So after lunch in Madura we drove to Kediri to attend a Christmas mass at Poh Sarang.

Ok for the Non-Catholics reader, this place is modeled closely after the Lourdes in France. The life-like statues is painted gold just like Lourdes and Mother Mary has her own special place.

Moreover there is a chapel for mass. I described as chapel because it is very small, maybe fitting only 50 people each time. So for Christmas they had large tents outside

Well this was another christmas mass in a foreign language

FYI: I had attended the last pope John Paul II Christmas mass in Rome back in 2000. It was in Italian

Yes it was in Javanese and despite growing up with the language, mom and dad spoke it and we understand and speak it in a weird accent.

You see The mass was conducted in the formal Javanese language, only people who took in in school or live in Central Java can understand. Not descents of Javanese who lived exclusively in Jakarta like us. I was as clueless as the husband who don’t understand Indonesian.

Well after that they gave us simple packet meals. With varieties as it was donated by different people.

And then we head for dinner at the most famous sate place in town

Yeah sate pak siboen!
Trust me all their satays taste great and affordable. There are several branches too if I am not wrong

Anyway my east java trip continues the next day to Jatim park.

Jatim park is an entertainment venue located in Malang. They have 2 different parks and a night park as well. Really cool place.

So Jatim park 1 is your usual theme parks with rollercoasters etc. We didn’t go there, we went to Jatim park 2, which consist of 3 things: the batu secret zoo ( so secret u gotta go there to find out!! )

The hotel : made of giant tree

And the third I think it is some sort of science/ history/ art museum I am not sure cos it’s not open yet.

That’s us in front of it, yeah it’s huge and full of people cos it’s the holiday season.

Anyway that’s how we spent our whole day. We didn’t visit the night park because we could not get a room at the hotel so we went back to Tulungagung to stay the night.

We went to eat at some random restaurant which was not so nice. Probably gotta head to Malang town for great food. Batu ( a municipal of Malang ) is kinda touristy

Btw we also visited selecta, the giant swimming pool which now has many other things such as go kart, big flower garden, some agro farm etc

I remember when I was a kid it was just a big swimming pool thar my siblings and I swim in the cold fresh mountain water. And enjoy fried rice afterwards! Such a great holiday. But we didn’t stay long cos it was drizzling.

Of course batu is known for it’s agro tourism where you get to pick apples, strawberries etc. The hotel there is also fantastic but we skipped it this time round.

So after we head back to Tulungagung, the next day we head to Visit my grandmothers.

At this time I would like to offer my prayers to the soul of my paternal grandmother who just passed away in jul 2011.

Her home hold great childhood memories which my siblings and I will always share. You see in front of her house there is a big building. One time it was a frog farm so we get to see huge bullfrogs and had some frog stew afterwards.

Another time it became a crocodile farm so we saw baby crocodiles and so on.

At first it was a cow farm so we get to help milk cows etc.

There was one time also it became a fish and prawn farm.

And one last farm it was once a snake farm.

And I think today it is still a crocodile farm, after all crocodile skin is very valuable

Anyway fond memories of childhood. And because she just passed recently I just returned to East Java too.

Last installment will talk about my stay in sarangan, madiun, more about my maternal grandmother in Tulungagung, the hotel and the great food places

Look out for it.