January 14th

We packed, prepared for our flight, compared notes, and handled finances. The flight to Makassar from Balikpapan went through Jakarta which is like going to Washington, from Boston, through Pittsburg. Monsoon storms made the flight one of steady interest. We checked in at 12:30 am -- our local partner, Ratna Haris picked us up -- she must have been exhausted -- and the wind shaking our rooms continued the feeling of the flight. Our rooms thrust out into the ocean like an overbold small animal trapped on a thin stilt. and were held up on wooden stilts.