Ironicness

We think it's funny that we posted about ENCA farm and eating local and organic foods, and followed said post with a note about eating at Burger King. Whoopsies...

Have it your way?

Date: December 22, 2010

We've eaten a lot of FANTASTIC food on our tour of Asia thus far, but here, I thought I'd share a couple of photos of our most expensive meal.

These were taken at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport. And 450 baht translates to about $15. Pretty steep for these parts. Actually, pretty steep anywhere. We were searching excitedly for a Subway, after seeing one near the check-in counters, when instead we wandered into a Burger King and noted that they had a veggie burger. Do they have veggie burgers at BK's in the States? I can't tell you the last time I was in a Burger King, but do know that the faux meat patty was not on the menu. Anyway, it pulled us in...and was seriously AWESOME. I am not kidding. Nor am I kidding about the expense. We shook our heads all the way to Cambodia once we realized that the meal cost more than our previous night's lodging, breakfast, and transportation to the airport combined. Whoops-a-daisy!

Local & Organic

6 November, 2010

Devin and I spent two weeks in the Philippines. Of that time, one week was spent with our friend Sherry Manning and her Filipino family, the Cosalans, in and around the small city of Tublay. Sherry met and lived with the Cosalans while serving her Peace Corps term from 2006 to 2008, and became involved with the family's organic farm at that time. Now, adopted into the Cosalan clan, Sherry is back in the Philippines, helping them further organize ENCA.

Devin and I still haven't quite figured out the neighborhood-city-province structure of that area yet, so this is taken straight from the ENCA website:

Nestled in the quiet municipality of Acop, Tublay, in Benguet Province, ENCA Farm is found in the heart of the Cordillera Mountains in Northern Luzon, Philippines.

Overlooking the farm on the hike to the farm.
Even though we'd seen many rice terraces throughout Asia,

it took me a while to realize that this farm was terraced on a mountain too.
Not much flat farmland up there.

The family is wonderful and the farm is awesome! Not only do they produce organic... ah, produce, they also provide community education on sustainable farming, host environmentally focused youth camps, and provide a great volunteer experience through WOOFing. We got to go there and just hang out, but I did pick a few weeds to feel like I contributed something.

Me weeding a row of paco (an edible fern) - hey, it's something!

One of ENCA's main crops is coffee and we sampled their product, often in large quantities, throughout the mornings during our visit. (There's nothing like waking up with a Milo coffee, eh Sherry?)

Again, from their website:

In 2008, ENCA Farm helped start a 20-member Arabica Coffee Growers Cooperative in the Province of Benguet. Members of the cooperative grow organic Arabica coffee beans and each week deliver them to ENCA Farm for roasting and delivery to local organic markets. “ENCA Kape” is one of the largest grossing products in local organic markets and these coffee sales serve as an important livelihood for farmers throughout Benguet Province.

We were able to see most aspects of the coffee-making process while there...

Unripe coffee "fruit" on the tree.

Coffee "fruit" that will be picked soon.

We missed the shelling, but these beans are shelled and waiting to be roasted.

Shiosa helping Lola (grandma) Carmen Cosalan roast coffee beans.

Roasted beans.

Coffee grounds.

(Stored in a Graham Cracker container, of course.)

The finished product!

ENCA farm is a wonderful place with incredible potential, producing a great cup of coffee, environmental education, delicious paco and other organic veggies, but the real charm here are the Cosalans - all of them! Devin and I were welcomed with open arms into this family: sleeping at Auntie Evelyn's house, listening to Lola Carmen talk about old days on the farm, laughing with Uncle Peter as he and Devin took a shot of something strong, wishing I could eat food that Dimples made every day, and spending All Saints and All Souls days with them - a party involved for each, of course.

Some, but not all, of the Cosalans at the All Saints Day party.


The girls.

Devin and I visited other cities in the Philippines and enjoyed each place, but when we look back on our time there, our week with Sherry and the Cosalans is, by far, the highlight. We are so grateful to have had some "family time" while traveling; a different kind of experience than what we'd get on our own.

More pictures of the farm.

The End.

P.S. Buy local and, if you can, organic.

Cows in India

For India's millions of Hindus (at least 80% of the population ), respect for animal life is a powerful aspect of their belief system, and in India it seems that one animal in particular commands the respect of the masses.  

The COW is a sacred animal. 

They are protected, and you can find them roaming everywhere!  

Seriously, everywhere.

A small sample of the cows we saw and photographed:

(We felt pretty silly taking pictures of cows, but these guys are special, right?)

