Em & Tola's Travel Blog

The past week has been filled with unexpected activities, and it will definitely be a week that I will not forget. Yesterday (Thursday the 28th) was our last day in Batu, and it was a day filled with goodbyes. Before beginning our goodbyes, we took one last outing with our new and wonderful friend Mima. We were able to ride Batu public transportation for the first time and we headed to a natural hot spring in the mountains of Batu Malang. It was a perfect way to end our stay in the beautiful mountain town, and we enjoyed ourselves amongst friends of Mima.


Then it was time for our last meal in Batu and the start of many goodbyes. We shared special moments with lovely people we had met during the past week. When we said goodbye to the lovely girls at the orphanage, we again had many laughs and they sang a beautiful song for us before we departed from the Bible school. As the evening ended, it was time to leave, and we loaded our belongings for another trip to another Indonesian city. Driving through the gate of the school allowed for mixed emotions. Tola and I both excited to see another part of Indonesia, but I was also leaving a part of Indonesia that I had been dreaming of visiting. Seeing a few of the places my Dad had lived in Indonesia was something that I will always remember, and I hope that next time I can visit Indonesia with my Dad. I am so thankful that we were able to visit Batu and meet so many lovely people. As we left, I realized that doors had been opened, and I don't have to feel like things are ending .. only moving forward.


We are now in Yogyakarta (the old capital city of Indonesia). While in Batu we made a new friend Benjamin, and he has been kind enough to take us to Yogya. Benny's friend Bobby also came along, so the four of us will be enjoying Yogya together this weekend. It is great to have two people who can show us around because they both know Yogya well.


Yogya seems to be a beautiful city so far, and today we went to Prambanan Temple which is on the outskirts of Yogya. Afterwards we decided to go to the beach, so we could view the sunset. The beach was wonderful and it was special to go to a beach where only Indonesians seem to spend time.

The shameful (just kidding) news of the past few days is that we finally caved today and went to McDonald's .. we really only wanted a burger and we could have gone anywhere .. butMcDonald's was the first place within view. Sometimes it just helps the stomach to have something a little more familiar. ;) Hopefully we can hold off for a while now. :)

These last few days have been quite busy. The nice people here at the institute have showed us what the beautiful city of batu have to offer. We started the week with a hike up the hill right next to the school.

The hike was not very long, but the rain had made the hill muddy, so it became more challenging than expected. The view quickly became spectacular as we climbed through the green hills amongs chili plantations, tall trees and beautiful flowers.

When we reached the top after 1,5 hour the clouds cleared and the city appeared in front of us. A very different view compared to the mountains around Seoul.



After a quick rest after the morning hike, Benny took us to Malang (a bigger city 30 minutes from Batu) that is known for its football team, the crazy lions. They are supposedly the best in the country. In Malang we visited a house where Emily's dad Peter and his family lived in in the 60's. The house is now a church. Before heading back for some much needed sleep we had dinner at Malangs main plaza.

Tuesday we decided to go to the Taman Safari Park. We were told that we would drive amongs Tigers and Elephants, so we packed a lunch and drove 1 hour outside Batu. The safari turned out to be like a zoo that you drove through. The twist was that the animals walked around right outside the car. You were allowed to feed some of the animals (Llamas, Camels, Deer, Zebras and ostriches), but had to drive through automatic gates and constantly be moving when we visited tigers, lions and bears. It was quite an experiance to feed zebras that came right up to your car and have huge tigers and lions walk around 2 meters in front of you.


When the safari came to its end, we headed in to the more regular part of the park. In there we saw a few more or less spectacular animal shows with elephants, orangutangs, lions and tigers. In the park there was also a restaurant where you could eat when 2 white tigers where walking around on the other side of a glass window. This we chose not to do.

We did choose to take pictures with some of the younger animals at the zoo instead. Emily got to cuddle with a baby tiger while I got to hug a young little orangutang. The big white tiger that I was supposed to take a picture with was a bit cranky and roared a lot. I was happy that I did not choose to hug it when the zoo keepers took it away and the tiger pulled the two pretty helpless men around at its will.


It has been a quite packed and very exciting few days here in southeast Java.

First, I want to say that Tola has been a wonderful traveling partner and he is showing tremendous patience as we have listened to countless hours of storytelling from many people .. and I will say we have heard a few stories more than once! Everyone has also grown to love Tola and they are very impressed with his background and his language abilities. I am so happy that we are able to share all of this memorable times together.


Today was a day of visiting, storytelling (mostly listening), and many many cups of tea and coffee. We visited three different houses that my Dad and his family lived in while they lived in Batu. The first house we visited was "Sunny Home" and we spent a couple of hours with the lovely and chatty Mrs. Octavianus. She reminded me a bit of my Grandma Germann because of her amazing memory and her love for telling stories. Mrs. Octavianus remembered exact dates of things my grandparents had done and she had many pictures to share. It was special visiting such an admirable lady and we will probably go back to Sunny Home this week, so we can also meet her husband Petrus Octavianus.

