My Last Dinner Party in Kathmandu

By Crivenica
 

Living in Jakarta is definitely different from living in Kathmandu. I’m not saying life is better in Jakarta compared to Kathmandu, but the faster pace of life, the night life, the food scene, the crazy traffic, and our new jobs definitely make a big change in life style.

David and I have been back in Jakarta for two weeks and I think we’ve been more social in these past two weeks than we had been in most of our two and a half years in Kathmandu. We’ve been out most days and nights seeing long time friends and family. and eating at different restaurants for each meals. I even went to a live show of one of my favorite bands that happened to be in Jakarta on their world tour last Tuesday night, unplanned. Without doubt, there are more things available in Jakarta, but boy, am I tired! I’m accustomed to my simple existence in Kathmandu, so I better get used to these changes and adjust fast.

I’m sure once we move into our new place, get settled, and get immersed in our work, things will slow down some. However, getting fully settled may take time. Our shipment won’t arrive for another month or so and I know we just need to be patient, but I can’t wait until we’re done turning the new apartment into our home and I’ll be able to cook and bake again and invite friends to enjoy the results. 

The weekend before the movers came to pack out our Kathmandu house, I realized that it would be awhile until I could do any serious cooking and baking again. Good thing that our friend, Dotty and her son, Nico, came from Bangkok to stay with us that weekend. Their visit gave me an excuse to bake and cook. I had cleaned out most of the refrigerator content at that time and found a bunch of bananas that I threw in the freezer for future baking. In no time, those bananas turned into banana chocolate muffins and bread loaf. But that was not the end of my baking that weekend. We were having mutual friends of Dotty’s and ours over for dessert that Saturday night. Obviously, I had to serve something else and people always like pies, right? So I baked the familiar and always popular apple pie, but because I’d been craving some banana cream pie, I baked that one, too.  It was a very satisfying baking and eating experience for me, especially when everybody was loving the pies. 

 

After baking for a whole day, I kept the dinner entree simple by cooking a well-tested recipe that is one of David’s and my favorite dishes - Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya. This is a very easy to make rice dish cooked with tomatoes and their juice. This recipe was originally shared by Chef Emeril Lagasse, the famous celebrity chef, who is mostly known for his Creole and Cajun cooking style. I’ve been eating and cooking it for almost a decade, thanks to Chef Emeril and my OM (other mom), Carol. It’s a well-rounded tasty dish with a good mix of tartness and sweetness from the tomatoes, savory from the sausages, and a bit of kick from cayenne pepper. So, though I’ve never been to New Orleans, I can get a bit of Louisiana in my kitchen from time to time. Here’s the recipe for you try out. 

Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 lb. good smoked sausage (like mild chorizo or andouille)

1 lb. shrimp

2 tbs yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 cup green bell peppers, chopped

4 bay leaves

2 cups tomatoes (canned or fresh), peeled, seeded and chopped

1 tbs garlic, minced
2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tsp thyme

2 cups long-grain white rice
5 cups chicken broth (or I just use water. it's fine)
1/2 cup green onions (or scallions, green part only), thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper 

Cooking Directions:

Peel shrimps and de-vein them. Seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper (just enough, don't put too much). Set aside.

Cut the sausage lengthwise in half, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.  Cook the sausage and stir for two minutes. Then add the onions, bell peppers and celery. Season with salt and cayenne. Cook, stirring until the vegetables are wilted, about five minutes.

 Add the washed uncooked rice, stir. Then add the bay leaves, tomatoes, garlic, thyme and cook, stirring, for two minutes.  Continue and add the broth/water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Five minutes before done, stir in the shrimps and cook until shrimps are all the way cooked (about 5 minutes or so).

Stir in the green onions, remove the bay leaves, and serve hot. This dish actually gets better as leftovers because the flavors become more robust. I hope you’ll try to make it because so far everybody I’ve cooked this for always loved it.

Anyway, I know that I’m still looking back at my life in Kathmandu and it’s visible in several of my last postings. However, be assured that there will be more exciting postings to come because our next chapter in Jakarta can only get better!

Ming Hin - Top Shelf Dim Sum in Chicago

By Lu

Dim Sum Plates

I promised you on one of my older posts, when I made a mention of this restaurant, that it deserves its own posting. So, I am keeping my words and here it is!

It really does deserve its own article as this place just became an instant favorite of mine for any Chicago Chinatown joints. Not only that the place serves great food, but it is also clean and modern - definitely not your typical Chinatown restaurant.

