There's no place like "home sweet home"

Tuesday - Wednesday (and Thursday-ish), October 29-31, 2024

Today is travel day. We've taken our funny family photo and prayed for each other. Timo and his sons are awake when we say goodbye.

Kim picks us up after 6:00 a.m. and drives us and our 4 suitcases to the airport. It gives us one more chance to see each other face to face, which we treasure. The luggage holds a year of Canadian and American goodies that will be strictly rationed for when we miss our families.

Yesterday, I rammed a full-sized down pillow into my carryon bag. Once we're on the plane, I pull it out to pad the seat on the 16.5 hour non-stop flight to Singapore. It pushes me forward so my knees touch the seat ahead. BUT wow, what comfort. We have a down underlay on our sleeper sofas in Seattle (who needs artificial memory foam!) and this works the same way. My back does just fine on the long ride.

Wednesday-ish ... We have a 5-hour layover in Singapore Airport, which is an interesting, clean, and efficient space. There are marvels everywhere: orchid and waterlily gardens, aquariums (like the one below), waterfalls, and lots of shopping. We cruise by it all on our way to the lounge.

Then we climb aboard a 1.5 hour flight to Jakarta.

The airport shuttle takes 3 hours to reach Bandung, thanks to the skillful driver. When we disembark at the shuttle terminal, W spots a taxi SUV across the street. It's big enough to stuff in everything we're carrying. W wanders over to find the taxi driver, who cheerfully takes us up the hill to home.

Thursday-ish

The clock bumps forward 14 time zones so we lose half a day. We are at our place before 4:00 a.m. Thursday (2 p.m. Wednesday, Vancouver time). It's one of our fastest itineraries: 32 hours, door to door. The dogs give us a tail-wagging welcome.

I unpack a frozen coffee cake and cookies (thanks Keelee!) plus sausage (thanks Norm and Shane) and stash them in our freezer. While I'm at it, why not? I unpack everything. I dread facing luggage and laundry that first morning after we get home. It only takes a half-hour to empty household items, books, and my personal things.

Oh yippee. Look who's waiting for us in bedroom and bathroom ... roaches. At least they're dead. W plucks them off the floor and flushes them away.

I write a note to the helpers: "Please don't talk too loudly when you come; W and I are sleeping in." When we wake, they've started laundry and washed the dishes. They show me an outbreak of black beetles in the kitchen.

"Toss every package with bugs in it!" I say. There are swarms in the dry noodles. Meanwhile, PakG washes and fluffs up Bailey the small poodle. So cute.

I weigh in - yikes! the last time I was this heavy, I was pregnant. "Time for restraint," she reminds herself as she refrigerates the Aldi chocolate bars.

The American lifestyle of driving everywhere and eating rich food is hard on a body. We can't wait to restore our health with walks and better eating. I decide on a vegan-ish food plan to reset my taste buds and gut.

The trees are blooming as we stroll through the neighborhood.

These 1' (30 cm) clumps of blossoms dangle overhead.

W unpacks his gear and clothing and then asks, "Want to walk to #NaraPark for breakfast?" We're both feeling the exhaustion of not sleeping and of sitting too long. A walk sounds good though the day is heating up. W brought along a replacement battery for the "dead" robot vacuum; it hums around the bedroom while we're gone.

I'm not hungry, but why not go? There's a halloween party for little kids at Nara.

Every preschooler is accompanied by a nanny. In 2-child families, there are 2 nannies. This is a well-to-do group.

The little kids run around, blow bubbles, look at each other's costumes, and admire the tortoises, hedgehogs, and owls.

The restaurant brings a soup we haven't ordered. We taste it and get charged on our bill. Ah, lesson learned: we'll turn it away next time. It's beef and peanuts in broth. I order my regular noodles but can't even finish those. We take leftovers home.

On the way, we spot a dozen guys moving a huge display case out of a restaurant. Things are still done by hand. When something doesn't succeed, it's shifted away and a new idea replaces it.

Baby Dutch was great at first, tasty and reasonably priced. After the soft launch ended, prices kept going up while the food quality went down. The pancakes were overcooked to hard. The toppings became less appetizing, too. Now they're out of business.

