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!