Crocs attacked by Escalator

We have been in DC for two days and we had our first run-in ever with the escalator monster. Mind you, our kids have been on and around escalators their entire lives and for the last two years the only shoes they have worn are Crocs. In the history of croc wearing in our family we have never had an escalator attack one of our kids Crocs. However today on our way back we had two attacks. The first attack was on the teal green Crocs that Alonzo was wearing. Luckily for Alonzo the Escalator was not that hungry and we were able to get him and the croc away from the escalator monster with only minor damage to the hind end of the croc.

It wasn’t but 10 minutes later that Colin’s blue crocs were attached by yet another escalator monster. This time the monster tried to attack from the side. It started to drag the Croc with Colin in-tow down to the depths. Luckily for Colin Dad reacted quickly and jumped to the rescue. No major damage to the foot just a few scratches. However the croc did not fair well. The side of the croc was ripped open and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hotel.

Services for the croc were held and tears were shed. But a lesson was learned by Alonzo and Colin because of these two events. They learned that you walk off of an escalator and you don’t put your foot next to the wall as you are going down or next time they might not be so lucky and the Escalator monster will not only eat the Croc but the foot that’s in it.

Wordless Wednesday-Four Wheelin' Fun

On To Kentucky

Wow, this summer is going fast! Our time in Texas has come and gone. We had so much fun seeing all our friends and family. We ate our fill of Mexican food and BBQ. We saw a parade, fireworks, and the circus. We visited friends, cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. My kids are having a blast being back in the states.

We have moved now from Texas to Kentucky, where there is more fun to be had and more family to be visited. Tonight the kids and assorted cousins are camping out in a tent (about 10 feet away from the house).  While they were enjoying a pre-camp-out movie my husband and I enjoyed a quiet moment on his sister's back porch watching the sun set and listening to the sounds of a country night come to life.


I wish there was an easy way to capture the sounds of a place the way you can use a camera to capture the sights. The sounds of night here are so different from the sounds of Jakarta at night. Here the sounds are insects and frogs punctuated by the occasional bird. It sounds peaceful but in reality it is incredibly loud. Gone are the sounds of the mosque, the call of the kaki lima,  and the endless sound of humanity.   I miss it, but am glad for this time with family and friends before our next big adventure.  I wonder what Frankfurt sounds like just as the sun goes down.

Back In Texas

Before and After

I have always been blonde. That's the color my hair came. Today that all changed. Now I am a redhead. I can't decide if I like it. What do you think?

BEFORE

AFTER

 

Wordless Wednesday-Leaving On a Jet Plane...

...don't know if I'll be back again!

(sniff, wiping tears)

GOODBYE INDONESIA! IT'S BEEN FUN!

My Expat Bubble

I will be the first to admit I am guilty of living in a expat bubble during my time in Jakarta. While I did venture out of my comfort zone from time to time, mostly I went to the same places over and over, just as any one does in their daily life. This is a list of the places that I found most useful in my daily life. If you are visiting Jakarta sometime soon perhaps you may find it of interest. 

First if you are moving to Jakarta it is worth your while to visit the American Women's Association and pick up a copy of the Jakarta Shoppers Guide. It is a very comprehensive listing of where to go to find everything from groceries to plants to a doctor. It is a very useful book. They also publish The Family Guide to Jakarta which has been a big help in finding ways to amuse my kiddos.

Groceries

Like most things in Jakarta the best bet is to ask your friends/neighbors/co-workers where they shop. Jakarta is a huge sprawling traffic jam. You will want to shop close to home for most things unless you like sitting in traffic for long periods of time. One thing I found interesting is most malls have a Food Hall, Hero or other grocery in the basement food court.

• Grand Lucky-Formerly known as The Club Store, this is where I do most of my weekly shopping. It is very expat friendly stocking a wide variety of Australian and American brands.

Sometimes I need something in particular for a recipe then I head to one of the  specialty import stores that cater to expats. They also often have specialty import prices.

• Kim Chicks has been around for a long time. The original store in Kemang is now closed and a high rise is going up in its place.  It has a very nice new store in One Pacific Place and I understand there is a smaller store near it's old location. It usually has a great selection of cheese.
• Gourmet Garage on Jl Kemang Raya near the turn off to Amigo's has a very nice grocery store downstairs and upstairs there is a excellent restaurant.
• Ranch Market has several outlets around Jakarta and stocks a nice selection of many American products, including malt-o-meal cereals which are much cheaper than the usual cereals (I have a few issues with paying $10 for a box of shreadded mini wheats). I usually go to the store in Dharmawangsa Square or the smaller store at the American Club.
  

Spa

Going to the spa seems to almost be a sport among some. There seems to be a spa or salon on every corner offering a wide variety of treatments.  Much to my husbands relief I am really not that much of a spa person although I do enjoy the pampering from time to time. 

• Mil and Mats in Kemang is more a beauty salon than a spa but they do offer the always amazing cream bath, facials, manicures and pedicures.  It is very expat friendly, I have no problem calling and making my appointments and my Indonesian is awful. 
  
