Interesting sites, tastes, things to hear, touch and see......

While hiking up to one of the water projects we noticed this on the side of the hill. What would you imagine this to be?? Some type of shrine? A cemetery?  Yes....a horse cemetery.

Another example of the Chinese influence here in Indonesia, they have some of the coolest rooftops here.

 Eating snake fruit. Grows on the base of trees in the forest

Snake fruit grows in clumps on these thorny bases of the tree. Pick with care or carry some bandaids. We were on our way up the trail to check on a water tank that had been installed and we just inspect them to make sure they are being cared for and still are functioning properly.

Some of the funniest things we see are while we are driving by in a car, here we pass a big banner advertising a 'World Toilet Summit' mtg.  Hmm, maybe we'll be seeing a new look for our toilets in the future. sorry we weren't invited!

 Check this out: "World Toilet Summit," October 2-4 in Surakarta (Solo) Indonesia.

They have fun sculptures all over, here's one we see often, mr. budda man, with his pet snake crawling up his belly. I'm standing next to the one greeting the guests in our hotel lobby. Notice my orange capped bottle, we always carry our own water to drink just in case there isn't clean water. Drinking bad water can give you what they call a 'runny tummy'!!!

While traveling with the Squires, who are member short-term specialists from Salt Lake City, we had lunch at a cozy outdoor restaurant, which included a fake baysok ride for me with Lonnie as the driver. But that is one of the was how they get around. I haven't been brave enough to try it yet. Below is a bike, with the baskets to haul things in. They get them pretty full.

The new program called Member short term projects is designed to help the local priesthood leaders help identify those in their areas who are truly needy and what resources we have to help that they can be given so that they can become more self reliant and gain that self esteem that is needed to progress towards a better life. Sometimes, it starts with giving them 3 chickens, a rooster and materials for a garden to provide food. In past pictures you have seen some of the families that we had the privilege of visiting. But here's a lesson for me, maybe others, they were still happy and showed much courage and faith. Certainly money is not the happiness maker the world would have us believe.  If these people who have so little, can smile each day, then truly they have found something greater.  They are so full of faith.

Some of Mary's closest friends. They took her shopping for a day. Here they are shopping for some batik prints. Mary claims there was lots of beautiful fabrics and one shopping trip can't suffice. So I am sure we'll be back.

OKAY!! Lonnie's the man! Here he is enjoying the delicacy of fried cow skin, I think I'm about to be sick. And of course I declined! Our friends, the Kusumarmanto's, they are the Employment couple that work in the church center were our guides for the day. I think they thought Lonnie was pretty brave, because they then told him that he should try dog, ummm... even Lonnie couldn't go there. This is at a traditional street eating establishment, the real, not for tourist, place where the locals enjoy. The fruit juices they have here are always good!!

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Climbing up these very rickety stairs, I just help on tight to the railing. But I did make it to the top. The climb down was probably worse, this was quite the site to see. All the people who lost their homes and businesses. Sounds like they weren't given too much, but got some. So much corruption in our world, wow.

The Lusi Mud eruption. Called now the Lusi hot mud volcano in East Java (near Yogyakarta), has erupted unabated for almost 7 years displacing more than 100,000 people in 16 different villages. The debate is whether it was caused by an earthquake that erupted just two days before or from oil drilling. The consensus seems to be the earthquake 6.2 was not powerful enough. The steps on the above pictures is the dam they built to stop the mud flow. The above picture is at the top looking out for as far as you could see. Hot oozing mud. They threw a rock in and it was swallowed up in the hot oozing mud. They have tried drilling, inserting a ball into the ore hole, and diverting the mud, but haven't been able to stop it to date..... Never seen anything like this?

Caught this shot as we were in a shopping mall and noticed the man with his feet in the pond. I assume they are cleaning any dead skin or debris of his legs. Pretty different?