My first experience there was back in February. I was invited for a Chinese New Year party there by CK and Sabrina. We had a feast of (over I believe) ten course Chinese dinner. It was mind boggling. However, I didn't even realize we were eating at Ming Hin, as I was just following my friends in getting there. I wasn't paying attention to the name of the place. It was dark anyway.

The next time I went there was when my sister, Ri, was here. She wanted dim sum really bad. I asked some of my friends if they would like to join as dim sum is always better with more people. Then, Ming Hin was suggested. I wanted to go the the usual Phoenix Restaurant where people usually go for dim sum in Chinatown. Sandrine informed me that Ming Hin is so much better than Phoenix. She also told me to try their Pineapple Buns and their BBQ pork belly. I was game, so I said ok as I have never been there before. Sabrina said to me "Yes you have been there!" Then she told me we were there for Chinese New Year.

Oh.

By the way, dim sum or yum cha is a Chinese breakfast consists of small plates of food served in a bamboo circular steam container. Yum cha actually means to drink tea as that is what we do when eating dim sum, you drink tea with it. In China, people young and old go for dim sum in the weekends, and they talk for hours over tea. Some quietly sip tea and read newspaper. In America, we just gobble it up and order more! You can also refer to it as Chinese style tapas - it is almost the same concept of small portioned food that you share with friends on the table. In a typical Dim Sum place, there will be carts being pushed with these offerings on it, and when the cart passes you, you can take a look of what they have on the cart. Then you order what you want. The cart pusher will then mark your tab with what you took for your bill to pay later.

When we went for dim sum with Ri, we had about ten people. It was a perfect size for a round ten top table and it also meant that we could order a great variety of foods. If you go with a small party, you could only order so much as you will get full rather fast. Then, you will get jealous as usually there are so many things you can order. Every other thing will look even better than what you just ordered.

BBQ Pork Buns

We ordered quite a bit of stuff - shumai which is a pork and shrimp steamed dumpling, harkau which is a shrimp dumpling wrapped in rice paper, tofu skins stuffed with with bamboo shoots, BBQ pork belly, chong fun (flat thick noodle stuffed with meat or shrimps), several different kinds of congee (rice porridge), Malaysian steamed cake, egg custard pastry, BBQ pork buns, Bean stuffed buns, BBQ Pork Belly, and the Pineapple cake.

Ri was in heaven. She hasn't had dim sum in awhile living in Nepal at the time. I agree with my friends as well that Ming Hin has the better dim sum than the others I have tried in Chicago Chinatown. Sandrine didn't lie about how good the pineapple buns and the BBQ pork belly. The pork belly had a very crispy crunchy skin, and it just crunched in your mouth as the inside of your mouth is coated with the succulent fat from the belly part. It's definitely not a health food, but damn good treat once in awhile. Too bad I didn't have picture because as soon as the plate hit the table, they're gone!

Stuffed Tofu Skins

Shumai or Pork and Shrimp Steamed Dumplings

Addicting Pineapple (Egg Yolk) Bun

The pineapple bun, now I had the misconception thinking it is bun stuffed with some type of pineapple jam. I love pineapple jam and  I'm also a big fan of pineapple tarts, nastar, and the sort. But no....no buns stuffed with pineapple jam here at Ming Hin. Turned out, pineapple bun was a bun filled with this thick runny yummy goodness made with sweetened egg yolk that was so decadent and rich beyond belief. I was in cloud nine eating it, as well as my friend, Nate, whom I called the "Egg Meister." The guy just simply loves eggs. It's called "pineapple bun" because the top of the bun resembles a pineapple because of the sweet streusel like topping on it. Oh, it's just so delicious. So delicious I dreamt about it that night.

My friend, Heather, was also in town from Milwaukee, and she's a vegetarian. She joined us for dim sum that day and had a ball. I was afraid she wouldn't have much to eat. I was wrong! She had plenty to eat. She does eat fish and shrimps - so we had her eating many of the shrimp dumplings and its varieties, the vegetarian chong fun, tofu, and fish congee. She wants to go back for some more!

I told my friend Tina about the place and she has never tried dim sum. Then, I arranged for another dim sum outing so Tina could try and I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to land my hand on that precious pineapple buns again. From the small plan with Tina, it ballooned to about 20 people in the party! Guess what, Ming Hin has a private room with this huge table that fits 20 people, equipped with the biggest lazy susan I have ever seen! That table was humongous!

