SEA Sabbatical

10 things we have learned about Indonesia during our visit:
1. It has the 4th largest population in the world, spread across approx. 17,000 islands.
2. It is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
3. About 70% of the nation is Muslim, and the other 30% are Catholic, Christian, and Hindu.
4. Bali is about 80% Hindu
5. The main language is Indonesian, also known as Bahasa. That is what is taught in school, plus English, and then most people speak a regional/home/native language, such as Balinese or Javanese.
6. They grow grapes and strawberries in Bali. There is a Balinese winery, Hatten Wines
7. The currency is The Indonesian Rupee, and approx. 16,000 IDR = $1 USD. The largest bank note is 100,000 IDR = $6 USD.
8. Some popular food dishes are nasi goreng, mei goreng, bakso, and of course, plain rice. Goreng = fried, as in stir fried. Bakso is a soup dish with meatballs (usually chicken, pork, or beef).
9. Balinese families often have at least one cow. They raise cows for milk and then sell the cow for beef to people on Java. It is quite common to see chickens and pigs in people's yards.
10. Fuel is about 4 times more expensive than the US. Motorbikes are the most common transport because of fuel prices and traffic congestion.
11. Bali Kopi, aka Bali coffee, is served so hot, we could not drink it for about 20 minutes after serving. It is very finely ground, and the grounds sit at the bottom of the cup when you finish the drink. We tried the luwak Kopi, which is coffee berries that are eaten and digested by the luwak animal, and then the luwak's droppings (aka poop) is dried and the beans remain. It was not amazing.Read more