Motor Car Falls

This is the pristine Motor Car Falls found at the end of the Yurmikmik Walk in the Mary River region of Kakadu National Park. It took Matt and I several hours to reach the falls. Along the way, we encountered the most challenging heat of our lives and would have given anything to swim in these pools. On this trek there was likely no one within at least 50 kilometers, which made it feel as if God cut out this piece of earth just for us as our Christmas present.

This trek had a different feel than any I had gone on previously in my life. I was on edge/nervous the majority of the hike because I had never been anywhere with the amount of lethal wildlife that exists in this park: poisonous spiders, poisonous snakes, poisonous reptiles, dingos, crocodiles, and an infinite amount of insects that torment you relentlessly during your hikes. I was throughout the hike mindful of my surroundings especially when we were anywhere near water... I had no desire to be croc food!

Kakadu National Park (December 23 - 25)

Giant termite mound. These are found throughout Kakadu National Park, the largest that we came across was likely 5 meters (16 feet) tall. Usually you find groups of them loosely bunched together in a field.

Boulder Creek Falls found off the Yurmikmik Walk in the Mary River region of the park. Beware giant spiders, poisonous lizards, crocodiles.... Just pay attention.

Yurmikmik Lookout. At this point, Matt and I were covered in sweat. The temperature was in the mid 90s Fahrenheit (35 Celsius), the humidity palpable, and no wind to speak of. Likely the most difficult heat I've ever experienced.

 Motor Car Falls found off of the Yurmikmik Walk in the Mary River region of the park. It took Matt and I several hours to reach this point, we were a little nervous getting too close to any open body of water given it was the wet season and crocodiles are at their most active during this time of year. Check out the video...

Aboriginal Rock Art at Nourlangie. The oldest rock art in Kakadu is 20,000 to 50,000 years old.

Aboriginal Rock Art at Nourlangie 

Nourlangie Rock. The contrasting colors are breathtaking. White, orange, red, black, and shades of each color in-between.

Ancient Aboriginal Rock Art at Ubirr in the East Alligator region. These handprints are estimated to be 20,000 years old. 

Aboriginal Rock Art at Ubirr in the East Alligator region.

Aboriginal Rock Art at Ubirr in the East Alligator region. 

Ubirr Lookout. Enter Simba and "The Circle of Life". 

Ubirr Lookout. The contrast in landscape from one side of Ubirr to the other is incredible. As shown above, you see an open floodplain that doesn't seem to end for miles. On the other side there is an endless array of mountainous rock and trees.

 Matt and I at Ubirr Lookout

My most successful attempt at a panoramic view of Ubirr Lookout.

Crocosaurus Cove (Darwin, Northern Territory)

Saltwater Crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove that came out of the water during feeding time. This is the second largest crocodile in the world in captivity. Male crocodiles will grow their entire lives, this gentleman is in his 80's and is 6 meters long (20 feet). He is missing a limb on his front left side from a fight when he was younger.

Saltwater Crocodile Underwater View

Baby saltwater crocodiles immediately after I fed them using a fishing pole. They are able to propel their entire bodies out of the water to catch their prey. In this instance, leftover beef scraps. These guys are only 1.5 meters and a few years old.

I'm holding a 13 month old saltwater crocodile that will someday be a killing machine. Saltwater crocodiles are capable of living to 150 given the proper living conditions. They are able to live for a long time because they are able to slow their heart rate to 3 bpm and only have the blood flow to essential areas such as the brain.

Padang

A padang restaurant serves traditional Indonesian food. The server will bring a portion of each of the padang's dishes to the table for you to choose what you would like to eat. Typical dishes include rendang (spicy beef), ayam curry (chicken curry), nasi (rice), homemade sambal (Indonesian chili sauce), ayam goreng (fried chicken), sapi (beef) tendon, seasoned green beans, seasoned kale, ikan (fish) in red curry usually with the brain, and many other dishes. You only pay for what you eat, which means that the leftovers are recycled. Those of you who don't like to share may wish to stay away. Everyone else, prepare for a fantastic meal of spicy exotic flavors!

