In case you wondered where we have been the last few days or so, you can rest assured that we were not affected by the earthquake that hit off the coast of Indonesia, in fact we did not even feel it. Instead we left Pulau Penang, Malaysia on the 12^th and arrived in Yogyakarta, central Java, Indonesia on Friday the 13^th after spending a night in Kuala Lumpur.

As you might have guessed we were disconnected from the internet during our time staying in a beautiful house in a village called Klaten. A recap of our time there includes sleeping, eating, and reading on top of more reading, eating, and sleeping. We were privileged to have kind and cheerful Indonesian hosts, who constantly showered us with delicious home-cooked meals, as well as the best jasmine-black tea blend on the planet—yes, it was that good. In all, things appeared in front of us before we even knew of our desire to have them.

Food highlights from our days in Klaten include a variety of soups including ‘bakso’ which is made with chicken broth, fish meat balls, greens, and rice noodles. Other meals featured various cooked greens, commonly watercress, seasoned with garlic and chili or coconut milk and lemongrass. Most meals included a platter with several pieces of fried chicken, tempeh, fried tofu, and vegetable fritters. Breakfasts always included a fried egg and fresh squeezed orange juice.

When we did leave the house we enjoyed lunch at a restaurant that served up fresh gado-gado. One section of the open-air restaurant featured a large buffet of ingredients used in the dishes on the menu. ‘Gado-gado’ is an array of fresh and chilled steamed vegetables, tempeh, tofu, and pressed rice smothered in a spicy peanut sauce and topped with crunchy shrimp crackers. It is best eaten quickly before your mouth has a chance to realize just how much it burns. We chose not to document the horror that unfolded as our faces turned fire engine red and our salivary glands worked over-time. At one point the statement, “I think my eyeballs are sweating,” may or may not have been uttered. Despite these unfortunate reactions, we liked it so much that we chose to eat gado-gado again today.

During our stay in Klaten we took excursions to Prambanan, an ancient Hindu temple complex, and Borobudur, an ancient Buddhist temple. Both featured elaborate hand-carved motifs and are impressive examples of the human ability to construct massive structures without modern equipment. The motifs at both temples were used to instruct believers in the basic tenets and history of either Hinduism or Buddhism respectively, as many people in the surrounding area were illiterate.

Prambanan

Borobudur

To get from Yogyakarta in central Java to Jakarta to the west, we rode a train through the beautiful countryside. We were dazzled by panorama views of terraced paddy fields in the hills along the way.

More to come from Bangkok!

We have seen, done, and eaten a lot of things since arriving in Georgetown on Pulau Penang, Malaysia. We even picked up another travel buddy, Kiara,who is just as enthusiastic about food as we are and who we know from her time in Mexico with Lisl. The following are some of the highlights so far:

We took a 5 hour ride on a psychedelic bus to get from Kuala Lumpur to Penang…

We stopped at a roadside eatery for some noodles fried in the local style…

We took a break from a hot walk by sampling coconut shakes and chendol—a Malay dessert of shaved ice, palm sugar, coconut milk, kidney beans, and green jelly strands…

After dessert we got caught in a downpour with one very small umbrella…

On the walk back to our hotel we stopped by a street with food stalls for some satay, these men were serving up chicken and rice…

The next morning we found a delicious bakery serving up charcoal bamboo and cream cheese buns, pandan and coconut pastry, and green tea and red bean buns…

We enjoyed these baked delicacies, and some refreshing coconut water, in the shade…

After our refreshments, we learned about (and reenacted) some colonial history at Fort Cornwallis…

We toured a traditional Chinese (known locally as Nyonya) mansion of the merchant class…

While at the mansion we also saw the former inhabitants’ ancestor temple…

We stopped for a filling Indian lunch of various vegetarian curries served on a banana leaf and tested our eating-by-hand skills…

The next morning we visited the Cheong Fatt Tze mansion and delighted in the brilliant blue…

We tracked down a typical lunch dish called Assam Laksa, a fish curry soup made with mackerel, rice noodle, greens, lemongrass, ginger, chili paste, shrimp paste, and garnished with pineapple and raw onion…

After a short rest at the hotel we walked to an area with street food hawkers…

Some carts were selling squid…

Some carts were selling assorted meat on sticks…

We opted for a local favorite, Nasi Lemak, which is coconut rice served with hardboiled egg, peanuts, dried fish, cucumbers, and chili sauce with a side of fried chicken…

We ended the night with a beautiful walk back to our hotel.

Don't worry, there is much more to come. We spent today at the Tropical Spice Garden learning about botany and taking a class on tandoori cooking. Love from Penang!

Happy Easter to you all! We spent Easter morning on a bus that took us from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Malaysia. We are excited to be in a new country and to explore this city, but in the meantime will leave you with a few more pictures from our time in Hanoi.

O Vietnam, with your rice noodles, fresh herbs, fish sauce, lotus seeds, and coffee. You have made our mouths and our stomachs very happy.

Food highlights include coffee and donuts, bahn mi (sandwiches), spring rolls and salads, bun cha, pho, and delicious local ice cream.

Rachel: I was pleased to be able to find my way back to this cafe down a narrow alley way, and even more pleased with the delicious coffee!

Lisl: Notice the half inch layer of sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of the coffee glasses!

Cheers!

Lisl: Rice flour donuts have a crispy outside and chewy inside, although they are mostly one large air bubble. It's the new gluten free version (that they have made in Vietnam for thousands of years).

Rachel: Bahn mi (bine me) is the breakfast sandwich of the masses although we enjoyed ours for lunch. Various forms of pork with pickled vegetables, cilantro, chili, and mayonnaise on a baguette. Best eaten on the side of the road (see below).

Lisl: What makes Vietnamese fresh spring rolls and salads so delicious are the bright combinations of flavors and textures. Case in point: the spring roll combines soft rice noodles with crunchy sprouts and cucumber, the sharp flavors of fresh mint, cilantro, basil and other herbs with the sweetness of pineapple and steamed prawn, all wrapped in delicate rice paper. The dipping sauce is a combination of sweet, salty and spicy with crushed peanuts. Mmmm. For those of you familiar with Japanese cuisine, Vietnamese also use shiso, and I was excited to taste it in the spring rolls.

Rachel: One thing that I looked forward to having again was bamboo shoots, and this soup did not disappoint.

Rachel: We met up with former MCC coworkers for a beautiful lunch by the lake. We had a wonderful time catching up and talking about our memories of my time in Hanoi. Once again, fresh spring rolls were on the menu, this time with fish instead of prawns. Here Co Vinh is instructing us on the finer points of constructing the perfect roll.

Rachel: Another highlight was visiting the office here in Hanoi and benefiting once again from the talents of Co Thu. It is no overstatement to say that I have waited nearly four long years to sit at her table once again!

Lisl: After hearing Rachel rave about Co Thu's bun cha for the past four years, I will thrilled to finally eat it! Bun cha is basically like deconstructed spring rolls: barbecued or fried pork, rice noodles, fresh herbs and sprouts, and picked vegetables, all eaten in a small bowl with dipping sauce flavored with garlic and chili. Absolutely delicious!

Rachel: Pho breakfast! This Vietnamese staple, which is quite common in the U.S. as well, is a bowl of warm, savory goodness. Simple broth with flat rice noodles, chicken, green onion, chopped herbs and lemongrass warmed us from the inside out and gave a good start to the day.

Lisl: We were delighted with flavors that are hard to find in the U.S., such as green tea, coconut, young rice, ginger and sweet green bean (not string bean). Garnishes include cashews, freshly grated coconut and even avocado.