Hello Goodbye


Hello again! Daniel here with another post. These pictures reflect the wonderful and chaotic last days in America and the first glimpses I had of our new home in Asia.



So, with only a few short weeks to pack and say goodbye to Washington State, we did our best. Pea chipped in by continuously taking things out of our suitcases and putting them in random places in our apartment. Thanks pea!



We had a fantastic surprise going away party hosted by best friend Tiffany and arranged by our beautiful sister Juliah. 



Sometimes you have to eat babies at going away parties.


Lovely ladies!

Pea's Uncle Spencer should be joining us in February for a visit!


Last few days hanging in the backyard with pea. She was all about chalk there for awhile.


Last night out at my favorite Italian restaurant, Bella Ninas. 




Wonderful last night in Tacoma with the family.

  

 Saying goodbye to Mama and Papa T!


Also had to say goodbye to my traveling partner for a couple weeks. Tough to be away from my girls, but they joined me toward the end of August. 


I stopped for a few hours in Taiwan. There were many Hello Kitty things, but I opted not to share them.


This was my first glimpse of Jakarta.



We live in Kelapa Gading, the land of many malls. Kelapa Gading literally translates to "Ivory Palm" or "Ivory Coconut".


John Powell, our upper school Principal, picked us up from the airport and gave us the grand tour. He's one of the nicest guys I've met and he made all of the newcomers feel very welcome. The main teacher hangout is a place called Tortuga, where the beer flows like wine, and they have dart boards and occasional live music. I've even been known to sing a few Bob Marley tunes with the local musicians. Bintang has been my beer of choice. The word bintang means star in Bahasa Indonesian, hence the star on the bottle. It is a cheap beer and it tastes like every other lager you have ever had (IE: Heinekin, Carlsburg). Still, there is something about that Bintang...


View from our apartment of Jakarta Utara (North Jakarta).


On my second night in Kelapa Gading, John took me to a place called Korean Italian BBQ. He attempted to order us these boneless cheesy chicken bites he was raving about. Instead, he accidentally ordered us two giant plates of chicken feet. We attempted to eat them, but neither of us could stomach it. Embarrassed by potentially wasting giant plates of this strange food, we quickly brainstormed a way to exit the premises while also saving face. John improvised by pretending to take a phone call that was so important we had to leave. We then took the chicken feet to go to avoid any embarrassment. We walked two buildings down to Tortugas and gave the chicken feet to the staff there. They were as pleased to receive the chicken feet as we were to give them away. 


A stroll through the neighborhood.


A selfie with my new teacher pals, Lllonka, Monica and John. 


Riding around on a Bajai taxi. It's basically a three-wheeler the size of a golf cart. It's nice for squeezing through tough traffic.


Many new fruits and foods to try. 


This one is particularly interesting. Smells terrible on the outside but it's pretty tasty.


Funny signs to see. 50% off Farts? I'm going to make a fortune here if you can sell those!
Kelapa Gading has been quite the adventure thus far. More posts to come!

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