We hit two grocer to check off the helper's list. We're restocking the basics: vegetables, rice, eggs, milk, etc. I have no appetite at lunch but W tries to eat. We finish cleanup and rest in early afternoon.

The collection of interesting dried leaves and moss is growing. I stack it on a slab of tree trunk we rescued from the neighborhood junk pile.

Four stumps have been filled and sealed with polyurethane. They sit on the Porch under cover until we need them for bigger events.

Our monthly email updates are due tomorrow. Oh oh! I usually have more margin to write them. Off to work! The benefit of our annual "quick trip" back to the USA/Canada is that we're back to work on the day we return. Both e-new updates are soon written and scheduled to drop tomorrow morning,

Friday

We walk at 6:00 a.m. in the cool morning air. The trees bloom over our heads.

I love the way these 4"(9cm) flowers hang from bare vines.

It storms much of the day. I call Mom to catch up on the guests who have gone home. She's resting after the exertion of company. It would even be a lot for a healthy person. She's our socialite and the heart center of the family.

My main chore is to clean the aquariums on the Porch. The tanks are green from overfeeding = algae. The number of fish has declined but they're prolific breeders. The population goes up with balanced food and clean water.

I empty the fish bowls one at a time and then IbuS scrubs the Bali glass. Bali glassblowers form glass vases, bowls, and other containers on wooden roots. The wood smokes but doesn't catch on fire as they work. The glass drapes tightly on the wood.  Each piece is as unique as the wood under it. This one is over 2' (70cm) tall.

I've always done the fish cleanup after we've been away but I've come to my senses. Will the helpers feed less after dealing with the green? Maybe. By the time the fish and plants return to their habitat, the glass glows blue again.

I take a tour of the yard. Oh my, the garden is a mess: weeds are popping up everywhere. A rash of beetles drift across the Porch into the house from the garden. Must be their season. I nudge them outside with my flip-flops.

Tiny avocados hang from the tree in the backyard. We'll have fruit in a few months.

Amaryllis and red fruit on a P. macrocarpa shrub create a pop of color in one corner.

The lemon tree is heavy with dozens of lemons. The rose branches have gone wild. A few are blooming but they need pruning.

We join an online meeting with leaders of Asian international churches. Most need more staff. Some have just moved to new countries, which is a cultural challenge. We pray together before hanging up. W and I are dozing in place: it's 11:00pm, Seattle time ... so we're sleepy.

The red rice is delicious at lunchtime. Oops. "There are bugs everywhere in the rice," notes IbuS. I tossed the bag into an airtight container yesterday, just in case. I'd spotted a dusty layer on the bottom of all the natural rice and wondered. See the black flecks? Yup - extra protein. That expensive package is going back to the store ASAP. When W gets there, there's no rice on the receipt. They gave it to us for free?

They've spread through the entire kitchen. It takes me until evening to take out the bins, sort, toss, and wash. Not the way one would choose to spend Friday but hey, we're home!

Read more:

*Some take pride in chariots and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7

*Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, that will endure forever.” Isaiah 55:6-13

*There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Moravian Prayer: God our cornerstone, your power brings salvation to the world. It is your will by which we live, and your name that we praise. Amen.

Experimenting and exploring in Malaysia

Thursday, July 25, 2024

We finish work about noon. A long slab of wood in our room acts as a desk, catch-all surface, and shelf. I'll have to remember this one.

There's always a tangle of chargers on the desk.

I like the casual drag of white through the grey paint, making a unique mural on several walls. (This one is above the bed.)

W has vetted a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant. It costs $13 for both drinks and 3 dishes.

My favorite is a soup that tastes much like rawon - the fungus (mushroom) is especially delicious.

On the way, we stop into Art Gallery, a painters' compilation of original and printed art. I get some postcards. A4 prints are $5 each while a 4-postcard set is $4. Ok - that's affordable.

Look at the use of color in this print. Again, I'm taken by the cool reds and blues of Penang.

"That is the last print of [this well-known artist]," says the lady at the till when I ask if there are other works by him. Nope. In person, the brushwork and hues are stunning.

