They spent two weeks with me in Indonesia and I could not have been happier.
It was a great time to see them, show off the world I've started to call home, and let them get to know Toni a little bit better.
The trip started with two days in Jakarta so they could see the beautiful polluted mess that is my city. We then spent two days in Yogyakarta to see Borobudur and other cultural items. Finally, we spent about a week on Bali.
Let's begin in the Big Durian:
(this was in the lobby of their hotel the first night; dad liked it for some reason)
The first day we started with seeing my apartment, then had lunch at the mall by my apartment, and then took dad to Blok M so that he could buy all the cheap, knock-off stuff in Jakarta. We both had a blast bartering and buying stuff for people back home.
We then went to a very cool Indonesian restaurant for dinner. Dad loved the food and mom was surprised that she liked it as well. She brought roughly 40 protein bars with her because she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to eat the food or wouldn't like it. I'm happy to say that the vast majority of them went uneaten.
(mom realized that Indonesian food is not only edible, but quite enjoyable)
The next morning, mom slept in while Toni, dad, and myself went to Monas and Istiqlal Mosque:
(still reppin KU football - one of the many reasons I love him)
We then picked up mom and went to the famous Cafe Batavia for lunch and then walked around Kota Tua before finishing at my school:
Across the street from the Mosque is the cathedral.
The following day we headed to Yogyakarta. This was pretty soon after the Air Asia flight went down and dad wanted a picture to show all his friends that he survived Air Asia.
Our first day in Yogya had us see how batik shirts and dresses are made.
We then tasted luwak coffee - this is unique to Indonesia. This cat-type creature only eats fruits and high quality coffee beans. It then poops out the fruit and coffee beans, the beans are separated, and then made into really expensive coffee.
We went to the Water Temple (the Sultan's Palace) and saw where the Sultan of Yogya used to hang out by the pool and select which of his many wives he wanted to "swim" with for the day.
The next day we went to the temples. The first stop was Borobudur. This was my first time going to the world-famous Buddhist temple and it was amazing:
(there were stories told all throughout the stone on the temple; we were told that this was originally a place to learn - not just to worship)
After a couple hour drive, we then went to Prambanan which is the famous Hindu temple on the outskirts of Yogya.
That night was New Year's Eve and we walked around Malioboro Rd. (the main road in Yogya) before going to bed and getting ready for Bali the following day.
The first place we stayed in Bali was at Jimbaran Beach and we had our own private villa which was out of this world. It was so cool.
(my Asian pose > dad's Asian pose)
On our day-trip to Ubud in Bali, we went to the monkey temple. Dad really enjoyed giving the monkey's fruit. You can buy bananas there (which we did), but he also brought fruit from the hotel.
We also visited the beautiful rice terraces:
That night we enjoyed a lovely dinner on the beach while watching the sunset. This is one of the many moments from the trip I'll never forget. So beautiful and I got to spend it with the people that mean the most to me.
(sleazin)
The second place we stayed on Bali was on Sanur beach. The beach was a little bit nicer and it wasn't that crowded. The water was also a little nicer than Jimbaran.
The next stop for us on our vacation took us to Nusa Lembongan. It is the island southeast of Bali and is supposed to have awesome snorkeling and diving. The island proved to be a little too much, though. It was a little too adventurous for our group and then my dad had an unfortunate motorbike injury. I felt so bad for him. Since I saw the accident, I have had flashbacks that really are painful to him being banged up. It is very frustrating and I've never experienced anything like it before. I just felt worthless not being able to protect him after all he had done for me. I know it wasn't the best way to end the vacation and I felt terrible about it. I'm even getting a little choked up typing this out right now. I really wanted my parents to fully enjoy their time in Asia, and I think they did for the most part, but it was a very sad thing and I probably will never forgive myself that it happened on my watch on the vacation I planned.
Dad was a good sport about it all but I could tell that it hurt. It had to. He had 27 stitches and thankfully everything is back to normal now.
I miss my family very much and I cannot wait to see them this summer. I am very happy that they made the effort to come and see me while I am in Asia. They really are better than any parents I've ever met and I am very humbled, and honestly feel unworthy, that they are my parents and I've had them as an example of who to look up to.
