7 planes, 8 days -- otherwise known as my way back to Canada! In the interest of saving money, I bought the cheapest flights I could find to make my way home. Now that it's time to actually take them, I have to wonder whether saving money is worth all the extra time I'll be wasting in airports. On the plus side I'll get more stamps in my passport! My crazy itinerary is as follows:
June 21st: Denpasar - Jakarta
June 22nd: Jakarta - Singapore (arrival 5pm)
June 23rd: Singapore - Manila (departure 6am, which means I get to enjoy a night in Singapore airport!)
June 23rd: Manila - Osaka (5 hour layover in Manila, to my great dismay -- definitely not my favorite city)
June 29th: Osaka - Tokyo - Chicago - Montreal (3 flights, arriving a few hours after my departure with over 20 hours of travel in between, that's the date line for ya!)
Then I get to rest a about a week and then it's time for yet another flight to get home to Vancouver, arrival on July 7th! It's a good nervousness I think.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Cooking class
Today M. and I took a Balinese cooking class! Listed bellow are five of the recipes we learned how to make. (We learned two others, a soup and a black rice pudding that didn't work my world. Let me know if you want the recipes for them though.) The recipes are all approximate since I was taking notes while our teacher was cooking.
M. and I found that most of the dishes were too salty, so feel free to cut down the amount of salt. Also, they don't cook with many vegetables here, so feel free to add more to the recipes! Finally, all recipes are vegetarian since neither of us cook meat, but I'm sure you can add whatever meat you'd like to most of these. Each recipe makes one large portion.
Gado-Gado
Boil water, cook your favorite veggies in it. We used: carrots, potatoes, green beans, bean sprouts.
Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor I guess), crush together:
1 cup fried salty peanuts
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tsp shrimp paste (optional)
1 small hot chili
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
once crushed add:
about 7 tbsps water added a bit at a time until the sauce is the right texture (liquid and lumpy)
1/2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
juice from 1/4 of a small lime
Deep fry tofu and tempe for about 3 mins. Mix the veggies, protein, and sauce together.
Urap-pan
Boil water, cook your favorite veggies in it. We used: green beans, bean sprouts.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/2" turmeric root
1/2" galengal root
1/2" ginger root
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 small chili
once crushed add:
1 cup shaved fresh coconut (not sweetened)
Fry the mix on high (no oil) for about 30 seconds then add the veggies and fry for another 2 minutes or so.
Indonesian Curry
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1/2" turmeric root
1/2" ginger root
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
3/4 tsp each of salt and sugar
1 small chili
Heat 2 tbsps of oil on high. Add 2 shallots thinly sliced, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the spice sauce and 1 1/2 cup of water. The sauce is now very liquid. Add tempe (cut into bite size pieces, or add any veggies/protein you want).
Wait until boiling, then add:
1 lemongrass (young one, use white part, add in whole)
1/2 tsp salt
Cook for about 6 minutes (until the tempe isn't hard anymore) then add:
"coconut water" -- they make it themselves in the following way: take 1/4 cup shaved fresh coconut, mix with water from the pot, press the coconut to wring out the water, then add the water back to the pot.
Tahu Goreng Sambal Tomat
Deep fry tofu (takes about 5 minutes).
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
1 big chili (not too spicy, remove seeds and slice into thin pieces first)
3 large garlic cloves
1 tsp each of salt and sugar
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Once crushed add:
2 tomatoes sliced thin
Heat 2 tbsps oil and add the spice sauce, mix constantly for about 1 minute. Add deep fried tofu and 1/4 tsp each of salt and sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Nasi Goreng
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1/2" turmeric root
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
1/2" galengal root
1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar
Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 thinly sliced shallot and the spice mix. Then add in order: 1 egg, 1 cup cabbage, 2 cups cooked rice, 1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar. Mix constantly. Once the rice is added, mix it in by squashing the rice to the bottom of the pan to brown it (use high heat).
Ingredients:
M. learning how to use the mortar and pestle:
Enjoying our creations!
M. and I found that most of the dishes were too salty, so feel free to cut down the amount of salt. Also, they don't cook with many vegetables here, so feel free to add more to the recipes! Finally, all recipes are vegetarian since neither of us cook meat, but I'm sure you can add whatever meat you'd like to most of these. Each recipe makes one large portion.
