By Pam Walatka

Los Altos residents Pat and Bob Maximoff went on vacation and wound up having a rollicking adventure. Luckily for us, Pat kept good notes, wrote a long letter about the adventure, saved a carbon copy of the missive and now tells the story in “Going to Nias, an Indonesian Adventure” (iUniverse, 2005).

Nias (pronounced nee-ass) is a small island west of Sumatra, the big island of the country Indonesia, a vast archipelago.

In 1956, the Maximoffs were living in Palembang, Indonesia. Bob worked as an engineer in an oil refinery and Pat taught English and biology in a local Methodist school. They spent their vacation, and an unscheduled extra week, traveling to and exploring the remote jungle island of Nias. Difficult and, in retrospect, amusing transportation problems caused the extra week.

Amateur anthropologists, the couple took cameras, a tape recorder and open-minded curiosity. The book reproduces some of their photographs and Bob’s nicely drawn maps. Most chapters start with a map illustrating the various legs of their journey.

The Maximoffs spoke Indonesian and interacted without prejudice with the people they encountered. Some they liked and some they didn’t, quite independent of race. Foolish people of any color are the butt of Pat’s lively sense of humor.

With an English teacher’s command of the language, Pat tells a story with punch. She is the sort of person you would want to travel with, whether you are aboard a primitive boat, riding in a half-broken jeep or simply reading in an armchair. She loves to travel, and both her sense of humor and sense of adventure shine through her storytelling.

When the Maximoffs left Indonesia in 1975, they settled in Los Altos. Pat, now 81, is active in the Senior New Ways program at Los Altos United Methodist Church. As part of the “Harvest Your Memories” project, she held a book signing with the theme “Life Begins at 80.”

“Going to Nias” is available at Main Street Cafe & Books.