In them there hills...

Another week is about to wrap up. Here are few snaps from it. First up is a panorama from the top of the mountain where we walked today. We had some gorgeous sunshine, but you can see the rain storm rolling in at 1564 meters high (5130 feet or almost a mile up).

Monday, February 10, 2020
After an early morning meeting and a study on the porch, five of us head down to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Noodles are my choice, of course.

 I pick out the fat and gristle ... and toss it onto a side plate. "What's that?" Alice asks.

She mentions the inedibles to the server. A few minutes later, he returns from the kitchen with real meat, less fat. Delicious. Thanks, Alice.

Since W and I speak limited bahasa Indonesia, we usually don't complain or send food back; we just avoid that place the next time. Today, version 2 is yummy.

Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are my biggest work days. I often spend Fridays and sometimes Saturdays at my desk as well. That's why I really look forward to Wednesdays!

Wednesday - date day
Our sabbath or day off is Wednesdays. W and I usually start with breakfast at Nara (#PinoTerrace) down the street. The 20' high arch at the entry is dripping with enormous clusters of orange blooms.

Today, I dump a scrambled egg (no oil) into a plate of noodles. It's just the right combination.

After a stop at home, we're headed up to Lembang, a city whose entry road is lined with plant nurseries. I'm looking for garden color for a few bare patches.

The last few weeks, the cattleya orchids by our gate have had a headful of flowers. The orchids are leftovers from the last owner. I'm glad she didn't take all her plants along. She was quite the gardener. She left a green legacy, including the mature trees that are dripping with fruit.

She planted a "chandelier" shrub that has been ailing with age. Today I find a new bush ($4) that we'll dig in near the old one.

While I'm browsing and talking to an Indonesian ibu who runs one of the nurseries, W goes into a tea shop. He runs into a guy who studied at the Seattle Art school. The Indonesian man negotiates a fair price on a red-stemmed "lipstick palm" that will become a focal point in the backyard.

W overhears the word "equestrian" as another tea drinker is about to leave. I've just arrived, and ask her if she knows Maddy, a friend who rides horses in competitions. Turns out they not only know each other, but are distant relatives.

We're headed to Dusan Bambu for lunch. There are bamboo bridges,

enormous bamboo sculptures,

custom bamboo chandeliers,

and even dishes cooked with bamboo. W orders chicken steamed in a bamboo shoot. It's delicious.

I - who rarely order rice - choose "oxtail fried rice." It's indescribably tasty and a perfect combination of flavors with sides of krupuk (bitter melinjo crackers) and acar (pickled vegetables.)

Our table overlooks a manmade lake where 2-3' koi swim vigorous laps and boaters cruise lazily across to cabins on the far side.

We prop ourselves on a few pillows and listen to a podcast on communication, vulnerability, and marriage. It's good for us.

The 30" recycled glass lanterns on the stairs catch my eye. I bet they glow at night!

The sun was out when we sat down. Soon a stiff wind kicks up. The clouds glower overhead by the time we're done. It's raining on the way home. Perfect timing.

Thursday
We're out in the hills, walking again above Lembang, in the mountains north of Bandung. The walk is short but slow; we take 2 hours to go 6 km but it's mostly uphill. Senta has chosen to go from the opposite end of the usual walk: hiking downhill on the slick mud trails can be treacherous.

We find that out on the last kilometer: it's like a skating rink on the trail. We use use our walking sticks as brakes, even with big treads on our soles. We choose the grass beside the trails whenever we can. The tall grasses along the way smell so good! There are little grasses with star-shaped seed heads, tall blades that look like corn, and everything in-between.

Along the way, we detour to peek into one of the old Dutch cement forts. The Dutch built a series of forts tunneled into the mountains in their efforts to ward off WWII Japanese invaders. The Dutch never occupied them, Senta tells us. Instead, the Japanese housed soldiers there during their occupation.

Today we climb a gradual 255 meters up (840 feet) and 150 meters down (just under 500 feet). The trails are overgrown in places but it's the elevation (almost a mile high near the top) that makes us catch our breaths. Probably good for our hearts and lungs! I'm happy to be outside again. After a bad fall on city streets last July, it's taken a while to get back my stamina.

We stop for lunch at the Lembang Mandarin. More Chinese food - outstanding as usual. Our favorite dish is a steaming spinach-beef-quail egg combo that bubbles in an iron skillet as it's brought to the table.

We have never lived in a more connected place. Even when we get away physically, we do a lot of business online and can catch up on work and workmates. To check out completely, we have to turn off notifications and put our phones away.

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*It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

*Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28

Moravian Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for being our shepherd; for watching over us no matter where we are in our life’s journey. You are ever-faithful, never forsaking us even in our darkest hours. Be with us and watch over us—ensuring no harm comes to those under your care. Amen.