Beach Place (Puget Sound, WA)

I'll write later -it's too nice outside to be working on my laptop much longer- but I wanted to post some pictures from today. Tra and I have been geeking out all day with her new camera! It's AMAZING! Happy Birthday Tra!

Traci, Foster the lover, and Peg

The bridge to Treasure Island

Traci with her new Canon 40D :)

When the tide goes out, any boats left on shore are landlockedJellyfishA heart in natureWhat a beautiful spot to spend the holiday weekend. Thanks for inviting me Tra, and thanks for having us Justin and Peg!

Oregon Sky

The sky was amazing last night as Traci and I were driving into Oregon:

Tokyo Narita - 8 hour layover

My 7 1/2 hour flight from Jakarta to Tokyo went really fast last night, thanks to Ambien and having a whole row to myself in the back of the plane. I spread out, got comfortable and was out the whole flight. There couldn't have been more than 40 people on the entire plane. I think everyone had their own row. That's how it should be!

My day here at Narita airport went surprisingly fast. I got caught up on emails, read my book, watched a movie (Jackie Brown) on my laptop, and ate sushi... twice.


My flight is boarding in 10 minutes and I'll finally be on my way home. It's a 9 1/2 hour flight to SFO.


I'm ready to be home for 2 weeks with nothing to do.

Wow... we just had an earthquake! It wasn't a big one, but definitely big enough to feel. Good ol' Japan - they have like 10 earthquakes a day here.

Jakarta

Today we went to Gelora Bung Karno stadium to film "The Call." Apparently they were expecting a sold-out event with around 120,000 people, but only about 10,000 turned up. We got some good footage nonetheless. It was another hot, muggy day here in Indonesia.

Jakarta sky - 6:30 pm

Behind the stage - 7 pmOur hotel - The SultanThe lobby is like an art galleryOur camera man and technical guru Braden, with Danielle following

Tomorrow we have some final interviews to film at 9:00 am, will have lunch afterwards, and are being taken out on a tour of Jakarta at 4:00. I'll probably head to the airport around 7:30 for my 10:15 flight. I've got a 24 hour journey home, which includes an 8 hour layover in Tokyo. I'm ready to get home! Traci is picking me up from the San Francisco airport and then we're off to Albany, Oregon -an 8 hour drive- to see our friends Josh and Angela. Then up to Portland on the 21st. It'll be a fun adventure - it's a beautiful drive through Northern California and Oregon.

Surabaya, Day 3

I know I skipped Day 2, but there was just no time yesterday. We didn't get back to the hotel until about 8:30 pm and I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open. I'm feeling about the same now, but I'm determined to post at least something. I'm sitting outside Coffee Bean, exploiting their free WiFi :)

This morning we got up once again to witness the Muslim call to prayer. It hasn't gotten any less creepy or eerie. Darren and Braden came over to film / record it. Hopefully that'll turn out. I think that'll be a cool piece for the film. It's something I won't soon forget - definitely one of the most memorable parts of this trip so far.

Surabaya at 4:30 am

Our day started with a trip to a huge mud pit that's being caused by an inrush of water coming up from the Earth. I'll have to get a clearer explanation later, but from what I understand, an oil company was drilling in an area outside of Surabaya and they struck something that caused a huge explosion of water and now there's nothing anybody can do to stop it. It's destroyed hundreds of homes and caused many people to become refugees. Really tragic. The smell is overpowering and almost scary - a strong chemical stench that burns both the eyes and lungs. If this were happening in America, it would be cordoned off miles away and no one would be allowed anywhere near the place. But here in Indonesia it's a bit of a tourist attraction. Just another example of the polarity in cultures.


After the mud pit we drove out to a huge camp / compound on the side of a mountain about 2 hours west of the city that Phillip (the pastor we've been following around the last few days) and his church call The Prayer Mountain. It's absolutely beautiful - and huge.


When we got back from the Mountain, the group dropped me off at the church. I had been volunteered (and I gladly agreed) to help out the audio crew with their sound system. I had a lot of fun working with the guys at the church - what a great group! They really know their stuff too, which made it fun. I was expecting a small system being run by a bunch of guys who had no clue what they were doing. I couldn't have been more wrong. They've got state-of-the-art equipment and they're using it to its fullest potential, so it was fun to show them a few tricks (although I really don't think I taught them much).

