July 30th, 2009 - Yesterday I embarked on a quest for The Lost Café of Internet. It was a quest that ended in failure. I was told there are two places, one in the town and another a little ways past one of the nicer hotels. Due to the unstable nature of electricity lately I was directed toward the latter. It is a good twenty minute walk from my lodging. Along the way I came upon a remarkable place. It is a home for disadvantaged children (Kindertehuis) established by an Indonesian man and his Dutch wife. The couple sold their house in the Netherlands and set this place up on their own without outside help. It is completely private and relies on no other organization for assistance, NGO or otherwise. Although they readily accept donations they are not overly aggressive in their search for support. They want to be free to run the home the way they see fit. Right now they have 43 children living there. In addition to assuming full responsibility for these kids they also provide support to other underprivileged children living nearby. This can include money for school, health care, etc. to kids living with only one parent or with relatives that are challenged financially.
The feeling of calm and well being strikes one as soon as you set foot on the grounds. The place pulsates with positive energy and happiness. As I walked through on my quest for some web time I noticed that they had a small restaurant so I decided to stop and have a bite. I was greeted by the husband and he was kind enough to fill me in on the place. It is relatively new and has been around for only about a year (although they have been supporting children for years). He explained how it worked and how the level of support depends on the needs of the child. I fingered through a guest book that chronicled past visitors and even left a short message myself.
