[ Indonesia Cheers Obama on Asia Tour - NTDTV ]
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Barack Obama’s two-day state visit to Indonesia began on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The president of the United States was nostalgic about returning to Jakarta, where he spent four years as a child.
Obama and his wife Michelle arrived at the Istana Merdeka castle for dinner, and were greeted by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Indonesian First Lady Ani Yudhoyono.
In the late 1960s, when Obama and his family lived in Jakarta’s Menteng Dalam district, he had no idea he would one day have a state banquet at the grand castle.
“As a young boy in Menteng Dalam 40 years ago, I could never imagine that I would one day be hosted here,” Obama said, according to the Indonesia Times. “Never mind as president of the United States. I didn’t think I would be stepping into this building, ever.”
Obama enjoyed a feast of Indonesian food, including grilled duck with asparagus, Mie Bakso (meatballs with noodles), beef satay, and pickles. Grilled bananas and kopyor ice were served for dessert.
“Everything is delicious,” Obama said in Bahasa, the official language of Indonesia.
