Maybe you want a little order?

So, I have been pretty much all over the place here.  From now on I'll try to go in a time order.

So, Wed. night we got to Manado.  3 hour flight from Jakarta.  It wasn't bad at all.  Still, no staring at me.  Nihta's husband and son came to pick me us up from the airport, and we drove through the city to my hotel...the Quality Hotel Manado.  There's both a Koran and a Bible in the desk drawer.  Pretty cool.

My room was beautiful.  I can see a corner of the bay from my window.  

The staff was so friendly.  Everyone called me Ms. Megan when they passed me.  After breakfast in the lobby, I met up with Nihta and Imelda.  Off we went to Imigrasi!  Mihta has a friend from Jr. High who works there, so I know things went faster than usual.  We left for a break to go eat lunch at a little restaurant area of the city.  A kind of porridge/stew with pumpkin, corn (dad would be so excited!) spinach, grilled onions and noodles.  It was fantastic.  

Everything else was a little bit less fantastic.  Manado cooking is typically fried.  Everything is fried. 

Fried bananas

Fried bread fritter type things with corn in them

And last but not least, fried fish cakes. 

I took a close up.  Those little back dots arranged in pairs?  Yeah, not pepper...more like eyes.  They are super tiny fish.  They tasted pretty ok though.  Just greasy.

Then it was back to Imigrasi.  Pictures, fingerprints...the whole shebang.  Then we went on a mini adventure.  Off to the mall to try and find me a hair dryer.  Success.  We went to the internet office too, but no such luck today.  Imelda told me I needed my Kitas (foreigner card) before I buy it.  Naptime, and then Nihta and her family came to pick me up for dinner.

We dove a little ways down the road running along the coast of the island.  We ate in an open air restaurant and had wonderful seafood.  Fish soup with a lime ginger base...fern leaves and spinach, calamari, fried tofu stuffed with shrimp and mushrooms, and some smoked grilled fish.  It was all very good. 

We were right on the edge of the bay, and in the moonlight, the water was so clear, I could see down to the bottom...probably about 7 feet.  We could see fish, and there were crabs running along the rocks.  Very very different to the gross polluted waters running through Jakarta.

Tomorrow I leave for my new house.  It's not ready, but I am excited (and a little scared).