Cultural Reflection on Indonesia:

Although almost everywhere so far in our travels it has been true, it really stood out to me in Lake Toba. When we were in Tuk-Tuk, a lot of stuff was expensive. We had just experienced relatively low prices in Bukit Lawang so it came to us as a shock. It was surprising that when we biked to Ambarita, a town outside of Tuk-Tuk, all the prices were lower than in Tuk-Tuk. That I found out was just because the more wealthy tourists would just stay in Tuk-Tuk and not go outside the "overpriced tourist bubble." When we went to Ambarita, we stepped out of the bubble and got cheap local food. It was also the same with souvenirs. In Tuk-Tuk, it was unsurprisingly overpriced but when we got to Ambarita we were able to bargain at the local market that had more homemade handicrafts at a better quality.  

I think a lot of the high-priced tourist items had to do with the economy falling in 1998 due to governmental corruption. Since tourism is a big industry in Indonesia, they needed to step up prices in order to get by. But tourism isn’t the only industry so if some villages are in the rice or rubber producing industries, they might sell some of their trinkets for less since tourism isn’t their only source of income. A lot of the political strife among the people is because of political corruption in the country. The money for economic ventures or rebuilding, related to flash floods, the tsunami and other natural disasters, only trickles down to the communities in need because, according to our friends in Indonesia, government workers and contractors line their pockets at every level. This further fuels the economic instability of the country and the desperation of the local people to maintain economic viability through tourism and other means.

Day 135; 11-20-05

This morning we took a bus to Belawan, the seaport for Medan, and took the ferry to Penang. Once again, it was too late to get on a bus to Krabi so we stayed once again at the Swiss Hotel in Penang.

Day 134; 11-19-05

We unfortunately had to leave Toba. We didn’t have to get up early. So I took my time getting up and was lucky to pack before the ferry came. We were dropped off at Parapat and unfortunately missed the first bus to Medan because we had to get money. As we waited for the next bus, Dad and I walked to the post office in town to get stamps from Indonesia for my international stamp collection. I slept through half of the bus trip to Medan and woke up to Mom cheering because our bus had finally passed another bus. She explained that for quite a while we had been fighting this other bus for the lead spot. Apparently, we had two look-outs at the front and the back of the bus that shouted at other cars and motorbikes to get out of the way. Throughout the rest of the drive, it was quite entertaining to see our bus in the opposite lane more than he was in the left lane. (In Indonesia, they drive on the left side of the road, not the right.) When we arrived at the station, we already knew it would be too late to catch the ferry to Penang so we found a hotel and stayed the night there.

Week 19 (read down)

Day 133; 11-18-05
Today we went bike riding to a town called Amberita. There we saw some ancient stone chairs that were an animist meeting area. Next we biked into a nearby village and got to plant some rice. It was a lot of fun.

Day 132; 11-17-05 

We walked for a while before finally ending up at a good place for breakfast. Afterwards went back to Samosir to play ping pong and pool. At lunch we decided to eat at a little restaurant that had great guacamole sandwiches. Then we walked around the island.

Day 131; 11-16-05:

Today we left Bukit Lawang. Getting up before the break of light we headed over to the village bus station to get on the local bus to Medan. Along the way a lot of people got on and off but we arrived in Medan in better time then before going to Bukit Lawang. After arriving in Medan we took a transfer van/taxi to the other terminal to hop aboard the bus to Parapat. The bus took five hours and the view coming into the Danau Toba area was fantastic. The ferry left in 30 minutes so while grandma and dad went to the bank we got some fruit from the market nearby the ferry. The boat was slow but it was good to get an idea of Tuk-Tuk. We all got off at Samosir Cottages and immediately decided to stay. There was a big selection of DVDs to choose from and there was a pool and ping-pong table. That night we had really good pizza at Bamboo.

