Ancient playground. Spring break play day

It's Spring Break and although we aren't taking any overnight trips, we did go on a day trip to a nearby temple complex!  We rarely go out of town together as a family so this was a special treat!  If Dave were writing this blog he would tell you all of the exciting things about the history of this place.  I'm less interested in the history so I'll just tell you it's REALLY old.  These are temples built long before Islam entered this country.

Dave took Jonathan to the inside of the temple, where visitors are required to wear helmets. 

This photo reminds me how strong Jonathan is becoming.  He walked under his own power all over the complex....no stroller needed!  I also see from this photo that those pants are getting a little short.  He has grown over 2 inches since his birthday in November!

Humorous family self-portrait attempt.

 

 Here is a rare photo of Jennifer (usually behind the camara) with Jonathan and Joshua.

This site is a big tourist attraction even for locals.  In our home city, there are a lot of Westerners and people are used to seeing us around.  When we go to other towns we attract crowds because of our fair skin.  The boys are cheek-pinched and photographed and hugged.  At this age they don't seem to mind the extra attention from strangers, but it's still a bit overwhelming for us as parents. 

 Oh wow.  So there was a little playground at the park with a small electric train for 30 cents a ride.  Jonathan was in heaven! 

The signs says "Children only" but the man let me ride with Joshua. 

 The little engineer!  The only thing missing is the hat!  Jonathan says this is "me saying All aboard!"

They also had these little pedal-powered go-carts.

Jonathan, our vehicle expert, said this is a "back-end loader with no bucket."  He's a very serious driver!

Ancient History -- Borobudur

The first quarter of the school year was punctuated by a very nice week off called "October Break" around here! It's a lot like Spring Break, except in October!

We were thankful to be able to get away from town and visit a neighboring city for a few days. We also went on our first family sight-seeing expedition! We visited Borobudur, a massive, ancient Buddhist temple. It used to be called one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but I think it was demoted after several terrorist bombs damaged it. It has been "restored" and is a very popular tourist site.

We visited the temple at 6 am -- a smart choice considering how hot it gets here even in the middle of the day, and how many vendors try to hawk cheap goods at you. Jonathan rode up the temple on his daddy's back. Also for some reason we thought we might need the stroller up at the top (actually, I think we were afraid somebody might steal it if we left it at the bottom). We paid these 2 eager men to carry it up for us. I felt a little silly about it, but as Dave always says, "We're supporting the local economy."




Just one more picture to tickle you -- a stereotypical family "we were here" photo almost at the top of the temple.