Pandoraspace

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…)

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

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 

Dear Uncle G,

For as long as I remember, people have always warned me not to eat roadside food.  Most of the time, I heed their advice.  But sometimes, roadside food is just too irresistible to pass up.

Love, Pandora

In Indonesia, I could not resist eating grilled corn, which is sold everywhere.  LS, Danang and I were in Ketep Pass, Java to see Gunung Merapi when I first saw someone selling grilled corn on the side of the road.  The next time I saw someone selling grilled corn was when we were in Jimbaran, Bali with Tito L and Tita D.  Grilled corn with salt or basted with butter is also sold in the sidewalks of the Philippines.  In Indonesia, however, other than salted or buttered grilled corn, you can also opt to have your corn basted with chili butter.   (more…)

Dearest Uncle G,

What in the world is Oleh-Oleh was the first thing that came to my mind when I first heard  that word uttered. I later learned that Oleh-Oleh is a store that sells local food stuff and gifts that one could bring home from a trip. In the Philippines, we call the coming home gifts pasalubong.

Tito L and Tito D took us to Krishna Oleh-Oleh in Bali so we could get out Dad these tiny, crunchy, dry and salty roasted peanuts.  The peanuts were so addictive that LS and I kept munching on them the whole time we were in Bali. We got our Dad a few bags of these great peanuts but they were so heavy that I actually wanted to throw them away when I realized that I could no longer carry my bag.  But, I digress… Other than food stuff, you could buy t-shirts and toys in the Oleh-Oleh.  The prices of the things sold at the Oleh-Oleh are far cheaper than the prices for the same things sold elsewhere in Bali. I think it is because Oleh-Olehs cater to locals rather than tourists. (more…)

Ciao Uncle G!

LS and I are back from Indonesia and already we are planning our next trip there. We had a grand time. I now understand why you want to go back there and stay for an extended period of time. Given the right circumstances, I would like to be in one place in Indonesia like Jogjakarta or Bali for a whole month and just absorb the experience at the leisurely pace.

LS and I wanted to explore as much of Indonesia as we could during our ten-day stay there. But, as our schedule was packed, we had no time to try out all the restaurants you recommended we go to in Jogjakarta and Bali. We did try eating at a restaurant in Jimbaran as you suggested. We loved it and ate there twice.

It was not that we did not spend a good deal of time eating. We did. Being our father’s daughters, we always take time to enjoy food. It is just that we did not plan on where to eat. Most of the time, we simply decided what places  to see and ate whatever we found at that place. Most of the time, we let other people decide where we should eat.

On the whole, we enjoyed the food we had in Indonesia and I made it a point to take note of what I ate so I could tell you about it.

I must warn you though that, unlike you, I am no gourmand. In fact, I am a picky eater. I do not like the taste of liver or soup that tastes like fish or shrimp. While I do know how to cook, I have not stepped into a kitchen in more than six years. I do not thing that I could even cook a decent and edible meal. Worse, describing food is one of the most difficult, if not, impossible endeavors. As my college professor once told me, how can you describe the taste of chocolate to one who has never tired it?  But, in my own crude way, I will try to describe for you the food I ate in Indonesia.

Hopefully, sometime soon (maybe in Indonesia) we will finally see each other and I can sample your cooking.  Until then…

Love, Pandora

The Gates of Bali: Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur

Tita D and I took a walk along Kuta beach on our first morning in Bali. From a distance, I could see two mountains, which I later learned were Gunung Agung and Gunung Batur. I later told LS about it and she said that they represent the gateway to Bali. All the Balinese temples I saw had gates that looked like those two volcanoes. (more…)

Borobudur has taught me about Buddhism

I left Central Java confused about what Borobudur is all about. I did not know whether it was a temple or a monument and why it was constructed in such a way.

Strangely, I came to my own conclusion about what Borobudur means to me while reading a sign in Bali.  The sign spoke of the relevance of a lotus in Hinduism.   The sign reads, in part, as follows: “The root of the lotus sunk in mud represents material life, the stalk passing up through the water typifies life in the astral world, and the flower floating on the water and opening to the sky is emblematic of spiritual being.” When I read this sign, I instant thought of Borobudur.

It is probably because I came across some articles that said that Borobudur is shaped like a lotus.  Frankly, I do not see the similarity in the physical form of Borobudur and the lotus.  I do think that the way in which Borobudur was built emulates the life of a lotus.

Lotuses are not commonly found in the Philippines. It was when I was 25 years old that I first saw a bouquet of green lotus buds being sold in a market in Thailand. The buds were hard and looked liked two palm cupped tightly together in prayer. The buds were beautiful, pristine and sturdy. It was much later that I saw a lotus growing in a pond and observed that it is routed in mud and thrives on murky waters. The lotus later grows round leaves that sit delicately on the surface of the water. It is as if the leaves anchor the lotus above the water and allow the stem to reach out in to the air. Eventually, the lotus produces a huge tight bud, which surprisingly, could be supported by its thin stem. The bud later opens to reveal one of the most beautiful flowers on earth. The flower is ethereal and appears quite delicate. When you touch it, however, you will realize that, unlike a rose petal, a lotus petal is not easily scarred or wilted. It is smooth and firm. (more…)