Day 128-130; 11-13 to 11-15-05:

Trek: Day 3

The last day of the trek I slept in late, finally waking up to pack. We started out hiking up a small stream and then going strait up a peak. Taking a rest at the top a long-tailed macaque paid us a visit. My brother also spotted a great argus. The rest was down hill except when we had to flee from the super aggressive orangutan, Mina. One person had been bitten three times by Mina and had to go the hospital to recover. That night we rested from our trek and packed for the next day.

Trek: Day 2

I had to wake up early for an early start but before we took off a group of Orangutans wished us happy trekking. We were going up and down the whole day except when we stopped for lunch and to see a Thomas leaf monkey. After lunch and a hard uphill we stopped at the panorama and spotted black gibbons, white-handed gibbons and a flying squirrel. Just before getting to camp the clouds broke and dumped on us. We arrived wet and cold and welcomed the warm tea waiting for us.

Trek: Day 1

We had a little late start but spotted monkeys, eagles and an orangutan in the start of the journey. Hiking down through a stream and then at the top of a rise we saw a handful of rhino hornbills and pig-tailed macaques (baboons). After lunch we went up a hill and just as we started down it started to rain. We arrived wet at camp but went swimming at the nearby water fall. In the waterfall there was an upper pool that you could swim in. That night we had curry and rice for dinner.

Day 127; 11-12-05

Today we were relaxing for the trip the next day. We walked to the market to buy fruits and other snacks for the upcoming trek. After lunch we walked to the Orangutan platform to try and spot out a couple Orangutans. When we got there we ended up seeing nine or ten of them swinging in the trees, the semi-wild ones waiting to be fed. As we were hiking back we saw some Thomas Leaf monkeys across the river.

Week 18 (read down)

Day 126; 11-11-05:

Waking up early, we left the Swiss Hotel just before light. We got past customs and got on the ferry. We waited for an hour before finally leaving. The ferry took six hours before we got to Belawan. The mini-bus took an hour to get Medan and then another three hours to get Bukit Lawang.

Day 124-125; 11-9/10-05:

During these days, we were able to get some rest and in the late morning/early afternoon, we walked around Georgetown and visited the Komtar, a giant shopping center in the middle of Georgetown. One night, we saw two movies at Stardust, a guest house across the street—one was the long-awaited Star Wars: Episode III. Another night, we had dinner with Fiona, our friend from Taman Negara, at Kassim Mustafan, an Indian restaurant in Little India.

Day 123; 11-8-05:

We packed our bags and headed over the ferry depot. When we got there we learned that ferries to Sumatra had been booked for two days. We made a reservation and headed back to the Swiss.

Day 122; 11-7-05:

Today we left Cameron Highlands. We left on the bus and traveled to Ipoh and then boarded another bus to Butterworth. Upon arriving in Butterworth, we scuttled over to the ferry to Penang, an island in the Malacca Strait. We went to Chinatown and stayed at the Swiss Hotel where surprisingly, my dad had stayed 15 years ago.

Day 121; 11-6-05:

Today unfortunately I couldn't sleep in until noon again because we had to get up to go to church. Little did we know, the church was closed and there wasn't mass at 9:30 a.m. so we went to breakfast and buckled down to work. I taught an Indonesian class to Paul and Mom and am now the official Indonesian language teacher in the family. I'm keeping a grade book on my pupils. I also started a class with Paul as the teacher, learning the names of the hornbills and dollar birds of Indonesia. That night, we watched "The Longest Yard," by request!

Day 120; 11-5-05:

Today I woke up at noon. Yes! Finally I got to sleep in late. We went to breakfast and then got a taxi to take us to the tea plantation. It was really cool! We bought one kilo of tea to bring home. It started to rain and wouldn't stop. We had planned to walk back but we decided to get a taxi. For the rest of the day, we did Internet work, except at half past seven we watched the movie, Open Water. After the movie we watched the Premier league until it was time to go to bed.

