Bangkok adventure

Well the school came up Trumps. I had offered to help with the Duke of

Edinburgh International Award . I have lots of experience in this sort of stuff but they needed a registered qualified Leader , supervisor and assessor. I said fine but would need some training, on the Friday when I met the Coordinator. Well on Monday he emailed me and said can you fly to Bangkok on Thursday for a 3 day course to be qualified....👍 Well yes of course, booked my fights and hotel and packed my bags and I was off. For me quiet an adventure because its years since I have ever done anything like this on my own before without Liz. 

The International Award training was full on in the amazing Patana British School of Bangkok all the other course members were keen outdoors types and very adventurous. One of the guys an Indian called Rajat also came from Jakarta, so in the evening he and I wet out with a couple who lived in Bangkok. One night we went o quiet a trendy market and I had a beef "soup" without the heart, intestines and brain (Well I think that's what I asked for an got) A disaster for me was losing my phone in the back of the taxi on the way home! The next night we took the sky-train into Siam. Going for a safer option of McDonalds we still hit disaster  when Rajat trod on a street cat that then bit him and drew blood! Our plans suddenly changed to finding a late night hospital that could give him a rabies jab! Ending the evening with me riding pinion on a motorbike taxi. In the dark at high speed all I can say is it was terrifying but it did the job of taking from the sky-train to hotel.  My last night I stayed in the Hotel taking stock of the course , using the gym and being safe..

Morning sightseeing up early planning to return to hotel to pick my bag up and go to the airport for my 3pm check in.

High speed tourism the trick is not to get lost and get back to hotel to get your bag in time to be at the airport on time. Hotel shuttle bus took me to the Sky train which is very impressive. But it stops on the border of the Historic old town. So after a bit of frustration with taxis wants to do "no-meter" rip off trips I worked out he public bus. Took me to he Grand Palace which was closed unless you where a Thai citizen dressed in black to show your respect to the dead king who was lying in state. They take this very seriously and hes been dead for a year! I went to the Buddhist temple next door and saw the largest reclining Buddha in the world.

The sensible thing would have been to quit while I was ahead. But then the crappotours guide in me just wanted to do a few more sights. Yes I took a boat across the river to yet another temple. Then with enough time to return made another wrong choice: I could take he river bus to the skytrain r go back the way I came across the river, and take a bus to he skytrain . Well I choose to retrace my steps but somehow bus stops and numbers never easily are reversible. The Heavens opened and if it wasn't for my cape I would have been totally "drowned rat". The knock on effect was me being on a strange bus route in water soaked jammed roads, on a route back to the skytrain that was a complete act of hope, definite not going to arrive early at the airport. The kindness of the bus conductress and a young student who spoke some English was very reassuring. Though you know they are saying comforting ETA's that have no link to reality. I stuck with it, we arrived at the sky-train, the hotel got me a good taxi I arrived at he airport 30 minutes late but still 30 min before last checkin. Which felt like arriving in heaven, I'd made it...

HOT YOGA this is something I am doing with Liz. Let me rephrase this we go to a class together. We copy the bendable teacher and spend an hour holding unpleasant positions. "HOT YOGA" nothing to do with the costumes or appearance of the participants. It means the Air Conditioning is turned off and you just drip in sweat. Liz is getting more bendy and I am falling over less.

I had a great adventure and proved to myself that left to my own devises I can get into all sorts of scrape and still survive. 

I'm now hard at working checking Bronze D of E students records to access if they have passed. Next I start the mentoring and encouraging young people to stretch themselves , out of there comfort zone and show commitment. So far they all seem amazing on paper.

COMING SOON: Next week is half term holiday. So Liz and I are off to Borneo . Up a river on a boat into the jungle to see Orangutans

Having your cake and eating it! 30 years married yesterday

Last night in time honoured tradition we threw a party, about 20 people came and we had a really nice time with food and drink and of course cake.  Our life has seen many parties to celebrate: birthdays, christenings, anniversaries and just for fun. So now after living in Jakarta for just 9 weeks we were quite pleased to find enough new friends to celebrate our 30th Wedding anniversary.

Its been a few weeks since I've last written this blogg , but that's because we have been quiet busy . Which in this case is a good sign. Next week is half term holiday (tenth week) then it will soon be 100 days (significant if your from the USA). So pretty soon the Blogg title "Just arrived in Jakarta" might have to change.

