Fruits

Since moving to Indonesia, we have been able to get used to lots of new foods. Some of our favorites are fruits that are found here. Most days that I fly, people give me pineapples that are like no others I have ever eaten. They are so incredibly good. They're very sweet and juicy.

Below are pictures of some other interesting fruits. Some common all over the world, and some only common to this area of the world. There are also many others not pictured that are worth mentioning such as passion fruit, mangosteens, star fruit, and mangoes.

We have to wash ALL of the fruits and vegetables that we buy in Calcium Permanganate. Then they have to air dry before being eaten or put in the fridge. In the above picture we have lettuce, grapes, apples, papayas, dragon fruit, pumpkin, and honeydew melon drying after being washed.

This is called "Mata Kuching". Translated that means Cat's Eye. It kind of has a grape texture, but tastes a bit different. You have to peel it because the skin is too tough to eat and it has a large seed in the middle.

This is Durian. It's a really stinky fruit, and it tastes a bit like garlic. It's an acquired taste, but I can gaurantee that this is the most sought after fruit in Indonesia. I quite often am given this fruit by some of the villagers that I fly.

This is a Dragon Fruit. We cut it in half for this picture.

Kids

Almost every airstrip I land at there are at least a few kids to greet me. They often make my workload go up, as I often catch them trying to grab different parts of the airplane whenever I'm not looking. They are not necessarily naughty, they are mostly curious about the airplane.

I found this particular group of kids entertaining after they discovered their reflection in the propeller nose spinner of the airplane. Their reflection was distorted so it made them look a lot fatter. The kids were giggling like crazy as they danced in front of the airplane.

Sometimes kids are naughty. For example, I have experienced kids running out of the jungle at an airstrip to grab the tail of the airplane while it's running and taxiing past. Talk about dangerous!!! On this particular occasion, I shut off the airplane, got out, and shouted a warning to the kids. The kids, by that point had returned and were hiding in the jungle. I just had to let them know that it was not okay to mess with an airplane that was running.

Often, I take a digital picture of a group of kids. When I get home, I print out a picture of the group on a full size sheet of paper. When I got back to the village, I give the picture to the kids. It always seems to be a big hit.

Airstrip Agents

At most airstrips that I fly to there is someone who is usually waiting. These people day after day help load and unload the airplane. They collect money from passengers, weigh the baggage, and take responsibility for keeping the airstrip in good shape. Here are some pictures of some of our airstrip agents.
This is Sabirin and Loren at Long Sule.

This is Kirong at Long Nawang




This is Kule, Surang, and Taman Bang at Mahak Baru

This is Pastor Eliazar at Long Ampung

Johanis, Toh and Matius at Malinau

These are some of our hangar helpers in Tarakan that help so much in the morning as I'm getting the airplane ready to go. From Left to Right, Markus, Jos, Gerry, and Jonathon.

Maintenance

Sometimes I fly them, sometimes I inspect them, and sometimes I even get to fix them.