Malaysia cultural reflection:

Throughout Malaysia you could really see all the ethnic diversity. For instance, a lot of big cities that you go to have different Chinatowns, or a ton of restaurants that are Chinese. That is because 27% of Malaysia is Chinese. In Panang, about 70% of the people are Chinese. I learned that the largest Chinese population is in large cities, such as Kuala Lumpur (KL) and the Panang area. I also found it interesting that Chinese people dominate business in Malaysia, which created racial tensions and riots in the 1960s. Now you begin to wonder, "If the Chinese population is only 27% than why are there so many Chinese restaurants everywhere?" That is because 58% of the people are called Bumiputras, which means "sons of soil" and consists of Malays and indigenous groups. They are mainly farmers and/or fishermen and do not own as many restaurants and other businesses. I noticed a lot of the ethnic diversity in KL, Cameron Highlands and Panang. I thought it was interesting that 55% of all Malays live in urban areas, like KL.

Week 17 (read down)

Day 119; 11-4-05:

Today we woke up late and jumped aboard the 11:30 a.m. to Cameron Highlands. When we got there, the hotels were almost all full but we finally found a place at Father's GH.

Day 118; 11-3-05:

Today since all the buses to Cameron Highlands were full we had to take a bus to Ipoh and then hopefully to Cameron Highlands. Unfortunately when we got to Ipoh all buses were full to Cameron Highlands because it was the Muslim holiday, Hari Raya.

Day 117; 11-2-05:

Today I woke up late and after breakfast Paul, mom and I went to look for a video camera for Paul. We took the Star Train and then the monorail to Sungai Wang plaza. After lot of looking and negotiating we found a cheap, good video camera for Paul. Afterwards we took a walk to the Petronas TwinTowers (the highest buildings in the world). Next doors we looked for books in Suria KLCC.

Day 116; 11-1-05:

Today we took the local boat out of Taman Negara and took the bus from Jeruntut to KL (Kuala Lumpur). By that time it was late so we got a hotel and went to bed.

Day 115; 10-31-05: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Today I woke up early to see if there was any more animals. Unfortunately, none came out. We got our things packed and hiked out to see if the river was passable to hike back to Kuala Tahan. Unfortunately, when we reached the river, the river was flooded big-time. So we headed back to the dock and caught a boat back to Kuala Tahan. Unluckily, we only got a four-person boat and we were eight so the boat was about two inches from the water. We got soaked. Later on, we took the boat across the river just as a monsoon came down. We got stuck at Family Restaurant for about half hour until it let up and we walked over to RiverNet internet. This Halloween, I got a bag of Nips, chocolate-covered peanuts. After dinner I made a bet with my grandma, please submit you answer to the following question on our Contact Us! form at www.picadocurtis.net :

Are M&M's (the name brand) peanut M&M's whole peanuts or not?

Day 114; 10-30-05:

Today was the day that we prepared to go on our big trip to stay a night in a hide. Again we boated out and arrived at the dock at noon, hiked the two kilometers to the hide and arrived at about 1 p.m. Somebody was already staying there when we arrived. He turned out to be a zoologist from Australia taking a three year leave to travel the world's national parks. It was good to have him there to help us identify the animals. Just before dusk we spotted wild boars and monkeys. At 7:10 p.m., a tapir came out and from there on throughout the night, a tapir was always at the salt lick, stopping at about half past four. At a little past eleven some Guar, the biggest cattle in the world, showed up. They looked like their legs were too small for there enormous bodies. Just after that I feel asleep.

Day 113; 10-29-05:

