Take that Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

Ferry

So after leaving beautiful Lake Toba on the island of Sumatra we grabbed a ferry back to the mainland.  The ferry dropped us off in a different place than we took off from so we had to grab a local oplet (basically a truck with benches) to take us to the transport office.  So us four girls flagged one down dove in with our giant backpacks scarring the bejesus out of a woman on her way to work, I'm sure when she got to work she said "OMG four white girls dove into my oplet spilling my F'ing coffee."

Oplet

Plane

Any who from the oplet we got into a SUV to go to the Medan airport. where we waited around for our plane to leave while pursuing the beer vending machines.  Our flight crossed the equator to the city of Jakarta.  Where we took a taxi to the train city.  Driving through the city of 10 million at night was beautiful so many high rises with super colorful neon lights.  We said a sad goodbye to our new friend Sara #2 who was a teacher from Ireland that had been traveling with us since Bukit Lawang.  From there we grabbed a night train to Yogyakarta where we arrived in the morning around 5:20 just in time for sunrise.  Then we hopped on a rickshaw to grab a bus.  Things were going far too smoothly for us in our just under 24 hour travel that of course something had to go wrong.  I read the Lonely Planet wrong and led us on a wild goose chase looking for a bus station that wasn't there.  Then in our udder exhaustion we went to a luxury hotel for a breakfast buffet.  Feeling rejuvenated we grabbed a local city bus (after tucking my tail between my legs we visited the tourist information center) to the real bus terminal.  From there we tried to grab a bus to Borobudur, the bus manager kicked off like ten locals so we could get a seat and then we refused to get on the bus because of principal and the half empty bus rambled off.  We then grabbed the next bus and an hour later we were in the town of Borobudur, we then took a horse drawn carriage to our hotel.

Rickshaw

So let's recap the transportation situation.
1. Ferry
2. Oplet
3. SUV
4. Plane
5. Taxi
6. Train
7. Rickshaw
8. Public Bus
9. Bus
10.Carriage

$178 dollars the experience and a sore behind Priceless

Organge Haired Cousins and a Big Lake

After we bought our visa on arrival for $25 which you will have to do once you get to Medan we grabbed a taxi to a "bus station" which was a bunch of super old mini buses on the side of the road.  After a squished two hours with no AC and 20 of our closest friends we arrived in a village on the side of a river.  From there we had to hike along a path from guest house to guest house looking for accommodation.  We did find something that was pretty pimp but no AC or hot water to be found.
The next morning we woke up to monkeys jumping on our roof.  We headed out on our jungle trek walking up hill in the rain forest till we spotted some orange haired orangutans we stopped and watched for a while and then moved on and found a mother hanging out with her baby which we stayed and watched for a while as the baby tucked and rolled down the hill and the mother built her nest.  After the veiwing we made a long trek back stopping for a lunch along the river where we ate banana leaf wrapped (that was the tupperware of Sumatra) rice, beans and veggies with a delightful coconut sauce.

Lake Toba

Grind Lindsey Grind

The next day we took a "toursit" bus from Bukit Lawang through Medan to the town of Parapat where we got the ferry to an island in the middle of Lake Toba where we stayed in the town of Tuk Tuk.  Lake Toba is a volcanic lake with an island the size of Singapore in it we stayed on the island in the town of Tuk Tuk.  The next day we walked all through  Tuk Tuk looking at the sights of chickens crossing the road, little children calling out "hello", dodging motor bikes and the unbelieveable lake views.  Today (saturday) we took at three hour Indonesian cooking class in Hedi's kitchen.  She was a 50 something woman who showed us the art of cooking over kerosne stoves.  We made a vegetable, chicken and fish dish (the fish was whole with the head on!!!).  It was pretty amazing to cut up the vegetables from her garden (that a ton of chickens were roaming in) and wrap up the fish in banana leaves to steam.  Tonight we are staying here in Tuk Tuk and tomorrow we head out to the Jakarta by plane to explore the island of Java.

