A Must Read!!!

My long-lost friends,

I could re-cap the past couple of days in one word - "Awesome"...

Why so awesome? Well, our time in Jogjakarta was spent touring two massive and spectacular temples. Not only were they massive and spectacular, they were also hundreds and hundreds of years old. Both temples are on extended lists of the ancient wonders of the world, and it is no surprise. If the advanced construction and beautiful sculptures don't make them mysterious enough, the fact that one of them was abandoned for hundreds of years and buried under volcanic ash and untamed forests should do the trick.

(Borobudur Temple)

The two temples were called Prambanan and Borobudur, you would probably recognize them either from the movies, or from an episode of National Geographic... for your history/religion lesson of the day: Prambanan is a Hindu temple that was constructed in the 9th century. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and one of the largest in Asia. Borobudur was also constructed in the 9th century and was designed as a Buddhist shrine. There are more than 504 statues of Buddha on and around the structure.... That's all the history for now. 

(View from the top of Borobudur)

Other coolness: we got to ride elephants before we toured Borobudur temple. 

(Halee getting her ride on)

Since my last post, we officially finished our internship with our good friends at Indokemika. We also had the opportunity to tour the Indonesia branch of Sonoco. Sonoco is a large packaging manufacturer located out of the great, Hartsville, SC. 

On Sunday we will fly to Singapore where we will stay until Wednesday when we fly back to the good ole U.S. of A.

Next post should be from Singapore.

, Tyler

Temples and Haunted Buildings

(Sam Poo Kong temple in Semarang, Indonesia)

Ladies, Gentlemen and others,

      Turns our our flight wasn't directly to Jogjakarta, it was to Semarang. Also, it turns out that I lied when I said I would post within a few days of the last entry... I'll have to stop pretending that we have internet access more often than we actually do.
       Yesterday we were in Semarang, where we toured yet another branch of Indokemika. This branch was smaller than the others, but still operated in the same effective way. After we toured the branch we got to check out a chinese temple (pictured above) and a haunted building called the "Thousand Doors" building. The thousand doors building is said to be haunted because prisoners were kept in the basement in tiny confined spaces. The prisoners suffered horrible deaths when it rained because they would be left to drown to death in the dungeon. Locals say they can hear the screams and pleas of the deceased at night.

       This morning we drove a little over 2 hours to a place called Solo. The highlight of our time in Solo so far has been shopping for Batiks. Batik is a traditional style of patterning which is very popular in Indonesia. The clothing is hand designed in a process which involves wax designs, natural-made dyes and hours of tedious work. It is customary in Indonesia to wear a Batik shirt on Fridays, so we each bought one so as to fit in at work next Friday.
        Tomorrow morning we are getting up and going to Jogjakarta. There, we will tour 2 temples. We will tour Borobudur and Prambanan. Both temples are thousands of years old and attract many visitors each year. Many people consider these temples wonders of the world. I will be sure to have some good pictures to post of them tomorrow afternoon... Realistically it will be a few days before I am able to do that, but I like to pretend it will be tomorrow night.
        It's crazy to think about how fast our time has flown by here in Indonesia; we only have just over a week until we will be back in the United States facing the real world again.

Look for our next post within a few days!

- Tyler

(Designing a Batik)

Bali and More!

                                                    (From inside a cave at the beach... Paradise!)
Hi Folks,

We had an awesome time in Bali. We got to check out some of the beaches that you see on t.v and think to yourself- "Man, wish I could go there"... We also got to try some Balinese food and do some snorkeling... It was definitively a highlight of the trip so far.

Monday morning we flew from Bali to Surabaya, only an hour-long flight. Surabaya is primarily an industrial/business city. We are staying at a nice hotel right in the heart of the city. We have been able to tour two major manufacturing plants here; a biscuit company and a detergent company. Both companies were very impressive, and it was again, a great learning experience that just can't be taught in a classroom.

Tomorrow morning we are touring another warehouse and then catching a flight back to Jakarta. I apologize that the posts haven't been as frequent as I would like; the Internet situation is hit or miss.

For those interested-- we did a little shopping at the street vendors in Bali. The men selling the goods inflate the price over 200% for people that are obvious foreigners, aka, us. We figured out quickly that the way to deal with that was to offer a price that we were happy with, refuse their offer, then walk away until they chased us halfway down the street... pretty funny stuff, but it made shopping rather stressful... we were heckled so much that at times we pretended not to speak English so that we would be left alone.

