Lists compiled; suitcases packed; last minute details attended to; crises averted (the replacement for a compromised credit card arrived this morning) -- both Heidi and Lee are stoked to begin our adventure.
The itinerary begins with a flight to Chicago tomorrow morning to catch a connection on to Tokyo, arriving there late Thursday afternoon. We'll spend the night in a hotel near the airport before catching a plane on Friday morning to Jakarta, Indonesia's capital and largest city. What with the International Date Line and over twenty hours of flying time, undoubtedly we'll need the next couple of nights to catch our breath before our JAVA AND BALI: INDONESIA'S MYSTICAL ISLANDS tour begins.
Following a Monday spent in Jakarta, we will fly to Yogyakarta for four nights and then on to Bali where we will be for the next eight days while touring much of the island -- and, one hopes, enjoying some "sand and surf". Anticipated highlights include Borobudur (Buddhist) and Prambanan (Hindu) temples on Java and the cultural riches of Bali -- dance, music, puppet shows, arts and crafts galore.
One characteristic of OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) tours which sets them apart is the inclusion of visits to villages and meals with local families during the course of our travels. On this trip we will stop off in Java at Kasongan Village to observe everyday Javanese rural life. We will also travel to Truyan, home to the Bali Aga who display their dead in open graves behind wooden lattices "remarkably preserved by the roots of the fragrant taru menyaunyunn tree"! On another occasion we will experience "A Day in the Life" of the farming village of Tiga Wasa where we will meet with palm sugar makers and bamboo weavers and also enjoy a school visit and a communal lunch.
Look for detailed impressions in the days ahead ....
[NOTE: Lee is still experiencing troubles with the slideshow software he has used successfully in the past, especially evident when attempting to view images on an iPad. If these issues aren't resolved in the next day or so, he will likely reformat or delete several of his pre-departure posts and shift to another format for displaying images.]
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