• Bimasena Spa at the Dharmawangsa Hotel on Jl Dharmawangsa is where I head for full spa treatments like a massage.  I always feel like a princess when I am there.  if you get a chance to have a spa day, make sure to arrive a few minutes early to take advantage of the hot tub or sauna before your treatment.  Still a bargain compared to prices in the states.
  

Restaurants Jakarta is loaded with great food from 5 star restaurants to street food for the more  adventurous. Just about every type of food can be found, except for true Mexican food (Sorry y'all Amigo's is fun but not authentic!)  I am only listing my absolute favorites.  Ask around and you will discover many more gastronomic gems. Happy eating!

• Din Tai Fung Probably my absolute favorite eating place.  Founded in Taipei it specializes in Chinese dumplings. I love the soup dumplings and the Ayam Goreng Cabe. It has locations in Pondok Indah Mal, Plaza Senayan, One Pacific Place and my favorite (probably becuase it is in walking distance from my house) Senayan Arcadia.
  
• Vietopia Has locations in Menteng and in Jakarta Seletan on Jl Senopati.  One of our favorite lunch sites.  Pho Bo (vietnamese soup) is a favorite but it has a variety of other Vietnamese dishes. 
  
• Penang Bistro Malaysian food. If you go you must try the Roti Chenai.  Oh my I am hungry just thinking about it.  I also really like the mango chicken. 
  
• King of Thai in Plaza EX has affordable and tasty Thai food in a fun casual setting.   It backs up to the bowling alley, you can watch the bowling while you eat.
• Anatolia Great Turkish food, the only place I know that can get me to eat lamb and convince  husband to eat eggplant.  If you go in the evening on a weekend they often have belly dancers. 
• Gourmet Garage- Same place as the import grocery but upstairs is a great dining experience.  It is really three restaurants in one.  The triple menu features Japanese, Italian and and American menu.  This works well with kids, they can have a burger with a milk shake while you enjoy sashimi and tea. 

Entertainment 

Jakarta is a big city with lots of things to do.  I have four children ranging from 3-16 years of age so I do not get to go out often.  If you are young and single your list of fun things to do is probably going to be very different than mine. 

• Movies There is a movie theater in every mall.  They show American movies with Indonesian Subtitles as well as Indonesian Movies.  The prices are much cheaper than in states and the seating is assigned so no more hunting in the dark for two seats together!
  
• The American Club is the mainstay of entertainment for our family.  We swim, play tennis, exercise, and eat there. It has become our home away from home.  Membership is required.
  
• The Sailing Club is our favorite escape from Jakarta.  It is about a three and half to four hour drive depending on traffic. Membership does have its benefits but it is not required.  You can enjoy sailing, walking on the beach, canoeing, bike riding and more in a peaceful setting with no hawkers pushing you to buy something. 
  

I hope this list helps someone out.  I know when we moved to Jakarta 2 years ago I had a hard time finding out where to go to get things done. We will be moving to Germany this summer so I wanted to share before we left and my memory began to fade. If you live in Jakarta feel free to leave your favorites in the comments!

Sailing Club

This was our last weekend in Indonesia. We spent it relaxing at our favorite get-away, the Sailing Club at Tanjung Lesung. There was no end to the fun and really we did enough things to keep me blogging for weeks so I will just hit some highlights.

On the way to the club we stopped at this bridge to take some pictures of the colorful boats in the river below. Almost immediately we were surrounded by these boys practicing their English. "Mister, mister, what is your name?" A couple of them dared David to jump, he declined and instead took this picture.

One of my favorite things to do is explore the beach and enjoy nature.

Sophie is the general manager and Grayson's favorite.  He starts looking for Sophie as soon as we pull in to the club.

Unusally low tides allowed the kids to explore the reef where they found lots of cool things; eels, octopus, shrimp, fish, and of course crabs, crabs, and more crabs.

David and Dave Baylis spent a pleasant afternoon hanging out in the pavilion and talking.

The weather was perfect for sailing this weekend. Cody took his brothers out in the optimist, a small boat that is almost impossible to flip, but when he had a chance he zipped off by himself in the much faster, but less stable laser.

We ate and ate and ate. David's favorite is the satay ayam, pictured above. It is yummy, but all the food is so good I have a hard time choosing a single favorite and enjoyed vegetarian soto, chicken nuggets, ubi ubi, bakwan, satay, nasi goreng and pancakes.

Obviously I had been out in the sun far too long when David took this picture!

EEEEEEWWWWWWW!!

Dear Lord I can smell it from here! Inside that bag (actually it is double bagged) is a DURIAN! The durian is further wrapped in plastic wrap and yet I can still smell it from here! I have agreed to taste this thing. What was I thinking!!!???!!! Durian is supposed to be a special treat, but smelling it right now I can't imagine putting that in my mouth. I think I would rather eat a fist full of habanero peppers! When David gets home tonight we will give it a try. GULP!

Wordless Wednesday-Way To Go Dave!

