1. A visit from our friend, Jon K!
Proving that coming to see us is worth all those reward miles, we had the best time with Jon K who traveled from NYC to spend Christmas with us. Thanks, buddy, for traveling with our baby like a champ. Come, again!
2. Roti-O
This was an unlikely but life-changing moment. Standing in the Yogyakarta airport waiting to find out if the Avis car rental was a legitimate operation or just a coincidental choice in name for a guy who had a car to let, we got hungry. There was an incredible odor wafting all around; something smelled like it was bathing in melted butter. Jon K went off to investigate and returned with a Roti-O, an incredible feat of food science that is neither a roti nor whatever an "o" is. Eating it was akin to biting into a buttery pillow topped with some sort of sugary, mapley glaze. We promptly bought several more.
3. Suharti's Ayam Goreng
Sweet, sweet Ibu Suharti. What a gem of a person she was. Chicken coated in coconut and deep fried. Genius.
4. Miles and his "Ibu Ibu"
Miles continued his streak, endearing himself as a national treasure into the hearts of Indonesians everywhere. We often felt more like pimps than parents because everyone - and I do mean everyone - wanted to be photographed with him. In his true lady-killer fashion, he really hit a note with all the Javanese Ibus.
5. Miles with this guy
At the guide desk at the Borobudor Temple, we met this gentleman. He scooped up Miles and began entertaining him with a flashlight, then asked if he could take this selfie. Please note his choice in dress: a collared shirt paired with a faux-tattoo sleeved shirt. A new approach to day-to-evening wear.
Miles was not the only one with celebrity appeal. We got a lot of attention too. As messed up as this sounds, it's only fair to say that we were equally as popular as the world's largest Buddhist temple when it came to tourists and their cameras. Squealing school girls, young lovers, grandmas, families, a surprising number of pharmacology students - people asked for photos of them holding our baby, photos of us as a family, photos of us with their family. Once you said "yes" to someone, a line would form of others.
It was really only a matter of time before the jumping photos started...
These Pharmacology students were visiting from Bali; they all wore matching blue blazers
7. Free babysitting
At the same restaurant where we ate this fish:
The most adorable Indonesian grandma appeared at our table and ushered Miles off while we ate. And that is where I found him, happily being fanned like some sort of maharaja.
8. Bu Gandos
We spent the last four days of our trip in the beach town of Pacitan, on the southern coast of Java. Pacitan does not get many foreigners (though it does get bus loads of Indonesian tourists ALL of whom wanted a photo with Miles). In order to determine where we should eat, we got in the habit of just driving around until we found the restaurant with the most traffic flowing into it. This is how we ended up at Bu Gandos. No menu necessary. The house specialty is kabob-style tuna steak marniated with chili sauce that's been slathered on with a paint brush.
9. Chirstmas Lunch
We spent most of Christmas day on a five-hour drive through the hills outside of Yogyakarta before descending through rice patties to the seaside village of Pacitan. About an hour from our destination, we were desperate for a pit stop. We chanced upon a mostly-empty restaurant and found the sweetest proprietor and the perfect bowl of mie ayam (chicken and noodles) ... and woven mats for Miles to stretch his legs after too many hours in the carseat.
While in search of a laundromat, Miles and I were invited into the Witana family home for tea. We had so much fun with them, we went back the next day (also we had to pick up our laundry, which they graciously offered to do).
11. President Obama eating fried chicken?
President Obama is popular here. Indonesians are proud that he spent time in Jakarta as a child and that he is now the leader of the free world. That said, we were not expecting to find him eating fried chicken on the back of this menu. By the way, it says, "10 reasons why eating chicken is good."
12. Being rescued by boyscouts and girlscouts
Dead car battery. Deserted beach. Storm rolling in. Have no fear, the Indoensian scouts are here! Coventiently a couple dozen boyscouts and girlscouts just happened to be running drills at this midddle-of-nowhere beach when John and Jon ran into car trouble. Swear to God. After push starting the car, everyone posed for this victorious photo.
Happy New Year everyone. Wishing you a prosperous 2015!