Note: I incorrectly categorize this as a warung in the video. A warung is a street-side restaurant. There are many padang warungs in Jakarta, however this is not one of them.

My friends Matt (Left) & Aaron (Right) before we dug into the food.

A Jakartan Halloween

My roommate and I at our Halloween bash!

No Skirt Grabbing Allowed!

This is found on the TransJakarta, which is Jakarta's public busing transportation system. The front of the bus is women only and there is a strict no grabbing of women's skirts policy.

1st Hospital Visit (Ever)

The last week and a half of my life was one to remember. Heart racing, head spinning, nausea, diarrhea, and extreme flashes of hot and cold were a few of the symptoms brought on by my unknown illness. After lasting for several days without improvement, I was becoming quite nervous and decided I had enough of waiting to see a doctor.

The first doctor that I visited barely spoke English and was walking distance from where I live. I did my best to describe my condition using my limited bahasa skills and his limited English skills, but after a half hour of discussion I just became increasingly frustrated. On top of my already long list of worrisome symptoms I was able to add anger and frustration. Not feeling comfortable taking a bunch of drugs prescribed to me from a doctor who couldn't understand me, I decided to leave. After that experience, I can say nothing is more frustrating than being in a foreign country worried about your life and you can't get the necessary medical help because you are not understood.

 
My next doctor visit was two days later, except this time I decided to go into work and avoid the possibility of going to see a doctor and not effectively be able to communicate. This experience, my first hospital visit, happened to be much more beneficial. The doctor, who spoke decent English, listened to my symptoms and examined me. He concluded that I had food poisoning; I would receive an iv, an injection for the disorientation, and I could have my blood checked "if you want". Living in a foreign country, this being the most I've ever feared for my health, and never experiencing any of these symptoms in my life before, I decided that it would be in my best interest to have my blood checked...

Doctor: "It's a good thing we checked your blood."

Me: ........

Doctor: "You have tested positive for typhoid."

Me: (to myself) "Are you kidding me! He wasn't even going to check my blood if I didn't say anything!"

After my moment of disbelief and anger (HULK SMASH!!!!) he continued to prescribe an antibiotic and a food supplement for the lost nutrients. I sat quietly and was taken home by a school administrator.

I wish I could say that was the end of it, but after 5 days of the antibiotic I was improving frustratingly slow and my disorientation persisted, so I decided to return to the doctor. Again I described my symptoms, he had me perform a few tests while I stood, and he quickly determined I had vertigo, which I have since learned can be a side effect of serious food poisoning. I did feel relived because what had worried me most was not knowing what was causing my heart to race, lightheadedness, and disorientation that had ruled my life for the past week. 

I'm happy to say that after 10 days of rest, friends chaperoning me around (Thank you guys so much!), a strict diet, and multiple medications I'm finally beginning to feel like myself again. I guess the moral of the story is ALWAYS make sure that an Indonesian doctor checks your blood because they are quick to medicate and not very thorough.

Oh, and the kicker is that I had a Typhoid vaccine before I left.

A Little Gili Island Travel Guiding

How do you describe the most relaxing, naturally beautiful place you've ever been? Well, you can't, but I tried my best...

Jam-packed in Bali

Meet all of the wonderful people that "crammed" into our Bali hotel.

Serenity at Dreamland Beach (Bali)

Top 10 Pictures: Bali, Gili Islands, Lombok

Dreamland Beach (Bali)

 Dreamland Beach (Bali)

 Uluwatu Temple (Southern Bali)

 Uluwatu Temple (Southern Bali)

Sacred Monkey Forest (Ubud - Bali)

Sacred Monkey Forest (Ubud - Bali)

Stepping off the Boat (Gili Trawangan)

Sunset (Gili Trawangan)

Tree on the Beach (Near Kuta - Lombok)

Hilltop in Surfing Country (Near Kuta - Lombok)

Durian

Known as the "king of fruits" in Southeastern Asia, the durian is best known for it's potent smell and taste. Whenever you walk through the grocery store, pass the bakery, and immediately reach for your nose as you enter the produce section. Have no fear, that isn't a questionable odor coming from the meat department. Absolutely not! That glorious smell is durian!

