Septic systems in Indonesia verses a biocycle

I took these photos about 2 months ago but have been too busy to post.

I was shocked to discover what happened to our household sewerage.

We have lived in rural locations for the last 12 years and have always had a BIOCYCLE unit.
A biocycle is a home waste water recycling unit. Ever drop of water that is used is recycled in to clear water.
You can not drink it, but is safe to use on the garden.
This is a small scale version of a modern city sewerage system.
These units are expensive to purchase but are very environmentally friendly.
They operate by mixing good bacteria and oxygen (very simple girl explanation.....lol).

The only draw back is that you have to be very careful about the product you use, eg no antibacterial cleaners, alkaline cleaning products, napisan, washing powder with enzymes etc.

You can read about my Brisbane one here (from 2006).

I was always careful to keep the unit balanced , if the bacteria levels went down I would have to add bicarb soda in, about 1-2 kilos, as well as some garden fertilizer (yes stinky blood and bones.....). To add this I would have to flush it down the toilet........nothing like fertilizing your toilet LOL! (or I could just give GJ and his mates a huge feed of meat curry...that would boost it up too!).

So I was use to the idea and operation of a septic system or so I thought....

A lot of the public toilets in Indonesia have signs and bins for used toilet paper, the systems can't cope with it, it certainly adds a lovely aroma to the already strong smelling bathrooms.Now I know why.

The owners maintenance man came and told me they needed to do some work on the septic, I just assumed it would be the old sludge removal thingy.....I just asked that it be done while I was a work and the kids at school.

I now know what a Jakartan septic system is; its a hole in the ground with a bit of bark in the bottom.
So the contents of the toilets just goes into a pit and eventually wanders off into the water table.
This is about 6 meters from where the well is sunk for our tap water .

Can you imagine what the ground water is like in a city of 20+ million people......

All other water goes into a open ditch roadside and eventually gets to the river.(here is a description).




So live at the top of a hill and don't drink the tap water, or wash your vegetables in it (and don't think about anything as you shower....)

nearly back.....

I think I might of just finished my last essay for this semester.....
Now just exam revision, oh and all the lectures I haven't had time to listen to because of essays.

I might have time to blog...soon.

I might also have time to read the 1500+ blog posts in my Google reader...........

Oktoberfest 2008, Jakarta

We went to the 20th annual German Oktoberfest in Jakarta last night.

Boy, do the Germans know how to have a good party!

This is my good friend M and I.
I actually managed to drink that stein of beer...It took me nearly five hours but I did. I totally horrified the young men next to me by tipping ice cubes and sprite in my mug all night long. (I had to, half a glass of cask wine cost 106 000rp.... around AU$16, but beer was free flowing all night!
M had a great time and enjoyed showing us how the Germans party, on the table.......no not really, just on the benches.

M is starting to get an Aussie accent so it was great for us to have a chance of getting a German twang!

We stuck around to win the grand raffle prize of flights to Berlin......we wanted to win and visit our lovely American friend on her new posting in Germany (hi Shannon, we thought of you and Dave last night, hi to the boys!), unfortunately we did not win........

There was the most amazing om-pa-loom-pa (I have no idea if this is the right word- a traditional Bavarian band) band playing all night long.

They were fantastic!

There was German drinking songs, conga lines- although they have a different name, as well as old favorites.

We danced to Status Que, inserted swear words into the classic 'livin next door to Alice' and by the end of the night I was singing in German!

The funniest party of the night was when the MC asked everybody to reminisce about what they were doing twenty years ago in 1988 (this was the 20th anniversary of the inaugural Oktoberfest in Jakarta), I realized that twenty years ago I was actually in Germany!

GJ pointed out that most of the other people in the room probably were too, lol.
But I chose to be special as I am Australian!

Villa Kampung Seminyak, Bali

These are some of the photos we took of Villa Kampung.

We had a wonderful time in this villa, the service and amenities were exquisite.
I loved all the antiques and curios throughout the complex.
We all loved the Boshe stereo system that was wired through the whole complex that we could plug all the iPods into (mine was banned...Ella Fitzgerald and then Frank sent every ones head spinning).
I loved the library filled with books in many languages as well as the complementry clothes washing and drying.

We had seven adults and ten kids in total, and could of fitted more......

These are the photos I collected months ago from the web when we were booking.