We had an international party eating Chinese breakfast. There were Malaysians, Indonesians, Filipino, Koreans, and one German. My friend, Rebecca, was the only Caucasian in the room. Heather was supposed to join us, but she had to cancel. Rebecca was looking forward to not be the minority as it happened quite often that she was the only white girl amongst us Asian girls. However, nope! her wish wasn't granted this time either. She still had a great time though. Rebecca who had dim sum in Phoenix before also said that Ming Hin was a mile ahead than Phoenix.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with Phoenix. I think they're food was also good and I had plenty of time eating dim sum there. The line for table for Phoenix is still out the door. If you want a typical, traditional Chinese dim sum with carts in Chicago, you definitely should go to Phoenix.

Ming Hin to me is just a more upscale version of a dim sum joint. The place is modern and new with no sticky table tops and nicely decorated. They offer private rooms, and their foods just scream quality and finesse. Yet, there's no cart here for dim sum. I actually don't mind the no cart style. In the past, I had a hard time waiting for the right cart to pass my table. You ended up waiting or you had to order what you wanted to the waiter anyway. At Ming Hin, they gave you an order form with colored pictures. You just write down how many you want next to each picture. Simple.

Noodle with BBQ Ducks

Their regular foods are also great. They serve various different type of Chinese food, from the regular items people usually eat for dinner, noodles, as well as party or specialty foods that will be a lot pricier than regular foods. CK, Sabrina, Sandrine, Evi, Nate and I also went again for dinner the Sunday before the big party dim sum, and we ordered some light dinner of noodles and soup. The BBQ duck noodle soup was yummy! They were so good. Evi was craving the fried spicy flat noodle again a couple days later. I told CK that Ming Hin is becoming like a church if we go there every Sunday. Yikes.

Chicagoans, this is the place to go for dim sum, I'm telling you. You will be addicted in no time to that crack called pineapple bun.

Special thanks to Kinzie Chye for the photographs. Photos used with permission.

A Hell of A Trip Home

By Crivenica

The SFAC

It’s been a little over 24 hours since I left Nepal and it’s been a very long 24 hours.

I didn’t really have time to think about how I feel about leaving Kathmandu yesterday because I was too busy worrying about Sfac, our cat, who was traveling with me to Jakarta via Bangkok. I was so anxious about her being cooped up in her cage and having to ride on a plane as a cargo, then having to stay overnight in a baggage holding room before being transported into a plane’s belly again for yet another plane ride. I can’t imagine how she must’ve felt all through this trip. The poor baby must’ve been terrified.

Sfac in her cage (taken with my BB, so a bit blurry)

I must’ve worked an ulcer into my stomach worrying about Sfac. I tried not to show it while she was still around me because pets tend to pick up it up and become more anxious. However, as soon as she was taken away from me, the worrying became worse. I had no idea how gentle the ground staff of Kathmandu airport would handle her cage or where they would put her as she waited to be put on board. And though, a friend recommended Thai Airways for their pet handling service, it still did not calm me down. I was fidgeting throughout the three and a half-hour flight though through some random circumstances I ended up flying business class. I should’ve been more than comfortable, but my mind kept wandering to Sfac who was alone somewhere below me. I wondered if she was meowing herself raw or if she peed on herself. And I wondered if the cargo she was in was temperature controlled, even though I knew the airline had to make sure of that. I just felt guilty that she had to go through this really stressful trip.

Sfac had done a similar trip when we transported her and Barry, our other cat, from Jakarta to Kathmandu in late 2008. However, we had arranged a pet transporter to deal with everything. They came to pick up the cats the day before I was leaving, then we arrived in Kathmandu at the same time two days later. The cats must have been as frantic as Sfac was on this trip because they didn’t know what was going on, there were strangers everywhere, and they couldn’t get out of their cages for days. Imagine how you would feel if you were them.

That trip took a toll on Barry. He was never the same when he got to Kathmandu. Barry was healthy when we were living in Jakarta, or at least as healthy as he could be.  As a kitten, he almost died when he accidentally ate rodent poison. David and Barry’s vet (this is B.C. or “Before Crivenica”), took care of him for a month and nursed him back to health. And once he was healthier, David vowed to make Barry as fat as he could get because he looked so frail. He managed that. In the next four years, Barry became lively with a little pooch on his belly, though small as he was, you could never call him a fat cat. However, as healthy as he could be, the almost death experience in his earlier life had damaged his kidneys. He was doing fine since we fed him special food and we never had any complications. Until that trip.