Scusa

A while back I went to the AWA bazaar. This is not surprising since going to bazaars seems to be almost a sport here. It seems every association, school, or organization has a bazaar at some point in the year as a fund raiser. What made this baazar special for me was for once I actually won something in the raffle. I won ONE MILLION RUPIAH to go out to eat at the restaurant
of my choice. In case you are wondering 1 million rupiah is about $107 at current exchange rates. I credit this win to my bloggy freind Jenny who is the luckiest person I know, she always manages to win a door prize at the balls. We went to brunch with her shortly before the bazaar and obviously some of her good luck rubbed off on me!

I didn't even have to think twice about where I wanted to go for my special dinner. The choice was obvious. Scusa at the Intercontinental! Scusa is my favorite Italian restaurant, anywhere, not just here in Jakarta but anywhere. Scusa makes me want to move to Italy just for the food. We have only been a few times though because it is a bit expensive. We used my winnings and went there for dinner this evening. We were not disappointed.

I hope you are not dieting because I am about to screw up your diet. When we were seated we were given a choice of plain mineral water or sparkling water and we were each given a little loaf of brown bread with a small dish of olive tapanade. When we broke the bread open there was a pocket of crumbly cheese in the middle. I loved the bread! For an appetizer we ordered a trio of bruschetta, one traditional with tomato and basil, one with mushrooms (chanterelle I think) and one with a yummy thin sliced parma ham and shaved parmesan cheese. Dinner was off to a very good start.

Main course was a little harder to decide upon as there are many choices. I decided to go with a potato gnocci stuffed with goat cheese and topped with shaved black truffles and herbed butter. I also indulged in a very nice cabernet sauvignon. I am sure I gained several pounds but it was totally worth it. David went with fresh angel hair pasta and lobster tossed with tomatoes and chili. I tasted his and it was just as yummy as mine but a bit spicier. His dinner was so pretty I made him take a picture with his hand phone before he ate anything.


For dessert Dave and I split a dish of tiramisu. I only recently tried tiramisu for the first time. I probably would have tried it sooner but I read the recipe when I was first learning to cook and the thing that stood out to me was soggy lady finger cookies. The one dessert in the world I loathe is banana pudding with soggy vanilla wafer cookies, actually I loathe it because of the soggy cookies... in my mind both desserts were linked by soggy cookies so for the last couple of decades I have been missing out, but no more! I tried tiramisu at an event earlier this year and it was love at first taste! I am afraid I ate my half and a good portion of David's half of the dessert as well, afraid but not sorry.


We finished of with a shot of a very tasty lemon liquor to cleanse the palate.  It was a very satisfying dining experience.  Even better, it was free!

Happy Father's Day David

Today David decided to teach Grayson a new rhyme. Sometimes Grayson a little to smart for his own good. The following exchange had Dakota and I in stitches!

Dad:Grayson I want you to repeat after me One two

Grayson: Three!

Dad: No, no, no, say what I say. One two buckle my shoe.

Grayson: Shoe!

Dad: No, no, say the whole thing.

Grayson: Whole thing!

Dad: One, two

Grayson: Three!

Dad: How about this, Seven Eight

Grayson: Nine!

Dad: Look Grayson like this, listen to Alonzo. Alonzo repeat after me: One, Two

Alonzo: Buckle my shoe!

Dad: You bone head you are supposed to say what I say! One two buckle my shoe!

Alonzo: One two buckle my shoe!

Dad: (Now beaming with success) Three, Four

Alonzo: Shut the door!

This went on for several more minutes in the same vein, but I was laughing to hard to get it all down. David is much more patient than me, I would have given up long before he did.



Happy Father’s Day Daddy We love you!

Happy Birthday Alonzo!

Friday was Alonzo's 8th birthday! WOW! He is getting really big! This year we didn't have the traditional overblown party but I don't think he missed it much. We started the day with breakfast at the American Club. The club makes amazingly good french toast and that is just what he ate, four huge slices.

After breakfast we went to a water park with a group from the embassy. It was just lucky happenstance that this was scheduled on his birthday, but when fate smiles I say go with it! We spent a pleasant afternoon floating on a lazy river, playing in the wave pool and racing down thrilling slides. If you are in Jakarta and looking for something to do with the kids on a hot afternoon Waterbom is the bomb! He even got a round of Happy Birthday and Pangjang Umurnya (Indonesian birthday song) from all the kids on the bus on the way home!

That evening David took the boys out for bowling and pizza with a few friends from the neighborhood while I hung out with Grayson who isn't quite old enough for bowling. David was pleased to discover he still has what it takes and bowled a 200, even though it has been years since he has had a chance to go bowling. Alonzo bowled a respectable 99, not bad for a beginner! Alonzo was very pleased with his score especially since Cody only bowled a 104 and he is sixteen.

We ended the day with carrot cake (from the American Club). We had the cake decorated with the Indonesian flag for our current post, and the German flag for our upcoming posting. We followed up with a movie and popcorn in the living room. He was one tired but happy kiddo!

They Made It!

So many details to deal with for this move! One more milestone has been reached, our kitties have made it to Kentucky and are settling in to Teri's house for the summer. Since we will be traveling to a bit while we are home the kitties have been sent to Teri's summer camp for kitties. We will pick them up when we are in Kentucky for the big family get together, then take them with us to Germany.

Bing seems to be making himself at home.

Wordless Wednesday-Motorcycle Mayhem