island temple [no one here but us chickens]

"There were no formerly heroic times, and there was no formerly pure generation. There is no one here but us chickens, and so it has always been: a people busy and powerful, knowledgeable, ambivalent, important, fearful, and self-aware; a people who scheme, promote, deceive, and conquer; who pray for their loved ones, and long to flee misery and skip death. It is a weakening and discoloring idea, that rustic people knew God personally once upon a time- or even knew selflessness or courage or literature - but that it is too late for us. In fact, the absolute is available to everyone in every age. There never was a more holy age than ours, and never a less."

-Annie Dillard, For the Time Being

yup, we drank coffee that had been through the digestive system of an animal [luwak coffee]

one of the unexpected & fun events during our recent trip to bali was a visit to a balinese coffee plantation & the opportunity to try some luwak coffee.

luwak coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world (from $50-$600/pound!). it is a delicacy because it is first eaten by a weasel like cat animal (the Asian Palm Civet, to be precise). these guys only like the tastiest & most delicate coffee berries. when they've digested them, they poop out the coffee seeds & somewhere along the line of history, someone figured out that these coffee beans make one delicious cup of coffee!

the review? it was a good cup of coffee (actually we shared it among four people because $3.50 for a sampler size seemed steep!), smooth & flavourful. but if you had served it to me in your kitchen, i wouldn't have identified it as the most expensive coffee in the world.

in the end, its for the best, though, because there probably isn't room in my budget for a luwak coffee addiction anyway...

one week in paradise [bali]

last month's Khmer New Year is the biggest holiday in Cambodia & gave us some time off for a holiday in Bali (not necessarily a much needed holiday, since there are so many in Camobida, but a much enjoyed holiday, nonetheless). last august we found amazing flight deals & bought them with some friends, so we'd been looking forward to this excursion to beautiful bali for a long while.

& bali definitely lived up to all of our expectations! the country is unbelievably green & lush & the mountains are breathtakingly beautiful.

highlights included boogie boarding in the biggest & more powerful waves i've ever seen, snorkeling among bright, dreamlike tropical fish & an old japanese shipwreck, visiting an island temple, bicycling through rice terraces, eating peanut sauce & chicken satay at every opportunity, tasting the infamous luwak coffee (more on that later) & the chance to harvest rice with some balinese farmers.

while daniel & i were biking around ubud, in central bali, we came upon these rice farmers who showed us the ropes & had a good time smiling & laughing with us. here is a brief video clip of daniel. my favorite part in the great peals of laughter coming from the women.