In Memoriam: Barry

Our vet, dr. Yuly, had explained to us that a trip like that would stress him out and it might have a health repercussion. However, giving him away was not an option and dr. Yuly rationalized that nobody would take care of him and love him the way we did, so the best option was to bring him along and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the trip really did stress him out. After only a day in Kathmandu, he started losing his appetite and walking funny. We frantically looked for a good vet in a strange town. Then, even after being prescribed vitamins and appetite enhancer, Barry stopped eating.

I started making a porridge out of his special food and fed it to him with a syringe like a baby. It was tough, but he managed to swallow some food several times a day and laid around in the sun. However, we knew that he would never get any better, even if we had hoped. We had been hand feeding him for about six months when he started refusing the food completely and had gotten so weak. I remember that I was away in Jakarta on a three-month working stint when David called and told me he made a decision not to let Barry suffer any longer. So on David’s lap and without me, Barry passed on April 5th, 2009.

So you can see why I get so anxious about putting Sfac through this ordeal again. The difference is Sfac is a robust cat. She is healthy and tough, but it doesn’t mean that she didn’t get stressed out. When we landed in Bangkok last night, I made sure they brought Sfac up so I could see her. When the Thai Airways person brought her cage to me, she was quiet, but alert. I knew she was probably scared, but at least she wasn’t crying. And after dealing with the Bangkok quarantine people, I finally got a chance to give her some food and water, which she ignored, but at least I could leave some out for her in the cage if she felt like eating. Unfortunately, then I had to leave her in the Thai Airways baggage holding room. I was disappointed that the Bangkok Int’l Airport didn’t have a live animal facility. I thought I could let Sfac out a bit and give her a chance to use a litter box, but nope. Amazingly though, that cat did not soil her cage at all!

When I got to the hotel, I had to take a Valium to calm myself down and I don’t usually get this worked up about anything. I just tried not to think about her in that room with people coming in and out. I told myself, it would die down by midnight and it would be quiet and she would be okay. I ordered myself a dinner, but after a couple of spoonful of fried rice, I wanted to vomit - I hadn’t been able to eat more than a little of anything since I started the trip. Morning didn’t come early enough. After a restless sleep and waking up three times during the night, I finally got up at four to get ready for the final leg of the trip.

Sfac, hiding in David's suit bag,  during the pack out

I breezed through the check-in and when I got to the gate, I went to the desk to make sure that they got Sfac boarded. The staff ensured me that she was on her way to the airplane and they would let me know when she was secured in the plane. Then they started asking me about Sfac. They were curious and really interested about my Indonesian Calico. Even people in Kathmandu was fascinated when I took Sfac out of the car. They started hovering around the cage wanting a peak at the cat that traveled on airplane. They hardly see animals traveling in any vehicle, let alone an airplane!

Well, the hard part is done. I felt so relieved when we touched down in Jakarta. That queasiness feeling in my gut is gone and I got my appetite back. Sfac is safe, though quite peeved. But that’s okay because I love her so much. And though hopefully we won’t have to do this again anytime soon, I would go through the stress again for her.

Welcome home, Sfac, my Indonesian Kucing Kampung.

Note: For those who don't know what is the meaning of SFAC's name, it stands for "Super F**king Annoying Cat" because that was how she was when David first rescued her. Throughout the years, she became mellow and so sweet. That's what love can do to ya!

Bersih Rally in Chicago - July 9, 2011

By Lu

If you knew me well, I'm the most unpolitical person around. I could care less about other people's politics, as I don't even care about my own politic. As long as I live comfortably, have my freedom, not oppressed, and have my means for pursuit of my happiness, I am fine. However, not everyone in this world can have the comfortable life I am living. Not everyone in the world can enjoy fairness and freedom as I can.

Coming from a country like Indonesia, that is well known for its history of dictatorship, unfairness in elections, and burdened with corruptions, I should know what the people of "Bersih" are fighting for. My country has come a long way than what it was before. We still have tons of work to do, but again, I am not the one who will preach what needs to be done back there. Yet, for people like me, who aren't really fully invested in one cause, I have more to be thankful about and should express my gratitude to people who take charge and voice their opinion to make a change.

Bersih, is an organization based in Malaysia, who is fighting for clean and fair election for the Malaysian people. As a neighboring country, Indonesians probably would look at Malaysia as the more mature and more responsible big brother. They seem to have their act together and carry the long tradition of the various kingdoms and still live in peace. However, who knew that there's always something that a big brother can still improve.