Anyways, I'll try to have a post up in the next few days.

Keep reading our Blog!

- Tyler

Monkeys!!!

At the monkey temple in Bali

Since our last post we have been extremely busy.  On Wednesday, we traveled to a volcano in Bandung.  The volcano consisted of a massive crater and an extremely bad Sulphur smell.  However, it was a beautiful sight and was the first volcanic site any of us had ever visited.  There, we found a market and were able to bargain and purchase many hand made gifts to bring home with us.  After the volcano trip, we ventured into a hot spring at a spa nearby.  The warm water was relaxing after a long day and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  We also got the opportunity to try traditional Sudanese cuisine, which proved to be very interesting.  We also got the opportunity to do a little outlet shopping, which we all enjoyed. 

We arrived back from Bandung late Wednesday night and were up bright and early at 5 a.m. on Thursday to head to the airport in Jakarta.  We were excited to be flying out to Bali for the weekend.  After arriving in Bali, due to exhaustion and a few upset stomachs, we took Thursday afternoon off and rested in the hotel. 

Friday morning we had a nice breakfast at the hotel then headed to a forest filled with monkeys.  The forest was probably one of our favorite activities we have done since arriving in Indonesia.  There were lush plants, rivers, and best of all, tons of monkeys.  The hundreds of monkeys were not shy to humans and we bought bananas to feed them.  It was such a neat experience because the monkeys would jump on your head and eat out of your hand.  However, at times they were scary, such as when one hissed at Tyler and proceeded to chase him.  After our visit with the monkeys we had the opportunity to view two different Hindu temples.  The temples were very ornate, beautiful, and a great experience. 

Tomorrow, we are off to view Indokemika's warehouse here in Bali.  Afterward, the beaches are calling our names. 

-Halee

Bandung

                                                  (Peacock dancers at Saung Angklung Udjo)
What's up guys,

Yesterday (July, 9th) we had a normal day of work with our friends at Indokemika. I travelled to a few meetings with the sales team, Halee worked with the accountants, and Timmy worked with the marketing team.


Today we got up early and headed for Bandung, a city about 3 hours drive from Jakarta. On the way to Bandung we saw a lot of rice patties and field workers. The landscape in Jakarta is awesome, it's almost like something out of a fantasy. Our first stop was the Bandung branch of Indokemika; we toured their facilities and warehouses, which were fairly small, but well-organized and efficient.
After touring the plant and eating lunch, we had the opportunity to take in some of the local culture. We were treated to traditional music and art performances at a place called Saung Angklung Udjo. Angklung is a traditional instrument made from pieces of Bamboo. The performance was very entertaining and included several different types of artwork. When the performance was over we went to a restaruant called "The Valley". Rather than being in a valley, "The Valley" was on top of a mountain and had a view which overlooked the entire city of Bandung... talk about awesome view. I wish that I could say that I have photographs that do justice to this view, but it probably isn't even possible.


Tomorrow morning we are going to hike a volcano and relax in some of the natural hot springs which surround it... not too shabby huh? Oh yea, after that we are going to the factory outlets. The outlets are known for having a good selection of clothes etc at very low prices. 
Time for me to rest up. Look forward to hearing from me either tomorrow night, or after we arrive in Bali!

Until next time,

Tyler

Food, Music and Relaxation

Hey everyone! 

After a busy and informative day of meeting with the board members of Indokemika, Timmy, Tyler, and myself had our first weekend in Jakarta ahead of us.  Friday night, we headed to Pacific Place, one of over fifty, yes fifty, malls here in Jakarta.  Indra, a local around our age, who we were introduced to earlier this week volunteered to drive us to the mall to eat at a delicious pancake restaurant.  The restaurant was called Pancious and for those of us missing American food, was extremely inviting.  The pancakes ranged from regular pancakes, to pancake burgers and dessert pancakes which were smothered in icecream and fruit.  Needless to say, we had dessert for dinner and it was exceptionally delicious.  

Saturday morning we took the opportunity to sleep in and elminate any remnants of jet lag.  Some of us have had a bit of trouble with that after the 39 hour trip over.  Tyler and I took the short ten minute walk to Plaza Semanggi, a mall close to our apartment, to find some lunch and do a little shopping.  To my surprise, Tyler made more purchases than I did.  We found a cool outdoor area on the tenth floor of the mall that had a number of restaurants and bars.  We picked one and order barbeque chicken nachos and chicken fingers rolled in almonds.  Surprisingly, the food here is much cheaper than food in America.  Most food ranges from two to six dollars and drinks are usually under one dollar.  We had a great view of the city from the rooftop.  After our walk back to the apartment, we met up with Timmy at the apartment pool. 