Tola and I have heard this story more than once, but every time I hear it, I smile inside. There is a church in Batu that my Grandpa rebuilt in the 1950s, and it is the oldest Christian church in Batu. It is a small gem in the city of Batu, and it stands with its blue steeple and chicken decoration on top. It is a special little church, and Tola and I visited with the pastor who was thrilled upon our arrival ... this really isn't the story, but a little introdcution. :)

The story (as told by many people, but I am sure it has been changed along the way) ... The Church "Bell..." When my Dad and his parents and siblings lived in Kediri, my Grandpa gave a church in Kediri a bell for their congregation. He could have done this during a visit to Indonesia years later, but what is important is the bell. He gave them a bell that sounds like a Swiss cow bell (and it may have been .. I am guessing it probably is from Switzerland). Years after he gave the bell to the church, the church burned down, so during one of my Grandpa's visits he picked up the bell and brought it to the church in Batu (that my Grandpa helped build). Now the bell rests in Batu. Over the years this bell has caused a few problems because the church in Kediri has wanted it back, but it can not have it back because it is now cemented into the church in Batu ... Next time, perhaps I can bring a bell for the church in Kediri. :)

It has been special hearing the church bell every morning .. a bell that my Grandpa brought to Indonesia many years ago. Everyone that we meet likes to tell this story and it seems to be a story that everyone has heard.

The rest of the day was spent visiting two other houses, families, and a few places in Batu. We ended the day eating dinner at a small restaurant overlooking the city of Batu with some new friends from Indonesia. We have met many lovely people that have been very generous with their time, and we have had our own personal tour guides everywhere we have gone. We are truly having a special Indonesian experience.

Driving through the entrance of Injil Institut Indonesia seemed to be a blurry moment. We were about to complete another short trip to yet another city in Indonesia .. this city, the one I have really been waiting to visit. For Batu is a city where my Dad lived as a child, and the Injil Institut is a Bible school that my Grandpa Germann founded in the late 1950s. A dream was about to come true for me, and Tola graciously talked to our kind driver as I took everything in as we drove along the streets of Batu.


We happened to arrive on the same day as the school's Christmas and Alumni Celebration, so this was a wonderful time to be able to meet many people who have met the Germann family or have heard about them for many years. After quickly changing into our most formal attire (which still left us under dressed) we were escorted into the middle of the celebration. Everything seemed to stand still for a moment as lights and cameras flashed on Tola and me as we walked through the audience of applauding people. It was both an overwhelming and special experience as I thought of all that my Grandpa and Grandma Germann-Edey had done at the school many years ago. During the celebration I was able to say a few words to everyone, and I felt honored as I was able to send greetings and represent the Germann family.


Throughout the rest of the day we were greeted by many people who had stories to tell about the Germann family. It was moving to see everyone's excitement and surprised reactions as I was introduced to different people from the Injil Institut.


One special lady that Tola and I met was Ibu Netty and her dear husband. Ibu Netty took care of my Dad and his siblings while they lived in the Batu area. She became teary as we talked about the Germanns and their time in Indonesia. I was very impressed that she remembered all of the Germann names and details of everyone, and I suddenly felt that I was meeting a member of my family.

Much of the day was a bit blurry because of meeting so many people and listening to many stories; however, our day didn't end at the Christmas and Alumni Celebration. In the evening Tola and I visited an orphanage that is a part of the same organization that runs the Bible school (IMF). We went to the girls building and spent a wonderful time visiting with the girls. It was special to share with such lovely girls, and we had a lot of good laughs. The girls giggled a lot and liked calling Tola "handsome," and Tola responded with good jokes. Tola was also able to teach them some Swedish and it was amazing to see how the girls were like sponges.

We are planning on staying in Batu (at the school) until the end of the week. Everyone is being very generous and we are staying in lovely accomodations at the school. I feel so blessed to be able to experience all that we are experiencing, and I am so happy to be here .. I feel at home.

Surabaya is a fast pace, dirty, crowded and loud city where we decided to recover before heading south to Malang and Batu. It is the city where the Indonesians started their struggle for independence from the Dutch, so there were big war monuments everywhere. The Indonesians call the city "The city of Heroes". During our two day stay in Surabaya we left the area where we lived once, to go to the city zoo where Emily's dad, Peter, got chased by an elephant around 50 years ago. It is famous for being the first zoo than was able to breed orangutangs in captivity. And sure enough, the one orangutang we saw gave us quite the show begging for peanuts and waving to us.


Aside from the orangutang, the zoo was not very impressive. But it was great to see the animals that where from Indonesia (komodos, tigers from Sumatra, etc.). It did give us a taste of what is to come...

Today was our last day on the Gili Islands. We took a snorkeling tour that hit 3 spots close to the 3 Gili islands. The weather was perfect, the sun was shining and the water was clear blue.