Today we took a boat to the Orang Asli village. We got there and Paul and I learned how to use a blow dart gun. It was really fun, the goal was to hit the fish on the styrofoam board. After we left the village, my mom and I (Paul and Grandma didn't want to come) hiked to a nearby cave. We climbed inside and followed after these Chinese tourists (that we thought had guides but turned out not to) through the one kilometer cave. From the start, it was hard to get through because of all the narrow places you had to squeeze through. It was also hard to navigate because you had to climb up and down while holding a flashlight in one hand. Inside the cave we saw a thousand bats and a light lime green poisonous snake. Just before coming out was the hardest part because you had to cross a two-meter lake at the bottom of the cave while making your body compact under a hanging to half a meter. All the way through I had to encourage my mother to keep going especially when she saw the snake. When we came out, we were tired but we decided to hike back to Kuala Tahan. Yet again, Paul and Grandma didn't want to come so we started off. The hike was two kilometers but very hilly so if you measured it up and down it would probably be three kilometers. Coming up one of the hills, we saw the biggest tree in Taman Negara. It was giant! If you have ever been to the redwood groves in California, this tree was at least as big if not bigger than those trees. That night we went to market and enjoyed murtubak and roti canai.

Week 16 (read down)

Day 112; 10-28-05:

Today we had decided to go the nearby waterfalls by boat and then walk back. First though we made arrangements to stay at the dorms in the resort because they had a Ramadan special going on. After signing in we arrange for the boat to pick us up at quarter to eleven. Soon we left and arrived at the falls in good time. Since I hiked to the waterfall in flip-flops I already had some leeches on me. When we got there no one was around. At the base on the falls there was a small swimming hole with rocks that we could jump off of nearby. It was cold, but not as cold as the falls by the farm. Soon after we started to walk back. About 200 meters in we ran into some trouble, the path disappeared. After an hour of searching we finally found over a few falling trees and across a stream. We hiked for another three hours and then when we were crossing a bridge we saw a group of Rhino Hornbills! That was the most exciting part of the hike, because there really big birds and they have a horn like a rhino coming out of there head.

Day 110; 10-26-05:
We bustled over to the train station we hop on before daylight. I got on the train and for the majority tried to finish my book In the Heart of the Sea, but as soon as I finished I went into the food car. I enjoyed a great ice coffee, probably one of the best I’ve had. We arrived in Jarentut and quickly bused over to Kuala Tahan (the town across the river from Taman Negara). Upon arriving, we were greeted by a woman who owned a tour operator (a woman that soon we learn to dislike greatly) called LBK. We found a pleasant hotel, Hotel Tahan, and is owned by a kind guy.

Day 109; 10-25-05:

Today was the day that we left Long Beach for Taman Negara. We got our stuff out by to check-out time and waited for the boat to come. It finally came a little past noon while we were watching football. They ride over was really choppy, so we got soaked. One time the boat was at a 45 degree angle which was cool. Finally arriving in Kuala Besut drenched and cold we got a taxi to take us to the town of Taman Nera, where we would jump aboard the jungle train to Taman Negara the day. When we got settled in one of the three hotels in town and started to walk around we realized that no other white people were in the town. We stopped by a quaint Muslim restaurant that served great Murtubak [Roti Canai (Roti Canai is hard to explain, try Googleing it) with a curry, usually with chicken, inside of it] and a doughy, deep-fried banana pastrie that I’m not sure the name of.

Days 106-108; 10-22/23/24-05:
During these days at Long Beach I mainly swam and ate. The famed (in Long Beach) Lily’s fresh fish barbeque, which we ate at every night, was magnificent. On the 23^rd we went snorkeling at the opposite, Coral Bay where we saw a lot of fantastic fish and coral heads. The next day we went around the big island and snorkeled in diverse spots. We got to observe and swim with: Angel Fish, Hawksbill Sea turtles (up to one and a half meters long!), Clown fish (Nemo) and tons of other fish and coral. At the last spot we visited an incredible beach that was the clearest and finest beach I have been to yet (at least in Southeast Asia). We also got to go boogie boarding. I really wanted to go surfing but there were no boards up for rent, such a shame they were great waves.

The following is a list of Barclay’s English Premier Football games we watched:

New Castle v. Sunmerland

West Ham v. Man. United

Chelsea v. Man. City

Blackburn v. West Ham

Also we watched the first two games of the World Series. The White Sox took them 2-0. We did not find out they had swept the Astros in four games until we arrived at an internet café in Taman Negara.

Week 15 (read down)