Saturday night we made the hour long ride to another subdivision of Jakarta, Summarecon.  There we met with pak (Mr.) Denny, the accountant we work with, at his lovely home.  We met his wife and daughter and accompanied them to a mall, Summarecon Mal Superong, to eat dinner, do a little shopping, and listen to some live music.  We had dinner at Porka Ribs, where everyone had a nice steak and ribs.  The restaurant was in an outdoor area of the mall, along with other restaurants, bakeries, and icecream parlors.  The outdoor patio area stretched the long length of the mall and was lit up by overhead chinese lanterns.  The atmosphere was lively, colorful, and everyone we have come in contact with has been exceptionally friendly.  There were three different stages set up at different areas along the length of the mall.  The band we listened to was close to the restaurant we ate at so we had live music while we had dinner.  The band was great and we soon learned that Indonesians love American pop music.  We heard an array including Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, and of course, some Indonesian classics.  We all had a good laugh at how some of the words of the American music were changed when sung by the band.  For instance, Katy Perry's song, Firework, reads, "Baby, you're a firework" and the band sang it as, "Baby, you're the firework."  We listened to music, hung out, and ate iceream with pak Denny and his family for almost six hours and then made the hour ride back to our apartment.  Saturday night was a great night for us and really helped introduce us even more to the culture here in Jakarta. 

Sunday, the three of us enjoyed a nice day by the pool together.  After we were tired of the sun, we walked to the mall and had dinner together at a small coffee shop.  Afterward, we grabbed tickets to The Amazing Spiderman, which I would definitely recommend checking out.  

Until next time, 
-Halee

Jakarta, Indonesia

Hi everyone, 

It's been a crazy couple of days since we last posted. We have been non-stop since we hit the ground in Jakarta. We arrived here Wednesday afternoon and ate dinner and went straight to sleep. On Thursday morning we jumped right into the work-flow here at the company we are working for. Indokemika is a leading supplier of chemicals to various industries in Indonesia. They have many locations across Indonesia, and they have 9 major divisions of products.

The food has been very good but it has taken some time to get used to. We have eaten a lot of Chinese food and Korean food and we will be trying Indonesian food soon. The Chinese food here is nothing like the American version of Chinese food, although both are pretty tasty. 

The traffic here is insane; for those of you who have been to New York City, picture that on steroids. It can take 20 or 30 minutes to drive a couple of blocks. There are tons of motorbikes, which are crossbreeds between motorcycles and mopeds. The streets are lined with food vendors selling an array of different foods and beverages. 

Today (July6th) we got the opportunity to meet with the company executives for a few hours and hear about the business' strategic plan. Learning about how a real, successful, company runs its business was a better learning experience than any I have ever experienced.

For lunch we went to a restaurant with Singaporean food. I had Pad Thai, which is also served at Hartsville's own, Bow Thai. We went out on a limb today at lunch and ate chicken feet... It wasn't as bad as you would think. Anyways, I am rambling so I'll save the rest for our next post.

,Tyler

The Long Haul

(Taking off in Charlotte, NC)

                 Well guys, Halee and I are 30 hours into our journey to Jakarta, Indonesia. Timmy arrived a few days ago.  Right now we are in Singapore at the Changi airport waiting for our next flight. As exhausted as we are from travelling, we are even more pumped about getting to Jakarta. Let me tell you a little bit about our trip up to this point. We left Charlotte at 12:48 on Monday, July 2^nd, then we landed in Newark New Jersey and after a few hours we got on another plane and made the 16 hour leg to Hong Kong, China. Our flight had been delayed about an hour or so in NJ, so we were really crunched for time in Hong Kong. We actually got really lucky that we caught our flight; had it not been for a very generous family claiming us and letting us skip the line with them, then we would still be in Hong Kong waiting for a flight to Singapore.

                

                 Anyways, it is around 3 o’clock in the morning here in Singapore on July 4th. We are scheduled to be in Jakarta by 1 o’clock this afternoon…. For those of you who are wondering how different it is here, I will just tell you this: when we ate at a fast food establishment in the airport, they delivered our food to us at our table and politely asked if there was anything else they could get for us. I almost had a heart attack out of pure shock.

Talk to you guys in Jakarta when we have caught up to Timmy.

, Tyler