We have been getting out and about, firstly visiting Batavia the old Dutch colonial capital of Jakarta. Using public transport we made it to Kota station, this involved an ankot (mini bus) and two trains. On our way we passed what can only be described as a shanty town (Kota Kumuh, in Indonesian. Shockingly looking from the train window we saw houses in flames and people leaving carrying there few valuables. The next few hours being tourists we were aware of a billowing cloud of black smoke above the grand roof tops. Cultural tourism cheek by jowl with urban slum destruction.

Aren't we the lucky ones. Now more confident in our ability to get about we took the opportunity to go to the coast. A friend was organising a party to go to the West Coast to a bay to visit the Tanjung Lesung Sailing club. Logistics were complex involving us paying for our driver Bambang to come away with us for the weekend, it was a 4/6 hour trip each way.

Despite the long drive the weekend was a great success, the party of people moved from being acquaintances to friends. We certainly were well away from City life. With some careful help from me Don took me out on his dingy and foolishly let me take the tiller thinking I knew what I was doing. So you can see we practised capsize drill. Strangely there was a Mongolian cultural centre celebrating Genghis Khan. Liz and I sat in the thrones and contemplated the great man sayings: " If your fearful don't do it but do what you do with no fear" and " The job isn't done till its finished". We also had the delight of borrowing some terrible bikes to go for a ride with our 80 year old host. [ nowjakarta.co.id/learning-to-sail-at-tanjung-lesung ] Well worth the visit

Next Blogg: Hear about great volunteering development 
that took Nick to Bangkok and "Hot Yoga". 
Also more travels on public transport to Bogor and driving ourselves!

Search to Volunteer

Is Volunteering an act of charity or removing a job?

Well in UK there is the issue of young people being offered the chance for "Internships" a chance to gain inside experience and gaining entry to there chosen career. Now often seen as simple exploitation, with a revolving door of interns working for free and never getting a job but boosting the companies profits.
Of course rich kids have always had this sort of privileged entry to certain professions. Since they could spend years learning the ropes of their career on an uneconomic salary supported by there parents. As is the way of the world wealth creates more freedom.

Public Libraries suffered most in local authority budgets, now where  paid career staff jobs have been replaced by volunteers. Often older retired people who love books and want to maintain a community service that they value.

So whats this got to do with Jakarta and Expats "trailing spouses"? Well to volunteer you need time and that generally means you can or don't need to have paid employment. Most Schools worldwide welcome the involvement of parent volunteers, where is here not a PTA? May parents and teachers have "trailing spouses" so there is a wealth of skilled , eager volunteers. Many of whom have specialist skills and abilities that they are desperate to use, or just to keep active in doing something useful, to support there child's school. In Cairo as Librarian I had a number of mothers volunteering to shelve books etc including a university Lecturer, a Magazine Editor and G.P.Doctor who as trailing spouses were not able to practise there high powered professions.

In Indonesia schools the need to ensure that volunteers do not take Indonesian jobs is a hot issue. Ensuring that volunteers are security cleared for child safety, that there work does not infringe existing job posts and that volunteers are suitably qualified creates a mountain to climb for expats, that only want to do something useful. This has not stopped BSJ promoting volunteering to parents and staff spouses as an activity the school wishes to actively promote.

Expat Volunteering in Jakarta: The ways in are numerous and supported by Flagship Expat community organisations, The Anglican Church, ANZA (Australian, New Zealand, Association) the BWA (British Women Association) and the Indonesian Heritage Society. Their volunteering crosses over from providing support and social hubs for their community, to outreach too some very genuine charitable causes.

