Aku kembali ke Indonesia--I am returning

I will be returning to Indonesia this week. I had my first taste in 2008 in Yogyakarta where I studied Indonesian for 2 1/2 months. Yes, "Indonesian" is the national language of Indonesia. Some people refer to it as "Bahasa" though "Bahasa" really just means "language." Bahasa Indonesia=Language of Indonesia or for example Bahasa Belanda=Language of the Netherlands (Dutch). Whatever you choose to call it, I love it and I hope to introduce more of the language to all of you as well. I will try to introduce Indonesian words in italics.

The banner above was taken in 2008 atop Mt. Merapi (Gunung Merapi). Gunung Merapi is an active volcano that last went off in 2006. I hiked this volcano with a group of friends and three guides. We began around 11 pm and hiked to the top in time to witness the most magnificent sunrise I have ever seen. Our guides prepared us Nasi Goreng, fried rice--in this case with egg on it. Here are a few more pictures I took during that adventure: