The place we were actually heading for was called Pangandaran, however Cas called it by the above name and it has stuck. We hit the breakfast buffet at 6.00am and filled our boots, plus we took a bag of stuff for the train such as banana bread, toast and muffins. My first fluff up of the trip in terms of travel. I'd booked us on a train, however that particular train left yesterday; I'd got my dates muddled up. Fortunately there was a cheap option and we were off at 7.20 on our 4 1/2 hour train ride. The conductor was accompanied by two armed guards. Makes you wonder... The skies were full of big white clouds as we headed east and south towards the coast. Half of the population is engaged in agriculture and we ... read more

We were off at 8.00 with a guide for something called a 'village walk'. We took a bus to the rural area outside Cianjur and began with a language lesson from our guide who taught us how to say hello in the local dialect (pandun) which would go down well with people we met. The start of the walk began in a padi fields which were all neatly terraced and planted. Our path took us through a collection of very small villages, at times the path was very slippery. There were lots of large spiders hanging in the trees and a great array of spices were grown, ranging from trees of paprika, nutmeg, lime leaf and cloves (the young buds made your tongue tingle), to small plants of saffron, lemongrass. There was also fruit trees such ... read more

After lunch Ed and I played some tablets us and had a right laugh in the process. My shirt was fully drenched after only 20 minutes. About 2.30 we took a local bus to visit an English school. The buses are very small red vans with bench sits inside. The door is left open for ventilation and safety features are unheard of, for example, the front passenger seat had a woman holding a baby and there were no seat belts. We didn't quite know what to expect from the school. It was on a row of shops and had open areas upstairs and downstairs. Hattie was the centre of attention and felt quite overwhelmed. Everyone wanted a picture taken with us and it did feel like we were exhibits in a zoo. Once we'd gotten past ... read more

We explained to the kids at breakfast that our 3 hour train to Bandung arrived after lunch and that they might like to take something with them from the buffet breakfast. Hat took prawn crackers, Ed buttered some toast and we took a large waffle and the omelette that Hat ordered but didn't eat as it tasted of peppers. We're trying to encourage them to think ahead and become more self reliant. Our train from Gambir Station turned out to quite straightforward and I was very pleased that the tickets I'd bought online yesterday worked a treat. We'd taken the air conditioned carriage option and we were all grateful. The train went very slowly for the first few miles and we got to see the other side of bright shiny Jakarta. Tarpaulin shacks, sandbag walls, tiny ... read more

Today was about recovering from yesterday's travels. A long leisurely breakfast which included curries, cake and waffles. We took our coffees outside and Ed and Hat went for a swim in their clothes as it's very hot (Hat turned Ed's checked shirt into a 'cowgirl bikini top'). After some downtime in our room, it was time for a late lunch. We just wandered around to start with. Some streets have pavements and others don't. The ones that do can be also a big mix of smooth walkways and wobbly, crumbly slabs of concrete with metal wires sticking out and huge holes. The traffic comes close so Cas took Ed's hand and I took Hats. After 15 mins we ended at a shopping mall. We let Hat decide where we walked. It was a strange place, like ... read more