In order to get to Bandung I flew to Jakarta and meet with Leonardo first. At the airport Leonardo's cousin arrived with her driver to pick us up and drive to Bandung. After a 3 hour drive with finally arrived to our destination.The city at moments remind me a little of Caracas because it is located in a valley within the mountains at exactly 1000m in altitude just like our demented capital.
From our house we got to enjoy a beautiful sight of the city and its volcanoes. Here I got to experience the comfort of the true Asian hospitality. Leonardo's family showed us wonderful time in the city and went out of their way to make sure every one of our needs were meet.
I also got to see a very different side of Indonesia. After witnessing the poverty in the East Java region, and a very rural cities, I got a chance to appreciate how wealthy families get to live in Indonesia and how globalization is closing cultural gaps and lifestyles. It is fascinating and sad at the same time, to see how the west has influenced the east. Leonardo's family owns a very prominent Oil distributing business and enjoys a very comfortable life in in the Island. Their house was very beautiful and tasteful. Although their culture is very different than ours, they enjoy many of the same advantages that we have by living in a third world country like having many employees to help around the house. I got to find out that labour is much cheaper than back home. Here I got to confirm a true Asian stereotype that Westerners have about Asians. Leonardo's uncle was a very funny man who is obsessed with electronics, so much that he built his own personal Cinema Theater in the house with nothing but the best technology I have ever seen, so we got to watch great movies every night. His friends go twice a week to the house to enjoy a swim in the pool and a bath in the sauna so we got to meet lots of Locals. Like Venezuela this country is also segregated by race and money. I got to learn that all the economic power is in the hands of the Indonesians that decent from China and therefore, look very different than the rest of Indonesians. Off course Leonardo's family is one of the Chinese descent...
Jessica also took us around to see the volcano and other sites in the city but our main activity was to eat and do some more eating. Leonardo's family did nothing but order every possible topical Indonesian dish so we could try everything available. Very hard 4 days.....
I also got to see a very different side of Indonesia. After witnessing the poverty in the East Java region, and a very rural cities, I got a chance to appreciate how wealthy families get to live in Indonesia and how globalization is closing cultural gaps and lifestyles. It is fascinating and sad at the same time, to see how the west has influenced the east. Leonardo's family owns a very prominent Oil distributing business and enjoys a very comfortable life in in the Island. Their house was very beautiful and tasteful. Although their culture is very different than ours, they enjoy many of the same advantages that we have by living in a third world country like having many employees to help around the house. I got to find out that labour is much cheaper than back home. Here I got to confirm a true Asian stereotype that Westerners have about Asians. Leonardo's uncle was a very funny man who is obsessed with electronics, so much that he built his own personal Cinema Theater in the house with nothing but the best technology I have ever seen, so we got to watch great movies every night. His friends go twice a week to the house to enjoy a swim in the pool and a bath in the sauna so we got to meet lots of Locals. Like Venezuela this country is also segregated by race and money. I got to learn that all the economic power is in the hands of the Indonesians that decent from China and therefore, look very different than the rest of Indonesians. Off course Leonardo's family is one of the Chinese descent...
Jessica also took us around to see the volcano and other sites in the city but our main activity was to eat and do some more eating. Leonardo's family did nothing but order every possible topical Indonesian dish so we could try everything available. Very hard 4 days.....
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