Indonesia
Getting There
I was excited about
the opportunity to visit Indonesia for the first
time and Thailand a second time. I was looking forward
to meeting some breeders who I was considering placing
some dogs with. We have known and corresponded for
several years with Agus Rinyanto, Andri Chandra
of La Verne Shih Tzu and Pappit Chaya Sukannoi "Kai"
of Hearty Shih Tzu. They had invited me to attend
some shows in Indonesia, followed by another weekend
of shows in Thailand. I had brought over two males
with me, one to be shown and the other for breeding.
"Manny" Am. Can. Braz. World Pan Am Ch.
Wenrick's Man of Distinction was here for breeding
and was in a cute puppy trim. "Roman"
Am Can Ch Chantilly's Romance At Wenrick was here
to be shown at the two weekends of shows.
It would be great
to see exactly where the dogs would be living as
this has not always been the case in the past 30
+ years of breeding dogs and sending them to all
parts of the world. The only difficult part of the
trip would be the travel. I had to fly the 8 hour
segment to Amsterdam with a 12 hour stop over and
then continue on the 14 hours to Jakarta, Indonesia.
I was met at the airport in Jakarta by Agus and
friend Christina, cleared customs and boarded the
1 hour flight to Yakarta near where Agus and Andri
live. It was a very long trip and I was relieved
to finally be welcomed by Andri into their beautiful
home. It was midnight and I was pleased to lay my
weary body in a real bed for a comfortable nights
sleep in air conditioning as the temperature was
in the 30's celsius, a lot warmer than the freezing
weather I left in Canada.
Agus & Andri's Home & Dogs
The day started early
with meeting all the dogs including the 'little
four legged princesses' who had run of the spacious
house. The dogs were very pampered and well cared
for in the air conditioned and immaculate areas
set aside for them. It was fun to see in person
the many dogs I had only seen pictures and pedigrees
of. We enjoyed a light breakfast of 'dim sum' and
became further acquainted before setting out for
a days sightseeing.
We visited the beautiful
temples of Prambanan and Borobudur. These magnificent
works restored to their original beauty are listed
in the World Heritage sites. They were teaming with
history and culture and made for a full day of sightseeing.
The drive to and from the temples through the urban
sprawl was an adventure in itself. We enjoyed a
scrumptious meal of local delights at a restaurant
before retiring for the night. A very exciting introduction
to Indonesia and new friends Agus and Andri.
