Pandoraspace

As with my Cambodian trip, I asked myself this question - “If Indonesia is a jar, what would it contain?”

My answer came easily.  Apart from volcanoes, food trips galore and architectural wonders, Indonesia is a place to learn valuable lessons in life.  In particular, that regardless of their religion, people are good.  Despite differences in race, culture, personal histories and beliefs, people value the same things such as love, fidelity, loyalty and compassion.  So, I leave you with these images of the people in Indonesia.

Tip No. 1:  Money. Don’t leave home without it.

As usual, I was in a state of panic before my trip to Indonesia.  I barely had time to pack my clothes.  I did remember to bring a camera but forgot to bring my money for the trip.

On our second day in Jakarta, Tita D suggested that we take a trip to one of the outlets in Bandung.  As I was getting ready for the trip, I discovered that I left behind the envelop containing the money to pay for our hotels, food and shopping.  I was in a state of shock when I called my dad to tell him what happened.  Of course I got an earful from him before he and Tito L remedied the situation.  I was lucky that Tito L and Tita D were with us in Jakarta and that they loaned me money for the trip.  I am eternally grateful to them and extremely embarassed by this whole thing.

So, to avoid getting an earful from parents or having to unexpectedly borrow money from someone, don’t forget to bring money for the trip. (more…)

I was told that putri is the Indonesian word for princess, and, LS and I were just that, two spoiled putris in Jakarta.

Our parents’ friends, Tito L and Tita D, were our hosts in Jakarta and they treated us like putris. When we were picked up from the airport, Tito L brought us drinks and fruits. When we got their house, Tito L opened his refrigerator, which was packed with yogurt, fruits, chocolate and juice for us. Every morning, we were treated to a sumptuous breakfast. We were also given cellular phones to use so we could call Tito L and Tita D just in case we got lost.

On our first day in Jakarta, Tita D took us to see the Monument Nasional or Tugu Monas, which is a 450-foot high tower representing Indonesia’s fight for independence, Masjid Istiqlal and the Gereja Santa Maria Pelindung Diangkat Ke Surga and later treated us for a massage. On our second day, Tita D also treated us to creambath (something like a hot oil treatment) at Yopie Salon. On our last day in Jakarta, Tita D also took us to Seaworld. Of course, in between all that, we shopped and ate to our hearts content.

If you ask me if there is anything more that I could ask for after this trip, the answer is yes. I want to go back to Indonesia and feel like a putri again.

Dear John,

Sorry it took me forever to write you about Bali.  For some reason, thinking about Bali makes me feel lazy.

While I spent some time looking around Bali and shopping, I realized that the best thing to do in Bali is to veg-out.  If I had all the time in the world, I would just bum around in the beach the whole day to watch the the Balinese people make their early morning offering of flowers to the gods of the sea, the surfers ride the waves or Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur.  I do not mind bumming around in Kuta beach even if it is crowded but I am sure that you would prefer to take your wife and kids to the more private beaches in Nusa Dua.

Nusa Dua is where most of the exclusive resorts are located. The resorts are locate along side each other and the area is well guarded and isolated from the rest of Bali.  Tito L and Tita D took us to see one of the resorts to give us an idea of what they are like and I was amazed by the size of it.  In that resort, there are about ten buildings that surround a man-made lagoon and the swimming pools.  The guest rooms are located in those buildings.  It also took me more than five minutes to walk from the reception area to the beach.  There are hotel staff everywhere to cater to the guests’ needs.  Tito L and Tita D told us that the other resorts in Nusa Dua are more or less similar to the resort we visited.  I notice too that the sand in Nusa Dua is golden but not as fine as the sand in Boracay while the sand in Kuta is grey because the grains are made up of crushed lava.

You once asked me if Bali is a place for children.  I would say that it is.  I noticed that there were many people bringing along their young children.  The kids looked like they were having fun too.  If you are not bringing along your kids to Bali, Kuta is probably the best place to hang out.  It is where the shops and bars are located.  The place is teeming with activity.  I could sit in the public beach the whole day and just watch people.  It is very interesting.

LS and I wanted to go to Ubud, which people say is similar to Baguio and is the center of Balinese culture and arts.  Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to visit the place.

So, yes John, I would recommend that you take your family to Bali.  You will not regret it.

Pandora

Dearest Uncle G,

I suppose a trip to Indonesia would never  be complete if one did not at least try this…

and this…

Can you guess what dishes these are?

Love, Pandora

Dearest Uncle G,

On our way to Borobudur, there was a truck carrying two cows.  For a good twenty minutes, all I could see was the back of the cows.  Then, Danang suddenly pulled into a side street and stopped.  He then announced that we were having lunch.  When I got out of the car, I saw a sign that read Warung Makan Purnama.  I learned that warung means store and that the names of most restaurants have the word warung in them.

The food in Warung Makan Purnama was on display and all you had to do was point to the food that you wanted so the server could place it on your plate and hand the plate over to you.  As usual, I did not recognize most of the dishes on display.  As I was not feeling particularly adventurous, I ordered fried chicken and rice.  Danang ordered the same thing except that he had some curry sauce placed on his rice.  He also took a piece of what he told me was deep fried egg tofu.  LS, who I recently discovered is a picker eater than me, refused to eat anything and settled for just a cup of cold tea.  