Exploration; Well having started with the Anglican Church there seems to be many opportunities, learning more about preaching and possibly teaching English to refugees. Then there is learning to speak Indonesian, there is a course at the Australian centre and talk of arranging a teacher for a group at country woods where we live. Learning to teach English seems like throwing myself in the deep end or partnering someone if I'm lucky or going for broke and doing a month long Celta course. It looks like as I don't have a BA Degree even the Celta course would not be enough for a work permit! But volunteer teaching would be fine..
Then Tuesday I visited: HELP on HELP Centre on facebook @helpforrefugees.id they provide Health Education and Learning Program for refugees. Its just opened and was run by refugees for refugees. They told me how Indonesia does not accept refugees except to wait till they can be resettled in Australia, New Zealand , USA or Canada? While they wait (that could be for years) they are not allowed to work or use the Indonesian education system. So projects like this are a real lifeline. I sat in with a group of about 20 teenagers in a small hot classroom for 2 hours. They were amazing, there were some clever girls from Ethiopia, and boys from Pakistan and Afghanistan, all keen to learn. I was surprised by there good English . Certainly an inspiring project.

 Wednesday: Indonesian Heritage Society open day, with fellow searcher Mark. This was at Erasmus Huis in the Dutch Embassy, which took us 2 hours making us 1 hour late. Quiet a splendid event with clearly well polished and well connected trailing spouse ladies [oh and a few guys] I have signed up for a book club reading Indonesian literature [ translated to English], Heritage tours, and the star activity training to be a English speaking guide to the National Museum. I met some lovely people who were very welcoming to us few men.

Thursday: Rawinala Institute project is a residential home and school for multiply handicaps especially blindness and low vision. This is supported by the Church and ANZA. Though looking at the map its even further away than my other explorations? Still distance is not the only factor in journey length.

The Elephant in the room. TRAFFIC: Everywhere I try to go to takes at least an hour in the car and I'm worried 2 hours plus is very possible👽😭😭


WAY FORWARD: One day at a time, I'm not jumping in and making any promises I won't keep... Time to reflect and look at the bigger picture... Talking with the existing Country Woods trailing spouse guys gives another option..

  Lie in , bit of a swim, trip to the shopping mall and coffee, back for lunch then a poolside beer and them an afternoon siesta. Get up and make sure he maid has cooked super for your hardworking wife.👍😇

Bandung a cool alternative

Jakarta is at sea level while Bandung is @700 meters above sea level, its about 4 C cooler and the air feels fresher 💋

Friday, day 1: After a few hours sleep and a splendid buffet Brunch, are party were ready to be tourists. We all agreed to take a "GRAB"[Ed.GRAB is an Indonesian alternative to UBER, though 5 of us squeezing into the car was really not the best option]  car to the Maribaya forest walk. 

Liz and Nick on not scary rope bridge

A very relaxed day out walking down a valley with waterfalls, monkeys and lush vegetation. Though there were some unusual caves/tunnels cut out of the cliffs. One called the Dutch and the Japanese cave. The latter was used as an ammunition store and dug out by Japanese POW's during the 2nd World War, I wonder if any allied troops died doing this hard labour?[I didn't go into this cave]

Travelling back to the Grand Ardjuna Hotel Bandung we were ready for a siesta before going out for dinner. Its certainly worth a mention that the Hotel staff and manager could not have been more helpful. It was under new management and recently renovated to a high standard. The manager is keen to attract more foreign expat guests. Going home to avoid another nightmare drive back was sorted, the Hotel booked us train tickets, then since this would be 4.am on Sunday morning [ only available seats] they drove us for free to the station 😃 Then for our next days tourism they arranged a driver with a 7 seater car who spoke good English. They also invited us to free afternoon tea, with entertainment the next day.

We didn't go far for a cafe for dinner since here was one on the hotel car park. Very good it was too though we did not choose the fish that were swimming around in a giant tank in the corner. I suppose its fresh but as newbies to Indonesia a bit out of the comfort zone.

Saturday Day 2 : We are met after breakfast by our driver for the day which will end with afternoon tea at 5pm. We are off to Tangkuban Perahu Volcano 

The top of the mountain is 4000 meters and so a lot higher and cooler. It smokes and last erupted in 2013. Then a long walk down and we put our feet in sulphur pools . For a fee you could have your arms and legs massaged with volcanic mud. Liz and I were happy just to paddle. Of course the crater top was surrounded by stalls selling all sorts of stuff for tourists, as "Bule" [slang for westerner] we received top dollar attention. 

We then moved on to see a Hot Springs resort near Lembang, a once noted hill resort used by Dutch Colonials based in Bandung.

