Our first trip to Indonesia was in February, when we went on an overnight biking trip in the Riau Archipelago. The Riau Archipelago is an Indonesian island group not too far from Singapore.

We took the ferry from Singapore to Bintan - about a forty-five minute trip. When we arrived, the guide who met us (Betsy, Albert, and five other ex-pats living in Singapore) directed us to a slightly modified fishing boat, which is in the picture at right. The guide took us to several remote islands - not areas that most tourists see! We ate and slept on board the boat, too.

On each of the islands we visited, the guide took us for a bicycle tour. Mostly, the roads we rode on were dirt paths, but also included sand, gravel, and underbrush. We rode through quarries and fishing towns, and admired the panoramic views while we rested at the tops of hills. Some of the hills were really tough for the inexperienced! The locals we saw enthusiastically used all their English vocabulary to greet us, which usually consisted of "Hello" and radio call names. For those of you who don't believe it really happened, the picture at left is proof that Betsy really did get on a bicycle.

Perhaps the most pleasant part of the trip was cruising in the boat from one island to the next. The islands are beautiful, and the fishing villages that line the shores are quite picturesque. All of the houses are built out over the water on stilts, like the two houses in the picture at left. The only buildings built on dry land seemed to be public buildings like schools and mosques.

Since we spent a lot of time in transit between islands, the boat's crew lowered a cargo net into the water while we were underway. This allowed us to swim without being left behind! It really felt nice to get in the water after a couple of hours of cycling in the tropical heat. At left, Albert is one of the first to jump in.

Our second trip to Indonesia was a weekend in Bintan with a group of Betsy's co-workers. We spent a couple of days on the beach at the Mana Mana Beach Club. At right, Lia, Dave Budd, Jeannette, Albert, Betsy, and Roman at lunch at the Banyan Tree. Kelly was taking the picture, and Dave DalBen and James were off playing golf. We all enjoyed a weekend of lounging on the beach.