labor looks like and what working for pennies is. 

-Michael 

3. Making it rain Ruppiah at our homestay in Banyuwangi

4. Sulfur fumes burned our throats as we got closer to the crater

1. The bus ride from Bali to the Java ferry terminal (smelled like feet)

2. Ferry to Java

5. The crater lake where we heard the rock
slide

6. Climbing back out of the crater

7. It was difficult to breathe while climbing up wearing the gas mask

8. Standing on the rim

9. Lifting the sulfur baskets

10, The second train ride from Surabaya to Yogyakarta

Some more pictures!!

Arrival in Bali!

Just before boarding our flight to leave Tonga...

Goodbyes at the airport

After our first dive

The Lotus Cafe, Ubud

Sweating our way through the rice paddies, Ubud

Coffee tasting

Tanah Lot Temple before sunset

The Road From Ubud to Kuta

Yesterday we left the city of Ubud for the more urban city of Kuta. We hired a car for the day and on our way over to Kuta we made a few stops. Our first destination was the Holy Springs Water Temple where, after much deliberation over whether it was okay to disrobe in the Temple, Michael and I bathed in the holy spring.

After the temple we headed to a luwak (the famous coffee made from the beans digested by the luwak- a cat like animal indigenous to Indonesia) coffee cooperative where we all got to roast coffee and taste different coffee and teas. Luckily for Katy, some of the teas were natural laxitives. When Kathrene was finished with her successful trips ( that's right trips with an "s" because there were multiple) we got back in our car to make our way to the temple of Tanah Lot.

Tanah Lot is on a cliff on a beautiful beach. It is recommended to watch the sunset at this pristine temple and that is exactly what we did. When we got there Michael was displeased that we were not the only people in the world wishing to see this famous site, but even though there were a lot of other tourists we still had a great time walking along the beach and watching the sunset over the beautiful cliff top temple. 

As the sun set on Tanah Lot, we left for the last leg of our road trip to the city of Kuta for a night out. Unfortunately, after a very long car ride we got to Kuta only to find out that our hostel did not exist... After some worrying, a bit of walking and a little extra money we found a convenient downtown hotel and we were able to salvage the night. We all went to Chiara's old haunt, a very trashy night club called Bounty. Bounty not only had lasers and fog machines but it also was shaped like a pirate ship...

Now we are making our way by bus and ferry from Bali to Java to the city of Banyuwangi to see Ijen- a volcano with blue lava.

Joey

Leaving Tonga

After 26 months of Peace Corps service in the Kingdom of Tonga, we have finally begun our South East Asia backpacking trip! We've been in Bali for 4 days now and it's still crazy to believe that we've finally begun the trip we've been planning and talking about for 2 years.  Peter, Chiara, Joey and I left Tonga on November 4 and it was definitely one of the hardest nights of my life. Tonga has been our home for over  2 years and we have each developed very close relationships with our communities. Saying goodbye is never easy but it is particularly difficult when you are not exactly sure when you will return or if and when you will see your loved ones again. The weeks leading up to departure were filled with tears as we prepared to leave our villages, our island groups, the country and each other. It feels utterly surreal that our service in the Peace Corps is over...we are now RPCVs and unfortunately unemployed.... Even though we have begun our trip and closed our service, I still have the feeling that I am returning to Tonga, to 'Eua, to my village after a vacation when, in fact, we are returning back to our homes in America in December. So it was definitely with very heavy hearts and after days and days of crying that we have begun our trip and are trying to adjust to vacation mode.

We are currently in Ubud, Bali and Michael has joined us, back from a brief return to the states after leaving Tonga a couple of weeks before us. We had a great day yesterday, exploring rice paddies, eating mie goreng (fried noodles and Joey's new favorite food) visiting the monkey forest, and watching a traditional Balinese Kecak trance dance. Prior to Ubud, we spent 2 nights in Sanur. Joey and I went for an awesome dive and Chiara and Peter have been guiding us with their Indonesian language abilities. Today we are planning to visit some temples and have a wild night out in kuta before continuing on from Bali to Java on Sunday.

We hope to post often throughout our 7 week-7 country trip so that you can follow along on our adventure!

All of us before we get on our plane leaving Tonga for Indonesia! 

Playing with Monkeys in Ubud.

Katy