I recently was introduced to the concept of Bersih by my Malaysian friend, CK. I saw the news about the rally in Malaysia and how it got quite heated and costing someone's life. The altercation with the police locally in Kuala Lumpur, the closing of the streets, the tear gas - sounds like any rallies or demos I have ever heard of anywhere. Why when people want to voice their opinion, it is always ended up with the police and the tear gas? It is like a prerequisite for change.

So when CK said to me that there would be a Bersih rally in Chicago yesterday and that he and his wife would like to attend to show support, I was also intrigued. I came along and that would be the first ever political rally I have ever came across, or being close in vicinity at. This Bersih rally in Chicago was a good rally for a novice like me.

The color for Bersih is yellow, so all supporters showed up wearing a yellow shirt. I happened to own no yellow piece of clothing of any sort. Yellow is so bad for my complexion but who cares on that, as yellow is Malaysia's color. CK, Sabrina, Kinzie, and myself came to the very peaceful and happy rally held at the Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. It was quite a small gathering as perhaps the Malaysian community here would be also quite small. However, it was a gorgeous summer day in Chicago and these people spent their gorgeous weekend day to support a cause they believe in. This was for their country, for the future of their people. I can relate to that.

Bersih Rally in front of the "Bean" in Chicago Millennium Park

There was no tear gasses here. There was no police. There was no life lost. What I saw was peaceful, happy, and kind hearted people gathering with conviction of a just cause. They also made new friends who shared the same beliefs. I saw families, kids in yellow, and college students all gathered up together. Some people could say that it was a lame rally. There was a mention that no food nobody showed up. There might be some truth to that, knowing how the South East Asians love their food. However, shame on those who did not show up because there was no food! It actually reminded me of a South Park episode about an underground meeting they were holding with an invite saying there would be punch and pie. A lot of people showed up looking for the punch and pie. So, I guess the notion even extended to a cartoon community.

Would this small Bersih rally make a difference? I sure hope so. It raised a lot of awareness. They talked to many people that just happened to be there to look at the Chicago Bean. They definitely raised the awareness in me, and I am writing about them. It all snowballs. Never say a small effort can not make a difference.

At the end of the day, it takes a whole nation to make a change in a country. However, it usually started by one single person. Sure Bersih was thought of by one person and that person should be proud of what the organization has accomplished thus far.

We all want fairness and clean living. We all want to live happily with equality. The thought of "Bersih" which literally means "clean" in Malay sounds like a great idea. Though I am usually always Switzerland, meaning I really try to stay neutral, I do take my hat off to people who sacrifice their time and comfort to make a difference.

July 4th Weekend in Traverse City, Michigan

By Lu

Fresh cherries hanging from the tree

Oh..long weekend, how I love thee. At times, I utilize a long weekend just as time to be lazy and not have to dread the coming of Monday. However, this last Fourth of July weekend was filled with stuff to do and there was no time to be lazy!

Sandrine and I had planned this trip months ago. Traverse City is a destination city in the state of Michigan that is well known for its annual Cherry Festival. The city itself is beautiful, located on the Grand Traverse Bay and set apart from the water of Lake Michigan by Leelanau Peninsula. We definitely wanted to go there because of the Cherry Festival and trying all kinds of cherry related items. This area is the largest producer of tart cherries in the US. I have had their cherries before, and they're damn good! This was my second trip to this area. However, last time I was there with my parents and my sister, Ri, it was late in the season for cherries. Thus why when Sandrine talked about going there for Cherry Festival, I immediately booked the time to go.

Though I went with my girlfriend, this trip felt more like a family trip. Sandrine; her mom, Auntie Karen; her baby son, Brode; and I had tons of fun together. We really made the most of this short weekend trip. Sandrine was the master planner - she got everything down: places to go, restaurants to eat, things to try. It was great as all I had to do was drive. I am a planner myself and thus why I loved it when things are mapped out as we could guarantee that the time we had would be well spent. With no further delay, here are the highlights of our trip:


CHERRY FESTIVAL

Cups of cherries for sale at the festival

The Traverse City Cherry Festival is quite popular in the Midwest part of the country and it attracts hundred thousands of people yearly. I believe it because when we were there, the downtown area where the festival was held was quite a zoo. The festival is actually still ongoing right now as it started on July 1st and will conclude on July 9th. If you want to go, you still have a chance! However, hotels might be a problem. We booked ours back in the beginning of the year and all the decent  hotels were already booked up by then.