Well there was no sight of Dutch colonial elegance but democratic Indonesian family fun park. It was chokka and any thought of changing into swimmies was abandoned as we would no doubt have become the "Bule" tourist attraction, featuring in a thousand face book posts. If we had little children it would have been great fun for them.

Saving the day our lovely driver took us to see his family farm and meet his wife and son. It was brilliant to see something normal and so welcoming. We had tea and he told us how it had been to hot and dry this summer so there was a bad harvest. Certainly one of the highlights of our trip. Then back to the Hotel for afternoon tea and entertainment.

Our guitar duo were soon joined by Liz and the other two women from our group. Reception would download music and words and an impromptu concert followed. Amazing talent.💋

We had an early night as catching the 4am Sunday train was never going to be easy. 
Sunday Day 3: Helped by the hotel we were safley delivered to Bandung station. Rather like an airline we had to check in having already booked on line. The machine printed our boarding passes/ticket. Then we joined a queue to have our ID checked and join the platform. The train was seat allocated and air conditioned with comfortable seats and a restuarant car. Only 3 hours later we pulled into Jakarta central station on time. [Next time we will take the train there and back] We were met by our car and driver but it then took us 90 min drive  to get back home through Sunday morning traffic.

What we have learnt?
Well it was nice getting to know some people and we met some really friendly Indonesians. There seem to be lots of people everywhere you go, too many people if your hoping for isolated open countryside. That travelling is very difficult and time consuming. We are wondering just how and when we wil get to use our lovley new car? Will we forever be just staying in our home on Country Woods La La land residency as its just to difficult to leave? Prehaps we just have to take a jet plane somewhere, but that has its problems.

Coming soon:

• Getting our Indonesian Driving Licence, and our first drive on our own.
• Parties, meals, cooking, shopping 
• Church and volunteering 
• Holiday planning
• Learning to speak Indonesian

This is all the stuff I've been involved in or planning to do

Experience adventure with Crappotours

CRAPPO-TOURS real travel that you never forget😀😀

Less a travel company more a state of mind. To become a tour leader special qualities are required , some may caricature these as a "gungo-ho sense of adventure and recklessness". The primary ingredient is to take a group who want to have a trip together and they can trust one self confidant leader or just act as a committee , taking an organised professional tour is not the Crappo-tours way. That said there are  many tour companies that aim at budget backpackers, who not only overcharge but provide a similar Crappo-tours experience.

Idul Adha: Eid al-Adha, also called the "Sacrifice Feast", is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. August 31, 2017 – September 1, 2017.

Well in preparation for this feast heards of sheep, goats and cows were appearing and filling every street corner. Indonesias population is 87% Muslim so this is the biggest celebration. It has a similarity to Christmas (or perhaps ,Thanksgiving in the USA) in that everyone travels to see their family. It is a state Bank Holiday and long weekend 

LONG WEEKEND: Only means one thing to intrepid Expats , a chance to get out of town and explore. Many experienced hands had there flights booked to jet off to Singapore or Bali, leaving straight from work on Thursday evening returning refreshed on Sunday evening  on perfectly well organised package flight and hotel breaks.

Crappo-tours: Devotees always have a better and original idea. Some confident colleagues who have lived in Jakarta for a year, which gives them natural Crappo-tours leadership rights had a plan. We would drive to a City in the cooler mountains, walk by waterfalls, soak in thermal springs and climb a volcano. Once more we would not rush off straight from school but leave at 8pm to avoid the traffic on our way to Bandung. The car was just big enough for the 5 of us and our driver, comfortable enough for the 3 hour journey.

Jakarta Traffic 😢 https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/nov/23/world-worst-traffic-jakarta-alternative

Well we are pleased to confirm that our journey from South Jakarta to Bandung, justifies the Guardian description of the "Worlds Worst Traffic". Our 3 hour journey had passed and we were not even out of Jakarta on the "fast Toll road", 

😰 Keep calm deep breaths, check the Google maps. Well our journey should have taken 1 hour so making a mental adjustment the remaining "google 2 hours" journey was going to take maybe 6 more hours.

