Borneo Day 10: Sunday, July 30, 2017
The breakfast buffet at the Swiss Belhotel. I especially liked the fresh pineapple and bananas.
Our flight back to Jakarta was in the late morning, so we had some time. Nazar, his wife and daughters met us in the lobby and we packed up our bags after checking out of the hotel. I had to pay quite a bit for the two batches of laundry I’d sent out, but it was worth it. There are no self-serve Laundromats here.We drove out of town on Jalan A. Yani toward Banjarbaru and the airport. I’ve come to know this road and the businesses along it fairly well, as well as the city of Banjarmasin. This time we turned into the airport. We unloaded the car and I found a baggage cart while Nazar parked the car. We were there in plenty of time, so we found a bench to sit down and talk.
We talked about the possibilities of collaborating on future projects with the teachers and students at SMAN 1 Mandastana, and Nazar said we probably could, and he would be willing to relay requests to the science or other teachers. His daughter has become less shy over the week we have been here and asked us a few questions, including why we don’t always finish all of our rice when we eat. That one caught me by surprise and I hadn’t even considered it. Here, rice is the staple food whereas we consider it to be a filler, a starch to be eaten if we’re still hungry after the main food.
When it came time to head through security, I went to say goodbye but Nazar said he doesn’t believe in goodbye, only in “See you later” because it’s a small world and you never know.
It has been an amazing nine days in Borneo.
Interesting mural in the Jakarta airport on our way back from Banjarmasin. There are some whimsical paintings to see here.
The Elements Unearthed 