The festival itself was held in the downtown area of TC by Front Street and also by the waterfront. There were all kinds of rides and street festival foods - Elephant Ears, Funnel Cakes, Brats, Burger, you name it! However, of course since it was the Cherry Festival, you could find all kinds of vendors selling cherry items from Cherry jelly, preserves, dried cherries, fresh cherries, cherry wines, etc. Sandrine had a cherry burger which was pretty good. I loved the Grand Traverse Pie Company's Cherry Pie a la mode. Sandrine thought it was too tart. Oh well, more for me! We also had fun watching the air show that was going on while we were there. Other than having difficulty finding parking, I thought the Cherry Festival was a great summer fun.

Cherry Pie a la Mode...so good!

SLEEPING BEAR DUNES

Sleeping Bear Dunes, that's Sandrine on top!

When I caught the sight of The Sleeping Bear Dunes, I started cussing, in front of the baby and all! I was so ashamed of myself. Good thing Brode couldn't catch what I was saying but this dune was fn huge! Oups, did I say that again?!

I've never heard of this place before and in fact, I've never set foot on dunes before except the "Dunes" in the Las Vegas Strip, which I am pretty sure didn't count. It is acclaimed as the biggest dune in the country and it is no doubt huge. Sandrine who climbed it before said it took hours and hours to hike it. When you thought you reached the end or the top, more showed up. I didn't attempt to do the whole hike. I just climbed to the first sort of top that I could see and I had a blast taking pictures there. The scenery from that high point was so beautiful. There are tons of things to do here other than hiking. It is a whole national park. Go check out their website by clicking the title section to learn more about what they have to offer. When we went back to town of Glen Arbor, there's also a beautiful beach. It wasn't too crowded and out of state vehicles did not need to pay to go to the beach. I loved the beach here better than the one in town in Traverse City just because it was so serene and clean.

So quiet..

LEELANAU WINE CELLARS

Northern Michigan is filled with a lot of wineries and wine tasting opportunities. Last time I was here, we went to the Black Star Farm which I heard was owned or co-owned by Madonna. It was a nice farm. They offered wine tasting and also cheese tasting. However,  this time, we went to the Leelanau Wine Cellars in the town of Omena. It was probably 40 minutes away from Traverse City but worth the travel. The trip to  get there was picturesque. We had to travel along the coastline of the Leelanau Peninsula, and boy the view was simply breathtaking. Then, we got to the town of Leelanau, and the downtown area was quite charming with little chatzky shops around. We had to go six miles further to get to the Wine Cellars. The place was small, but the view was grand. The tasting room was overlooking the lake and you could see the calm blue water, sail boats floating, sea gulls flying - and you were there sipping wines and cleaning your palate with crackers. Uh, life was just simply good. I actually bought a bottle of their Select Harvest Riesling. I love the sweetness of it and it was pretty moderately priced. I would definitely recommend anyone who is traveling to this area to make the drive here. I could sit on the dock for  hours taking pictures. I really really could.

Leelanau Wine Cellars

NORTH PEAK BREWING COMPANY

Cherry BBQ Ribs

I loved this restaurant/brewery. As soon as we got to the parking lot, we saw they had a patio area, and a guy with a guitar singing and saying about Saturday night is perfect time to make love as there's nothing good on TV. I just laughed listening to it. Alrighty then!

The food was quite good! They started it right by serving a warm soft bread with soft butter that had a hint of something I couldn't make out of. Then, we ordered one of their beers, the Northern Light, which obviously was their lightest weight beer. It was nice, and it helped me sleep at night. I slept like a baby from one glass of beer. They did serve me the beer in a cracked glass but oh well. It didn't tear my lips luckily. Then, we ordered an appetizer, Beer Steamed Mussels, which was quite good. Not sure if I was liking the beer taste better than if it was cooked with white wine, but it was tasty enough. We asked for the add sausage, but we didn't get the sausage. Yet, our waitress was such a doll and nice, so again we let it slide. Next, for dinner, Cherry BBQ Ribs and Fish and Chips. Fish n Chips were just meh, the breading was too thick for me. However, the Cherry BBQ Ribs were yum!! Loved it! We skipped dessert as we were stuffed after chowing down the ribs!


