Indonesian Adventures!

Travels With Heart By Annie Bowler July 1, 2025 Volume 26

June was quite a month! It began at the California Democratic Convention which was attended by over 2,500 delegates from across the state. We heard from many inspirational speakers, but I was especially pleased to hear Governor Tim Walz speak. I hope you’ll take the time to listen as he has an exciting vision for America's future. His ideas fired me and many of my fellow delegates up. Here’s a link to his speech.

I met John at SFO andthen flew together to Singapore where we had a wonderful

time exploring this interesting city/country for a couple of days. Singapore has beautiful gardens everywhere; their Botanical Garden National Park is considered one of the best in the world, mainly because of their amazing variety of orchids. Singapore also has a world class metro system, great restaurants, and forward-thinking policies that address pollution and climate change.

On the other hand, the government calls all the shots on many things, big and small. For example, it’s a crime to chew gum, spit, or leave a toilet seat up. NO protests are allowed ever and there are many regulations and policies that infringe on everyone’s rights. Nonetheless, we sure enjoyed our time is this beautiful city.

Our first day in Indonesia was great fun, albeit a wild one! The day’s biggest event was the

World Cup qualifier match between Indonesia and China. The day started calmly enough;

John and I got wonderful massages which made me so relaxed, I decided to get a much-

needed pedicure. Problem was, my feet were a mess and Indonesians are meticulous. Two

hours later, my toes were perfect, but I was late, so late I need to get a GoJek ride

(Indonesia’s version of Lyft) to meet up with everyone. Problem was, traffic was awful,

and GoJek cars kept canceling, so I ended up taking a GoJek motorcycle across Jakarta to meet up with Ayu, Howi and Alma. Let just say, I said a few prayers along the way.

Some of the many Gojek drivers

Traffic continued to be awful, and Atu, Howi, Alma and I had to park a long way from the stadium. We realized we would miss a good portion of the game so Ayu decided that we should all take GoJek motorcycles to get there for kick off. More prayers. Problem was, the 4 of us got split up. I, with the race car motorcycle driver, was in front with no idea of where we were going. Luckily, Ayu caught up with me and we arrived safely but there was no sign of Howi or Alma for many long minutes. We all breathed a big sigh of relief when they showed up!

Once we were finally in our seats, the stadium was electric with excitement. There was so

much Indonesian pride! The stadium holds 80,000 but it was overfilled because scalpers

double-sold many tickets., including ours! People were standing in every isle, but nobody seemed to mind, especially because Indonesia won 1-0. This win allows Indonesia to advance onto the second round of the World Cup qualifing tournment.

John and I are very proud of our grandson Howi who grduated high school while wewere there. He attended Global Jaya International School which offers a very challenging IB program. Howi studied harder than ever and did his very best! It seemed like all the graduates were relieved to have IB testing behind them!

We’re lucky to be able to spend a good portion of our Indonesian visit at Jocean and Ayu’s

beautiful farm, Lodge’s Ekologika at Portibi Farm. Jocean and Ayu have created an

Indonesian gem. It helps that their farm is up high up on the side of a mountain with

temperatures that are just about perfect. Their views are amazing and their food is delicious, organic, locally grown withall kinds of interesting flavors. There is much to do: read, relax, play games, listen to music or talk with the other guests who, by the end of the weekend, feel like old friends. There are also hikes to the nearby national forest or villages, farm tours and planting opprotunities, cooking classes, and summer camps for kids.

If you ever get a chance to visit Indonesia, you’d be delighted by the country’s beauty but

especially by Lodges Ekologika at Portibi Farms!

Our time at Lodges Ekologika at Portibi Farms sadly came to a close. The best part of

our visit beyond the amazing food and the gorgeous setting were all the people we spent

time with- our family of course, but also the wonderful staff and many fascinating guests that visit the farm.

Epian is the main guide who takes people on hikes through the jungle around their farm.

Epian came up to the farm many years ago as a child to learn how to speak English. He now is married with a one and a half year-old child; he’s a knowledgeable and careful guide . He runs a small farm himself; he collects red sugar from palm trees, grows vegetables and raises a number of animals.

It was grandma‘s week at the farm. Beyond me, Ewine and the British grandma, there was Lynn’ mom Brenda and her best friend Maggie, who were also visiting from England. I very much enjoyed spending time with Lynn and Jacob, who have both visited the farm many times. They are fine musicians so we had a great time singing and playing together.

Alma enjoyed bringing her friend to the farm.

Ayu’s mom, Ewin, is here visiting. We haven’t seen her for a number of years so her presence made our visit extra special.

Ayu is a fantastic chef; lucky she has a talented crew who carry out the details

The kids eat an early dinner so no one gets cranky

The Pacifist Cannibal lounge is a favorite spot for games, music and conversation

John and I spent our last days in Indonesia at Desa Laguna, a little paradise island just 1 ½

hours off the coast of Jakarta. We, along with Jocean, Ayu, Howi, Alma, and Ayu’s mom,

Edwin, snorkeled, paddle boarded, collected shells, relaxed, napped, read, sang, laughed, and told stories while enjoying lovely food and the amazing scenery. We couldn’t be more proud of Jocean’s longtime friend, Roderick des Tombe, who designed and runs Desa Laguna.

Jocean, Ayu and Roderick began their careers in eco-tourism 20 + years ago hoping to

create places where their guests could experience Indonesia’s incredible natural beauty and hopefully become advocates for its many natural resources.

Roderick and his team are actively working to restore the local coral reefs and have planted mangrove trees. They gather as much plastic as possible when currents sadly

carries plastics near to Desa Laguna.

Jocean, Ayu and their team have literally reforested a mountainside that had been made

bare by logging. Every dish they serve contains locally grown food which has boosted the

local economy. They both hire staff from their local communities as much as is reasonably

possible.

We both feel fortunate for this extra special trip to Indonesia!

Ayu, Roderick and Jocean

We each got to plant a mangrove tree that will later be transplanted into the sea

Each person who plants a mangrove tree is asked to sign a wooden medallion and yours to the collection

The mangroves in the foreground were planted a year or so ago whereas the ones further back were planted about 12 years ago. Mangroves sequester about 10 times the amount of carbon as other trees. They also create important habitats for all kinds of sea life and inhibit erosion, which is crucial due to the rising seas.

Another thing that Rodrick is doing is to protect the roots of the trees that are near the shore by piling dead coral and rocks on the exposed roots. Sand is beginning to fill in naturally.

Rodrick’s team gathers plastic from the sea when it is needed. They also pull in timbers that float by. They have reused some of this wood.