Birthday Festivities!

Last week was the big birthday celebration, and as luck would have it, it just so happened to be Muhammad's b-day as well, so we had a nice long holiday weekend in which to celebrate. My friends and I headed out to the 1000 Islands, a group of islands off the coast of Java, for a little sun and snorkling. We stayed at a great little place called Tiger Island, which is about the size of a football field and we had the run of the island for 3 fun-filled days. After a few minor sea urchin disasters, some incredible sunsets, copius amounts of snorkling, and some daredevil stunts involving a trampoline, we headed back to Jakarta to finish out the celebration in style...it just wouldn't be my birthday without a little karaoke...

How to take a mandi

Mandi is the term used for "taking an Indonesian-style bath" and it has been the subject of much discussion between myself and friends and family back home. While I was at first somewhat depressed at the thought of having to bathe this way for an entire year, I am now a true convert to the mandi style. As my neighbor put it: "it's refreshing"...and I couldn't have described it any better myself. So, without further ado, here's a step by step process of how to mandi:

1. Fill the bak (tub) with water. In all Indonesian homes, the bak is left full at all times (the water is used for not only bathing purposes, but also in lieu of toilet paper...however that is a separate topic which should best be described in person...)

2. Stand outside the bak and scoop out a bucket of water, then pour the water over the body taking care not to get any soap in the bak.

3. Repeat step 2 until clean

It's a bit labor intensive, but since the water is cold, keeping active takes your mind off of the fact that the water is freezing.

Here's a look at my bathroom, complete with western toilet (thank god!) and bak:

Bird's eye view of my bak (my house has 4 bathrooms if you can believe it, and this one is by far the cleanest and in the best condition. Notice how the tap is secured by using a plastic bag...many plumbing and maitenence problems here are solved with plastic bags. It's the Indonesian equivalent of Duct tape)