The Cocoa Tree
Inside of Cocoa Bean
Friday, July 5, 2013
Coffee and Spice
Munduk is a villiage among plantations of coffee and cloves. While in this area, we visited one coffee plantation. The young man who showed us around pointed out just about every type of coffee and spice plant imaginable. The coffee grown here is Arabica. Their exotic coffee is the Civet Arabica. What makes it unique is the Civet animal, which looks similar to a possum only black, eats the wild coffee beans then passes them through its digestive system. The poop is then gathered, the beans are retreaved and hand roasted. It is said this is the reason for its robust and unique flavor.....lol
The Civet
Civet poop (top right) - roasted beans to the left - various spices grown there (front)
The Cocoa Tree
The Cocoa Tree
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Indonesian Rupiah
The Indonesian currency unit is the rupiah. Our rate of exchange to the US dollar has varied from 9,600 to 10,130 rupiah per 1 USD. You get a higher rate of exchange if you cash in $100 dollar bills than you would $20 dollar bills.A meal at a local food stall cost me 5,000 rupiah, or .51 cents. This was Mikes meal last night at a nice little restaurant--delicious fish, rice, veggies and garlic bread for 40,700 rupiah, or $4.15 USD!!!
Needless to say, our spending power here is very good......
The Goddess Of Rice
Bali's terraced ricefields have been described as an "engineered landscape", a collaboration between nature and human beings. Terracing allows rice to be planted on steep slopes and protects the land from erosion. Each terrace is irrigated by a complex series of channels controlled by small dams.
After the harvest the fields are burned off, producing a soil-protecting alkaline ash.Then the cycle begins again. This was truely a memorable experience for us-one we won't forget for a long time....
Rice seed is planted in a protected bed. While the seedlings mature, farmers prepare the fields by flooding, ploughing and leveling. Ploughing with oxen is slowily disappearing as mechanization is slowing taking over.
Seedlings are then transplanted into flooded fields by hand. Maturity will take 210 days, thus they go through this process just three times a year.
Harvesting is usually done by women, who cut the stalks with a small knife concealed in their palms so as not to frighten the Rice Goddess. The Hindu goddess of prosperity, Dewi Sri, became identified in Bali with the rice spirit of local belief and she is honored in the fields, the granary and the rice basket.
After the harvest the fields are burned off, producing a soil-protecting alkaline ash.Then the cycle begins again. This was truely a memorable experience for us-one we won't forget for a long time....
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Just Spectacular
Passing through unspoiled villages and natural rice terraces, we enjoyed the spectacular scenery of Bali. A little Balinese gentleman by the name of Teko knew exactly where to take us. He was our guide for the day.
First stop was Taman Ayun Temple, a World Heritage Site built in 1624.
From there we climbed up through mountain villages to view the spectacular rice paddies formed in terraces. To watch the people at work and what they go through three times a year during rice harvest was amazing.
On to the mountain village of Bedugul with its breathtaking view of Lake Beratan. On the shore of the lake is Ulun Danu Temple.
Mike and our guide Teko sharing a good laugh
First stop was Taman Ayun Temple, a World Heritage Site built in 1624.
From there we climbed up through mountain villages to view the spectacular rice paddies formed in terraces. To watch the people at work and what they go through three times a year during rice harvest was amazing.
On to the mountain village of Bedugul with its breathtaking view of Lake Beratan. On the shore of the lake is Ulun Danu Temple.
The Balinese love for ritual and art is brilliantly combined in their extravagant temples. Everywhere you go-temples, on the side of the roads, car dashboards, sidewalks and every home, shop and hotels-are delicate offerings which are necessary to maintain the cosmic balance of the Balinese world. Some are simple, some elaborite; all have the same meaning-love and energy from the heart.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Hello Bali, Good Morning Sun
So, after approximately 30 hours, we have arrived here in Bali on Monday at 12:30 PM. We are staying at the Bali Hyatt. The last time we were here was in 1994 and I had forgotten how beautiful it is. It took all of 10 seconds to fall asleep at 5:30PM so our body's wake up call the next morning was at 2:00 AM!! Sooooo....Good Morning Sunrise!
Some good Balinese coffee, computer time and a nice beach stroll to watch the sunrise was a wonderful way to start our first official day of this journey. Throw in some Yoga on the beach and I am ready to go.
Sanur Beach is one of the nicest beaches in Bali. It is a two mile stretch of fine, yellow sand fronting the Bali Hyatt plus a few other hotels. The Hyatt was once an 80 acre coconut plantation and is now a beautiful, lush oasis, with just a short walk into town.
Just outside our room
Some good Balinese coffee, computer time and a nice beach stroll to watch the sunrise was a wonderful way to start our first official day of this journey. Throw in some Yoga on the beach and I am ready to go.
Beautiful, Colorful Balinese Jakung Boats
Tomorrow we are off to do some Island exploring..."Jatiluwih" means truly beautiful. We plan to visit the monkey forest, unspoiled villages and natural rice terraces, plus two temples (one on a lake) and the fruit and flower markets. So, we'll see you tomorrow....
Sunday, March 24, 2013
For The Love Of Charlotte
'For The Love of Charlotte' by tuscanroad
"No, no, no", fair Charlotte said, and she laughed like a gypsy queen. "To ride in blankets muffled up, I never can be seen".
Treasury tool supported by the dog house
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Panama Canal Time Lapse
This is back-tracking some, but I just want to share this because it's way cool.
When we took the Panama Canal cruise in Panama City, Tanner filmed the whole start-to-finish process while in one of the locks. In this instance, the watered lowered, then we went thru to the next lock. The whole process took about eight minutes, but he made a time lapse, shortening it to one minute. Check it out....
When we took the Panama Canal cruise in Panama City, Tanner filmed the whole start-to-finish process while in one of the locks. In this instance, the watered lowered, then we went thru to the next lock. The whole process took about eight minutes, but he made a time lapse, shortening it to one minute. Check it out....
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