Valentine’s Day Surprise

Indonesia held promise. We weren’t going to Bali. No. When so many work opportunities presented themselves in Java, why would we hit over-touristed Bali?
As our plane began its descent at Yogyakarta Airport, I spotted two pointed mountains emerging from the clouds.
“Yep. Now we are in the Ring of Fire,” John said.
I filled in the next required line, “Burn, burn burn, The Ring of Fire, the ring of fire.” (Some things must be done.) We laughed. We successfully made it to Yogya without an overnight in Jarkarta and we were feeling good. It required catching a cab in Kuching at 5 a.m. for our first flight to Kuala Lumpur. Then a wait and another flight to Jakarta. Then a shuttle to another terminal, then a long wait until our 5:30 p.m. flight. Long day. No matter. We booked a fancy hotel (for cheap) and would soon have five-star luxury to bolster us.

Sweltering heat greeted us as we deplaned and walked across the tarmac to the terminal. Brief confusion over transport to our hotel left me drained. Then we busted a move and found our cabbie; the evening sky was dressed in neon pink and orange sari.IMG_1621

Suddenly, as can happen when traveling, I felt euphoric. Continue reading