Two Maylaysian Cities

After a five hour bus ride we rolled into the city of Melaka around 11 pm.  We grabbed a ubber clean guest house about two blocks from the weekend night market which sold everything you could imagine on folding tables for as far as the eye can see.  We grabbed a table at a bar and got some cold beers, satay and fresh spring rolls. The bar atmosphere was complete with a guitar player singing Eric Clapton with the drunk patrons singing along.   After the bar closed we took a very bedazzled trishaw home.  Each trishaw is brightly colored cart with fake flowers shaped like a hear with lights and a boom box blasting American music.  A bike and a rider sits alongside the crazy contraption.

At the Buddhist Temple

We had picked up a traveling friend in Tioman named Sara who is an English girl teaching English in Indonesia.  The next morning we woke up and had breakfast with her before she departed back to Indo.   We then began exploring the city we visited the oldest Buddhist temple in Malaysia built in the 1700s and continued on to the Dutch and Portuguese square to see the still functioning Anglican church built in 1800 and marched up a hill to see the ruins of a Jesuit church from the 1500s.  After all that traipsing about we stopped by a massage parlor to experience foot reflexology.  We then joined the enormous line to eat the Maylay version of fondue, mystery food on a stick cooked in large vats of peanut sauce.  After trying some standbys of broccoli and chicken we delved into the mystery items which were all variations on a seafood theme.  After dinner we returned to the night market where I got a spiraled cut potato that was fried and salted. 

Cookin up some Satay

The next morning we grabbed a super luxury bus to head up to the island of Penang on the northwest side of Malaysia.  7 hours later we hopped on a ferry and arrived in the town of Georgetown.  That night we ate some street food of noodles, with wantons that are served with soup or without.  We tried both.  The operators of the food cart were really ancient and cooked up a storm the man boiled the noodles while the wife sliced the meat and added the spices.  There were tables on the sidewalks to eat at and watch as scooters rolled up to get takeaway and others came to eat. 

Grandma and Grandpa cooking it up (check out the dishwash set up in the lower right)

In the middle of the night Lindsey and Kate got up to watch the Euro cup and cheer on Spain's domination.  The next day we tried to grab tickets for a ferry to Medan Indonesia only to find out that the ferry had stopped running due to low cost airlines so we booked a plane ticket to Medan for July 3rd.  We continued to explore the city where Little India puts Devon street to shame.  We ducked inside a Veg Gujarat restaurant right as the rain began to pour.  

Three Temples and a Beach

Landed in Singapore after a 24 hour delay in Chicago (did make Silver status though Hooray!!!!) Headed to an extremely clean hostel just outside of Chinatown. After a semi cold beer hit the hay and awoke the next morning to explore.  Singapore is a very clean city with no street people.  We ate lunch at the "hawker stands" which are endless rows of outdoor eateries each of them specializing in various genres of Asian cuisine.  We then went to the Buddha's tooth temple to view not only his tooth but 10,000 other Buddha's fashioned after his likeness right after enlightenment.  It also houses the only underground parking lot of any temple in Asia :)  We then headed to see the Sri Mariamman Temple with 100s of life size cows and Krishnas not only inside but sitting on the fences surrounding the temple for all to enjoy. 

Enjoying some Thai food at the hawker stall

That evening we met up with Lindsey's college friend who is living in Singapore where we indulged in some local cuisine of chili crab.  Then because the tax on alcohol is so high we grabbed a six pack of beer to drink on the bridge where it is legal to drink but not chew gum. 
The next day we woke up early  to grab a long distance bus to Malaysia when we arrived at the terminal they had all left for the day so we decided to grab a local bus to the border.   On our trek to the other bus stand we meandered through the Arab Quarter and visited a Mosque.  It was a beautiful structure we got to go inside and wander around.  Then finally began our journey to Malaysia. 

