The governor is now on the Japan leg of her trip, after spending the last week in Jakarta.

On Wednesday, to round off her trip, she held a press conference in Jakarta to answer questions about the state partnership program between the Indonesian military and Hawaii National Guard.

More than 20 members of the press turned out for the conference.

Afterwards, they gathered around Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Director Charles McCreery to get his assessment of tsunami warning systems in Indonesia. They were especially concerned about a recent spate of false alarms, and asked how such events can be prevented.

Before I finish up my blog, I wanted to share a few photos of security precautions in Jakarta, especially around hotels frequented by foreigners. In the wake of the bombing at the JW Marriott, hotels were forced to start searching visitors' bags and cars. To get into the Marriott in Jakarta, you have to walk through a metal detector. Security is also taken seriously elsewhere, including government buildings.

The JW Marriott searches cars — in the trunk, underneath and under the hood — before they can pull up to the hotel. The hotel now has the highest security of any hotel in Jakarta.

The Ritz-Carlton, across the street from the Marriott, employs similar security measures.

These guys were suspicious about my camera use. At the next hotel over, some guards told me no photos.

The governor boarded her military plane from Jakarta on Thursday morning and stopped briefly at Yokota Air Base before heading on to Tokyo. The flight to Yokota was smooth sailing, so much so Health Department Director Chiyome Fukino spent nearly two hours in the boom to take photos.

The boom is where guard members operate the gas line that goes between the KC-135 and planes in the air that need refueling. The boom can actually steer the plane a little to help the line get to its target.

When we got to Yokota, it was cold and rainy — nothing like the 90-degree weather in Jakarta.

The governor was whisked off to a briefing with the base commander, while the rest of us headed to our lodgings. Several members of the Jakarta delegation will accompany Gov. Linda Lingle to Tokyo, including Fukino and state Rep. Gene Ward. Others are also meeting up with Lingle in Tokyo today.

The rest of us will head back to Hawaii on Friday.

Here's just one more picture, which I snapped in the midst of Jakarta traffic.

This guy was in the middle of six lanes of traffic, selling something that looked a lot like manapua. Down the road a bit more, there were dozens others like him — but most stayed on the shoulder of the highway.

Yusuf Irwandi is not your average politician.

Four years ago, Irwandi was arrested for participating in an Indonesian opposition group, the Free Aceh Movement, which pushed for the independence of the Indonesian province. He had served as a secret operative with the group, which was in the midst of a civil war with the government.

The Oregon State University graduate, trained as a veterinarian and working as a professor, was sentenced to nine years in jail. He had been behind bars for 19 months when the December 2004 tsunami hit, killing more than 120,000 in Aceh alone.

The killer waves flooded the prison, drowning some inmates in their cells. Of the 237 people in the jail, there were 60 survivors. After Irwandi broke out, he fled to Malaysia.

In the months that followed, the Indonesian government brokered a historic deal with the Free Aceh Movement, allowing the province to become autonomous, not independent. Irwandi participated in those talks, and when they were complete returned to Aceh.

Once there, he ran for governor, where he secured 38 percent of the vote — twice that of his nearest challenger. His calls for an end to corruption and more aid for his poverty-stricken population has won him the support of the international community.

He has also tried to quicken the pace of reconstruction in Aceh, worrying more organizations will leave as the memory of the tsunami fades.

After a conversation with the governor today, Irwandi told media in attendance that about 70 percent of the 120,000 homes destroyed in Aceh have been rebuilt. He also said he is working hard to make sure a warning system is up and running along the coast soon.

Gov. Linda Lingle applauded Irwandi for his work, and wished him luck. “It’s an exciting time for you to be a leader,” she said. “You’re taking important steps.”

Gov. Linda Lingle and Aceh Gov. Yusuf Irwandi talk about how they can help each other. Irwandi was particularly interested in sending young residents to study agriculture in Hawaii.

The governors met, with their staff members, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jakarta.

Indonesian vice President Jusuf Kalla welcomed the governor into his palace today, where they chatted for a little over 15 minutes about everything from tourism to palm oil.

