Interacting with the locals

So we visited the Monas, by the way my camera battery died so no pictures until the group shares with each other, so any way the Monas is the National Monument of Indonesia, it looks a lot like the Washington Monument in DC and when you walk all the way to the end, where the plaque is that explains in Indonesia what you are looking at, it looks like the national mall reflection pool. 

As we were exploring the monument we were approached by several street vendors to buy everything from whistles that sound like a crying distressed baby, sunglasses, flying hand kites, and handmade note cards. We posed for the picture in front of the monument, and you know that everyone wants one with their camera so Mr. John our tour guide had an arm full of cameras but we had several other people taking our photos, they were the street photo vendors, they had travel printer and were able to print out the picture by the time Mr. John took our picture will all the cameras then they tried to under bid each other so we would buy it! You cannot knock the hustle it is in the DNA of Indonesia. 

We visited the National museum at about 4:10pm and it closes at 5pm, so we rushed in and tried to see everything we could in 50 minutes. The museum was nice but packed with everything from the entire country, at one point there were 17,000 islands but with global warming and the water levels rising they have lost some island and it is down to about 14, 000.  We have been on the Island of Java, the other island have a travel time that is too long for us with our short trip.  Bali is the most touristy island, I will have to come back to see that one. 

We went to dinner at this place called Eastern Promise, it had food from all over, I had some Chicken Tikka Masala. It was soooo good and I know I that I am going to pay for it in the morning with a visit to bathroom but I don’t care!  I and the other African Americans finally interacted with someone who looks like us, I was like HEY!!! Scott is his name, he is a broker from the UK he was here on Holiday (Vacation is what the WE call it). We did the usually chit chat, then more of his friends came over to be nosy.  There will Stacy and Todd, whom they said they call Barak Obama caused he looked like him; I was like not really but ok. They were like yes is does, Todd put on your glasses; I was like every black man that wears glasses does not look like to Barak Obama!!!  They changed the subject to the fact that we have not had  hot water since we have been in Indonesia, they laughed at us and was like where are you staying  a village, we were like yes!!!!!!!!!  The food and drinks was good, I was able to have my regular drink Easy Living (combination of fruit juices on the rocks) over in Indonesia, that made me miss Ames and Café B, 2 days to go till I am home!