Loud music, spicy food, no dancing, and about 1000 villagers were the crucial elements that made this truly a unique experience. Our first wedding we went to together will probably be the most memorable one for many reasons!

Friday during our Jungle Trek with Jojohn, he mentioned casually that there was a wedding Saturday in the village. Since he was friends with the family, we were all invited. This sounded like a blast, so we eagerly agreed.

Come Saturday night, about 15 other travelers from our guesthouse, Rain Forest/Nora's Homestay, and us pilled into the back of many tuk-tuks for the short ride to the village. Even before we arrived, we could hear the blasting Indonesian music, which sounds strangely similar to Korean "traditional ajusshi" music! We had to cross some wooden footbridges to reach the home, and were immediately among a crowd of nearly 1000 villagers.

Of course, seeing about 15 white young adults was quite the site and very entertaining for the locals! We were greeted warmly by both the mother and father (groom, bride, we're not sure) and were handed a plate. Though the buffet was small, about four dishes, they really packed a punch. Neil and Kenny sweated through the entire meal!

After dinner, we were allowed to have pictures taken with the bride and groom. They were only 19 years old, and honestly didn't look like they were having much fun. The whole time we were there, they sat on their "throne" and barely talked to each other. Sometimes they would smile, but for none of the pictures. Kenny and I thought that they were Muslim, and that perhaps the wedding may have been arranged. I would have like to have seen the actual wedding, but that took place from 10-3 earlier that day, while we were still on our Jungle Trek.

For entertainment, two live singers sang and danced for us. Strangely, the guests remained in their plastic chairs the entire time while the children gathered near the stage but also didn't dance. To make us feel even more uncomfortable, the singers requested the foreigners to come up on stage and dance. All of us felt like we were doing something culturally inappropriate, so we got down shortly thereafter.

By this point, all of us were ready to leave and go to the Jungle Party. It was just a little too strange to hang around for a long time! When we left, we got lots of goodbyes, especially from the children. Both of us agreed that was one of the strangest things that had happened thus far on our trip!