Leaving on a Jet Plane

And by "jet plane," of course, I mean a small Indonesian airline with a questionable safety record.  Interestingly, this describes pretty much all Indonesian airlines.  Actually, it definitely describes all Indonesian airlines.  Also interestingly, there are no alternative means of transport between here and Lombok, except the 20-hour bus that drives from Yogya to the eastern edge of Java, and then boards a ferry (yes, the bus boards a ferry) for the short jaunt to Bali, after which it drives off the ferry and continues to Denpasar, which is where we are flying in.  The safety of this method also strikes me as questionable.  Additionally, I don't really have 20 hours to drop on a bus ride, thrilling as that may have been.

Thus, tomorrow, we're leaving on a (rinky-dink commuter) jet plane.  I'll be off the grid for the next eleven days and since I know how sorely you all will miss my rich and wonderfully funny blog posts, I will leave you with a special treat in the form of prize quotations from my General English classes' essays on their personal heroes, complete with editorials from yours truly:

GENERAL ENGLISH GEMSTONES

"My hero is my mom. She's my super duper mom. She's fussy and very dominating." (Yep, she sounds super-duper...)

"I won't pick batman or superman or even bruce almighty to be my super hero. I already have my own super hero in my life, that precious person is my mother." (Not even Bruce Almighty?  Really?)

"Maybe they aren't heroes for everyone, but one thing that I know, they always be my superman and my catwoman in my heart." (My parents will always be MY superman and catwoman in my heart TOO!  We must be soulmates.)

"They taught me things that I need to know like drugs, free sex, and other important things." (Yes, drugs and free sex are both very important things that everyone should be taught by one's parents.  You sound very well-raised.)

Dude, where do they GET this stuff?  It's incredible.  As my friend Megan says, it's pure gold, worthy of being bottled and sold in mass quantities.

Anyway, that's all I have for now -- stay tuned for pictures and tales of adventures through the archipelago.  The Indian Ocean and I send our love.