Gado-Gado
Boil water, cook your favorite veggies in it. We used: carrots, potatoes, green beans, bean sprouts.
Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor I guess), crush together:
1 cup fried salty peanuts
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tsp shrimp paste (optional)
1 small hot chili
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
once crushed add:
about 7 tbsps water added a bit at a time until the sauce is the right texture (liquid and lumpy)
1/2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
juice from 1/4 of a small lime
Deep fry tofu and tempe for about 3 mins. Mix the veggies, protein, and sauce together.
Urap-pan
Boil water, cook your favorite veggies in it. We used: green beans, bean sprouts.
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1 1/2" turmeric root
1/2" galengal root
1/2" ginger root
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 small chili
once crushed add:
1 cup shaved fresh coconut (not sweetened)
Fry the mix on high (no oil) for about 30 seconds then add the veggies and fry for another 2 minutes or so.
Indonesian Curry
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1/2" turmeric root
1/2" ginger root
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
3/4 tsp each of salt and sugar
1 small chili
Heat 2 tbsps of oil on high. Add 2 shallots thinly sliced, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the spice sauce and 1 1/2 cup of water. The sauce is now very liquid. Add tempe (cut into bite size pieces, or add any veggies/protein you want).
Wait until boiling, then add:
1 lemongrass (young one, use white part, add in whole)
1/2 tsp salt
Cook for about 6 minutes (until the tempe isn't hard anymore) then add:
"coconut water" -- they make it themselves in the following way: take 1/4 cup shaved fresh coconut, mix with water from the pot, press the coconut to wring out the water, then add the water back to the pot.
Tahu Goreng Sambal Tomat
Deep fry tofu (takes about 5 minutes).
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
1 big chili (not too spicy, remove seeds and slice into thin pieces first)
3 large garlic cloves
1 tsp each of salt and sugar
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Once crushed add:
2 tomatoes sliced thin
Heat 2 tbsps oil and add the spice sauce, mix constantly for about 1 minute. Add deep fried tofu and 1/4 tsp each of salt and sugar. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Nasi Goreng
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together:
2 large garlic cloves
1/2" turmeric root
1 shallot (thinly sliced)
1/2" galengal root
1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar
Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 thinly sliced shallot and the spice mix. Then add in order: 1 egg, 1 cup cabbage, 2 cups cooked rice, 1/2 tsp each of salt and sugar. Mix constantly. Once the rice is added, mix it in by squashing the rice to the bottom of the pan to brown it (use high heat).
Ingredients:
M. learning how to use the mortar and pestle:
Enjoying our creations!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Camping out
M. and I spent the last two days walking around Taman Bali Barat National Park (near Gillimanuk). We had to hire a guide, Yanto, would led us through a bunch of different forests. We saw an evergreen forest, a monsoon forest, a savanna, and a rain forest -- which wasn't very green since we are in the middle of the dry season. A big bonus is that we got to spend the night camping in the savanna for a night!
Yanto also pointed out many animals to us. We encountered macaques once again; luckily, this time they ran away from us instead of towards us like they did in Ubud! We also saw black monkeys, a very large squirrel that looked more like an red panda with a really long tail, a few deer, a snake without a head (an eagle had just eaten it) that still moved about, and quite to my distress Yanto saw a wild boar! (Luckily I didn't spot it, though I did hear it wandering around.)
The hike ended on the second day around lunch time at a lovely Balinese Hindu temple. From Gillimanuk we took a bus to Lovina, on the north side of Bali.
Yanto also pointed out many animals to us. We encountered macaques once again; luckily, this time they ran away from us instead of towards us like they did in Ubud! We also saw black monkeys, a very large squirrel that looked more like an red panda with a really long tail, a few deer, a snake without a head (an eagle had just eaten it) that still moved about, and quite to my distress Yanto saw a wild boar! (Luckily I didn't spot it, though I did hear it wandering around.)
The hike ended on the second day around lunch time at a lovely Balinese Hindu temple. From Gillimanuk we took a bus to Lovina, on the north side of Bali.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
CanadaPost nightmare
Yesterday was a long, hard, frustrating day. After two days of surfing (and lots and lots of bruising), M. and I decided to take a day off from the beach and do some shopping. We headed out to Denpasar's big art market early in order to get some "lucky morning prices". The Balinese feel that they're first sell of the day will bring them luck, so they will bring down their prices a lot faster than later on in the day. Then, once they make the sale, they use the money earned to bless the rest of their merchandise by running the money over it. Getting prices to go down is an essential part of shopping in Bali, you can usually get the price down to less than half it's original! (and still... you're probably paying way too much!)