Some images from our drive through Surabaya

I'm too tired to think any more tonight - I'm off to bed. I'll try to get some more written tomorrow.

Surabaya: Flight In, Arrival, and Rude Awakening

My flight was an interesting one, to say the least. It's always a peculiar feeling being the only American on a plane. Definitely makes you feel far from home. What little English came over the loudspeaker was broken and almost indecipherable. The air conditioning either didn't work or they just decided not to turn it on. It was incredibly hot, and smelled like a locker room. I wasn't helping the situation, after having sweated all day in the Hong Kong humidity. And the turbulence never ended for more than a few minutes at a time. It was the bumpiest and at times most unnerving flight I've ever been on. My friend Clay (who's a pilot) once told me turbulence "is like bumps in the road," but last night the bumps got so big it felt like we were going to blow a tire. What happens when you blow a tire at 38,000 feet, eh Clay?!

My arrival: The first thing I saw when I got off the plane was a long line piling up leading to a window that said "Visa On Arrival." My cousin hadn't said anything about what was needed for entry into Indonesia, but I knew I needed a tourist visa from what I'd read online. About half of the people were walking down the hallway to customs, and half were lining up to buy visas. I went with my gut instinct and joined the people waiting in line. As I got close enough to read the small print on the sign above the window, I first noticed the price for 7 days and under: $10 USD. No problem. Then I saw "cash only no coin" at the very bottom. I did a quick inventory of my wallet and found that I had $8 US and $60 HK dollars (equivalent to about $8 US). I was hoping they'd accept a combination of the two. Sure enough, the guy at the window reluctantly took the combination and then nodded me to the next line, which had about 40 people in it. That line moved twice as fast, but still took about 15 minutes.

It was while I was waiting in that line that I met Josef, our guide and translator for our time here in Surabaya. He approached me and asked if I was with the Darren Wilson group. I said yes and must've smiled really big - it was nice to see a smiling face in that strange, chaotic airport. He asked where the rest of my group was, so I filled him in on the story; them missing the flight in Hong Kong by 5 minutes, etc.

The wait for Customs took about 30 minutes. Thirty hot and muggy minutes. Then it was on to baggage claim to find my suitcase. The belt had already stopped moving, and there was a sea of bags and people throwing them around in search of their belongings. I knew if I didn't find my bag at that moment I'd probably never see it again. I could only imagine trying to give my hotel address to someone at the counter of the lost bag department, if that even exists there. It's a very "simple" airport. I searched around for a few minutes, trying not to get panicked, and then saw it out of the corner of my eye, under a pile of other suitcases. I think I shouted out loud at the sight of it!

I looked around for Josef, who had long disappeared, but he was nowhere to be found. I went outside to find a mass of people - more people waiting out there than were inside looking for their bags. Not sure what that was all about. Anyway, Josef's smiling face suddenly popped out behind the crowd and we were on our way.

The drive in to the city was insane - I've never experienced anything like it in all my travels. Not in South Africa, Mexico City, or all of South America. Imagine a swarm of mopeds and motorbikes, and then an occasional beat up van that bursts through them as if they're flies. The clearance between our van and the mopeds was at times literally a foot or less, while doing 50-60 mph. Lanes don't really exist. There are painted lines on the road, but they don't seem to serve any purpose. Out by the airport I saw a few shacks that had lights on and had some colorful banners hanging. Like people had opened up make-shift bars in abandoned shacks. They were all pretty full of people. Reminded me of Mexico City. The other thing I noticed was the far left lane. It was being used for traffic, but occasionally there would be a bicycle, or even a group of children sitting in the road. There was no real divider - it just must be known that that lane serves multiple purposes. Strange. I asked Josef and Irawan (our other translator) about the rules of driving and they said, "There's only one rule - there are no rules!" They laughed, but I could tell they were serious by what was happening outside my window.

The hotel is beautiful - very classy. Josef and Ira accompanied me all the way up to my room, made sure I was happy with everything, and then left me with many handshakes and smiles. Very nice guys.