RENNIE ORCHARDS

Brode helping mommy picking cherries

Located in Williamsburg, Michigan about 45 minutes away from Traverse City, Rennie Orchards was a nice place for cherry picking. You can pick your own cherries from the trees, and it was only $2.50 a pound - much cheaper than the store! The cherry trees were lined in never ending series of trees it seemed like to me. I was mesmerized with all the low hanging fruits and wanting to cherry pick them. LOL! That's where all those saying came from! I had a ball taking pictures more than the picking. I just found the farm to be so charming with so many good objects for my camera. Sandrine, Auntie Karen, and Brode were having fun cherry picking however.

Rainier Cherries

FOODS

Cherry French Toasts

Ok, so I told you about the cherry burger, cherry BBQ ribs, and cherry pie a la mode. We also had a chance to consume more cherry foods among others the cherry french toasts at the Omelette Shoppe and Bakery. What we saw online about this place was top shelf. However, I didn't think their omelette was the best I've ever had. It was just okay. We did enjoy the cherry french toasts however. It was made with cherry bread that was dipped in egg then fried, and topped with more cherries. Yum!

We also had cherry ice cream that was made by Moomers - voted best in America. Not sure who voted but it was quite yummy. We had the black cherry ice cream, and the cherry Moo-bilee.

Moomer's Cherry Moo-bilee

Then, black cherry margarita at La Senorita Mexican Restaurant, which I found way too sweet for my palette. Sandrine also bought dried cherries to give to me to make more scones. I bought some cherry sour patch kids candies which are yummilicious. Oh, we also had cherry smoothies at Dish Cafe as well! I saw some beautiful looking Quesadillas there, but too bad we didn't have time to try the food of Dish Cafe.

Cousin Jenny's Pasties

The only local delicacy (and not cherry) that I didn't get to sample is the Pasties. Cornish Pasties are adapted by the locals there as their "original fast food." Pasties are ...and no, Ri, they are not the adhesive stickes to cover women's nipples. Ok, let's try it again..pasties are the British version of Empanada or a Calzone. It is usually consists of dough as the outer skin, and filled with beef, diced potatoes, onions and turnips. Then, the filling will be encased inside the dough with the edges crimped so it does look exactly like an empanada or Indonesian Pastel even. In fact, maybe Indonesians got the name "Pastel" from "Pasties." We went to two different places for this, and they were both closed. I was so intrigued with this restaurant "Cousin Jenny's" that serves Pasties and Tea Pastry. It will be a sure stop when I come back to this area.

Hole in one!

Auntie Karen also had a chance to participate at the "Million Dollar Hole in One" golf contest at Bay Meadow Golf Course. She didn't get the hole in one, but she was the third best for the day! That was not shabby at all! Go Auntie Karen!! We also spent more time at the beach. The second day we were at the Traverse City Beach Park, and this one was busier than the one by the Dunes. It was still pretty, and the sun was shining hot, though the water was still chilly.

I also need to thank my friend, Peggy, who pushed me to bring my camera with me. Though she lives in Auckland, New Zealand, distance didn't hinder her from encouraging me to put my camera to good use, practice, and hone-in my skills. I almost left my camera bag at home and would just travel with a pocket camera. I was so glad I listened to her as I had an absolute blast taking pictures. Thanks, Peg!

Well, maybe this little blurps will inspire you to visit this beautiful little area. If you're in the Midwest, this will be a cheap easy road trip that's so enjoyable and fun. I know Sandrine, Auntie Karen, and I had a great time there. Little Brode had tons of fun too playing and eating sands on the beach. That boy, he puts everything in his mouth! I had a ball playing auntie this weekend and I am still singing the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round...all through the town!

Lu, Sandrine, and Brode chillin' on the beach

I didn't see one single fireworks this Fourth of July. However, this is what free people do in the weekends, having a great time with friends and family and enjoying this beautiful country we call home. Happy Independence Day, America!

Where Do You Call Home...

By Crivenica

The house we'll miss

It feels great to be “home” in Kathmandu again. I arrived in Nepal last Saturday and am still fighting jet lag, but it’s okay because I was so happy to see my cats again and to sleep on my own bed. It just feels nice to be in our own space again.

With the way David and I live, sometimes it’s tough to say where home is. Sure, New York and New Jersey are home to David and Jakarta is home to me because those are where we came from. However, since I go to New York so much, sometimes it feels like home to me, too. Ditto with Jakarta for David.  But on top of those places, we have also made this gem of a house on the outskirts of Kathmandu that we have been living in for the past two and a half years our home.