Anyways, we armed ourselves with a lot of patience and tenacity and did all of our shopping in one morning -- hours of haggling, over-packed stores upon over-packed stores, dodging the 'over-friendly' helpers that simply need to bring us to their friend's store of the best prices -- but we survived!
The next step in our plan was to send ourselves packages with all the gifts and souvenirs we bought. A lot easier said than done. We headed to Denpasar's main post office where I had previously sent myself a package on our first day here (full of New Zealand's winter gear). The line moved fast and we started packing up our purchases when all of a sudden we learned that sending packages to Canada was a no-go. Why? Nobody could say. I remembered that my aunt had mentioned that Canada post was going on strike, so we figured that might be it. Meanwhile, we had 5 kilos each of purchases that simply couldn't fit in our backpacks. Yikes. The next few hours were spent hopping in and out of cabs going from one post agency to another (UPS, FedEx, etc. types). Unsurprisingly, these were way over priced: 300$ per package! Another dead-end.
Frustrated and quite defeated we made our way back to Legian, too tired even to surf. Instead we decided to go find an internet cafe in order to purchases plane tickets we need in order to get home. Of course, most of the sites were either out of order or they didn't accept internet purchases. Arrgh!
Still, all this has a happy ending. This morning we woke up, went surfing, managed to send our packages using Canada post (the strike was a local thing that didn't affect international packages, we just needed to convince the Indonesians to accept our parcels, hopefully they arrive safe and sound!), and bought our plane tickets using a travel agent. All before 1pm. Now that's a great turn around! Sorry for my earlier rant.
Anyways, we armed ourselves with a lot of patience and tenacity and did all of our shopping in one morning -- hours of haggling, over-packed stores upon over-packed stores, dodging the 'over-friendly' helpers that simply need to bring us to their friend's store of the best prices -- but we survived!
The next step in our plan was to send ourselves packages with all the gifts and souvenirs we bought. A lot easier said than done. We headed to Denpasar's main post office where I had previously sent myself a package on our first day here (full of New Zealand's winter gear). The line moved fast and we started packing up our purchases when all of a sudden we learned that sending packages to Canada was a no-go. Why? Nobody could say. I remembered that my aunt had mentioned that Canada post was going on strike, so we figured that might be it. Meanwhile, we had 5 kilos each of purchases that simply couldn't fit in our backpacks. Yikes. The next few hours were spent hopping in and out of cabs going from one post agency to another (UPS, FedEx, etc. types). Unsurprisingly, these were way over priced: 300$ per package! Another dead-end.
Frustrated and quite defeated we made our way back to Legian, too tired even to surf. Instead we decided to go find an internet cafe in order to purchases plane tickets we need in order to get home. Of course, most of the sites were either out of order or they didn't accept internet purchases. Arrgh!
Still, all this has a happy ending. This morning we woke up, went surfing, managed to send our packages using Canada post (the strike was a local thing that didn't affect international packages, we just needed to convince the Indonesians to accept our parcels, hopefully they arrive safe and sound!), and bought our plane tickets using a travel agent. All before 1pm. Now that's a great turn around! Sorry for my earlier rant.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Surf's up!
After trying in vain to find a good surf spot away from the crowds of Kuta, M. and I gave in and settled in Legian (a stone throw away from Kuta) for a few days. Walking the Aussie-crowded streets looking for a cheap hotel didn't much endear us to the place, but our first sight of the beach and the great surfing waves quickly changed our minds.
We rented surfboards for four days, today being the first. This morning we got our first taste of the waves, and they seemed to be a lot bigger than we experienced in Hawaii. I had trouble standing up on my board, which was smaller and a lot slipperier than the ones we used in Waikiki. Still, we persevered and this afternoon we were a lot more successful! Hopefully we will keep getting better and we'll leave Legian surfing professionals... :)
We rented surfboards for four days, today being the first. This morning we got our first taste of the waves, and they seemed to be a lot bigger than we experienced in Hawaii. I had trouble standing up on my board, which was smaller and a lot slipperier than the ones we used in Waikiki. Still, we persevered and this afternoon we were a lot more successful! Hopefully we will keep getting better and we'll leave Legian surfing professionals... :)
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sapit
A 15 minute ride in a fishing boat, a 15 minute ride in a horse-drawn carriage, an hour ride in a bemo (small van overfilled with people, animals, fruit, vegetables, eggs...), a lunch break, another 15 minute ride in a bemo, a 3 hour ride in a bus, and a final 30 minute ride in yet another bemo and BAM just like that we arrived in Sapit... Written out like that it sounds horrible, but in reality our first day of public transport went by quickly and easily. The locals were helpful and good humored when we called them on their crazy tourist prices. The long rides were made pleasant by good music and beautiful scenery. And the destination -- well, that alone made up for all the hassle!
