Mangrove Forest, Blitar, Bromo, WORDS, and Kediri

It took me a while to get back to my school routine in January and February, but going on little trips really helped to pass the time. This is especially true when you live abroad and time seems to move slowly. Things feel like they will never end, so planning some things to do is necessary!

One of the places I wanted to visit in Surabaya was the Mangrove Forest, where the seawater meets the fresh water in Surabaya on the eastern coast. There are lots of young couples and teenagers that enjoy the free park, but anyone can also take a boat to the edge and see the mangrove "plantations" and view of the Java Sea.

After telling me for many months that they would take me somewhere special, some teachers at my school packed the car and drove me out to Blitar to show me the grave of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno (very interesting man if you don't know of him, look him up! I read his autobiography, very interesting indeed...), Candi Penataran, and then the Kelud Mountain. Candi Penataran probably has the most interesting story; it's the ruins of the ancient Majapahit Kingdom. The Majapahit are significant as the empire reached its peak in the 1300s, conquering islands and land in present day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, southern Thailand, and East Timor. The Majapahit had relations with "Champa, Cambodia, Siam, and Vietnam, and China" just to give you an idea of the power of this empire.

The Entourage

Candi Penataran

Mount Kelud

One place that EVERYONE in East Java says you must go to is Mount Bromo. It's popular with Indonesians and tourists and is an active volcano that last erupted in 2011 (or so I'm told). The caldera sits in a huge plain and it is famous for its views, especially if you are looking from the neighboring volcano, Mount Penanjakan.

Finally, I am including a picture from AMINEF's annual WORDS Competition, an English competition held for 10th and 11th grade students coming from the high schools Fulbright ETAs teach at. This is me and my student in Jakarta at the 2013 WORDS Competition.