Though, personally for us Kathmandu isn’t exactly an enjoyable town to live in, this house has made our time here more than comfortable. We  definitely lucked out when we found it. Unfortunately, we are about to leave its comfort in mere weeks. David and I are packing it up and relocating back to Jakarta. And as I’m writing this in my home office, safe from the pouring monsoon rain, I feel a bit melancholy. I’m going to miss this house.

I actually planned to write about the next leg of my last trip to the US, but as I deal with moving company, pet relocating agent, and apartment research web pages - focused on finding ourselves a new “home” -  I thought I should pay homage to our Kathmandu house.

The foyer with our wayang guarding it

From the first time we laid our eyes on this house, we knew we wanted it. After days of viewing huge ugly houses all over Patan (the area where we wanted to live in), we finally found the perfect house. At four stories (two living levels, a half-basement level, and a half open roof level), our house with its exposed red-brick walls is actually pretty small compared to the five-level, five to eight rooms monstrosities we had seen. But by all means, it is not tiny. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor, a living area, a huge kitchen and dining area and a smaller bathroom on the main floor. There are two smaller rooms in the finished basement floor, which can be used as storage or even a smaller bedroom. The top floor housed a small storage room and laundry facility.

At our first viewing, the house was not at its best since it was lived in by a family with small children and their priority probably was not on making the house pretty. And to be fair, they were on the verge of moving out. There were crayon drawings on its stark white walls, a lone-standing sink at one corner of the dining area (which is normally seen in Asian houses), and flowery curtains in the living area. But we saw potential. We could see our own furniture in there. So then, we moved fast and contacted the landlord because there was another family interested in the house and on the eve of the new year 2009, we had fully moved in.

Mr. Shailendra, the owner of the house, has been the best landlord. He had the house built with his family's comfort in mind and had enjoyed it for awhile until he moved to a bigger house. We worked with him on several changes on the house. We took out the sink in the dining room and added in a breakfast bar as an extension of the L-shape kitchen counter. We painted the walls of the kitchen with a soothing tan color, while went with a bold terracotta for the dining area to give definition between the two spaces. We kept the warm tan color throughout the house that went well with the dark varnished wood floors. However, we decided to personalize each bedroom. We painted the master bedroom walls maroon and balanced it with a soft cream curtains, while I went with the contrast of orange and white for my home office as a reminder of my office color in Jakarta. The only thing that didn’t meet my expectation was the color of the guest room walls. I envisioned a soft, but sunny yellow, instead I got a too strong of a yellow. But, I got used to it and my guests had never complained.

Bright & sunny...the living room

Our beloved kitchen

Love how the color turned out in the bedroom

My orange home office

The view from our rooftop

I really enjoyed making the house our own. Though, it’s not entirely perfect, it is cozy. David and I have spent many weeknights and weekends just lounging on the couch watching TV. We have most of our meals casually on the breakfast bar, but we would extend the formal dining table on our traditional Thanksgiving dinner parties. And I have spent many hours in the spacious kitchen cooking and baking, while our cat Sfac sunbathed in the windowsill. And in the winter, we get spectacular views of the Himalayas and it never failed to awe me each time I spotted them out of a window. In short, it’s going to be tough to find a new space in Jakarta that will give me the same feelings. Though, I am hopeful.

L-R: Thanksgiving, Gardenia blooms, the garden, the girls

Beyond the building itself, our house also has a small nice vegetable garden that our gardener/handyman, Dhanik, maintains. This is one perk that we will definitely miss when we’re back in Jakarta. All year long, Dhanik plants and harvests different vegetables like lettuces, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, zucchinis, cauliflowers, bok choys, and on my request, he planted basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, dill, cilantro and parsley so I can have fresh herbs whenever I want. He also makes sure that we always have enough flowers surrounding the house. Oh, I mostly will miss the gardenia bushes when they bloom in May. They just smell so good!

Shova & Dhanik

Dhanik, himself, is a gem. Along with our housekeeper, Shova, they keep the house clean and running. They are also good cooks. Almost every lunch time, I eat traditional Nepalese fare of rice, dal, and some kind of a curry with them. And I’ve asked Shova to cook her traditional Newari food and she ended up making a whole yummy celebration spread. It was wonderful. I will miss them both.

So now, we have about two weeks left in this house and the only regret I have now that we're leaving is that our family had never gotten the chance to visit and enjoy this house with us. Soon, the movers will come to pack up our stuff and we will pass on this great house to the next lucky tenants. Yes, they will be lucky because this is the best house in Kathmandu...at least for me. I hope they will enjoy it and make happy memories here, too.