This guy was out for a morning walk in Goa.

A cow and dog (in the shadow) keeping an eye on a boat.

Sunset stroll on Palolem beach in Goa.

On his way to platform 2 at the Chittorgarh train station.

A truly holy cow at the Meera Temple in Chittorgarh.

Hangin' in a Bundi alley.

Water buffaloes (whatever, they are cows) at a ghat on the Ganga.

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here?

At first it was quite novel to see cows everywhere, but after stepping in cow poop at least once a day, it got a little old...actually, a lot old.  

We literally had to walk with our eyes on the road or else...!!

The End.

The Precious

Date: December 25, 2010

Here's a story.

So I woke up Christmas morning...and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Actually there probably was a mouse...and a gecko...and a frog... Jungle living! Anyway, after eating a scrumptious breakfast, and sending a few Merry Christmas messages via Skype, I retreated to our bungalow and decided that upon seeing a number of Emily's clothes hanging cleanly on our clothes line I should do some laundry. As an aside, Emily and I have mastered the art of transforming even the nicest digs into our own personal laundromat, stringing our clothes line to any available weight-bearing post and creating a limbo-like maze of wet hanging garb. Meet the Clampetts!!

An example. This picture is actually from China - you get the idea.

So. I went to the bathroom sink and started my washing with the most necessary items - underwear. 2 of 3 pairs. First I rinsed, then I got to lathering with a combination of Dr. Bronner's and bar soap (yes, intended for the body, not for the items covering it). With the Dr. Bronner's stock running desperately low, the bar soap was an improvise. The lathering was aggressive (after months wearing the same clothes, it needs to be) and the combination of soaps created extremely slippery conditions within the sink basin. During this, my wedding ring was freed from my left ring finger, narrowly avoided falling down the drain, and instead bounced out of the porcelain and directly into the waste basket below. Whew! Lucky, I thought. Understand that I never take it off, and as a result, my finger has come to care for it as it's own - in other words, it doesn't remove easily. Since it wasn't lodged in the drain pipe, I decided to just keep on washing, and retrieve it later. After underwear, I moved to socks, then to shirts... I'd say it was a good hour of washing in total and I was thoroughly pleased with the new lavender / mint scent in the air as I hung all articles out to dry. Merry Christmas, clothes!

After all the washing, I moved on to a strenuous afternoon of lounging in the sun...and reading. Fast forward to two hours later when I came to the panicked realization that a) my ring was not resting in the usual pale indentation of my finger and b) the cleaning ladies had come through and removed the trash. Actually, to be more accurate, the cleaning ladies entered while I was still washing, and I physically handed the waste basket to them to empty. Shit. I ran to the reception area, and explained the situation to May, one of JV's fantastic staff members. Her English is very good, but I don't think the phrase "I threw away my wedding ring while washing my underwear in the sink" is commonly heard or spoken. Fortunately for me, she understood and we both set off to find the two cleaning ladies. We walked quickly around the premises, she questioning others in Khmer re: their whereabouts (I think...or informing them of my lunacy...haha), and then suddenly, without words or resolution (in my mind), we went back to the reception. I stood there, looking confused, when she soon leaned over and casually said: 'they have it'. Fantastic!! Devin's butt = covered. Thanks JV! And with that, my finger got it's white gold buddy back again and I was spared the shame of losing my wedding ring on Christmas day.

PS - Yes Emily, I DID reference Lord of the Rings in the title of this post.

India's Food Chain

13 December, 2010 

We like this video a lot.  

This moment was captured at the Varanasi (India) JN Station while waiting for our train to Kolkata.

Happy New Year from Chiang Mai!

1 January, 2011

Happy New Year!! May 2011 be a fabulous year for all of us!
We love our family and friends very much, and hope we get the opportunity to spend time with everyone during this new year.

It's been 3 years since Devin and I were together for New Year's Eve, and since 2010 was such and AMAZING year for us, it was appropriate that we celebrate it's end with one another.

What did we do? I'll show you...

Watched the last sun set over Chiang Mai in 2010.


Lit incense at Wat Pra Singh.


(Wat Pra Singh)

Wandered through the Chiang Mai night bazaar.

Ate street food.
(1 of 2 veg kebabs for Emily.)
(Chicken satay for Devin cuz he didn't get any in Malaysia.)


Watched lanterns and fireworks fill the sky.

Purchased and personalized our own lantern and sent it off for good luck.

12 AM - HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2011


The End...The Beginning