I met both of B’s nieces, an eight and four year old. Everyone greeted me in English! Apparently English starts quite young here and both the little girls can speak it as well. They even watched a movie completely in English while I was there. Breakfast consisted of different fried rices and noodles, with a curry sauce, plus some other things. The birthday girl’s cake was astonishing! Beautifully designed based on Inside Out. Another family member created it. B’s parents and brother were set to arrive later in the day. AJ told me that the driver got to Bandung at 7 am! We went out to get some lunch for the family.

Since everyone had left Jakarta to go to Bandung for vacation, traffic was really light. We drove by a lot of the famous spots in Jakarta - government buildings, museums and the National Monument. We actually ended up picking up lunch at Chili's! They have so many of the same chains here from around the world: Carrefour (French), Gold’s Gym, A&W. While waiting for the food, we went into a shopping area that sold traditional crafted items and batik clothing. Back at the house, we had lunch and then ate cake!

I got to see a house lizard crawling along on the inside of the wall! It was small and cute. Their dogs went crazy trying to get it.

AJ, B and I left with B’s parents and brother back to Bandung at 3 pm. Attempt #2. We definitely made quicker progress today with getting out of the inner city. Again we snacked on bread. At 9:30 pm, we made a pit stop at mall at a cafe and to use the restrooms. The mall was hopping even though it was so late. First surprise, people don’t line up in the restroom, they just barge into whatever door opens. I had to be aggressive. Second, there’s no toilet paper. Everyone carries tissues in their purses. (But unlike Japan, you have soap and dryers.) Then it was back on the road again!