Home Sweet Home

After a couple of weeks on the road, any place familiar is good. Even Vicksburg with a Hurricane on the horizon.

The Long Journey Nears End...

From Jakarta to Bali and back again, this has been a great trip. This picture was taken at a famous Hindu temple area called Ulu Watu on Bali. Impressive. Time to go home now.

Happy Birthday 50th birthday, Kelly! Hope you are somewhere fun with a beer in your hand.

Room with a View

Sure it could be better if I was around the corner facing the beach, but I am happy to sit from the balcony and sigh...

Diving in Bali

Wow, I still can't believe it. The whole time I was down there, I kept mentally pinching myself that I was actually there. It was a great day on the water, we traveled to Nusa Penida from the beach. About a 45 minute boat ride and we were in a different world. And then we got in the water and we were in another different world. First dive was the toughest because we were trying to see Mola (ocean sunfish) and they get spooked if a lot of people are around. So we

thought we could get the jump on everyone, but there were already 10-15 boats on site, and a lot of divers in the water. The current was quite strong, and we had to hang on and wait. It was so bad that at one point, I lost a fin! Tim and Hongjoo helped me recover it and keep moving. Alas, no Mola were spotted. Too many people, perhaps. Or maybe it just wasn't our day. We had a drift dive next, easy and crusing with the flow, down a shelf. We saw some cool critters, lots of fish and nuidbranchs, but also moray eel and cuttlefish. I sat out the 3rd dive because my ears were giving me trouble, but I enjoyed my time on the bow of the boat, just relaxing. Life is good. In the second picture, look hard for the outline in the distance. That is Bali.

Finally Friday!

Our site visits wrap up today, and we leave for Bali! We have been working long days and the exhaustion has kept me from blogging properly. Since we have been touring canals filled with trash and raw sewage, I will spare you from those images (unless you make a request). Above are some of the Dutch buildings that were built several hundred years ago here in Jakarta.

Holding out for a hero...

As we toured 5 of our sites, we saw some pretty disturbing images. Unchecked population growth and the resulting solid waste issues can be tough to comprehend. Luckily, we know this country has superheroes ready to help. Meet Batman and Superman. The power rangers were busy playing marbles and were unavailable for this photo.