Day 1:
We went to one of the many shopping malls that Jakarta has to offer. While we were there, we had a quick lunch before the Fish Foot massage. Apparently it's becoming a big trend back home...it was bizarre. We got there, and the ladies working there washed our feet, then we sat on the benches and put our feet into the water. Once our feet were in, hundreds of fish swam up and started eating the dead skin on our feet and legs. It was the most bizarre sensation, and nearly impossible to describe or compare with anything. Later that evening we met up with Vivienne, another teacher that Robb and Sam work with for a few drinks, and at the end of the evening decided that I'd go with her on a day trip the following day while Robb and Sam were working.
Day 2:
Vivienne and I met up and took a cab to the train station (incidentally, going to the wrong train station, so having to get right back in another cab to go to the right one). We were trying to go to Bogor, an old Dutch town about an hour away by train and known for its gorgeous botanical garden, orchids, and presidential palace. According to a Google Image Search, the gardens at Bogor look something like this:
But when we got there, it looked like this (view from the cafe where we camped out for a few hours):
After realizing that the rain wasn't going to let up, we decided to go back to the train station and get on the next train back to Jakarta. By the time we got to the train station, we were absolutely drenched, and shuffling through six inches of water on the streets. We got on the next train, which had the air conditioning full blast, and froze for the entire ride back into the city. Later that night, Robb and Sam and I got a smorgasbord of street food, including chicken satay, fried rice (with extra MSG), and some sort of weird duck egg omelette/pastry type thing.
Day 3:
Nothing too eventful on day three...I went into work with Robb and Sam to see their school, and after a bit of time there taking advantage of the internet, I went to a shopping mall across the street. So excited by western stores, and by the prospect of going into a shoe store that would have more than one style in my size, I bought a new pair of shoes from Aldo. Yay consumerism!
Day 4:
Ramadan was coming to an end, and we were getting ready to go on our trip to The Thousand Islands. Robb and Sam had the day off of work, so we decided to take advantage of it by going on one of the walking tours that their boss had created for a book he's writing. We started at one of the many shopping malls, and walked through some back alleys. We instantly got lost, but enjoyed the wandering around.
That evening, we tried to go to a Padang restaurant, but everything was closed since it was the last day of Ramadan and most people had left the city already, so we ended up at Pizza Hut. Go figure. (some of us were more excited to be there than others of us...)
The Thousand Islands
The next morning we set off for a two-day, one-night trip to a resort in the Thousand Islands (small islands near Jakarta). We got to the port and after an hour and a half boat ride, found ourselves at the island that we'd be staying at. The water was crystal clear, and as we were docking, we could see a pod of dolphins swimming next to our boat. Overall, the resort was beautiful, except that it wasn't very clean (there was a LOT of trash in the water) and there were tons of mosquitos. There were also two or three komodo dragons that hung out around the resort (as we later found out, because the tourists give them their food scraps). Despite our nearly hourly contests of comparing who had the largest or the most mosquito bites, it was nice to get out of the city for a while and lie in a hammock on the beach and read.
We got back into Jakarta that afternoon, and managed to go to a Padang Restaurant. At Padang restaurants, they bring tons of different dishes to your table, and you eat what you want, and leave the rest. There were lots of unrecognizable meats (at least, we think they were meats?) and other foods, but overall, it was really nice.
I hopped on a plane the next afternoon and headed back to Saigon:
I was excited to get back to Vietnam, but upon arriving and getting a taxi from the airport home, my taxi driver tried to rip me off....welcome home...Everything's started to settle down a bit and I've been getting more into my routine here (although seriously feeling the need for a vacation again - somehow a vacation to another big city isn't quite as relaxing as a vacation lying on the beach all day...)
My Vietnamese class that I was taking through ILA has ended, but I've carried on taking lessons with the same teacher and one other guy. I still don't know how to say anything (Vietnamese is a frustrating language!), but at least I feel like I'm making an effort.
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