Wake Up Call: I was awoken at 4:00 am by some sort of chanting that was being broadcast over a loudspeaker through the darkness. I managed to get my balcony door open in my half-eyed haze, and as I stepped outside all the hairs on my arms stood up on end. I'm guessing it was a Muslim call to prayer. It gave the early morning an eerie feel... assumedly because I'm a foreigner and am simply not used to it.

If Americans feel religion is being forced upon them in any way, let me assure you, it's nothing compared to being woken up by a man's screechy voice blaring on and on for over an hour at 4:00 in the morning.

Surabaya is no paradise:

Darren and the rest of the crew will be arriving at 7:30 tonight. I plan on going with Josef and Ira to the airport, both to be there to greet the group as they come out, but also to try to photograph some of the scenes I've described.

Hong Kong

I had an amazing time in Hong Kong today - what an incredible place. I had a 9 hour layover after my 13 hour flight from SFO, so I tried to make the best of it. My plane landed at 6:00 am and I was through customs & immigration and on the train headed into downtown Hong Kong by 6:25.


The first thing that hit me was the insane humidity. I've never experienced anything like it. My camera fogged up so badly I couldn't take pictures for a while. The first one still had some fog but made kind of a cool effect:


I actually got scolded for taking that one... Maybe "scolded" is a strong word - a very polite and friendly police officer kindly asked me to stop taking pictures of the building. Apparently it's a financial building and the owners "don't appreciate people taking pictures." I asked him how to get to Victoria Peak, since that was the #1 destination Tricia recommended. He gave some vague directions and I headed out determined to find it.


The heat really started to get to me, so when I saw a Starbucks I b-lined for it. It was amazing - air conditioning, free power to charge my phone, and a huge iced vanilla latte. I sat in there for quite a while, mainly just enjoying the cool air. I finally got my determination back and started up the hill, trying to find the Peak Tram. I kind of stumbled onto it while looking for the Botanical Gardens.


As soon as I was on the tram I knew why Tricia had recommended it - amazing views all the way up that just got better the higher it went.

When I got all the way to the top it was 8:30. I headed straight for the observation deck, only to find that it didn't open til 10:00. No big deal, I thought. I'll just poke around and see what else is up here. First thing I stumbled upon: a great hiking trail that went all the way down to the water. Seemed like a good idea, so I went for it.


I got some decent pictures out of it, but the hike turned out to be a dumb idea! I went down this ridiculously steep trail for about 35 minutes, all the while thinking, "this is going to suck when I have to climb back up." Sure enough, the hike up was miserable. It was so hot and muggy I literally sweated through my jeans. When I got back up to the top I collapsed and just lay there pouring sweat. I should've taken a picture of the concrete after I got up - it was an outline of my body. Gross.

I finally cooled down while uploading / editing some pictures in a nice little restaurant and it was time to head up to the observation deck. Well worth the wait - beautiful views!


Now I'm sitting at my gate, waiting to board my flight to Surabaya. My cousin Darren just called from the plane - their flight from Chicago is late and they're not going to land til 3:45, which is 10 minutes before our flight is due to take off. Not sure how this is going to work out... I might be going to Indonesia solo... Stay tuned.

San Francisco

Today was another great day. Traci, her sister Tricia, her brother-in-law Brad and I drove in to San Francisco to do a little sight-seeing (they're all locals, so were basically doing it on my behalf, being the kind and generous people they are).

Thanks Tricia, for the photo!

I couldn't believe how cold the wind was coming in from the bay. We left Folsom and it was 97 degrees. By the bay it couldn't have been more than 65. Amazing difference for being 100 miles apart.

We then had an unbelievable dinner at their favorite restaurant, the House of Prime Rib. I'd been hearing about this place for a long time (from Tra, who raves about it), so it was fun to finally experience it. And to experience it with some of the most amazing people I've ever met made it especially nice.

Thanks again Tricia!

After dinner we drove down the famous Lombard Street - the craziest hilly street in San Francisco. After cruising around Fisherman's Wharf for a while, they drove me to the airport.


Traci and I said our goodbye and now I'm off to Hong Kong for some sightseeing, and then to Surabaya and Jakarta, Indonesia for a week.

Thank you Greg, Lynne, Tricia, Brad and all the others I met on this amazing trip for your hospitality, generosity and kindness. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!