In the water we got to swim around a few coral reefs among fishes of different sizes and colours. We were not lucky enough to spot any turtles but very happy with the 5 hour trip. It also gave us a chance to visit all three of the Gili islands for we had lunch on the island closest to Lombok, Gili Air. It was just as paradise-like as Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan.

Tomorrow it is time to leave the Gilis. We are travelling to the second largest city in Indonesia, Surabaya. It is a trip that will involve 3 boat trips and 3 bus trips and will take 24 hours according to the agency we are travelling with. It would not surprise me if it will end up being closer to 30 hours.

A wonderful first week of travelling is now over and we are looking forward to many more!


Songs of the trip so far:
Vampire Weekend - Holiday
Lady Gaga - Pokerface
Dr Alban feat Kicki Danielsson - Papaya Coconut

Spectacular thunderstorms and rooster calls (at all hours of the night)....

I am happy that I am not afraid of thunderstorms anymore ... We have had beautiful weather since we have been in Indonesia, but we do experience the occasional large thunderstorm in the early evening. They are quite beautiful. Yesterday as lightning struck close to the beach, I ran quickly for cover, but I noticed that all of the Indonesians grabbed their surf boards and ran into the ocean .. I guess the surf is better when it storms. :)


Today we have spent our first full day on Gili Trawangan. It was a lovely day, the sun was out, and we took a walk around the entire island. Now we have explored two of the Gili Islands, and they are special gems. Tomorrow we plan to do our first day of snorkeling, and I am looking forward to seeing some ocean life. We have had a great time on two of the Gili Islands, and I know we aren't ready to leave, but we are happy that we have one more full day on Gili Trawangan.

Today it is the 17th of January and my mom's birthday. We are going to celebrate it on the paradise island of Gili Trawangan. We hope that you (mom) have a special day!

Here are some more pictures from our time at Gili Meno:

On the flight to Indonesia, I felt like I was living in a dream, and 5 mornings later, I still feel like I am in the midst of a wonderful dream .. a dream come true. I listened to one of my Dad's messages on the airplane, and it was perfect as I listened to a story that explained how my Grandpa Germann realized he was supposed to focus on work in Asia and primarily Indonesia. Now we are in the land that my Grandpa had such a heart for.


Our first few days have been spent organizing plans for our first week in Indonesia, catching up on needed sleep, and traveling around a lot. We made our way to the eastern island of Lombok (east of Bali), and now we will be spending around 5 days on the Gili Islands, so we can catch up on sleep before heading back to Java. It has been absolutely wonderful so far. Yesterday we woke up at 6 AM to catch a bus that took us to our ferry to Lombok. In our bus: Tola and myself (newbies for sure especially since I get excited about everything we see), two Brits who wanted air conditioning, a Finn who over slept, and an Australian family who argued a lot. All of us were quiet for the most part as we took a beautiful drive through Bali, so we could catch our ferry. I was happy to find that the water was calm, and our ferry journey was a smooth 4 1/2 venture.


The ferry was crowded with people of many nationalities (mostly Indonesians), and we had a fun time people watching. Many Indonesians were curious to talk to us because they thought Tola was Indonesian. The people have been very friendly throughout our first few days. During our ferry crossing, we saw dolphins and I interrupted our game of cards abrubtly as I ran to see what the commotion was. I saw around 20 dolphins swimming behind our ferry, and it was a beautiful sight as the sun began shining brightly. Our trip then continued and we made it to Lombok safely.


When we arrived in Lombok, we were picked up by another bus, and everything was very organized. The bus ride along the coast of Lombok was beautiful. We drove along windy roads and through lush green forests. Monkeys were everywhere along the side of the road, and they seem to be quite friendly and tame (do not worry, I will not try to pet one). After we arrived at one more seaside town, we got on another smaller wooden boat that would take us to the Gili's. After seeing the smaller boat and the waves crashing against the shore, I became thankful that we had taken a trip to the Philippines previously because our typhoon experience prepared me a bit for boat travel. The waves proved to be quite small, and a group of foreigners ran to the boat one by one with luggage. As we made our way, the sun began to set, and we experienced yet another breathtaking view. Our boat ride was only about 40 minutes, and then we arrived safely at Gili Meno. We will now be staying on Gili Meno for two nights. It is the quietest and smallest Gili Island, but we decided it would be the perfect place to rest and relax after a couple long days of traveling. After Gili Meno, we will make our way to Gili Trawangan, and then we will be heading to Java.


We have only been on Gili Meno for 13 hours, but it seems to be a serene paradise. I am thankful for bug spray as Tola tends to get attacked by mosquitos more than the average person. Mosquito repellant is one of his best friends as sun screen is one of mine. Last night we enjoyed an ocean dinner along the beach, and we were able to look at the bright stars for the first time in months.

Now it is the morning of the 16th of January, and I found myself waking up surprisingly early out of excitement. I am so thankful that we are able to spend time in the beautiful country of Indonesia, it is a country I have always dreamed of visiting, and now we are here.