We booked through Paradise property, they arranged our last Bali trip and were very proffessional. Prices are negotaible and there are residents discounts.

www.ppbali.com | www.paradisevillarental.com

Georgias 10th Birthday

Georgia has made it into the double digits!
We have managed a few celebrations so far...
The first was a party at Ultimos Italian restaurant in Seminyak, Bali last Saturday night.
The next was at Hard Rock cafe in Kuta, Bali while we waited for our flight home.
Today was cup cakes at school.
The party is in the planning stage still...I will combine all the birthdays into one big party later on in the month.

What do kids remember?

I think it is the fun, games and family time that makes the best childhood memories.

My kids might not remember the fancy villa we stayed in in Bali, but they will remember 9 days of fun with their friends.
We were treated to nightly shows of gymnastics, swimming, plays, parades and fun. Ten kids all on holidays together makes for a great time.

Interesting things I have seen this week.

This drawing is on the wall at Ultimo's Italian restaurant in Seminyak. The more you look at it the more you see. It is simple yet very complex.
This is the way GJ drank his beer the other night.
GJ normally never drinks beer, a very unusual Australian male species. He added a glass of ice to make it more palatable , next he will be adding a straw and a slice of pineapple.
This truck has driven on a soft spot and the road has collapsed under it. This is common, what grabbed my attention though, is the women unloading the truck of concrete bricks. They were stacking a huge amount of weight on their heads and walking down a lane.

What are the odds?

Three friends go for a walk....
have a quick stop at a dress shop...
all come out of the change room.....
In the same print, lol.
Two out of three brought a dress but not this shade.

Jen at the beach in Bali

Bali shock

We managed to get every one back to the beach and in the water.
This was very important as the children (and adults!) were all severely traumatized from the rip, pounding gigantic surf, rescue, resuscitation, and hospitalization of some of our group on Sunday.

But all has ended well with everybody healthy and happy and home at the villa.
I still can't bear to talk about the details.

Happy news to follow....

I love Bali

I don't need to leave our villa.......ever

Anza Ball, Jakarta 2008

The annual Anza ball was held last Saturday at the Ritz Carlton (20.09.08). We all had a wonderful night! It was a credit to the organizing committee.
These kids were from the New Zealand school and kicked of the show with an amazing Haka performance.

The entertainment was very diverse; Dr Harry Darsono performed and showcased his Haute Couture collection, the Batavia Dance Group were wonderful, as were the Salsa and Flamenco dancers. Opera singer, Christine Tambunan voice was breath taking, truly wonderful.

DJ Kate was wonderful, she played music that was perfect for the majority of guests...mostly over 30+ lol.

It was nice to be able to walk and dance at this ball, last year I was in a wheel chair with a broken ankle....We just made it home by 3am.

My very first uni result

I just received my first result (still waiting on 5 more) from university.

I am doing the happy dance, I got a high distinction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is going to be a very costly result......the very 1st person (ok I told my BF at the same time LOL) I told, sent back an immediate reply of:You are trying to hard.

Now after this debacle, and now this comment there is some serious crawling to do.....
Pack mule aka Jackass is still in deep trouble.

But OMGoodness, I got a high distinction!!!!!!!!!

I have started a private (you need my permission to view- I will share) blog of all my uni work, called originally:

Bachelor of Education, Primary

Frequent flyer points

Frequent flyer points...are they worth anything?

I saved up all my Ansett point for years and lost them all when they went under in 2002.

I went to use some of my Qantas points a few months ago and they had all expired.

So why book a mum traveling alone with three kids to the southern hemisphere from the southern hemisphere via the northern hemisphere???????
Especially when there is a direct flight at roughly the same price.

The answer is so she can get a few FF points.
What the...

So my schedule:

leave home to get to airport 2 hours @3.30pm

wait at airport for 2 hours

Jakarta to Singapore 1.5 hours flight (cross the equator) 7.35 pm

arrive Singapore

wait for 5+ hours until 12.30AM and fly to Sydney

let me repeat...

wait for 5+ hours until 12.30AM and fly to Sydney

and again for effect

wait for 5+ hours until 12.30AM and fly to Sydney

arrive Sydney 11.50 am

clear customs (nearly as bad as Jakarta), wait for shuttle bus and arrive home at 2pm

A total of 19 hours traveling with kids with out a pack mule/disciplinarian.

There is another option

Leave home at 5pm fly directly to Sydney and arrive at 7.20 am, and get there nearly six hours earlier.
But get no frequent flyer points.

Guess who made this decision....no not the office
No, the jackass who is not flying with his wife and his three kids.

I feel so much better now I have vented to the world LOL.