There was nothing unusual about the way the chicken was cooked but it seemed tastier because it was a native chicken (free range).  I did try some of Danang’s egg tofu, which was actually very good.  The tofu had the consistency and taste of egg custard, which is different from the consistency and taste of soya tofu.  I would have, however, preferred to eat it warm.  Danang’s egg tofu was cold.  I also ate my meal with kerupuk.  

I do not know if you would like to eat in a warung, but as for me, I do not mind eating there again.

Love, Pandora

Dear Uncle G,

The only place on your list that we tried is Jimbaran and we loved it there.  We ate there twice.  

We ate dinner there on our first night in Bali.  Tito L and Tita D were hoping we could watch the sunset from Jimbaran, which I learned is on the west side of Bali.  Unfortunately, we arrived there late.  We ate at a restaurant called Dewata.  We were asked to choose what seafood we wanted to eat and the staff at the restaurant would grill it for us.   That night, we had grilled squid and two kinds of fish, a red snapper and baronang (I do not know what this fish is called in English).  The fish came with three kinds of sauces and one of them was called Bali Sambal.  This sauce had tomatoes and chilies and other spices.  LS loved it.  As for me, I concentrated on the grilled baronang.  

Fish is not one of my favorite foods but the baronang I liked.  It did not have that fishy taste of the sea or the muddy taste that I could sometimes detect.  It tasted “clean”, fresh and had that distinct taste from being grilled in charcoal.  It was cooked just right as the baronang was not soggy or tough.  Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water.

Tita D, LS, Jani (the guy who drove for us) and I each had fresh coconut juice, which was naturally sweet.  As the coconut itself was served to us, we ate the coconut meat after we were done drinking the juice.  As expected, the meat was translucent and of the type that would slither down your throat.  Yum!

Even if we were full from our meal, Tita D and I had to get our grilled corn fix.  Someone was selling grilled corn along the shores of Jimbaran.  As usual, I got my grilled corn buttered and salted.

On the day we were leaving Bali, LS, Jani and I had dinner in Dewata again.  This time, we ordered two grilled baronangs and grilled shrimp and pigged out.  LS had an extra order of the Bali Sambal too.

You have to tell me about the other restaurants in Jimbaran that you tried so we could compare notes.

Love, Pandora 

Dearest Uncle G,

Among the things our dad asked us to get him from Indonesia is Flores coffee, which is “[f]rom the volcanic slopes of Flores Island near Timor… [with a] mild piquant taste with perfect balanced rich flavor [that is] unmistakably Indonesian.” Tito L introduced our dad to Flores coffee several years ago when he visit Indonesia.  My dad has been drinking it ever since.  I am not a coffee drinker but all those who tried Flores coffee have vouched for its great taste.

On the Sunday before we left for Manila, Tito L and Tita D took us to some far away mall to buy Flores coffee, which is not available just anywhere. While we were buying our dad his coffee beans, Tita D introduced us to the Indonesian version of pickled guava. I was expecting the guava to be sour but it turned out to be a sweet sort of pickle. The guava was crisp, refreshing and quite filling.  It is a must try.

Tita D also introduced us to Pazola, a fruit seasoning.  Pazola tastes like salt.  Only it is not as salty as salt.  Pazola enhances the sweetness of the fruit.  If you like to eat your fruit with salt, you will like Pazola.

Love, Pandora

Dearest Uncle G,

On our last day in Jakarta, we did last minute shopping with Tita Day and she treated us to lunch at Bakmi GM.  According to her, Bakmi GM is a popular fast-food joint that Indonesians frequent.  True enough, when we got there at 3:00 p.m., the place was still packed with dinners.

 

For starters, we had cold Soursop juice (Guayabano juice).  While it was sweet, you could still detect that slightly sour taste.  The juice was also quite refreshing and just what we needed on that hot day.  I do think, however, that one should just have one glass of Soursop juice to go together with a meal.  More than a glass of this juice is too much as it is think and filling.  

After serving us the juice, the next thing that was placed on our table was Pangsit Goreng, which is the Indonesian version of deep-fried wonton. It came with a sweet and sour sauce. LS said that the Pangsit Goreng is similar to the fried wonton we get in Chinese restaurants. Only, the Pangsit Goreng’s wonton wrapper is “bread-ier”. I agree with her observation.

    

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Dearest Uncle G,

After I told the concierge at our hotel that I had a hankering for food that was not sweet (many Javanese dishes are on the sweet side), he laughed and said he is from Sumatra so he would know where to find food that is not sweet.  (I am told that Sumatrans are accustomed to food that is spicy and not sweet.)  The concierge recommended we try a restaurant called Iga Bakar and promised that the food was not sweet at all.

On our third evening in Jogjakarta, LS, Danang and I ate at Iga Bakar. 

Iga is the Indonesian word for ribs while bakar means grilled. It therefore came as no surprise that, at Iga Bakar, the main dishes served were grilled beef ribs basted with various sauces, which true to the Sumatran concierge’s word, were not on the sweet side. (more…)