A lot has been happening here that needs to be blogged about…
A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to see other parts of Southeast-Asia and also more of Indonesia.
On March 26th we went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in order to renew our visas.
Malaysia is also a predominantly Islamic nation like Indonesia. Hence the 1st photo of the Mosque.
The two of the bottom pictures consist of the Petronas Towers which are the largest twin towers in the world. It was absolutely amazing to see the gigantic size of the towers. And the photo in the bottom left is of Menara tower. It was truly breathtaking to go up into the observation tower and being able to see the mountains and other scenery. 
We really enjoyed Kuala Lumpur because we could easily navigate around the city because of the well organized infrastructure. The people were friendly and the scenery in and around the city was beautiful. Plus while going to Malaysia I could practice my Indonesian on them. In Malaysia they speak Bahasa Melayu. Thankfully, the Indonesian and Malaysian languages are very similar.
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Last weekend, March 31, we went to the island of Bali, in Indonesia.
It was soooo nice to be able to do things, see nature and interact with some of the people (both locals and internationals).
Pictured below are nice photos of the beaches, rock faces and crystal clear water of Bali.
Pictured below is a traditional Balinese dance called Kecak. The dance/story is taken from a Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Later on YouTube, I plan to post footage of this dance so that you get a better idea about what’s going on in these pictures. For me, it was interesting to see this story portrayed in this form. Prior to going to Indonesia, I took a Hinduism class at OU that discussed about this epic. However, reading about the story and actually seeing it in person are totally different.
A must see, while in Indonesia, is a art form called Batik.
It’s a tedious process that starts with white material, such as a purse or sheet. Next there is the process of applying wax to the material then it is dyed. After the first dying process the painter will then apply more layers of wax. This process is then repeated several times until the work is finshed.
For more info check out: http://www.expat.or.id/info/batik.html
In Bali we also had the opportunity to go to traditional villages, temples, a bird zoo, scuba diving and see terraced rice fields. 
Until next time……. sampai jumpa!
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Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
April 9th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Wonderful pictures and background information on these places!! I so hope that through the help of others you will be able to do and see more in the area of Surabaya. There has to be places of interest there and I know you would love to know more about it. Keep up the good work, you are doing a great job and we are so proud of you!