February 27

February 27

Lover or fighter?

5 am.....
The day began, just like every other day here, with the crowing of the roosters, competing for the attention of that scrawny ajam kampung.....she must know something more than meets the eye....

I think I may have found a "hot-spot" in the big garden here, where I maybe have a bit of connection. So far, I have spent most of the Wifi rupias on waiting for the Google main screen to load. Thanks goodness we have a tower in the middle of the property that supplies wifi to the whole complex......I think it's a mobile telephone relay tower myself, but hey....who knows?
This new hot spot is next to the pool, adjacent to the pathway....yes, in and amongst the plants (and the mosquitoes)....

Hot-Spot

We had a lovely breakfast of pancake with pine apple. Nice and crunchy on both sides and definitely tasty, served with a bit of wild honey. As well, of course, the aromatic kopie Bali, aka tubruk, aka Java, aka Lombok etc.
I have made this style of coffee many times in Canada, even in Holland, but it never seems to taste quite the same. The aroma of this coffee, seems to "fit-in" with all that goes on here, all that makes Indonesia, the lovely country it is....
After breakfast we walked over to the local travel warung and booked our ride back south to Sanur, and while we were there, we booked a couple of motor bikes as well. We will spend our last 2 days here in Bali, in Sanur, not far from the airport of Den Pasar....from there to Jakarta and via Garuda back to Amsterdam.

Ogoh-Ogoh

We spoke to the hotel manager about the coming Hindu new year, on the 4th and 5th of March.
On the 4th there will be a huge parade where larger than life effigies of bad spirits, will be paraded down to the beach. On the way, people will bring their bad feelings of the past year and pass them into the large effigies (through mental telepathy), and the Ogoh-Ogoh will then head for the beach.  Then, once at the beach or at a local graveyard, these huge statues and their bad spirits will be burned and the evil spirits and bad omens will be released to the clouds above......
On the 5th. Is the day that total silence and reflection is observed all over Bali. There will be no one in the streets, no cars, no bikes, no trains, no Internet, no nothing.....a person caught moving about, will be subject to a large fine, so Menno and I will be under house arrest.

All flights, all rail traffic, in short, everything stands still and all will be eerily quiet that day.
Here at the hotel, we may move about, sit in the pool, as long as we don't not make a peep.....

By 6 pm, all the lights go out, airco is shut off and it will be pitch dark until 6am. Everyone will reflect of the year past, ponder the bad things that happened during the past year and pray (silently) for a better year.
This must happen in total pitch dark and total silence, (hence it is called the quiet day).... because the bad spirits that were released by burning the effigies are still floating in the skies above Bali and are looking down, to land anywhere they hear a ruckus or see even the faintest light.....
Bali will not broadcast any TV that night, but Java still does, because they are Muslim and do not subscribe to the traditions of the Hindu.

Menno and I are excited to be part of this celebration and day of reflection. The very next day we will leave, via private car to Sanur......

Ikan teri and bawang merah

Anyway..... After the explanation of the coming festivities went to get our motor cycles and decided to go for a ride. Unfortunately, after about 10 meters my bike stalled, because the tank was bone dry.....I went back to the toko that arranged for the bikes and spoke to the manager, who doubles in the evening as a Soto Ajam hawker. His initial reaction was.....ahduh, sayang....it's okay, when you bring the bike back, is okay...no benzin...is okay....
What can you say to such a naive and innocent and disarming explanation.....that coupled with their perma-smile and I was ready to drill for oil right there and then and distill it into "bensin" ....gasoline, myself....Oh by the way, here they pay 50 cents for a 1 liter bottle.... And every drop of gas is owned by the Republic, but most bikers (and there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions), buy their gas by the 1 or 2 liter bottles from roadside stands.

Celebration

We went to take a look at Menno's property, but got side tracked, because that kampung had a pre- festivity celebration, and the whole kampung turned out, in their sarong-kebaya, the kids and men as well. It was a colorful kumpulan and we enjoyed it thoroughly,  see pictures.
Back in our area, we went to visit Kuman, Menno's friend. She and her husband invited us for a Babi Guling feast tomorrow, at her house. Menno and I split on the cost of a suckling pig, which will be slaughtered and roasted tomorrow, by his friends and the family, in our honor, and I will get a cooking lesson in stuffing, trussing and spit roasting the Babi...
It should be an interesting day, and it will start at 7, when we will go the market to get the rest of the ingredients, bawang putih, bawang merah, Lombok and vegetables, Kang-Kung, garlic, red onions, hot chili peppers.....
It should be a great experience and I can't wait to taste the crispy skin...
I will be sure to take a lot of pictures and I wish that you all could be here to help us celebrate this wonderful archipelago and it's delightful people....

For the sake of keeping this blog not too bloody, I have only included pictures that do not offend. For the complete picture reportage of the slaughter and roasting, see the Picasa Album.

Bahmi Goreng

Serves 4 

This is the noodle equivalent of nasi goreng, or Indonesian fried rice. Like fried rice, it can accommodate whatever leftovers you have in the cupboard, so use this recipe as a guide. Indonesians like to serve it with extra kecap manis and chile sauce on the side.

10 ounces dried egg noodles
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
3 ounces pork loin, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed with
   the side of a knife blade
3 ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 ounces white cabbage , thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chicken stock
1 tablespoon kecap manis
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons crisp-fried shallots
   (available from Asian grocery stores)

Cook noodles in boiling water for about 4 minutes, then rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking further. Drain and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a hot wok and swirl around to coat surface. Pour in beaten eggs and quickly swirl around the pan to form a thin omelet. Flip omelet onto cutting board, roll up into a tight roll, slice across into thin strips, and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in the wok and stir-fry chicken, pork, and garlic until they have changed color and cooked through. Add shrimp, cabbage, celery, and green onions and toss well. Add stock, kecap manis, soy sauce, and drained noodles and mix well. Slip onto a large serving platter and scatter omelet strips (or fried egg "mata sapi") and crisp-fried shallots over the top.