After 5 hours we all needed a break, not least our driver, we were still in bumper to bumper traffic. In the UK you may see traffic jams like this on an August Bank Holiday where everyone fancies a trip to the country and spends a day on the M1 instead. There would be helicopters and TV news bulletins, warning people not to travel . This was just such a situation but in the dark in sweltering tropical heat and no obvious TV crews.... At the roadside cafe stop the last straw for me was a self inflicted accident. Wanting something out of my bag I opened the "tailgate" of the car. Immediately a suitcase tumbled out and managed to scrap most of the skin off my shin 😡(I joke not a week later I still have the scar.) 

Needless to say we ploughed on, fatigue allowed some neck crooking sleep, conversation of the lets all get to know each other and talk about similar travel disasters dried up. With grim determination we stuck it out for another 5 hours arriving at our hotel at 6 am just in time for 1st Breakfast! We all went to bed and had last breakfast at 10 am....

Rather like the 4 Yorkshire men of Monty Python fame, we all now have a story to tell, when someone complains about traffic.

"Call that a traffic jam?" "That's nothing we once travelled from Jakarta to Bandung..... Blah Blah Blah... That's a 3 hour journey of 92 miles....It took us 10 hours at 9 miles/hour...BEAT THAT, Ha.

We are now forged into a group by our odyssey and a mutually complete denial of our own stupidity. 

CRAPPO-TOURS real travel that you never forget😀😀

I've been told that BLOGGS are bite size , so I hope this is digestible.

More to follow about the fantastic time we spent in Bandung and how we managed to get back and are still all talking to each other.

21 Days in Jakarta- "Trailing Spouse"

NICK  THE TRAILING SPOUSE" not a new term but here a little different?

As a child my grandmother would tell me stories of her family from her youth growing up in far flung places, Egypt, Ascension Island , Mauritius , and India. Curated in her modest flat in Twickenham, London , were many small mementos of another world and life. Some stand out the Egyptian leather poof, an ornate coffee table, a box made of ebony and porcupine quills, and the all important folding green baize card table. Around the much travelled card table grandma would have the "girls" round to play Bridge or Rummy and with the help of cucumber sandwich finger rolls, and silver pots of tea served in bone china cups another world would be conjured up.

The Expat world of the pre-war British Empire, populated with a cosmopolitan and stratified social class system. "Memsahibs" and daughters who ran their households and the tight-nit communities no doubt planning and helping the world move while sat round the Baize card tables. The "Girls" organised servants, parties, Balls , Bazaars, trips out, charity work , going to Church and sporting activities. To play cards, ride horses, swim, and play tennis were social necessities. Ones status would be linked to your Father or Husband, who lived in another world of work who might have the accolade of a "good sport" and a nickname like , "Chalky White" or "Bunny Rogers" .

At some point an expression "trailing spouse" came into  use in the "expat" community, it means your partner has the main job and the "trailing spouse" has followed. In the "girls" world there were men and women there was know need for such an expression it was obvious who was who and there role.
After our first week in Countrywoods residence everything changed. Up to this point couples had been going to a carefully organised induction course. Lectures, visits to Malls, Lunches and ending in a whole school BBQ poolside party at Countrywoods residence. The spouses employed by the School went off to work leaving their "trailing spouses" back at home wondering how to fill there days? Well its easy join the "girls" clubs, except most of the "trailing spouses" are men! Certainly this element of Expat life would be unrecognisable to my grandmother and I feel a bit like I've landed in a parallel universe.

So what have I been up to? Well hanging out with the "guys", the old hands have taken me to various Malls we have had Lunch , Coffee, shopping for bargains. Talking about planning holidays and what we did when we had jobs. Also where to get your haircut and look after our women. Playing sport and keeping fit is a popular option. I've done a load of swimming and running, but we also have Tennis a Squash available. One of the "Guy" is teaching me Tennis and dropped me off at his barbers (more o this later). The "staff" our driver Bam Bang (yes that's his real name) and Household Helper Wati (I'm avoiding the term "Maid" but that's a well understood title here) are very helpful and perhaps a luxury? We are not allowed to drive till we get an Indonesian licence and the traffic and complexity of Jakarta makes Bam Bang essential. Wati is a luxury but going shopping in the Local market would not be possible without her and her cooking of Indonesian cuisine is a real treat (Though a little hot and spicy)

Of course as a "trailing spouse" I am working on finding stuff out. I've met with the "girls"at the British Womens Association and the Australian New Zealand Association. Also busily following up volunteering opportunities and met the Anglican Vicar. Liz is also doing what people do at work (make friends and network) she has arranged for our 1st long weekend for us to go away with colleagues to Bandung to get into the countryside.

