Hopes and dreams:

Hope to hit the jackpot:

Hope to make it big one day:

Hope to hit its mark:

Hope I’ve got it right!

Ibu Moulina did a neat job of explaining the various spices and herbs, and gave us some cool general cooking tips. Some of the ladies took copious notes, while I simply took pictures, with no intentions of cooking the stuff. But who knows, maybe in the future I just might.

Another of my Indo-myths was busted. Indonesian food, when cooked well, is delicious, not like some of the over-spiced, boring meals that I’ve had before. And the peanut sauce is divine – a big deal for someone who couldn’t stand daanyacha kut (Marathi for coarse-ground peanuts, mostly used in salads)!

It’s been a week-long cookfest, and no one’s complaining.

I did cook a couple of things, of course – shepherd’s pie and brownies – but the star of the event was the steak with its accompaniments. Pak Wendy and his able sous chef and assistants did pretty well to get the coals burning, and churning out exotic squid salad, steaks and fruit soup. All I had to do to help was record their efforts. The food flew out too far too quickly for me to shoot, though, and there was a perpetual queue in the kitchen of the hungriest and eager-est souls .

I used to think that Indonesians aren’t really party people, but the smiles tell the real story, right?

Vaishnavi and I had a soul-satisfying morning, admiring an art exhibition called Dreams and Reality at the National Museum, which was a collection normally displayed at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

In our own uneducated way, we went around, admiring each painting – Vaish looking for inspiration , me simply looking. Spellbound, awestruck, I run out of words to describe my feelings. Most of the big names were there, and we learnt why they are so big. My photography doesn’t do justice to the beauty of the paintings, blame it on camera shake out of nervousness, standing in the presence of masterpieces!

The quirky pepper display outside the museum

Gunung Bromo, dormant volcano in East Java

Peace of mind:

Borobudur, serene Buddhist shrine at sunrise

Peace of spirit:

Halong Bay, anchored at sunset

It being one of those crazy weekends in the year when everything gets sold out at exorbitant prices, we had to settle for a hotel (Senggigi Beach Hotel) that wasn’t top of our list. We did enjoy the beach and the pool, though! In fact, hanging out by the poolside was infinitely better than suffering the ‘jungle theme’ party with a live band singing insipid songs and the food – to be eaten only for sustenance. So we shifted gears and simply chilled out the entire time, budging only to grab a meal or to swat mosquitoes.

For a change I limited the photography to a few shots of the beach with all the sailboats.

Locals queue up to get to Senggigi Beach

Sailboats come home at dusk

I have to say that the landscape of Lombok was spectacular – endless lush green fields – that warranted more exploring. But the # 1 attraction is supposed to be underwater, so that’s where I’m headed next – off to diving classes!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

The lake is supposedly the largest volcanic in the world, covering an area larger than Singapore, but probably at the opposite end of the spectrum of Singapore in terms of development. Which is a great thing, really. Unspoilt (yet) is the first word that comes to mind. Opting for a scooter instead of our usual bicycles, we explored the island of Tuktuk, which is a peninsula off the larger Samosir island. The tourist facilities are concentrated here, and the charm is all about the great weather (wet), greenery, bright exotic flowers, and the laid-back, friendly Batak population. There’s fishing, swimming in the lake, relaxing with a book (available on rent from one of the bookstores), cycling/walking/boating on offer, and anywhere you turn, you can be sure of a picturesque lake view.

We explored further on to Samosir island, where the Bataks live. It was pretty festive too, with most of the locals being Christians, and celebrating Christmas on the weekend. There seemed to be as many churches as rice fields, and we didn’t tire of driving past all of them and running out of words to describe the landscape – lush, verdant, green, refreshing!

Another day saw us hiring a speedboat to go out in search of a waterfall. We found it, and spent a significant part of the morning relaxing in its spray.

The only reason we were glad to leave the place was the hotel. It’s been years since we ‘roughed it out’ in a bad room with a creaky bed and stinky loo. We discovered so many home stays/resorts on Tuk Tuk island that could’ve been better than Samosir Cottages, so the next time we visit, we will be better informed. And yes, there will be a next time!

Sinful chocolate truffles:

Very tempting peppermint bark:

And irresistible peanut butter fudge:

All of them were deceptively simple to make – no-bake, only melt and chill – but the sense of accomplishment is great. And taste? Well, what do you expect from melted chocolate, lots of butter, cream and sugar?
Happy holidays, everyone!