Hell Hath no Fury....

Indonesia is continuing her self destructive behavior in rare form and making headlines across the world.  Like a woman scorned she has erupted in a wide range of  violence confirming clear disapproval of her current treatment.

On October 25th a 7.7 earthquake hit off the western coast of Sumatra which in turn triggered a Tsunami that practically swallowed the remote Mentawi islands whole.  One village reported that of the 200 residents 163 were missing and presumed dead yet another village reported of their 50 children 30 has been found dead so far.  Due to the remote location and countries extremely poor infrastructure most news reports had initially stated that the tsunami warning has been called off and there were no injuries...it took days for information to reach mainland that there was almost total devastation in these areas, 433 dead and another 300 still missing.  I would also be willing to bet that these numbers are smaller than the actual numbers due to the fact that most Indonesians, especially those living in remote areas,  are not listed with the government and would likely not be counted.  Sadly, due to theft and damage, the Tsunami warning system put into place after the 2004 tsunami which killed over 200,000 failed to work properly and villagers were never warned of the impending wall of water. 

One day later, Indonesia released a fury of hot ash and lava upon the city of Yogyajakarta with the eruption of Mt. Merapi which is considered Indonesia's most volatile volcano.  So far, Merapi is still erupting and has belched ash and fire 3 times since Oct. 26th.  36 villagers have lost there lives in the eruption including an elderly man who was called "the mountains keeper"

Travis & I recenty had visited Mt. Merapi with his parents after going to the Bourabodour Temple.  We were hiking around the hillside and even got a sneak peak inside the mountains volcano eruption shelter.  It is sad to think that people are now using that for safety.

 Last night we were informed that Anak Krakatau (The child of Krakatau)  has started to erupt.  Anak Krakatau is a deserted island between Java and Sumatra in the Sunda Strait.  Although it is isolated and remote it is the sight of the largest volcanic eruption in history (1883)  Last Feb. I was lucky enough to make the trip across the Sunda Strait and up the volcano along with a few of Travis' friends who were visiting.  We were treated to snorkeling on a beautiful coral after our picnic beach lunch and a few encounters with some dragon lizards.

Just as I write now, there has also been a report of a 6.1 earthquake in Papua

The reason I suggest that Indonesia, as a woman scorned, has erupted in violent protest of her current treatment is because, firstly, the beauty of this place is beyond measure and the word paradise hardly does it justice.  I have seen sunsets so breathtaking you would think heaven was descending itself therefore if Indonesia has a gender, Indonesia is most defiantly feminine, secondly she has quite a destructive pattern these days.  Then you may ask, what so angered the beautiful Indonesia?  Well I believe it has something to do with the fact that Indonesia has the largest number of endangered species in the world and the list is rapidly growing.  It may have something to do with the severe lack of respect for nature most evident by the lack of funding for or maintaining of any kind of proper waste disposal system  leaving human and animal feces in the drinking supply, garbage piling up on roadsides, and the easy spread of disease.  Even worse it could have something to do with the vast corruption from top to bottom and genuine devaluing for human life.  (Human trafficking is at its peak here in South East Asia and in Jakarta in particular.)

After all the misuse, disrespect and betrayal I see plenty of reasons for Indonesia to be angry.  I see people  millions of people in Asia and across the world look the other way with their rose colored glasses on as the corruptness prostitutes the beauty right out of this true life paradise.      

So although I am grateful that Indonesia's recent disasters have brought her so much attention, I wish her truest devastation- the true disasters of Indonesia also gained as much publicity and garnered so much foreign aid.  The natural resources here are being pimped out and polluted so quickly that I believe my children will not get to see the Indonesia I once experienced (A place of pure calm & beauty so fresh and alive.)  My heart aches for this beautiful country and for all those who do not give her due respect.   Indonesia is screaming....what will it take for her people to listen?

I have included some pictures of Mt. Merapi erupting, The Menatwi Islands after the Tsunami and some of  the various topics below.

Mentawi Islands after Tsunami

Baby found in drainage ditch after tsunami

Mt. Merapi Erupting

Pollution in Indonesia

Hiking with Mt. Merapi in distance

Pollution in Indonesia

Volcanic Eruption Shelter at Mt. Merapi

Top of Mt. Krakatau overlooking Anak Krakatau

View from Krakatau

Animal Fur Trade Endangered Species

Some of the topics in particular that deserve attention:  Human Trafficking, Deforestation of Jungles, Black Market Animal Trade, Pollution, Clean Drinking Water, Abuse of Children & Women, Endangered Species killing for profit. These are not topics that have been "swept under the rug" as in the States, these are visible.

Back to the Midwest

The Farm

Travis climbing Devils Doorway

Day at the Farm with Cienna

Aja & Montana's Wedding

View from our balcony at our new apartment

Wollersheim winery

 Our Trip Back to the Midwest was filled with many blessings one of which included two of our great friends Dr. Jesse and his wife Jessi,  who moved to Jakarta in August to start work with us and cover the clinic during our time away.   After investing so much into our latest adventure "the new clinic" we were relieved to leave our hard work in such capable hands.


The land of Curds and way:


As I hopped off my plane in Chicago I could already smell the beer soaked brats of WI that were sure to be awaiting my return.  With a belly full of tube shaped meat and without a moment to lose I put all those calories to good use by starting my first week back to WI with a Lia Sophia party, two bachelorette parties and a wedding...phew.

My return to the Midwest came about a week and a half before Travis in order to attend the above mentioned festivities.  I am truly grateful to have made it back in time to join Aja and her girls "up north" in Minocqua for her bachelorette party where I had a super fun time making a total fool of myself tubing for the first time ever!  Immediately following my over indulgence of alcohol and tubing I drove 4 hours down to Deerfield to be a bridesmaid in my dear friend Theresa's wedding.  I found it was totally worth all the traveling required to make the occasion as I watched one of my dearest friends in the world say I do.