The exterior of a durian is made of needle like barbs that make it difficult to touch, let alone hold. With each weighing approximately 5 lbs, you think of it more as a cannonball than a food source. Even unopened the smell of a durian is quite unpleasant. Once opened, the REAL odor is emitted. Leaving you wondering, who and how desperate was the first person to eat this? It smells atrocious, looks sinister, and when opened feels like slimy gelatinous gunk.

That being said, the durian is something that makes Indonesia unique. I believe everyone should experience durian for no other reason than to say you've had it before. You may be surprised too, miraculously there is a large population that LOVE this fruit. In fact, some find it irresistible, so check out my video and see how I felt...

You can find more information here...

Fish Market

Sorry guys for the big break in-between posts, I've been having the time of my life travelling around Indonesia, which you will hear a lot about shortly... I took this video a few weeks ago and hadn't posted it yet. This is a fish market right next to my building in the local kampung. As you should be able to tell, not the most sanitary of conditions, but it was quite the experience. I'm sure plenty of the local meals that I eat get their fish from this market. Bon appetit!

Indonesian Trio + Nate

As all of you know how great of a signer I am I thought I would put my first karaoke experience up for your enjoyment. It's an Adele song, which is of course is in my singing range. Enjoy...

You have Kavi to thank (or not) for this footage...

Liverpool v. Indonesian National Team

These are my friends at school that I work with being interviewed before the Indonesian National Team v. Liverpool summer friendly game. There will be more information on bule (respectful term for a white person) later, but you are picked out here by the locals and asked to take pictures with people and even autograph locals' soccer jerseys (No Joke!). In this case, they were pulled out of a crowd and asked if they speak bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language). They said no and were pulled aside for an interview. Liverpool won 2-0.

Hanging at Seaside!

 

This picture is taken at the Seaside bar & grill. We had our friends Isong and Ipang take our picture. One of these days we need to take a picture with our seaside bar tenders buddies.

Arcade Time!

Ran across this arcade across from Emporium Pluit Mall. Jeremy, Kasandra, Aaron (shown below), and I decided to get some tokens and let out the inner child. This place was huge and we had a great time getting frustrated playing beaten-up arcade games. Aaron played some Street Fighter, while I stuck to the massage chair and smashing stuff.

Kwetiau

Kwetiau is my favorite dish at the little outdoor food stand across from my school. The dish itself has pieces of chicken, the best chicken broth ever, kale, and amazing noodles. Simple, but I love it! Almost everyday I walk across the street to order this dish for Rp 15,000 (approximately $1.50) and sit outside to enjoy it in the sweltering heat.

Wednesday is Batik Day

Left to Right: Me, Ben, and Aaron. English department rocking the Batiks.

Hulk Smash

So after my way too hot chilli sauce experience, one of the girls happened to lock her keys in her room. Can you guess who she asked to rip apart the door handle?

First way too hot food experience...

At dinner with about twenty of my coworkers and had been eating chilli sauce for the past few weeks so I decided to put all of my chilli sauce in my rice without trying it first. I found out quickly that this batch of chilli sauce was a little more potent than others I've had thus far.

By the way, that is Linda in the background thinking that she is hilarious....

The Bubble Tea Craze!

Bubble tea, also known as milk tea, is from Taiwan and created in the 1980's. The tea is brewed with either fruit or milk and is unique because of the little tapioca balls that sit at the bottle of the drink. You are given an extra large straw to suck these down. It tastes great, I cannot believe isn't bigger in the states yet.

More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea

Labelled Worst Traffic in the World for a Reason

Patience: an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. Patience is much more than a virtue in Jakarta, it is a requirement. The traffic being the biggest challenge that you encounter. In a week I've been in a ceaseless traffic jam. Highways, main drives, side streets, parking lots... Everywhere is backed up in Jakarta. You may move in a minute or ten and it may be as minuscule as five feet. Whether you wish it or not, you will be stuck in traffic. A route that takes you twenty minutes one afternoon may take  two hours the next.

