Friends' visit at our cottage.

Java, Indonesia
October 2011

My friend Larisa and her husband Wade had spent two nights at our cottage on Java island. Then mutual friends of ours, Mamoud and Novita, a nice couple from beautiful city of Malang came to stay for one night. What a wonderful visit it was with friends at our place. Discussions after discussions all night long. Mamoud is very much into javanese philosophy and the ancient history of Indonesia particularly the island of Java. He has a lot of knowledge about the history of buddhist and hindu kingdoms which later vanished when Islam came to the archipelago. Larisa, who is a lawyer, enjoys 'guiding' everyone's thinking to make sure we are all on the same page. Wade and Novita were the most quiet of the five of us.

I like Larisa a lot. She has her way of conveying her determined opinion and gets irritated when someone's statement doesn't make sense to her logic. Very sensitive and smart woman. Multi talented and artistic. Born and raised in a family who embraced social status and high education. Her father is a doctor and bacteriologist who received his education during the Dutch occupation in Indonesia. Her grandfather had been given a government position within the colony. Having a government position during that time means being treated in the society like a member of the royal family. Larisa and her husband has two homes, both of which are full of nice collection of antiques from the Dutch era. Larisa adores her father and loves to talk about her childhood when her father took her and her brother hunting. She is also proud of her family heritage and her brother who received an international recognition for his hunting championship in Europe. Larisa has an older sister who married a German guy and has been living in Germany for over 30 years.

Wade, one of the quietest men I know, married Larisa some 15 years ago or so. He was born and raised during the Dutch occupation, and is about 20 years older than Larisa. Wade's first wife had died when he was at the top of his career as one of the commissioners of the government run plantation company. The company owned pretty much every plantation there is in the country. Rubber, coffee, tea, sugar cane, palm, and all kinds of spices. He discovered the young lawyer, Larisa, when she was in her early 30s. She left the job that she loved so much for a marriage she is so devoted. Several years after, however, she missed her work and decided to join a law office in Surabaya. Realizing that she cannot be a devoted wife and a lawyer, she decided to only take on small cases, many of which are voluntary to help the poor if they get in trouble.

Mamoud and Novita is another fortunate couple. They retired at young age and decided to travel around the archipelago. Proud parents of two young professionals, one living on the island of Borneo and one in the big city of Jakarta. I enjoy the couple very much. Mamoud loves facebook. So do hundred million others in Indonesia. By the way, do you know that Indonesia is the second largest facebook users in the world ?