Backseat driver

This way, hon!

4 people in their version of a family sedan = a motorcycle. Though the kids are asleep, Mom can still help Dad through traffic. Awesome.

Where's the knife?

The new look of setting the table

Indonesians typically eat with spoon and fork, using the fork as a pusher or holder, while the spoon picks up the food. We spotted this formal place setting before Thanksgiving at Setiabudi, a local shop.

The Monkey King

Seen along the jungle trail

On the way to see the volcano crater, we spot this creation over a dead tree stump.

Custom-built bike seat

Would you put your child in this handmade bicycle seat? 

No seatbelt needed = kids learn to hang onto mom and dad as infants, whether on bicycles or motorcycles. (No worries about smoking in a shop filled with flammable wicker, either.)

More curiosities

Splash guard Even the basics have changed

Most kitchens have no oven, just a cooktop or gas burners. Keep an eye on the gas cylinder though: if you run out and have no spare, you're done cooking. 

Since most food is fried, the top of the oven lifts off and becomes a splash-guard for grease. It's easier to clean a glass or metal cooktop than the wall.

Note the spliced electric cord. We see a lot of these fixes, which would give Western electricians fits.

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Monkeying around: a boy and his cycling monkey 

The youngster collects change from drivers stopped at traffic lights. When the light turns green, they scramble out of the intersection back onto the sidewalk.

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This little piggy came to ... church

A life-group purchased a roasted piglet for the church potluck at IESJakarta. It was a hit - and tasty besides.

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A moving van? Nope, use a motorcycle

Almost everything fits onto a motorcycle. Here, a family transports their purchase to home.

The new normal: taking a closer look

Catching up with things that we'd find strange at home and normal here:

An Indonesian gas station: 1-2 liter bottles on a shelf or table.

See those gold-colored bottles in the middle? Motorcycles stop by, purchase a bottle, and keep going. You need a sharp eye to spot gasoline stands between other vendors.

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Husband Daycare? While wives shop, their husbands have a place to stop.

Seen on our walk near Lombok. Someone has a sense of humor as well as business savvy.

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Indonesian Flying Fish. Guess who came to dinner?

See it looking at us? We ate lunch with friends at Rasa Sunda (a taste of Sundanese food). The sampler came with grilled gourami fish on a metal frame, sides spread like wings. It was crunch, crispy, and absolutely delicious.

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Bug-eyed "When did we see you a stranger and invite you in...?" Matthew 25:38 NIV

Behold the 4" bug Waldemar found in the bathroom. "Do you want to see it?" he asks. 

Um. No. But thank you.

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Bandung Tool Store Heaped and overflowing

We send this picture as a special treat for guys who love tools.

Waldemar was looking for a cordless drill. He asked for help at this well-stocked tool 
store in Bandung.

W says: "Good luck finding what you're looking for!"

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Traditional Sunda Man seen on the angkot (little bus)

The two rings on his fingers mean he's someone important in the community.

The new normal is coming

Once we get to Bandung in July, we'll post a photo and caption once a week of something that's normal in Indonesia

but, perhaps

"interesting" or "surprising" elsewhere.

Subscribe anytime to receive the photo and caption each week.

Here's a preview:

A silver-sprayed "orphan" collecting money
from drivers on a main thoroughfare