Sapit is a small village at the foot of Mount Rinjani, a sacred volcano for both the Sasak and Balinese people. It's surrounded by fields, rice terraces, a dominated by the volcano. The place is surprisingly free of tourist influence and the locals reminded me of the Filipinos of Tacloban City. The children ran after us, playing the universal game of hide-and-seek with M. and I, much to our own amusement. English was almost non-existent and we learned a fair bit of Bahasa Indonesia to be able to communicate.
We stayed at the only homestay in the area, Hati Suci. Our host, T., was one of the only locals with a good hold of English. He was enthusiastic, generous, and incredibly genuine. He invited us to join him on two outings. The first was a "hair-cutting" ceremony for a newborn baby that lived a thirty minute scooter ride away. The ride over there was a big part of the thrill! We never actually got to see the baby, but the food we were served was incredible. M. and I had our first taste of jackfruit -- in a curry! Yum! The second outing was the following day, we went to a wedding reception in Sapit. There was live music, dancing, and more food! All in all, I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to get a peek of "real" life here in Indonesia.
Rice cooking at the wedding reception
Sapit is a small village at the foot of Mount Rinjani, a sacred volcano for both the Sasak and Balinese people. It's surrounded by fields, rice terraces, a dominated by the volcano. The place is surprisingly free of tourist influence and the locals reminded me of the Filipinos of Tacloban City. The children ran after us, playing the universal game of hide-and-seek with M. and I, much to our own amusement. English was almost non-existent and we learned a fair bit of Bahasa Indonesia to be able to communicate.
We stayed at the only homestay in the area, Hati Suci. Our host, T., was one of the only locals with a good hold of English. He was enthusiastic, generous, and incredibly genuine. He invited us to join him on two outings. The first was a "hair-cutting" ceremony for a newborn baby that lived a thirty minute scooter ride away. The ride over there was a big part of the thrill! We never actually got to see the baby, but the food we were served was incredible. M. and I had our first taste of jackfruit -- in a curry! Yum! The second outing was the following day, we went to a wedding reception in Sapit. There was live music, dancing, and more food! All in all, I feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to get a peek of "real" life here in Indonesia.
Rice cooking at the wedding reception
Friday, June 3, 2011
Gili Air
Gili Air is one of three small islands off the west coast of Lombok, Bali's neighbouring island to the east. M. and I decided to head there to get away from the hassle and business of Ubud, and we were well rewarded. The beaches were beautiful, the water an incredible shade of turquoise, and the noisy touristic crowds thinned out. Gili Air is a small island: you can walk it's circumference in about an hour and a half! The beach is populated by small simple bungalows and tourist-catered restaurants. The food wasn't too special, but the scenery more than made up for it!
We spent our days lazing around on the beach, snorkeling, and getting to know the locals. Indonesia is made up of a bunch of islands and different tribes. The Sasak tribe is the one found on Gili (and most of Lombok). Their typical dress is similar to the Balinese: a sarong with a top. The differences that I saw are that the Balinese add a scarf-belt and the men also wear a head scarf. We haven't had the courage to do a day of shopping yet: it takes a lot of energy to haggle! Still, I'm keeping my eyes open and planning already my shopping spree...
We spent our days lazing around on the beach, snorkeling, and getting to know the locals. Indonesia is made up of a bunch of islands and different tribes. The Sasak tribe is the one found on Gili (and most of Lombok). Their typical dress is similar to the Balinese: a sarong with a top. The differences that I saw are that the Balinese add a scarf-belt and the men also wear a head scarf. We haven't had the courage to do a day of shopping yet: it takes a lot of energy to haggle! Still, I'm keeping my eyes open and planning already my shopping spree...
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