In Jakarta, Indonesia all week. I am leading a team of people from various institutions (University of Bengkulu, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Coastal Carolina University, Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri 1 Puding Besar Senior High School) to do a workshop for Sekolah Menengah Atas Negeri 1 Puding Besar Senior High School in Bangka Belitung Province. Map below shows the location–the Bangka Belitung islands are in the middle of the map. We are leaving Jakarta November 18.

I worked on securing the workshop materials for 2 weeks. No one will take my credit card. iBox (Apple store here) said they must have a pin code for your card. The credit card company said DO NOT give anyone here you pin #. They all say purchase online. Right. That sounds so easy, but no online companies will take an international credit card. The card must be from Indonesia. All this due to credit card fraud.

iPads and binoculars are the most difficult to secure. I still do not have iPads, but binoculars are a success!!! I traveled to the main city of Jakarta to purchase the iPads and binoculars thinking it would be easier here. Took 3 days, 2 stores, 6 taxi rides, 4 miles walked, and a lot of payoffs (yes I mean bribes), but I got 43 binoculars. I purchased 6 from the first vendor, who said there were no more in the city. I did some sleuthing and found another store. The owners of the second store are from Bangka (where I am doing the workshop). Can you believe that?? How lucky was that. Once I proved to the owner I was working with the U.S. Embassy (they know some people there), she ordered all the binoculars I needed. I bought 10 the first day. She ordered the rest of them. I went back the next day, paid for them, and they helped me ship. Shipping was its own process!! I had to check all 27 binoculars to make sure they worked. They packed them. It looked like an assembly line. Then we took them behind a building to a truck that looked like it had not moved in a decade. Yep this is shipping.

On the day I walked 4 miles and got NO binoculars, I arrived back at the hotel with 1 request–good Italian food. The hotel sent me off in a taxi to an Italian place. I was tired and in need of good food. The taxi driver dropped me off and left quickly as they do. I am standing in front of a restaurant called La Goda Argentinian Restaurant. Yes. That is correct ARGENTINIAN! NOT Italian!!! I am standing in front of the restaurant shaking my head and talking to my self about how messed it was (I am pretty sure I am the crazy lady), when I man calls me over and asks what I need (as best he can in broken English). I explain the situation that I am looking for an Italian restaurant. He says, “That isn’t Italian, but it doesn’t matter. It isn’t open anyway.”

I used my Grab app to locate a motorcycle to take me back to the hotel. I could see the hotel from where I was standing, but I was not in the mood to walk. If you are interested in what it is like to take a scooter taxi, I recorded my ride. Yes. He does go up on the sidewalk to pass the other scooters. Even more interesting–I took a taxi (car) the next day and he went down the same narrow streets in a full size minivan. Objects in video are closer than they appear!!

During my walk around town looking for binoculars, I happened upon these beauties! White spider lilies. Dainty and beautiful. Momma and Daddy I thought about you. They would look great around the house!!