I am writing this blog because I met and married the most wonderful woman that I have ever encountered even though she was much younger than me and, if you bear with me and if you are interested in doing the same, I will be happy to assist you.
A couple of years ago, when I was 69 years old and bored with life, I took a trip to Prrobolinggo , Indonesia. I had been invited there by a friend Ali who I had met a couple of years before on the internet. He kept on telling me that in his town, there were loads of beautiful women who were particularly attracted to Western men who they referred to as "Bule." He added that they were also not very bothered about looks or financial status. All of this sounded too good to be true and, although I had had many relationships sin my life including a couple of long term ones, I was at the time alone and bored. As a pensioner, I was not good marriage material and did not even know anyone who I even fancied.
I booked a flight from Manchester to Jakarta and, although I didn't speak one word of Indonesian and in spite of the British government advising against travel to that country I was on my way.
It was a long flight to Jakarta with a few hours stopover in Dubai. However the fare was around £350 at that time compared to three grand for a direct flight. The airline was Emirates and I must say that they spoiled their passengers to death. Good food and service, free wine even in the economy section...nothing at all to complain about.
Upon arrival in Jakarta I went through Immigration where I felt that they were happy to have me visit...not like the USA if you have ever been there...UGH! After that I proceded through Customs where they showed no interest in checking anything. I was a little confused. I had arrived at terminal 2 and the national flight that I had to get to Surabaya where my friend was waiting for me was from terminal 1. It was not possible to walk between terminals and I had no idea how to get from one to the other. I noticed that there were a few attractive young ladies wearing lime green uniforms wantering around the terminal and I suspected that they were there for some kind of public service. Luckily Lilly, the first one that I approached, happened to speak a little English and I explained my problem to her. She immediately latched onto me and insisted that she accompany me to the other terminal and help me get a flight. What was strange was that, as we walked through the terminal, several really pretty girls approaached me as asked (in Indonesian) where I was from and if I was married. They all seemed disappointed when Lilly told them that I was leaving Jakarta. We took a taxi together although I was risking that she would kidnap me (I should be so lucky!) for the five minute drive at a cost of 2,000 Rupiah (about 1 pound). She explained to me that tipping was not expected in Indonesia...I was beginning to like the place already.
When we arrived at the other terminal, we tried several airlines but it was impossible to get a flight to Surabaya for that day. I should explain that I COULD have purchased a ticket in the UK but they would have charged me about £160 for ticket that Ali told me was only £15 at the airport. I was about to phone Ali and tell him that I would not be able to get a flight that day but Lilly had different ideas. She went to speak to a few friends and within ten minutes she had a ticket for a flight leaving in about an hour. Lilly stayed with me until the flight was called. I tried to give her a little money for her trouble but she refused it. We did exchange phone numbers and she now is one of my friends.
The airline that I was booked on was Lion Air and I must tell you that this airline has the prettiest stewardesses in the sexiest costumes. They wear long, tight-fitted skirts with a slit up the side. I was beginning to like this country even more!
The flight was just over an hour and I noticed that everyone on the airplane was staring at me like I had just arrived from Mars. They did this in a nice way with beaming smiles. Looking around, I noticed that I was the only Westerner on the flight.
I recognized Ali and his family from the photos that we had exchanged. We shook hands and chatted for a while and then got into Ali's car for the three hours drive to Probolinggo. The traffic was horrendous and bloody dangerous! Cutting in is the accepted way to drive and nobody gets angry about it. There are zillions of motorbikes, weaving in and out and you never know what you might meet on the roads...ox carts, bicycles, horse and buggies, motorbikes with five people on board or with stacks of merchandise three metres high, buses screaming along without any regard to the other road users as they force motorbikes off the road. The pollution is awful too with black smoke pouring out of the exhausts. On the other hand, there are no speed cameras and no parking restrictions...You win some, you lose some!
On the way we stopped to eat. There were four adults and Ali's two young sons.Besides his wife, Ali had brought along a female friend to see if I was interested in her. In spite of the language difficulty, she and I managed to communicate and were getting aloang fine. In the restaurant we were all served a bowl of rice each and then about fifteen separate dishes were placed on the table for us to help ourselves. The total cost was about £5 for everything which would have been £50 in the UK...Unbelieveable! The money took a little getting used to. fifty British Pounds is about one million Indonesian Rupiahs...I was a millionaire!
of asking her to do but rather something that she WANTS to do and would be upset if I prevented her....It is one 0f her ways of showing me that she loves me and I will never stop her doing anything that prevents that! Some of the things she does are rather painful, like the habit she has of biting my chin but again, why would I stop her?