Friday

I'm hungry for good bread. We passed Rainforest Bakery on our walk last night. 

It's near the hotel (1/3 mile/1/2 km) so we walk over for breakfast. The cakes!

The breads!

The tastes ... I get scones for later. They even have kaya honey, which I last found in Singapore.

Penang is known for street art. There are paintings on the walls.

There are metal sculptures.

The original patina of the tropics is often imitated in industrial decor but never matched. I love the antique windows.

And the doors.

I guess they're entryways.

Many shops have the original tiles in front, defining their "sidewalk" from other's.

Many old houses have been converted to shops in the Little India district.

The paintwork is fresh and individual, sometimes matching and sometimes contrasting with the old tiles.

Most shops and restaurants open late in the day. Between the beauty that is Penang, people are sleeping in nooks and crannies along the streets. Are they are homeless or napping? Many are very thin. 

We pass young girls dolled up in hijabs and sent into the tourist areas to beg. There are also disabled elders who spend the day begging. It's hard to know what to do when people are sent out to panhandle. Is it better not to contribute to such practices? Or better to give them something to take to their handlers?

We pass these trays of food drying in the sun but we have no idea what the pizza-like substance is. It's not pizza!

In the afternoon and evening, we're with friends at Dobson's house. We're celebrating coworker Anna's birthday. It's a fun evening of conversation and good food. There's a big plate of desserts to share as well. We pray for each other around the table before saying goodnight and heading back to Georgetown and our hotel.

Saturday

We go back to the Rainforest Cafe for breakfast. Then we walk to a pen-and-journal shop where I buy a Traveler's Notebook.

I like the courtyard combination of brick and gravel, too.

Our next stop is a craft, food, and art market. It's part of Georgetown's Art Festival. We find a cute market sketch for the kitchen. A young woman has sketched it in charcoal plus watercolor and pastel. She offers us a bigger size and we support her efforts with $20. Surviving as an artist is hard work.

Lunch at Hameediyah is all the ratings give it - 5 star! We share a mutton biryani and a massive shrimp and drink tea. 

We skip the rose-flavored drink named for our town.

We walk past an old rickshaw.

We exclaim over the enormous jackfruit at a fruit wholesaler.

Durian, a love it or hate it fruit because of the sewage smell and pudding-like texture, is so fragrant that this seller holds his nose shut as he cleans his cart in preparation for the day.

At the hotel, we pack up with stomachs, heads, and spirits filled to the brim. We add a few treats to the suitcase; we'll try them when we get home.

The airport lounge has good laksa (spicy curry noodles.)

The flight, +2 hours from Penang to Jakarta, is smooth. However, the shuttle ride to Bandung is hair-raising. We leave our terminal, catch a shuttle that's leaving immediately (6:00pm), and don't get to Bandung until 10:00pm. 

The driver alternately drives the normal speed or slows to a bare crawl while freeway traffic zips past us. The highway has light traffic so what is going on? Of course he stays in the "fast" lane, often getting close to the concrete barriers. With cars, trucks, and busses passing us, my adrenaline works on high alert. I dread the danger of a bad shuttle driver more than any other part of travel. W sleeps through much of it. 

"Sir, are you falling asleep?" calls the passenger beside me in the back row. The driver perks up a bit and pours on the speed. Then it's back to 30-50km/hr (20-30mph). It's a relief when he pulls into the rest stop, though he takes nearly half an hour to come back, instead of the usual 15 minutes. After that, the pace is steadier though he's still not keeping up with the flow of traffic.

PakG picks us up from the shuttle terminal. When we get home about 10:30pm, I'm so drained that I leave the suitcases where they are until the next day. I take a sleeping pill to ward off the nightmare trip and sleep solidly until morning.

Read more:

*The Lord has sent me to comfort all who mourn. Isaiah 61:1,2

*Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

*So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29

Moravian Prayer: Listening God, we place before you our cries for mercy and laments, wistful longings, and wavering faith. Though at the end of our rope, we still trust in your promises, opening our entire beings to receive you anew. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.