Cimaja

Cimaja, Indonesia

Well, I wrote an extensive version of our travels from Siargao to Cimaja. Jesse told me that every detail was maybe a little too much to hold someone's attention. :O) So perhaps I will do a more simplistic recap of the most demanding 72 hours of my life.
Our going away dinner was so much fun. We have found a wonderful addition to our family in Siargao. They treated us with such hospitality and generosity. I am thoroughly anticipation our return.
The flight from Siargao to Cebu then Cebu to Manila was uneventful for the most part. Once we arrived in Manila, we had to get two hours away to Clark airport for our flight the next morning. The taxi driver who took us to the bus station, drove through a one way pedestrian outdoor market in order to avoid the traffic of the roadways. I can only imagine what would have happened if we had encountered another cheeky taxi driving opposite us! Once at the bus station we found that there were no buses leaving until 3:30 so around 10:30pm we found a by-the-hour motel and slept for five hours. Next thing I knew it was 3:00 am and I was eating precooked rice at McDonalds in downtown Manila. Our bus didn't leave until 4:00 but at least we were on it. A motorbike and a taxi later we were at the Clark airport and waiting for our next flight to KUL, Malaysia.
We arrived in KUL, and caught our delayed plane to Jakarta at 11:30pm. We flew through a lightening storm on the way there. I was so excited to touch ground again!
We were miraculously let through immigration considering we did not have an exit ticket, then we slept three hours in the airport before catching our 06:30 bus from Jakarta to Bogor. We caught a bus from Bogor to Cimaja. This 25 seat bus was packed with around 40 people and our surfboards. It took us three hours through congested two lane(made into three) urban roads, then through 2 1/2 hours of mountainous curves. We passed building supplies, freshly cut bunches of bananas, coconuts, bamboo, water buffalo, rice fields, about two hundred motorcycles, and a dozen Mt. villages. Most of the women wear head scarves and the men are constantly smoking, filling the air with a spicy clove scent.
We took a taxi from a neighbor town to Cimaja found a room and were so grateful to have nothing more to think about for a couple of weeks.
It is a crazy feeling to be so weak that your body is too exhausted to eat. This is the first time that I have experienced this. But since we arrived our appetites are slowly growing. We are catching up on sleep, and Jesse has still managed to surf the double overhead waves breaking about two hundred meters from our room. :O)
I am looking forward to the rich cultural history of the Indonesian Islands. There are officially 17,508 different islands that make up the country. At low tide there are estimated to be around 18,000. :O) Although the country has served as a main crossroad for merchants exchanging goods, it has maintained it's own unique culture.
Java is the leading island of Indonesia both politically and economically. There are more than 120 million people cramped into this Island which is half the size of Great Britain. It has the most abundant natural resources of the country. There are three main ethnic groups in Java though the divisions are blurred. As a whole, the Javanese are Muslim. This is ever present as we hear prayer calls throughout the day from a nearby loudspeaker. There are still pockets of Hinduism in East Java. Much of the arts are a cocktail of pre-Hindu, Hindu, and Islamic influence. One of the main ways of preserving the Hindu-Buddhist heritage in Java is through Javanese wayang or puppet theatre. I have yet to see this.
Bogor was an interesting city. It was originally a haven from Jakarta but was connected later connected as an arm to the massive city. The botanical gardens which lay in the city's center are world renown. In the 19th century they were used to help develop several cash crops including tobacco, teas, and coffee. Now they are still used for botanical research and development.
Well.....enough for now! I love and miss you family and friends. I will update with more photos soon! Jessica

Leaving Siargao

Hello family and friends! We are going to be flying to Jakarta Indonesia tomorrow afternoon. We have had a fantastic time here on the Island and have made some awesome friends. We are saying goodbye until November. We have left our extra luggage here and are excited to return. I will write when I find internet in Indo! Love to everyone! Jessica XOXO

Siargao #2 Pics

Siargao #2

Hello family and friends! We hope that everyone is doing really well and having an awesome summer. I was shocked to find that we are now entering the month of August!! It is crazy how time flies by. Jesse and I are really enjoying our time here on Siargao Island. By now we have settled in well.

Jesse and I rented a motorbike that we now use to ride to the surf, to our friends' houses and to the market. Our room at Renaldo's is cozy and convenient. The woman here Ate Alda (Mamma Song) is very kind, and always is making us our meals. She teaches me how to cook traditional dishes and I also use her kitchen to cook on my own. The "family" of people where we are staying consists of Mamma Song, B-Boy, Gin-Gin, Di-Di, Janet, and Hero (from Japan). Jess and I have not been fishing yet but Jesse is working avidly setting up our fly rods to make them fish worthy. We have been surfing every day. The past two days we have had a great swell come through. Jess has been stoked on trying waves other than Cloud "Croud" Nine. Today and yesterday he went to Touson and had fun. The day before, he surfed a spot called Cemeteries (it is directly out and across the reef from the cemetery). I really like surfing Cloud Nine and go out there most of the time. Yesterday morning at 0600 our friend Ballong came by and got us up to go out on the brothers' boat to Rock Island to go surfing. We went out at 0630 and enjoyed the boat ride then found no waves on that particular island. We hung out at their house the rest of the morning and surfed Touson later with them. I took photos.

There have been a few cultural dances and get togethers that we have seen. There was a sail boat race a couple of days ago. We went out on a boat to go snorkeling about five days ago. We snorkeled from the boat to a small island and found aa family having lunch. They had us join them. The Philippino culture is amazing for it's hospitality and kindness, among other things. We have continued to enjoy our time here and are thankful for the great friends that we have made. Love and miss you all at home! Jessica