Bandung, Indonesia . . . An Unforgettable Mountain Retreat

Tags

Bandung, Coffee, Indonesia, Jakarta, Kampung Daun, The Lammars

 

Me.

Bandung, Indonesia, is the main city of West Java Province. It’s about 150 km from Jakarta. Tia, my Indonesian friend, suggested we go to Bandung for a few days . . . A perfect suggestion, as this mountain retreat is undeniably a wonderful place to chill out from the chaos of Jakarta. Bandung is part of Lembang county (within the Bandung Regency). The city is surrounded by mountains, with Tangkuban Perahu mountain being the main tourist attraction. In fact, the cost is extremely high for foreign tourists to visit – $25 per person versus $2.50 for an Indonesian. Yikes! Bandung is mostly a “get-a-way” for Indonesians escaping Jakarta for the weekend, and consequently, this mountain was especially crowded. The line of cars and buses stretched for almost a mile . . . In any event, Tia and I decided not to visit this mountain park – other then the outskirts beyond the pay booth – due mostly to the park being so crowded and the entrance fee. 

A New Friend In Dalat, Vietnam

Tags

Coffee, Dalat, Vietnam

I usually do much longer posts, but today is an exception. I visited a coffee shop called Windmills Flower & Coffee. it is managed by a charming and very gracious man, named Dennis. He also makes an outstanding coffee latte! 

Ferry Reflections

Tags

AA, Auckland, bird, Coffee, ferry, House of Lords, Hyundai, Maori, New Zealand, Parliament, Picton, RTW, Sparrows, The Hobbit, tour guide, Wellington

Parliament, where I debated the tour guide

The trip from Wellington to Picton is approximately 3 hours in length, so this gives me an opportunity to reflect on my trip thus far and note things I haven’t mentioned in my previous posts . . .

Wiped Out By The LA To Fiji Island Flight

Tags

cattle car, Coffee, currency, Fiji, food, tablet battery

Hello everyone! I arrived safely, but quite tired. However, they do feed ya and water ya on these “cattle car” flights (albeit, not the greatest food in the world). Anywho, my tablet is dead to the world (battery is low) and am getting charged a gazillion somallions (or whatever the Fiji currency is) in Fiji land.  Coffee is about $10 a cup . . . yes, I said cup.  No idea if that is standard outside this airport. I can only guess that they don’t grow coffee here, so like a lot of things, it gets quite expensive to ship stuff here.

I will have more, with pictures, after I get my tablet’s battery charged, so stay tuned . . . Same bat channel, same bat time (maybe).

My Remedy For Wishing I Was Back In The “World”

Tags

Air Force, Alle, Cammeth, Carnival, chocolate, Coffee, Cotacachi, Ecuador, family, Francesca, friends, hotel, La Mariscal, military, Otavalo, Quito, World

Alle and I

In the Air Force, I was a member of a “Crash/Fire” medical rescue team and stationed overseas. Frequently, we would get home sick and talk longingly of the “World,” as in “I can’t wait until I get back to the World.”  Of course, we weren’t talking about Mars or another planet in the solar system, but about the United States of America. Or more specifically, about where we lived.  Home sweet home. Anyone who was in the military probably knows what I am talking about. Moreover, for many of us in the military, including myself, this was the first time away from home, as well as traveling outside the United States. 

Boquete, Panama

Tags

Boquete, Coffee, Panama, travel

Very short video of me pointing out a small coffee “plantation” on a hill side overlooking Boquete, Panama. Jack Santos took the video.