A Very Happy Birthday!

I had the greatest birthday ever here in Jakarta. The kids supplied candles and music to my Saturday morning massage here at the house. Then Claire, Kathy and I went off to a spa for facials and pedicures. After a lazy afternoon around the pool we went to dinner at Cafe Batavia, an institution here in Jakarta. It has this great 40's feel to it, sort of like Rick's Place in Casablanca. The walls of the bar are covered with photos of all the famous people who have been there from James Dean, Dennis Hopper, Alfred Hitchcock to Ronald Reagan. An incredible quintet sang and played music while we ate. Later we checked out the cake market at Pasar Senen. A huge football field sized market that is table after table of cakes and treats. We admired these cakes that looked as if the decorator tried to put every possible action figure/Barbie/ house and car imaginable on it. I guess it must be for the child who has everything. -Karon

Kathy's Un-Jetlagged

My niece Kathy arrived on Thursday. As is typical, after three days she has just about recovered from the jetlag and is making plans for her four weeks here. So far, it looks like we will be joining her for trips to the volcanoes and hot springs outside Bandung, and a short trip to Bali. She is planning to make a trip to Yogyakarta to see Borobudur and Prambanan temples, but we need to see how things with Mt. Merapi and yesterday's earthquake impact these plans.

I've added a link to Kathy's blog to the right, so you can get her perspective on Indonesia as well!

Joel

More Seismic Activity

For those who may have heard about the 6.2 earthquake in Yogyakarta this morning, please know that we are safe. Jogja is over 250 miles from Jakarta, and we were never in any danger, nor did we feel any tremors. Java is a very big island.

Highland Burning of the Boat

On our way back home this weekend we stopped in on the Jakarta Highland Games which was celebrating it's 19th year. Talk about multicultural! The best bag pipe player was awarded to a Sikh from Malaysia. The winner of the caber toss was an American and a energetic troop of scarf dancers from India stole the show.
We enjoyed the traditional boat burning when kilted Scotsman ignited a mock boat with staves to signal the end of the day.

Get out of town...

We went to Tanjung Lesung on the west coast of Java this weekend and stayed at a charming resort. See kid's blogs for other pictures. It was great to get out of the city, it was so peaceful. Joel sailed in a few races at the resort, which was good for his soul. Met some wonderful people. The British resort owner who was delightful and called the head waiter, Manuel, ala Fawlty Towers, and the international school teachers who invited us over for drinks in which we talked for hours and yelled about the Bush administration. The resort is near Krakatau and huge volcanic rock reminders of that great explosion laid on our beach.

Sandbergs Retire from International Sports Careers

We are wrapping up the season on soccer for Claire and rugby for Derek. I couldn't be prouder of them! Joining a new team is always difficult, add that it is in a foreign country can make it even harder. Claire amazed her coaches by asking to be goalie, something pretty rare among 5th grade girls. She did a great job and really improved her skills. She is much more aggressive about approaching the ball. Her team was the "Australians" and they started each game with a cheer of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!" She played with girls from all over the world and made good friends with Sophie who is actually from Australia!

Derek finished up his rugby career with the Komodo Dragons last week when the team hosted the Jakarta 10's tournament. Teams came from all over Indonesia and parts of Southeast Asia. Derek played prop and second row. Derek had to really take his game up a notch as he was on a men's team (he plays on a H.S. team at home) of guys from all over the world, most of which had been playing rugby all their lives. Derek played his heart out and really learned a lot. Briggsy and Keify (fellow team mates) took Derek under their wing and kept a watchful eye on him. For both kids this experience will be something they will never forget.
-Karon

Earthquake!

News Item (45 minutes ago):
Strong earthquake rocks Sumatra, no reports of damage
JAKARTA (AP): A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 hit undersea near Indonesia's Sumatra Island, officials said Friday.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia's Sumatra town and western Java island. Officials said it had a preliminary 5.6 magnitude and was centered 14 kilometers (8 miles) undersea in the Sunda straits, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of Jakarta.
A resident in one of the nearby towns said there was no sign of significant damage, though many residents were frightened by the jolt.
The tremor could also be felt in Jakarta (**) -->

Here's my firsthand account as it happened:
Vinay: Did you feel that?
Joel: What?
Vinay (calmly): It's an earthquake. I felt it. See, the blinds are moving.
(Groundhog Episode begins. General hubbub amongst the cubicle dwellers rises, then Sean the project manager enters)
Sean: We've been told to evacuate the building.
Joel: See everyone on Monday!

Pram

The big news in Indonesia last week was the passing of Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's most significant novelist. Pram's masterwork was the Buru Quartet, four historical novels written during 14 years of imprisonment followed by another 13 years of house arrest. Published between 1980 and 1990, they take place during Indonesia's emancipation from Dutch colonial rule. The story of these novels is remarkable - arrested by the Soharto regime in 1965, his notes and research were destroyed. Over the next ten years of imprisonment, Pram was denied access to writing materials of any kind. Nevertheless, he was able to compose two complete novels in his head, reconstructing his research from memory, by telling the story to his fellow inmates.

It is rare and notable when the passing of an author receives the attention that Pram's passing has this past week. The story of Pram's life, and his personalized accounts of the rise of Indonesian nationalism, provide fantastic insight into the Indonesian people.

Doctor, Doctor, give me the news.....

Got to experience the medical services here in Jakarta as Joel had to take a (school) ambulance when he pulled his calf muscle while playing basketball. It was the only way they could get him off the school grounds as he couldn't walk. He's ok, took a day off to rest. We bought him a rather dapper cane and he know hobbles around reminding us all of Frazier's Dad.
Derek topped that by crashing into the underwater steps in the pool today and he required 8 stitches and a bit of haircut. He took it well and now sports a rather dapper bandage on his head. Thankfully he is fine and will be ok too. Let's hope that will be ALL we will see if the medical services in Jakarta.
A bit of news that made me laugh today. Yesterday there was a big May Day Labor protest. The city was expecting the worst and literally shut down. In today's paper they reported a peaceful protest due to the fact that the government hired 60 "rainmen" spiritualists to cause it to rain and disperse the protesters. Each man was paid $120 each. I guess it worked as it rained like crazy!
-Karon