20 Jul 2010

Jakarta/ Bandung

We were in Bandung and Jakarta last weekend - for a bit of shopping and R and R. I love Bandung - its narrow, tree-lined streets, its old Dutch houses, its cool climate. Well cooler than Jakarta anyway. As usual the first place we went to was Rumah Mode and Heritage/ Cascades. After a hectic time shopping we all went to the  second floor cafe with its Koi pond and had some delicious fried ice cream and banana fritters. The Koi there are some of the biggest I've ever seen! And over fed too I think.

On Saturday we drove back to Jakarta. This time around traffic was okay on the highway - and we made it in under 3 hours. After checking in at our hotel - the Millennium - and a quick wash, Sara wanted to look at their mall. We decided against the largest and newest, Plaza Indonesia and chose to go to Senayan City instead. Even this was quite big by our standards - it had as its anchor tenant the large chain from England - Debenhams. It also boasted a Mark and Spencer outlet, Selfridges, Esprit, Guess, Jimmy Choo, Charles & Keith and so many other well known brands. Sara is in her element though as responsible as she is, she'll only buy things she knows we can afford.

Time flies when you are having fun they say. But I believe Time just flies - whether you are having fun or not. Its now July 2010. Sara is back home for the holidays - my daughter who is studying Medicine in Russia and she'll be here for almost 2 months. Its now almost 2 weeks since she came home. I look back at the year she first went to Russia, in April 2004. Its almost 6 years already. I've missed a large part of her youth - 5 years and 3 months. Today she is a self possessed, confident young woman of 22. who knows exactly  what shew wants. When she left us she was only 17 and a half - almost a baby by my reckoning. I miss the easy unconscious love she has - she is the only one of my brood who will still come and lie down beside me in bed, hug me for no reason in the world and put her head on my shoulders, even in public. Next year when she comes back for good she'll be a doctor and probably will work somewhere far away in the boondocks of Malaysia. So I say how time flies. I wish I could catch hold of it and let it stay - Time you old gypsy man, will you not stay? Put up your caravan, just for one day?

3 comments:

The Chair Speaks said...

Yes, I, too, wish I could hold on to time and make it stay a while! :)

The Bookworm said...

Sounds like a fun trip, those koi are huge!
fried ice cream and banana fritters....yummy.

I know, time does fly. You must miss your daughter so much. How wonderful that she will come back a doctor and is following her dreams.

http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Kat said...

Yes, Nadia its great that she's back for the holidays.Sigh.. how fast time goes when you're with your loved ones