The two exchanged wrapped gifts and smiles before they parted.

The meeting between the two leaders was closed to the media, but afterwards Kalla said he was inspired by all the similarities between Hawaii and Indonesia.

“Especially because Hawaii has so many tourists,” he said.

Marsha Wienert, the state tourism liaison, attended the meeting and said the vice president was very interested in how tourism in Hawaii compared to Bali.

Talk of palm oil came in when someone brought up the issue of bio-fuel. Palm oil in Indonesia was traditionally used for cooking, but is now being exported to be converted into fuel. The result — higher prices, which means many families can no longer afford it.

Kalla is Indonesia's 10th vice president.

Here are a few outer shots of the vice president's headquarters:

Lingle sat down with Kalla for about 15 minutes. The meeting was closed to the media.

After the meeting was complete and the two had exchanged gifts, Kalla walked Lingle to her waiting car.

It’s a touchy subject in Jakarta — one Indonesian leaders usually don’t like to touch.

But today, Indonesian Parliament member Theo Sambuaga brought it up in a talk with the governor and members of her delegation. And he asked her to do something about it.

Sambuaga wanted the governor to urge the U.S. government to tone down a recent warning for travelers about Indonesian airliners. The warning said tourists to Indonesia should defer their travel plans because of a spate of crashes involving Indonesian planes.

In response to the request, Lingle said she had learned that the language had been recently changed to say travelers should be cautious before taking the airlines, but not necessarily cancel their plans. But the changed verbiage doesn’t appear to have made as many headlines as the initial warnings, which grabbed international news.

The travel warning was based on recommendations by the Federal Aviation Administration, which rates international airlines based on safety records and the regulations they are subject to. The FAA said one of its main concerns with Indonesian airlines was the lax oversight of aircraft maintenance.

Incidentally, the Australians have also issued a travel warning on Indonesian airlines.

Indonesian leaders wave off the warnings, saying their airplanes are safe. But there is plenty of concern — evidenced by Sambuaga’s request — that the advisories will disrupt tourism, especially in Bali and other parts of Indonesia.

On a side note, Sambuaga left a parliamentary session to meet Lingle.

The two talked for about 15 minutes in an office at the parliament building in Jakarta, and they soon illustrated just how small the world is: Sambuaga was an East-West Center fellow. Can you guess where the 2008 center alumni reunion is? That’s right, Bali.

Lingle and Sambuaga talk at the Indonesian Parliament today.

Here's a glimpse at the Indonesian Parliament building. It was packed today, as members discussed ambassador appointments for Indonesian embassies around the world.

Jakarta is a city of contrasts. It is a place where democracy has spurred speedy industrial growth, brought in foreign investors and engendered a fascination with trends, fashion and entertainment.

But amid all the metropolitan glamour there is glaring poverty — children dodging cars to beg for spare change, rows and rows of slums and a host of poor social indicators. The per capita income in Indonesia is $1,280, and though it is rising some experts question whether enough is being done to educate Indonesian children, help struggling families and create good jobs for young adults.

On Sunday night (early Sunday in Hawai), Rep. Gene Ward, KGMB report Stacy Loe, videographer Michel Cherry and I went out for a few hours to explore Jakarta. Ward, who is fluent in Indonesian and lived in Jakarta for some time, was our guide and interpreter. He took us to Monas Park, where hundreds of families had gathered for a stroll. The park's immense spire was built to symbolize democracy.

People ride horse-drawn buggies through the park, or just walk with their families.

Here's one decked out horse and buggy.

Our taxi driver took us around this fountain, also built to celebrate democracy.

While stopped, we saw some kids playing a ukulele for a driver. They were skirting in and out of at least six lanes of traffic. Ward motioned them over and they sang a short tune, sprinkling it with big smiles and smatterings of English they had picked up. Loe gave them 2,000 rupiah — less than $2 and they were tickled.

Last, but not least, here's a photo of Jakarta from my hotel. Note all the construction — plenty of buildings going up and coming down all over the city.