Jakarta, Indonesia

David had business meetings in Jakarta last week and the Mattel wives were invited to join. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see old friends and make new friends.

We stayed at the beautiful Dharmawangsa Hotel. 

Our room was insanely big.

And the bed was nothing less than beautiful.

Restaurant was fabulous.

And doesn't every good hotel come with its own butler?

Someone has to keep that fruit bowl filled and fresh flowers in your room. Oh the heavenly scent of Jasmine. 

Indoor and outdoor pool and spa.

But, I didn't partake of this inviting water because I was busy with other things.

Listening to daily hotel entertainment.

Going to the spa....daily.

Ginger tea is my new favorite.

Visiting the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Museum where my friend, Rini, has an uncle that is curator for the TMII. Rini was born and raised in Indonesia. Rini and I were joined by Swathi, a dear friend from San Diego, now living in Thailand, and Gigi, a friend from Monterrey, Mexico, living in San Diego. We received royal treatment.

There was a wonderful display of historic toys. It was so fun to listen to Swathi and Gigi squeal with delight as they too remembered these toys from India. 

There were also beautiful wooden carvings. This is Garuda, creature that transported the Gods.

Swhati and I decided to take a picture on the ski-like looking walking sticks. Unbeknown to us, the Garuda was in the back ground, making for a hysterical picture. Rini suggested submitting it to Victoria Secret....or the Discovery Channel. We laughed until we cried.

We then took a tour on a golf cart that Rini's uncle graciously lined up for us. We drove around and saw beautiful and unique ethnic architecture that depicted the traditional homes of the various providences of Indonesia.

We went to another museum on the premise that showcased treasures given from Heads of State or foreign diplomats that visited from all over the world. Unbelievable beautiful pieces that unfortunately I did not have my camera for. There were so many places that we did not have time to see: Science and Technology museum, Transportation museum, herb garden, the bird park...and the list goes on.

Although we did not see everything. Fun was had by all.

For the next three days Regina, a new friend from Hong Kong, Swathi, and I went treasure hunting. I mean that in the literal sense. Some of the "stores" were nothing more than old buildings with piles of "treasures" (one man's trash is another man's treasure). 

We spent many hours deciding on the pieces we could not leave without....and I learned a lot about negotiating prices. Regina lived in Jakarta for years and knew many of the great places to shop. She is very savvy at knowing how to negotiate. 

Watching art in motion was a real treat.

I paid for pieces at one place and they transported them to another store for shipping. "Transporting" in an unimaginable fashion. Impressive.

Three days of working through price adjustments and shipping exhausted us all. Time for afternoon tea. The only thing missing from our tea time was Rini's aunt's AMAZING chocolate cookies. I feel honored to have indulged (and I mean indulged) in these savory morsels. One other thing missing: Regina. She was such a trooper taking us shopping when she was under the weather. And I would be remiss if I didn't include Regina's husband Arun in this post. He lined up the most spectacular dinner that I've ever experienced (sadly no pictures). The chef was a prominent man in Indonesia with his own TV cooking show. His restaurant was beautiful and his recording studio was above the restaurant. His passion is French and Indonesian cooking (unfortunately he was in France the night of our dinner). His meals are designed after "symphonies". We had one of 13 of his symphonies. I think I would make a trip back to Jakarta just to eat his food again. Amazing.

As exciting as all of this looks, the best part for me was reuniting with friends and making new friends. My new friends are Janet, Joey and Silvia. I love these ladies. They are all living in China where their husbands work for Mattel. We found out that it does not matter what race, religion, or stage of life you are in, women are women. We complain of the same things and rejoice in the same things.

Pictured from left to right are Sylvia, Janet and Joey. They bought me this beautiful Batik (a specialty in Indonesia) skirt. I could write a paragraph on each one of these ladies, but I will summarize their personalities. Sylvia is hysterical. She keeps such a straight face as she tells such animated stories. Let's just say I will never eat anything "fresh" in China. Janet is the master negotiator. When Regina and I were at wits end with our shopping fiasco, Janet stepped in with one of her five languages and negotiated prices,  adjustments needed, and shipping. She could make millions as an attorney. Actually she probably could not because she isn't ruthless....too nice. Joey is unbelievably warm and friendly. She treats everyone like best friends. 

A fantastic trip because of these lovely ladies. Regina, Swathi, Rini, Sylvia, Joey, and Janet. Gigi (see above) flew in later; therefore, she was not in this picture. 

To everyone that made this trip such a success: Terima Kasih.