Imagine entering a cab, your first thought dwelling on  how long will this ride last? You just hope that your next cab ride doesn't become one of the many traffic horror stories that are rampant in this city. The roads themselves weave back and forth so that you may have been helplessly waiting in your taxi for an hour, but infuriatingly still manage to see your apartment complex within walking distance. You often wonder, how is this possible!?!? Until you come to the realization that this is just another part of the culture in Jakarta. Something you must accept and learn that bringing a book, tablet, or laptop with you wherever you go is the best policy. If anything, this experience has taught me to NEVER complain about traffic in the United States ever again. In fact, I wrote this entire post while sitting in traffic... Tidak!!! (No!!!)

Who needs a taxi?

I think the video speaks for itself. This contraption is called a bajaj. You can find more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshaw#Indonesia.

Rambutan (First Strange Fruit Experience)

Rambutan or rapiyah in basasa indonesia is indigenous to Malaysia and Indonesia. The particular type of rambutan in this video is not the traditional "hairy" and red colored one that may show up in a google search. Enjoy!

You can find out more about this fruit here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan

Halo Jakarta!

Good to see everyone! I will be updating this blog at least once a week and will be having plenty of videos, opinion posts, and pictures to keep you all connected to me! Enjoy!

Initial Reactions

After travelling thousands of miles, countless hours, experiencing Doha, Qatar, and chocking on my in-flight dinner. I find myself on the other side of the globe in Jakarta, Indonesia. I thought that I knew what I was getting myself into... I've traveled in Europe, seen poverty in Mexico, and told myself relentlessly that no matter how much I read or "knew" what Jakarta would be that I would need to adjust dramatically. That being said, I have never been anywhere in my life that remotely functions as this city does.

Although I have only been in Jakarta for a handful of perpetually sweating days I have come to identify several uniquely Jakartan characteristics of the city from my early observations. From the moment you leave the airport there are people everywhere and in large numbers... The streets are packed with motorcycles and bajajs (motorized minicab), each  seemingly fitting three to four if not more people on them. When walking in a mall, which every mall seems to be a "supermall", there are employees everywhere usually in groups of four or five, socializing as there are not nearly enough customers to warrant the amount of employees. Even as I'm shuttled to school, vans (smaller than a standard van) are designed to fit as many as possible into them, which from my early experiences is about 11-12 people. Space is at a premium and thus far it has been in short supply.

After you get past the initial shock of getting off an airplane and realizing that you've reached your destination, you come to a new discovery. The SMELL!!! To say that Jakarta is a city of smells would be a serious understatement. How would I describe it... Like a slap in the face of sewage, pollution, and concrete as there are innumerable construction sites. And if you are lucky enough to catch a strong breeze while strolling down the street, you may feel a small sense of relief from the heat and humidity, which while enjoyable is completely negated by the slap-in-the-face "stench" emitted from one of the many aqueducts that align the streets. As the "stench" fades, you realize that not all of the smells in this mammoth city are bad. Closing your eyes and following your nose will take you to one of the seemingly endless restaurants, huts, and carts that provide all of the southeastern Asian dishes your heart desires: satay, nasi goreng (fried rice), ikan goreng (fried fish), jus alpukat (avocado juice), and many other meals that I cannot identify yet let alone name.

Once you acknowledge the sheer amount of people and the overwhelming smells, you begin to hear a language as foreign as the country itself. The swiftness and subtlety of the speech makes it difficult to comprehend the first few days, but through interactions with locals you begin to pick out the common words and phrases. With just a few days spent at my oceanside bar I have made fast friends who are all too happy to humor a bule (respectful term for a white person) and teach me the local bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language). This discovery has led to my initial admiration of Indonesians, who are quick to smile, take pleasure in regular laughter (at both you and themselves), and use their varying amounts of English to tell a lighthearted joke. From the outset it seems that their carefree mentally leads to a happiness that is truly rare in the United States. For this reason alone I could not be more excited to be here!