Ambon Manise!

In Bogor we had to say goodbye to Hendrik, he was heading up to Malaysia or Thailand (we don't know, he also didn't knew yet) and we planned to pick up my mum from the airport in Jakarta! Very exciting!!!! Unfortunately the picking didn't really work out the way we wanted but thank god, eventually we could hug mama Josefien, which was amazing!

We had a lovely, warm and really good welcoming at Sentul City (close to Bogor) by Yola's family (Yola is my cousin Julius' cousin, understand?? Haha!) We stayed there for 2 nights. Steven mentioned to Donny and Hansel (Yola's husband and son) the surf competition in Cimaja, at the coast where we were last couple of days. So the next day they took us all the way there, because Hansel likes to watch the surfing as well.. cute! And of course, Steven had to give him his first surf lesson, Hansel was so stoked!

The next day the two of us went to Jakarta city to go to the Quantas office to arrange something with our flight tickets. After arriving at the train terminal we were surrounded by lots of skyscrapers and... Plaza's (shopping mall's). And then, all of the sudden we bumped into the first Burger King we've seen in Indo and went straight for it! Haha! It was unbelievable GOOD!

Later that evening we met mum and Yola in Indoplaza to go to the airport to Ambon!

We arrived in Ambon at 06.00 in the morning, the sun was slowly crawling up, fresh air and the most beautiful landscape! AMBON MANISE!!! (sweet ambon) Steven immediately loved it!

At the other side of the gate, oom Jeffrey was already waiting for us. Good to see him again. With his fancy car he drove us to the kampong (tiny village) where our close family still live, named 'Airlow'. Located right by the beach, between the lush jungle forest with lots of quite poor standard houses but with huge soundsystem boxes right outside on their veranda playing the lovely local ambon songs (lagu lagu). The atmosphere is so different compare to the rest of Indonesia, it has a really nice island cosyness (ons-kent-ons)which is very pleasant to experience.

It was lovely to see the family again at the traditional family house of my grandfather, and for Steven the first time!! And again so good to see how mum feels so at home there and so confident. She's like the queen, hahahahah! She knows everyone there, unbelievable. For us it's still one big mystery, so enormously big the family is!

We've been quite busy everyday. Visiting my grandmothers family just a few minutes down the road:
Seen Pintu Kota, literally translated: Gate Town. It's a beatiful rock that sticks out of the water formed into a gate. This is a very important site- seeing for our area.
Went to oma Yaya (aunt of mum) in Seri. We had to go by 'Ojek', it's like your hitchhiking on the back of someones motorbike for a bit of money. Stunning ride over the hills with constantly the beach on our side. In Seri, Steven and I had a lovely walk on the rocky beach with all of the sudden a dozen kids accompany us. Showing us all the sea animals that exist! Great!

And then was finally the day to meet Naftali, my cousin from Holland. It was really good to see him again after 1 month. He's been visiting his family too, for 2 weeks now.



The next day together with mum, naftali, oom Docky and tante Ona we hired an 'Angkot', a bus, for the whole day to explore a bit more of the island.
First we went to Waai where Steven and I held huge Moray eels. "Iehhh!" their so slippery/slimy, great and scary!
Then we drove to the 'Air Panas' (hot spring) to bath in almost 50 degrees!! Very hot, but nice. We ended the day at Natsepa beach, stunning white sand beach to chill. Met a lot of people from Holland. Tante Antoinette, oom Jonkie en Crishna.
Tonight we are going to the Ambon Jazz festival here in town to enjoy ourselves with some lovely chilled music from musicians here and abroad.

We hope that the electricity and water will work a bit better than this last weekend. Because of the Ambon Jazz Festival they shut down ALL the electricity of everyone on the island from 9.00 in the morning until 04.00 in the morning, so basically the whole day! It's unbelievable but very true...you cannot understand it!

We spent 5 nights sleeping with my grandfathers family and from today we spent another 5 nights sleeping with my grandmothers family. So we still have lots to do!
AND... to write to you very soon...

Lots of love us