Mostly pictures - because this is an interesting and beautiful place.
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Autumn has begun in the north. Here, the leaves are starting to reappear after a precipitous drop during dry season last month. The rains are starting - it's been a very short dry season.
W and I go for our date breakfast - and I'm pleased to see the kind service of the helpers who park bicycles for customers.
Some young men drag a metal cooler down the steep slope to the food stand. "Kuat!" (strong), I say to the guys. There's not a lot of thinking about how. Things are just done here. Some of the guys wear sneakers. Others have sandals. No one has gloves. (It's 80o: note the jackets, hats, and jeans.)
Thursday
Yay - we get to walk in the mountains. The pine forests are stunning, though they are becoming filled with "attractions" for tourists, like this selfie bridge overlooking the valley. (We walk a long loop that put us the hillside opposite within an hour.)
"You have it all!" says Pauline, on her first walk ever. We do. There are jungle trails.
There are steep rock formations, not easy to descend with wet and slippery soles.
There are long narrow walls between streams.
There are flimsy bridges.
The dogs have to be lifted over the gaping hole in one ... Gypsy scrambles across and back a few times, breaking a few more bamboo slats. I hold my breath as he leaps and trots. He's a brave bush dog, for sure.
We humans balance on 2 thick bamboo supports to pull the other two dogs over where the slats have broken out and the gap is too big to jump. We're all relieved not to fall into the river below, crossing that one.
There are waterfalls in 3 different places. The dogs splash in the steams and ponds, cooling off from the hot hike. They run 5X the miles we do. They chase monkeys who scold and chatter their annoyance from high in the trees. When the dogs run ahead, they come back to make sure we're coming.
Makeshift staircases help us negotiate the steepest loose slopes. We couldn't negotiate this if it were raining - it would be inches-deep mud, slick and treacherous. It's already a challenge.
"Those would be painful if you slip," says Angie, noting the stakes sticking up above the wooden trunks. The trunks catch mud and stop hikers from sliding downhill.
The roads through the tea plantations make great dirt-bike trails, though most of the riders are working not playing. The dogs are going crazy, back and forth, back and forth. Gypsy is not wearing a pack for the first time in years ... so he's running around like a puppy on jet fuel. There's enough water that he doesn't have to carry his own.
The tea plantations coat the hillsides in green velvet.
Here and there, we stop to wonder at some new beauty. A small waxy flower has fallen onto the path. It lands between the stones, dry leaves, and seed pods. Exquisite.
There's another "toll booth" on the hiking trail. These little huts are springing up all over. Five years ago nearly every trail was free. Now we seldom find a walk where we don't have to buy a ticket to go into the woods.
Someone must have purchased the concession from the government. They'll be raking in a fortune in admission fees.
We don't buy vegetables today. Big bags of broccoli, fresh-cut from the field, are packaged in a roadside station. We think they are too expensive (1 kg for Rp15,000/$1.10USD). When I get home, I can't believe we passed them by. It's like shopping in a thrift store: if you'd pay $100 for a skirt at Nordstrom, you'd still resist shelling out $10 for it at the thrift store. Sigh. Perspective. Perspective.
Later in the afternoon, I have just enough brain power to calculate the blocks, strips, and borders for a new quilt in process. I want to jump in and sew, but this comes first and wards off potential disaster.
I guess if I used someone's pattern, it would be done for me. Never mind - these fabrics call for something custom - blocks bonded by stripes of color and movement.
A B&W photo of the blocks helps with the layout of the shapes and sizes between blocks.. The math is not my favorite part of quilting or other craft projects.
Friday
We drive downtown to do a few errands. Someone has screwed old tires into asphalt as speed bumps to slow the motorcycles who zoom on the narrow roads.
At a little roadside stand, there are all kinds of jazzy flip-flops for kids. Sandals and flip-flops are standard foot gear. There's no sense in walking in heels or dress shoes (never mind socks) unless you're working in an office. The pavement is uneven and rough - leather or soft soles begin to disintegrate within a block.
Our big task is ordering 25 bean bags for movie night as well as BIC kids and teens ($14/$20 each, stuffed and covered.) K helps us choose patterns.
We're hungry and getting crabby so we check into Thai Palace Fusion for lunch. It's good.
I am happiest though when I wander into Kings basement. There, fabric shops are filled floor to ceiling with bolts of cloth. I get a "special" on quilting cottons.
"Next time, you will give me a better price, ya Pak?" I ask the seller as I hand over the money. My choices cost $3/meter, but the local price is closer to $2.20. That's what I'll negotiate when I return.
Today I am well-fed and I notice how empty the shops are. It costs me a few more dollars to establish a good relationship with someone who is not selling their usual quota.
Across the street, someone is using a pick-axe to pry up road cobbles. He wears flip-flops. Pedestrians and customers walk around him whenever the axe is on the ground.
Flowers have erupted everywhere after a few big rains and lots of sun. Our morning walks are gorgeous.
The chicken run away from us as I try to catch their beautiful coloration and feathers.
We're invited to supper with friends. A steep staircase climbs to their old wooden house. (Below, part of it). The treads are surprisingly even. I am grateful for hikes in the hills and strong knees that let me run to the top. I don't like steps so I run up unless the treads are so tall or uneven that it's hazardous.
Oh, look at this dessert, after our delicious dinner of lemon chicken, sautéed vegetables, and mashed potatoes. This 4-sided cheesecake combines all the different cakes on one plate. Oh yum.
Ishmael and Joanne are travelers and teachers. They collect amazing art and collectibles. The house is full of treasures. This 3' carved fish catches my eye. Their garden is also relaxing, lined with birds and plants. It's a soul-refreshing evening.
The bean-bags for movie night and BIC teens/kids ordered yesterday have been sewn and delivered. The living room is full of bags and patterns!
Read more:
*Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble. Psalm 119:165
*I am with you, says the Lord, to save you. Jeremiah 30:11
*Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom. Colossians 3:16
*At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength. 2 Timothy 4:16-17
Moravian Prayer: God, our refuge, you are the anchor that holds firm. When troubles of this world disturb our calm, remind us of your abiding strength in our turbulent lives.
Beautiful Savior, as your children, we know your joy, your peace, and your truths. Make our steps sure as we witness to others. Amen.
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