After Travis' arrival things calmed down a bit and  we had some much needed time to enjoy spending with our families and close friends.  Although most of our adventures in WI included the consumption of large quantities of cheese, alcohol, and of course various forms of sausage, we managed to squeeze in a day of hiking at Devils Lake state park & a wine tasting trip with the grandparents at Wollersheim Winery in Prairie Du Sac.  As we soaked up our time with family and friends the main reason for our return rapidly approached.

Aja and Montana's wedding was by far the most perfect wedding I've been to.  She was absolutely stunning in her off the shoulder gown and  Montana's dance moves were nothing short of epic.   The entire event was all good times and smiles shared with those we love most.  ...and it included the birth of one very special little guy who came about 2 weeks ahead of time.

Two days after the wedding Travis made his way back to Indonesia.  I stayed behind mainly to spend time with my new nephew Chase, my god daughter Cienna and Heidi and Elliot.   As always they opened their home up to me.  I loved waking up and spending time with the kids. We maximized our time together as we went on walks, made animal pancakes, played at the park and visited the farm  yet nothing melted my heart quite like when Cienna stopping me while we ate lunch and said..."Aunt Sara I love you"...  boy it's a good thing I already had my ticket for Jakarta bought or that may have changed my mind :)


Alas my day to return came all too quickly.  I enjoyed a long stay in the Middle East again on the way home and picked up a nice Hookah long the way.  I was welcomed back to Jakarta with 90 degree weather, a beautiful bouquets of flowers and the amazingl sky view of our new apartment....ahhhhhh It feels good to be back.

Welcome to the Jungle

You know you are in for a good time when your guide says "Welcome To The Jungle" and means it literally!

This was truly a dream trip for me. All of my life I have been fascinated with volcanoes. I have already climbed Mt. Tangkuban Perahu in Bandung and visited Merapi Volcano in Yogyakarta but climbing Mt. Krakatau tops my list of the coolest things I will ever do. The entire trip was private we were literally the only people on these deserted islands other than a few local fishermen.

Me and 3 of Travis' buddies from WI took the trip(unfortunately Travis had to work) We started by taking a scenic 3 hour drive from the vivacious city life of Jakarta to the listless villages near Carita. I find the drastic variance from posh to poverty within a step or two indescribable. Although common all over Indonesia it is something only the senses can experience. The striking colors and odors of the village along with a wide smile from a local give a feeling of warm tranquility, despite the prevalent destitution.

Reaching the coastline,
our destination hardly within view, the vastness of the Indian ocean compared to the size of our boat seemed quite the joke. After 2 hours of waves larger than our boat on the choppiest ride you can imagine up the Sunda Straight we landed on the beach of the deserted island of Krakatau. Mt. Krakatau (or Krakatoa as we say in America) is the site of the largest volcanic eruption in the recorded history of man kind in 1883. It is an active volcano and erupts regularly with the last eruption about 6 months ago. With no time to waste we started through the jungle and up the volcano. The mountain was covered with black sand making the climbing a bit slow and littered with hundreds of boulders that are spewed from the belly. The air thinning and full of sulfur we reached the highest ridge we could safely navigate. The cool winds from the top were a welcome relief to the 90 some degrees below.

Destination paradise,
After our descent we boarded the boat and circled the island, it's massive piles of pumice and lava rock stacked on the shores, making our way to the smaller island of Anak Krakatau ("child of Krakatau")we found paradise.... and our snorkeling spot. I was awestruck by the bright colors that existed in the other world just feet below our boat. After snorkeling we explored the beach a bit while our guide prepared our lunch and found ourselves just feet from a Komodo dragon walking by. Eventually we saw 3 more on the beach and swimming around and we were all thankful we had not noticed them while snorkeling :) I was very happy to be soaking up the sun spending my time collecting pumice and shells from this exotic paradise.

about an hour into our boat ride back to Cartia
we were passed by a massive oil tanker which put in perspective just how small and inadequate our little speed boat really was for the type of water we were in. The drive back to the city was elegantly dotted with terraced farms along the rural outskirts of the coast.

This was such a memorable trip for me I only wish Travis had been there to take it all in with me. What a crazy wild beautiful world we live in!!!

Bring on the New Year!

Well it has been the rainy season since our return to Indonesia, but thankfully there have still been plenty of bright sunny days for laying by the pool. We have been working a lot recently and saving our travels for Feb & March when we will be hosting Travis' parents and friends. In December got to witness a huge Anti Corruption demonstration. Somewhere around 200,000 people swarming the capitol city. We had originally decided to close the clinic that day due to the strong warnings of possible terrorism from the US embassy, however we ended up watching it right from the roadside. It was quite an experience.

Sadly bad news came just before the holidays when I received word that my mom had an accident and had fractured her neck/back. It was hard enough to not be home for the holidays but knowing I couldn't be home for her made it that much harder. Despite missing family Travis and I had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated by watching It's a Wonderful Life and were very excited to open the boxes of gifts we had received....and ate Reeses peanutbutter cups until our tummys hurt:) It was so nice to get Christmas cards and packages in the mail from back home, thank you to everyone who took the time out to send them to us!! We decided to stay in for New Years. We cracked open a bottle of wine and watched fireworks from the pool at our apartment...they seemed to go for miles and in all directions. It was really beautiful to see amongst the city scape.

Well that pretty much sums up the rest of 2009. We are looking forward to all the excitement and new adventures 2010 bring us!