Guests of honor

Our first several stops in Indonesia were smaller cities (it's all relative!) that don't see many tourists. This led to delightful experiences with locals 'uncorrupted' by the tourism industry. And just learning to say 'thank you' in the local dialect seems to be the highest form of flattery. (Bahasa Indonesia is the national language, but there are hundreds of regional languages.) One of our most rewarding experiences was staying with a local family in a city that doesn't register on the tourist map just yet. Our route to their house required taking four different angkots (or minibuses, the local fixed route taxis). After two angkot rides, we were soaked in a downpour, and one angkot got a flat tire (so all passengers were shuttled to another along the same route). We were stumbling along a main road and asking a security guard for directions when a local woman (with excellent english!) approached to help us. She read through our directions and next thing we know we are climbing into her car with her husband and mother. We had a delightful conversation with these bewildered locals so surprised to come across us in their city...and anxious to practice their english...on the ride to our destination. For two days we hung out with local families, feasted on regional specialties, and were even taken to a local wedding party!! The wedding party was a bit more attention than Tim and I like. (I must explain that the brother of the bride spent some time in the states and is an english teacher...so he was quite eager to have us there, I'm not sure about the bride and groom!) As we arrived, the video camera came out and we were whisked to the stage where the band was performing. After we awkwardly danced to a song on stage, as our faces turned fuchsia, we were prompted to congratulate the newlyweds who sat in a receiving line with their parents apart from the guests. Although we certainly felt out of place, everyone made us feel quite welcome... and at the very least, we must have provided a bit of entertainment!!