Back In Mongolia, Two Weeks On

After catching the plane in Perth and three flights in total we arrived in UB (Ulaanbaatar), Mongolia. Our bags arrived in one piece and we headed to the guest apartment that Ben had been staying in. 

The weather has been really good as its summer here so leaving the cold weather in Perth we have been enjoying the sunshine and sometimes rain here in UB. I am not taking the weather for grated as I know it will be winter here soon enough.

As I post this blog we have been in UB (Ulaanbaatar) for just over two weeks and I feel like we have achieved a lot and we are settling in quite well. We have found some where to live, thanks to Ben house hunting so when our items arrive from Indonesia we can move straight in. When that will be I just don't know and we are hoping it will be not to far away.

Since we where last here I have been able to see many of the changes that have occurred in the city. There are a lot more buildings that have gone up in the city, the traffic seems to have gotten worse. I think that is due to people being able to buy cars. The prices for rentals have gone up as the demand due to the increase in mining activity has increased. There are a lot more westerners roaming around and this is due to being summer here and also of the influx of the work force coming for mining activity. There is a lot more choice in the supermarkets but once again you can not do the one shop shopping. There are also a number of products you can not find but in time I hope I will be able to in time. We have been gone three years and somethings seems as they have never changed and its a weird feeling to be somewhere that seems so familiar.

This is the first of many blogs that I will post while we are here in Mongolia and to some up this blog "SO FAR SO GOOD".

Ben and Paige standing in front of the big Chinggis Khan statue in Sukhbaatar Square

Paige enjoying a strawberry milkshake

Old friends catch up, Paige and Tsenguun with some playtime

Nothing changes, a homeless person by the parliament building

Two young girls waiting to enter the parliament building

View from the 8th floor of the Monnis building

Another view from the 8th floor of the Monnis building

Outside view of the Sunday Plaza Shopping Centre,
a range of small shops selling clothes, home goods, and other items

Ben buying a Kvass drink

Ben drinking a Kvass drink

Kvass is a fermented beverage made from black or regular rye bread. The colour of the bread used contributes to the colour of the resulting drink. It is a very low alcoholic drink (0.7 to 2.2%) and can come in apple or raspberry flavour. The drink is from Russia and is sold on the street here in small trailer type stands. It didn't taste to bad, it was across between an apple and yeast taste.

Entrance to the Naran Tuul Market also know as The Black Market

The Naran Tuul Market or also know as the Black Market we visited the market to try and start finding some items for the town house we will be moving into. Ben likes this market as he sometimes finds some camouflage items for his collection. The market is very large. On some web sites say its the biggest market in Asia and in summer can have anywhere up to 60,000 people visiting it per day. 

You can find just about anything at this market if you look hard enough and the prices are a lot cheaper then in some of the city shops, hence that's why so many people come to this market. 

Shoppers beware many pick pockets roam this market so I never take a hand bag and I usually wear a money belt to make sure we are not targeted.

Having lunch with some old friends Tracy, Andrea, Oko and also some new friends Sue and Donna

Spending Time In Perth

After finishing our time in Jakarta we headed home for a break in Perth. Ben spent only  a week in Perth at home enjoying a visit from his dad as did Paige and I.

Both Paige and I where lucky enough to spend another four weeks keeping busy doing things around the house we also able to fit in a short visit to Kalgoorlie.

I never thought our time would fly by, between catching up with friends and doing some home improvements our stay in Perth was over in a blink of an eye. Here are some before and after pictures of what we got done on our visit.

The wall between the study area and kitchen before it was taken out also with the brown tiles

The wall taken out between the study and kitchen area

Another view of the wall taken out

Finished and painted brick with the lino tiles layed

Easter Sunday & The Last Blog From Jakarta

Easter Sunday was spent with friends. We had a yummy lunch at our friend Tom and Marina's house. It was like having the last supper so to speak as we only have two more days until we leave Jakarta and head back to Australia.

It was nice catching up with friends and seeing the kids do the Easter egg hunt.

Paige, Reuben & Rosie ready for the Easter egg hunt

Paige & Reuben doing an Easter egg hunt

Bernadette, Marina & Gloria Ben, Tom & Bruce

This will be the last blog from Jakarta.

We came, we saw and experienced the good the bad and the indifferent and now we are leaving.The past twelve months have just flown by and we are sad to be leaving. I hope one day we will return to Jakarta. You never know where our travels will lead us.

Farewell to our wonderful friends who we have spent time with over the past twelve months and to our wonderful staff Isah and Yamin who we will miss and hope one day meet again on our travels.

Only time will tell where our travels will lead.

Attending A Scuba Course Part Two - Kotok Island

As part of our scuba diving course we had to complete four open water dives. So after the two days in the pool and learning all about scuba diving we headed out to Kotok Island which is located about a one and a half hour speed boat trip from Jakarta and a part of the Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu).

It was a rough trip out, due to being a bit choppy. We found Kotok Island very nice and quiet. The huts were basic but that's all we needed. On the Saturday we did two dives and on the Sunday we did another two dives and passed our course with flying colours. We met some wonderful people who all had been diving for a while.

Seeing the underwater world in a new light was very interesting we where really glad we were able to complete our first scuba coarse in time before we left Jakarta.

The boat taking us out to Kotok Island

Travelling in the bay

On the boat coming up to Kotok island

Our room

The open bathroom in our room

One of the scuba divers coming in from their dive

Looking out from the jetty

Bernadette and Ben standing on the jetty

Bernadette and Ben doing some snorkeling

Below are some photos taken while snorkeling

The below pictures are from our third dive

Ben entering the water going off the boat

Bernadette entering the water going off the boat

Ben and Bernadette scuba diving

Turtle we saw while scuba diving

We met Nemo while scuba diving

Bernadette waiting to head back on the boat to Jakarta

Attending a Scuba Diving Course - Part One

The dive office at the Kristel Hotel

Last week Ben and I attended a scuba diving course at the Kristel Hotel here in Jakarta. The dive coarse was a four day course which is made up of two days doing practical confined classes in the pool and then two days in the open water.

The two days in the pool was interesting as we where putting everything we had studied into practice for the first time. A part of the two days was also made up of tests which both Ben and I past.

We where glad we had done all the required reading before attending the course as it all came in handy and we where able to only spend two days in the pool.

Ben entering the water Bernadette entering the water

Bernadette & Ben all OK

Ben replacing his scuba mask under water

Ben all ok after replacing his scuba mask

Bernadette taking off her mask under water

Bernadette all OK after replacing her mask underwater

Paige's Last Day At BIS

As the school holidays are starting for the Easter break Paige's last day at BIS was the last day of term two. It was really nice for the class to have their photo taken together so Paige can keep and remember all her friends she made while in grade 2 at BIS in Jakarta.