Sunday, March 16, 2014

Touching Base with You and Sharing some upcoming Plans!

Hello Everyone!  Greeting from Nick & Ellen here in Salatiga!

We have been back now 1 1/2 week from Bali - and after posting lots of pictures...going to the dentist & healing from that tooth that needed to be pulled - ouch! - catching up on the wash, and now making plans to update our visa's again for the month of March...well life keeps us busy!  

Nick has a few trips to Semarang to the immigration office there to deal with visa #5 month.  There are several steps to have to take going from one office to another - etc!  Semarang is abut 1.5 hrs from here - a very busy road to take to and once you are in town - well it is even more busy there to get around...so much time involved!

Upon our return from Bali we were pleased to receive many friends that came by to welcome us back...so very sweet and so heart- warming for Nick & I!!!   

We did our regular English lessons again & that is lots of fun to do. 

So all is well here...we are still having rain since returning to Salatiga...maybe it just rains more here..being a larger island AND we are up in elevation...so the clouds come this way from the coast and drop here.  I think because Indonesia is a "rain forest" Indonesian Rainforest Click Here! area and thus all this rain (in this rainy season Nov-Mar/April) does replenish many countries all over the world.

Our friends, Elisha  & Beppie from Kawan Kitchen had to leave Indonesia to update their passports - so they are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia right now...enjoying a good visit and some R&R as well!

Both Nick & I are now making plans as well to travel outside of Indonesia coming April 19th - at 6 month - we have to physically leave Indonesia, apply for a new entry visa at the consulate in Singapore or elsewhere (we decided to go to Singapore again) you can of course go to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and/or Singapore- other places too...all is possible - as long as you physically leave Indonesia before your expired date which in our case is April 21st.  

We are looking at flights right now...all VERY VERY reasonable.  There is this airline here called Air Asia and they have fantastic prices continuously...many people use this airline! 

It takes a 3 day turn around to do the application: hand the paperwork, fotos including leaving our passports at Consulate and then - ...come back in two days to pick it up - pay the fee and we are done for another 2 months - that is...upon date of entry back to Indonesia!  

So anyway that gives you an idea of where things are at this time.

Some of you are asking - "so when are you heading back to the US?"  This April extension will give us another 2 months so by the last week of June we will physically have to leave the country.

We had it in our minds to go visit Israel / Greece  - getting a Eurorail pass - and then heading north to Holland.  We might travel through a little bit of Europe on the way north...sounds fun but not sure if this is realistic....Europe is way more expensive!  

When we arrive in Holland we hope to stay there a few months to visit my son & family and then also all our other relatives: aunts & uncles, cousins on both Nick & my side!  We also hope to see a little of Holland while we are there...maybe we can get a car and just drive around and see this beautiful country I was born in...with so many windmills and water ways...!  There is so much to see in Holland and both Nick & I would love to explore it!

Plans....Lord willing!  I always want to remember that!  Lord willing we will do this or that....but this gives you all an idea of our near future plans!






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