Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia

Postcard ID-120808 from Indonesia shows Pangandaran, West Java, Indonesia, a popular tourist destination known for its beach and surfing activities located on the southern coast of the island of Java.

It is a gateway to to Green Canyon (Cujang Taneuh) where visitors can hire a boat from the river harbor on the highway 1 kilometer before the turn-off to Batu Karas for a cruise along the emerald-green river in the jungle to a waterfall and a beautiful canyon.

In the news today, AirAsia Flight 8501 from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore vanished Sunday morning local time over the Java Sea. The expanded search so far has yet to turn up any trace of the Airbus A320. Located about 600 kilometers to the east of Pangandaran, Surabaya, capital of the province of East Java, is the second-largest city in Indonesia.

10th Anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Marked

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami that happened on December 26, 2004 and devastated Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and other countries around the Pacific Rim as one of worst natural disasters in modern history.

Banda Aceh in Indonesia's Aceh province was among the hardest hit areas. More than 160,000 people died in Indonesia, accounting for more than 50% of the total 230,000 victims killed from all affected countries. Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla attended a ceremony in Banda Aceh today where many ambassadors of countries that assisted in the massive recovery effort 10 years ago were also present.

The stamped card was purchased at the Banda Aceh Post Office in early 2005 when I was volunteering in the recover effort. It has two of the four birds stamps issued on January 7, 1992: a 100 Rp White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus) and a 200 Rp. Common Flameback (Dinopium javanense) with a remark "Dijamin Asli" (guaranteed authentic) on the bottom of the card.

View image | gettyimages.com

Sunset Over Sabang Bay, Indonesia

Postcard US-2293197 to Michigan shows a beautiful sunset view over Sabang Bay in Aceh Province, Indonesia. It was one of those postcards I bought when I was volunteering in Banda Aceh, Indonesia in 2005. A similar card was featured in this blog last year for the International Day for Disaster Reduction, which was designated as October 13 by the UN General Assembly in 2009, replacing the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction that was part of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction in the 1990s. The theme for 2014 is "Resilience is for Life."

Best known for snorkeling and diving, Sabang Bay is located on the north side of Pulau Weh, an island north of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra. On the sidebar of the postcard, Rubiah Island, Ulee-Lheu Beach, Lhok Seudu Beach, and Lhok Nga Beach are shown from top to bottom.

Clean, Safe and Sanitary Water for a Better World

Postcard US-1864022 to California shows a field survey photo I took at Banda Aceh, Indonesia during the aftermath of the 2005 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. The earthquakes damaged city's water supply and sewerage systems. Drinking water had to be trucked in and supplies were often in shortage. Residents had often resorted to nature water bodies for their needs, as shown in the inserted photo on the left where the woman dressed in red was doing her laundry downstream of the river. Meanwhile, as seen in the enlarged photo on the top right showing the house upstream by the right side of the bridge, raw sewage had been discharging into the river directly. Providing clean, safe and sanitary water has been a challenge for many parts of the world, especially after natural or man-made disasters.

I was ecstatic to see that 11-year-old Audrey Zhang, a student from Island Trees Middle School in Levittown, New York, won first place in Google's annual Doodle 4 Google competition by drawing of a transformative water purifier machine to make the world a better place.

As Zhang describes her machine, "It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, then massively transforms the water into clean, safe and sanitary water, when humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life." Her artwork was displayed on Google's search page on Monday, seen by millions of people.

International Volunteer Day

International Volunteer Day is observed each year on December 5th since 1985. It offers an opportunity for both volunteer organizations and individuals to make their contributions visible; thus raise awareness for volunteering and encourage others to get involved. #IVD2013 

Postcard US-1834687 to Canada shows a volunteer's T-Shirt flying high over Banda Aceh in early 2005 during my volunteering trip to Indonesia to assist in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami relief efforts. The accompany poem from a friend reads:

The world is sadden by the tragic news;
Everything is destroyed by the giant waves on their paths;
Ruins are the all you can see and cries are the all you can hear;
Bodies are scatted on the beach covered with seaweeds from the deep sea;

The only thing left are our loving hearts that will last like the Sun and the Moon;
As well as our determinations like the thunders;
Crossing the suffering islands to lend a helping hand until exhausting our last energy;
While it adds nothing to our ages, the story will be with us for the rest of our life.

International Day for Disaster Reduction

The United Nations General Assembly designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction on December 22, 1989. As part of its proclamation, it also designated the second Wednesday of October as the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. The objective was to promote the awareness in order to decrease the loss of life, property destruction and social and economic disruption caused by natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions, droughts, locust infestations, and other disasters of natural origin.

In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate October 13 as the official date and changed the name to the International Day for Disaster Reduction. The 2013 Theme is Living with Disability and Disasters.

Postcard US-2217252 to Portugal shows a postcard I bought in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia when I was there to volunteer for tsunami relief effort in February, 2005.

Spicy & Bold

I received this Starbucks advertising card from a friend today. The card shows a colorful new look for the Starbucks Anniversary Blend: Spicy & Bold.  What unique about this blend is that it contains aged coffee beans from Indonesia.

According to their online store, "Long, long ago, coffee traveling from Indonesia to Europe was exposed to fluctuating temperatures in the wooden hulls of sailing ships. The unroasted beans took on intriguing flavors, much like the rare Aged Sumatra in this blend. Carefully aged for three to five years, these beans' cedary spice notes and full body combine beautifully with other Asia / Pacific coffees - a celebration of the passage of time."

The Original Starbucks Store at Pike Place Market

The first Starbucks store operated at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle from 1971–1976. This store was later moved to 1912 Pike Place Market. I visited the Pike Place Market location around this time in 2010 during my Seattle stop of the JetBlue AYCJ trip. The store had retained its original feel through the hardwoods, furniture, lighting and store front.

You can read more about the Starbucks® Anniversary Blend online. StarbucksMelody blog also had a post Anniversary Blend 2013: A Colorful New Look!

Hello from Cijayana Beach, Garut, Indonesia

I received a postcard ID-60140 from Indonesia today. It shows the Cijayana beach, about 40 kilometers from Bandung city, the capital of West Java.

From the postcard, you can see beautiful waves along the the beach where you can play beach volleyballs, kites, or make sand castles. It is also a great spot for fishing where you can catch both freshwater fish and saltwater fish.

I went to Banda Aceh, Indonesia for tsunami relief in 2005, but didn't get a chance to visit other parts of the country. Now I have to add this place to my to-go list.

GreenPeace

A GreenPeace Postcard from China

I received a give away from China that included a GreenPeace Postcard. It reads "The more you staple, the more trees being cut. Please save your office paper." It is my pleasure to see GreenPeace's presence in East Asia including China.

Libel in het regenwoud van Indonesië

I had received another GreenPeace postcard twice (NL-1854296, and NL-1265197) from Netherlands. It features a dragonfly in the rainforest in Indonesia.