Inside the Mosque

After we crossed the border we had a few hours to kill in a bus station in Johor Bahru (JB)  the entire top of the station was a shopping market filled with many faux sneakers and all the different types of burkas you could buy. We had an AWESOME lunch roti filled with onions, egg and meat that was rolled, filled and cooked before our very eyes.    
That evening we ended up in the fishing port of Mersing where we were serenaded by a woman with very few teeth (and even less marbles) as we looked for accommodation.  Her tunes ranged from variations on a theme of Righteous Brothers, Ace of Base and Whitney.    We woke up the next morning for a ferry to a village (loose word two beach shacks) Nipah on the island of Tioman.  It was a peaceful place where we spent our days lounging in the sun and snorkeling with barracudas and our nights drinking beer and eating delightful Maylay food.  

Soaking up some rays outside our digs

We are now awaiting a bus to take us to Melaka on the western side of Malaysia.    

Rice rice baby

As a PhD student I sometimes have evening seminars that I have to attend.  As a "good" wife I make sure I leave my husband a meal in the fridge so that he can cook it when he gets home and doesn't go hungry.  These meals keep in mind have the meat, seasoning, sides, cooking instructions, all put together in a single zip lock bag.  All my husband has to do is open, read, prepare, and eat.  The meal for the evening was BBQ chicken with a side of sweet potato fries.
My darling husband gets home, looks at the bag and determines this meal would not be balanced without rice (as a true Indian I should've known he would want rice).  Instead of texting me (he didn't want to interrupt my super "important" PhD seminar) or use that new fangled thing called google, he elected to call the Patel family house.  His father answered the phone the conversation went something like this. . .
Sankat- Hi Dad, what is the ratio of water to rice
Dad- well first you take out the pressure cooker
Sankat- we don't have one, but the question is what is the ratio
Dad- we have an extra one at the house
Sankat- no dad we don't want one, what is the ratio
Dad- ok, take out the rice maker
Sankat- we don't have one, ratio dad
Dad- we have an extra one at the house we can bring to you
Sankat- we don't want one dad I just want to cook the rice on the stove, ratio please
Dad- where's Selina
Sankat- school dad
Dad- well your mom always cooks the rice, call her

Not part of this story but there is a small skirmish about Sankat's mom driving while talking on the phone

Sankat- hi mom, how are you.. .
Mom- Great Beta
Sankat- Mom I'm making rice what is the ratio of water to rice?
Mom- well first you take out the pressure cooker
Sankat- no mom we don't have one, what is the ratio
Mom- we have an extra one at the house
Sankat- no mom we don't want one, what is the ratio
Mom- ok, take out the rice maker
Sankat- we don't have one, ratio mom
Mom- we have an extra one at the house we can bring to you
NOTICE the Pattern here
Sankat- WE DON'T WANT ONE, I just want to make rice on the stove
Mom- Where's Selina?
Sankat- school
Mom- You know you can make premade rice
Sankat- MOM
Mom- well first you must soak the rice for 20 min
Sankat- I Don't have time
Mom- 2 to 1

Now I can just picture my loving mother in law getting off the phone and looking at her husband shaking her head and saying, "You know, he has a LOVE marriage and look what happens, NObody know how to make rice."

How will I ever make this up to my mother in-law to prove that even white women can cook rice and get their PhD at the same time.

So I married an Indian. . .

and along with the Catholics and the Jews they too have mastered the guilt complex.  Sankat wants me to write a book, but on top of those pesky things called qualifying exams I really shouldn't be focusing my energy on writing the true story of my adventures in the Indian world (and other cultures that I visit).  So I decided to keep a blog. If some day it turns into a book so be it, as long as a sexy young thing plays me in the movie that is really all I care about.  I'm going to try and use this space to talk about my adventures leading up to my marriage and the events of the weddings (the s is not a typo) themselves.  So feel free to read and comment as you see fit.  I'm also going to use this space to talk about my current adventures as they happen and will send the blog link in my email updates.