Monthly Archives: January 2015

Wildlife Wednesday

Here be Dragons

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On January 28th, we boarded a boat to Rinca Island to search for Komodo dragons in Komodo National Park. The short 2 hour journey took us by some spectacular sights. The water was gorgeous shades of green and blue. The landscapes were incredible to behold. Upon our arrival to the island, we encountered some long-tailed macaques searching for their favorite local snack, the fiddler crab.

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Shortly down the path, right under the warning sign, we encountered our first dragon. Rinca Island has over 2200 Komodo Dragons currently living on it.

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Soon after we met the ranger who would guide us through the park, we happened upon a large male dragon.

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Other smaller dragons were wandering through the forest nearby.

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A water buffalo was bathing in a stream. If a dragon bites a big healthy buffalo like this one, it could be a week or two before the buffalo dies. Usually multiple dragons will enjoy the feast.

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Per UNESCO’s decision 20 years ago, the dragons are not fed by rangers but hunt their entire diet. Rinca has the dragons natural prey animals, deer, and wild pigs for the adults, and birds and lizards for the juveniles. (PS: did you know they live in trees for their first few years?)

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If you visit Flores Island, hop on a boat to Rinca Island or Komodo Island and view these magnificent beasts in their natural habitat for yourself. As the old sailors’ maps say “Here be Dragons.” Only in Indonesia.

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Candi Ceto (Ceto Temple)

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Candi Ceto is a Hindu temple that appears to float high above the clouds. It is located on the western slope of Mount Lawu. Since it was built in the 15th century, it has a more Javanese architecture than the Indian-inspired temples of the 7th century. One of the traits that make it worth a visit is its many statues representing masculinity. Candi Ceto is still used as a place of worship today.

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Tasty Thursday

Gado-Gado, my new favorite Indonesian food!

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While on our road trip around the island of Java, our guide Heri encouraged me to try Gado-Gado. I was able to try it twice, and I am addicted. If making it at home, you could easily make it for a number of different diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, chicken-lovers, just to name a few).

The dish is served cold, and consists of coarsely diced pre-cooked foods topped with a peanut sauce like a dressing. Between the two versions I tried, there were potatoes, green beans, water spinach, tomatoes, carrots, tempeh, tofu, shredded chicken, mung bean sprouts, boiled eggs, and shredded cabbage. One version was also topped with pieces of crisp rice crackers, which soaked up the sauce really well.

The peanut sauce was simple yet delicious. It is made from roasted peanuts, palm sugar, chilis, and lemon leaf. (Some versions also contain tamarind) Then all the ingredients are ground together (mortar and pestle style) into a thick, paste-like sauce that is a slap of pure joy to the palate.

Tasty Thursday

Ivy’s Kitchen (Taipei, Taiwan)

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On January 8th, we had the opportunity to take a cooking class with Ivy Chen. She has been teaching cooking classes in Taipei for over 15 years. We met up with Ivy at Shidong market, where she gave us a fun and informative tour of what the local vendors had to offer. After the market tour, we walked to her home. We chose 3 dishes to cook ahead of time: steamed buns with red bean paste, eggplant with spicy sesame dressing, and vegetarian wontons in red oil sauce. We cooked, chatted, and ate well into the afternoon. The dishes were delicious and not too difficult to make. If you visit Taipei and have a day to spend, please contact Ivy.
http://kitchenivy.com

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Sunrise at Mount Bromo

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Sunrise from the Mt. Bromo overlook.

On January 21st 2015, we woke up at 3 AM, hopped into a Jeep, and off-roaded through the “sea of sand”  to watch sunrise at the Mount Bromo overlook. The scenery did not seem real. We were high above the clouds near an actively billowing crater. The gathered crowd consisted of people from all over the globe, each anxiously awaiting the arrival of the sun. After sunrise we headed back down. We traversed the “sea of sand” on foot while most rode on horseback to the stairs leading to the crater’s rim.

The stairs to get to the crater of Bromo. Steep!

The stairs were very steep, the air had a faint aroma of sulfur, and the views were unforgettable.

The crater of Mount Bromo: this volcano is still active, and last erupted in 2010.

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A beautiful tour through Candirejo, a Javanese village

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While we were in the area near Borobudur, we took a tour ofthe village of Candirejo by Andong, a horse drawn carraige. Our tour guide, Mr. Budi, was incredibly kind, and he taught us a lot about life in the village. We had the chance to watch someone making cassava crackers (and try them!), attempt to play gamelan (traditional Javanese music which sounds beautiful unless I am playing it), and enjoy jasmine black tea with palm sugar. Overall, we enjoyed seeing this beautiful village. Next time, I’ll have to do a homestay!

Cassava crackers cooking. They are flavored with garlic and onion. Yum!

Machine to help with the manufacturing of cassava crackers. It takes dough and presses it into thin noodle-like shapes. We met the man who designed it- it improved efficiency by a factor of 10.

Street Food Saturday

Stinky Tofu

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Yesterday, while at the Ningxia night market, I worked up the courage to try stinky tofu. I found a vendor who was working on a big grill surface and brushing sauce onto skewered fried stinky tofu. The smell was much more mild than many of the other stalls I’d walked past, and she’d serve it up to me with Taiwanese kimchee. I figured it was my best shot at liking this classic dish.
The good news is that the tofu was hot, with a nice sauce and the outside was nicely fried. The kimchi was mild. Overall, it was a much more pleasant experience than I feared. But I confess that I didn’t actually like it. The tofu didn’t smell all that stinky, but it tasted stinky.
This may be an experience you want to have to say you’ve tried it, but I think it is challenging for a western palate.

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Tasty Thursday

Best Potato Chip Flavor Ever (Happiness Butter)

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Early on in our adventure to Japan, we encountered a mysterious yet enticing bag of potato chips.
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Made by Calbee, the flavor is called “Happiness Butter.” It is a combination of sour cream, honey, butter, and parsley. “Happiness” is the best way to describe these chips. Sweet and crunchy – a snack food lover’s dream. We looked all over for another bag, but weeks later, were only able to find one – at a reduced price, because they were discontinuing the flavor. Cruel victims of a limited edition flavor? Or had that dastardly pigeon struck again.

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Saying “See you later” to Japan

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Today we fly to Taiwan. We have spent 33 days in Japan, and there are still lots of things I would love to see and do and eat here someday. Overall, I would strongly encourage people considering a trip to Japan to go for it. It is a fantastic place to be a tourist!

Some quick highlights: delicious food for way less than you’d expect, kind strangers who go out of their way to help if you are lost or struggling with something, beautiful natural scenery, and great transportation.

I’m sorry we haven’t posted as many things as we want to – we have mostly been planning this trip on a night-to-night basis. More updates to come soon!