Running Around Town

As some of you know one of my favorite things to do is go running. I recently signed up for a 1/2 marathon here in April and have been training for a couple months. I use the term "training" very loosly, since I really only run once or twice a week(I have a feeling it might be a really rough race!). Anyway, one of my favorite things about training is running longer distances and getting to explore the area around me(maybe a more fitting word would be that I get really lost and have to find my way back home, but I'd rather call it "exploring"). I love running around here(except for the hills) because there's so much that I pass and see on my runs. I've wanted to share for a while what it looks like and some of the different areas around me. These pictures are along the route from my last long run that I did.

One neighborhood I run to is called Puncak Tidar(the top of Tidar). This is a really nice development with some pretty massive houses. I know it's like this everywhere, but it's hard to believe the divide here in economic classes. There's this neighborhood and then right next to it is a village with tiny houses.

Even though it's about 2 miles  straight uphill, this is one of my favorite spots to run to, because it overlooks all of Malang.

Next I pass this little guy who always looks like he wants to rip my face off. I'll keep my distance from him...

The monkey belongs to this house, which has(as you can see) about 100 bird cages outside their house.

In some places there's a wall along the outside of Puncak Tidar. At one end, there's a little door that you can go through that leads to a little village on the other side. It kind of reminds me of a secret passage. I love it!

This is the little path that runs along the other side of the wall to go to the village. I wish I was more brave to take pictures of the people I pass and greet, but I'm never brave enough to stop and whip out my camera and take pictures of them.

After there's a road that takes me back to my neighborhood that winds through kampungs and passes this one are of rice padi fields.



There's a little shortcut I can take to get to another neighborhood that crosses a little bridge only wide enough for a motorbike to cross.



This is one of the kampungs I pass through after the bridge to get back to my neighborhood.

It amazes me how different each neighborhood and area is here. I love experiencing each part, interacting with the people as I run and taking in God's creation all around me.