On to Banda Aceh

Have not posted in a while due to poor/no internet connections and also we've been moving around.  On Sunday morning we left Bali, taking a car back to Padangbai for a "fast boat" back to Lombok.  The seas were calm this time.

Goodbye Bali

Arriving on Lombok

This is the boat we were on. Had to grab our luggage and snap a quick picture, as it didn't stick around. We had arranged for a driver to take us back to Mataram, where we had a reservation for one night.

Scenes from the drive to Mataram:

In Mataram, we were in a cushy hotel right across from a huge mall.  

In the back of the hotel there's a beautiful yard.  Here"s the view from our window.  Look at those huge philodendrons growing up the palm trees.

Some in our party elected to eat at McDonalds.  One opted for an interesting beverage.

Sweet fizzy coffee flavored stuff.

At 4:45 am Monday morning,  we were taken to the airport (with our breakfasts in boxes) to catch a flight at 6am. 

Arrived in Banda Aceh around noon.

Unfortunately, our luggage stayed in Mataram.  This is the only time we didn't have a change of clothes in our carry-on bags, so we're kind of stuck in hot sweaty clothes until the airline people bring our luggage.  Hopefully that will be today (Tuesday) and soon.  It's pretty sticky for this northerner.  Not that I long for subzero weather, but a change of clothes would be really nice.

Here are some pictures of Banda Aceh.

Our hotel

Our mode of transport, called a becak - "bechak".  Indonesians can fit two+ people in the sidecar.  With David and me, I was half on top of him.

Sarah drives a motorbike.  That's her, up ahead.  We are in the becak, following.

It's Tuesday morning and Sarah will be meeting us in a bit.  In the meantime, we're at our A&W Hotel 61 with a pretty good internet connection.  And breakfast.