Island hopping

This week I was able to do some different things, some firsts for me.
I went on an assignment for a few different things to a couple of islands in Indonesia. I visited Bali for the first time and went to Lombok on a second visit. The best part is that my wife was able to come along and spend some time with me there since Thursday was a holiday (Veteran's Day).
On Wednesday I had a few different things to do and was able to spend some time at the Consular Agency we have in Bali and with the staff there. It's small, but they are very good and handle a big amount of consular services for Americans compared to their size. It was good to see where the people I work with are working and meet them face to face. Friday I went to Lombok for work and then back to Java that evening.
One of the things that the U.S. Government does for its citizens abroad is visit them if they are incarcerated for any reason to find out how they are doing and keep in communication. This was one of my tasks for my trip and something I am happy to do. Luckily, from what I've seen, there are some things that people in prison can do here that make life a little easier such as have food and reading material brought in for you, and in some cases even use your cell phone freely. They are able to take care of things that need to be done if they have a friend on the outside and keep in touch. This usually makes things a little simpler on the visit since sometimes I have even talked with the person on the phone to let them know I'm coming.

Waterfall in Bali

Choosing fish to grill for dinner

The monkey fell asleep sitting up

Terraced rice fields

The view of the volcano while drinking watermelon juice

Because Thursday was a holiday, we arranged for my wife to come. We had a good time together Wednesday night, Thursday all day and Friday in Lombok after I was done with business. We saw so many different things that I can't even begin to list them here. It was a lot of fun. We saw tourist sites, artists, volcanoes, lakes, the sea and beaches. We ate by candlelight on the beach, breathed fresh sea air, relaxed watching the scenery, and were thrilled and maybe a little scared by the fast driving down narrow streets just missing dogs, motorcycles and ladies with baskets on their head as we zoomed through. In Lombok we saw so many rice fields and horse-drawn carts as well as amazing beaches, mountains and views. In Bali we got a full dose of the musical, dance, carving, and other handicraft artistry that is part their culture. After that and a full Saturday, I fell into bed about 9:00 pm and couldn't get up until late the next morning.

Lombok near Malimbu

I'll have to do it again soon. My wife and I checked out places we will want to go in the future and with our children. I would love to hike a volcano or two, spend some time on the beach and swimming in the sea, see the monkey temple again, ride elephants, and ride in one of those horse carts. Both of these islands are less than an hour plan flight from us. Anyone want to join us?