A Day to Semarang With Elisha & Beppie!

 All four of our passports needed to be extended again for another month.   So Elisha & Beppie invited us to tag along!  She had a dentist appointment that afternoon and both Nick & I are needing one soon!

 We departed out of Salatiga at 9:30 am and got into town around 11 ish!  Elisha suggested we get a bite to eat first & then drop us off at the Mall afterwards.  We would walk over to the dentist office - while he would go to the Immigration Office to hand in the passports.

 The restaurant Lombok Idjo was very nice!  It was undercover but otherwise open eating area.  Very cute!   This seems weird - all open but remember the weather is very much the same here all year round!Even when it rains - it is still very mild out! 

Elisha does a great job ordering (being a Chef!)
so we leave it up to him! It was nice to sit and relax after our drive ~ and enjoy a light meal of rice, chicken, fish and some spinach.

Say cheese you guys!

 

While we were "killing time"  in the Mall - a gentleman overheard us chatting in Dutch! And he approached us!  He came to talk to us and he spoke in Dutch!  Wow...so special!  Yes - as a boy he grew up in a Dutch School speaking & learning in Dutch! (this was before Indonesia had its Independence) So it was darling to hear - and he was very proud to still speak it after so many years!

He is 79 years old - and he asked us all how old we were?! They do that here very naturally and normally in Indonesia - it is part of their culture to talk or ask your age here! Funny!

I had to get use to that one - never shared my age so' often as here in Indonesia...

Yes Everyone...I am 63! (that is if you are curious! ha!)

Well we headed to the dentist office and Beppie went in first - she is having a crown put in.  And then I went in as well and met Dr Andre - who spoke English really well - and I asked him where he had studied in the dental school....... in Stockton - did I hear that right???????? California????????

YES! He said...talk about a "small world!" I told him we had lived in Modesto, CA and he of course knew where that was! What a chuckle for us!  Here we are in Semarang Java Indonesia...and having a dental appointment with someone who received his license in CA!!!! Amazing!

Well that sure did rest-assure our hearts immediately!  I need a root canal and a crown - to save the tooth that he said now has an infection in it...yikes....better deal with it soon!   

  I was glad I went and was pleased with the appointment! 
Beppie too is relieved, we both know how important it is to feel we are in good hands...and we were!  OK - I will set an appointment to have a root canal done and a crown - when I return from Bali!  We must deal with it before we return to the States!  
                             CAN NOT offered it there-no way! 
 

Elisha came to pick us up when he was finished with the visa process.  We headed back to Salatiga at about - 3:00 pm.  It was getting VERY busy on the road! We decided to eat dinner on the way home...and we stopped at Comery - a restaurant - kind of truck/car stop!

The restaurant was very pretty and it was a place you could take a tour through the grounds - it was a milk factory.

We saw these little love-birds in the cage....cute huh?  Oh my their were cuddling and coo-ing! Adorable and so pretty - bright red!

This tree is one of my favorites!  Look at those branches - very unique! 

                                                        Anyone know what tree this is? 

 

This place was just gorgeously laid out!  A real treat to see it all!  

Back in the car and another short hour drive...bumper to bumper! 

The one lane road has sometimes 3 cars on it going the same direction!  Cars, buses, trucks, lots of motorcycles passing by on the left and right!  Elisha knows how to get through it - but Nick & I sure don't EVEN WANT TO TRY!!! 

NO WAY!

I looked out the window - and a bus passes by almost mirror to mirror...just a little squeeze and he gets in...oh my talk about getting "snug" on the road!  Of course we are driving in very slow traffic but seeing all that passing on the left and right - oh my!

Remember now...all this is happening on the left side - right? See Elisha sitting behind the steering wheel?  Weird huh?  Yes - still strange to see at times.  Especially when someone comes to pick you up with their car and you have to sit up front and get into the car on the front left side!!!!  (see Beppie?)

Nick had to run an errand - and all at once - the rain came down....HARD! In just a few minutes it goes from dry to soaking wet!  Nico was drenched alright!  He could not even take his shirt off by himself! Soaked to the bone!

Well off to Bali we are going in the morning!  We are excited - and looking forward to it! May we have some sunshine while we are there...that is surely what we hope for!  I hear the water is gorgeous - aqua blue!  Snorkeling is what they do down there....but gosh - gotta have some warmer weather....to do that.....we shall see!