21 Days is time for the rights of passage ,with  a local barber. Dave who dropped me off had the coolest haircut and a scooter so riding on the back was fun. Though when he said I'd have to find my own way home it suddenly became more of a mission. The Barbers was called "Pilots" and was a themed place made to look like an airline, with proper airline walls and porthole windows. The seats were from an airline and the barbers chairs were like cockpit captain chairs. Using google translate I said "pendek pada sisi" which means short on the sides. The young man cutting my hair had a airline captain hat on and ignoring my perfect Indonesian smiled and presented me with a folder full of celebrities photo to pick a hairstyle. It was feeling a little surreal now and a touch comic camp. I choose David Beckham as at least he had short hair. Well a whole hour later we were finished, endless careful snipping and clipping, including ears, nose and eyebrows. Then a hair wash and  a completely unwanted shave with a cut throat razer finished off with a head, face and shoulders massage. This was all for the princely sum of 50,000 IDR or £3! Oh and I could have had more they seemed to offer Reflexology and massage ? All I had to do now was walk out of the air conditioning into the midday heat and walk twenty minutes home following google maps as I was lost. The alternative was to hail a scouter taxi but I choose the "mad dogs and Englishmen" approach of walking. You an only have so much excitement in one day

Gap years are not just for Youth

Well this is "first time trying", doing a blog...
Many years ago, when I was a youth I had a "Gap Year", but "back in the day" we did not call it  a "Gap Year" year but having a UB40 or being unemployed in Thatchers Britain. A common experience for many at that time and a surprise to those of us that had finished higher education at University or in my case Polytechnic.  Oh and incidentally "back in the day" in England, United Kingdom, or Great Britain we never used the the expression "back in the day"? When we talked about the past we might have used quaint expressions like, "in the past ..." or "in the olden days", or "in my youth".

One great lesson from my Gap Year, encapsulated by my friend Gurmel Singh was "first time trying"?
 I was a volunteer English Teacher and Gurmel had recently arrived in Newham in London from the Punjab through an arranged marriage to Karmel. Karmel was a born and bread Punjabi Londoner, from Peckham. We were all the same age, except the Singhs already had two children and I was single, house sharing with my brother rock band. After a couple of hours struggling to communicate and teach Gurmel English, we would adjourn to the family living room, to play and be climbed on by the children to amazing smells coming from the kitchen. Vast quantities of food would emerge, saying no or only a small portion was not an option. With each dish Gurmel would ask, "first time trying"? This was as much an encouragement to try different food as an enquiry if I liked the food and could be applied to other experiences. For example Gurmel would report that he had , "First time trying" been on a London Double Decker bus or first time trying going out and speaking English on his own....

For Gurmel there was a great temptation to stay within his community and rely on his wife and eventually his children to communicate in English. I think at that time (or should I say "back in the day") it was more common for Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to have arranged marriages with wives immigrating to join them, who then stayed in a "bubble" of the home and their ethnic community with little need or opportunity to learn English.

Fast Forward @ 35 years, and its the start of my 2nd "Gap Year(s)"...
In these  35 years I have met my amazing wife Liz and had three children,who have grown up and left home. So Liz and I left home, firstly moving to Cairo in Egypt to work in an international school. Liz as Learning support manager and me as Primary Librarian. Even though I was fully employed, it felt like a gap year as for the first time in my working life I had full school holidays, Yeah!!!
Arriving in Jakarta really is the start of a "Gap Year (s)", on my Birthday this week I will cease to be employed by my Cairo job. I will have a new status, though I'm not sure what description fits most comfortably. Unemployed? Retired? Trailing spouse? Between Jobs? Career transition? Lifestyle change?
At one of the welcoming events organised by the school that Liz is employed by someone assumed I must be retired. Its one of those moments like being mistaken that I was my daughters grandfather (I have grey hair), that causes a jolt. So for now my approach is one of being open and searching out new experiences, or as they said "Back in the day" of the first Star Trek series I watched on our first colour TV, "To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and New civilisations,to boldly go where no man has gone before. Or to put it another way:
"First time trying" my 2nd Gap Year