Blogger Postcards of the World - Finale

A surprise came in the mail a few days ago. I’ve been waiting to post this entry, but I had to be patient. It is in my nature to be patient. They say patience is a virtue. I’ve been told that I have a calm spirit about me.

My patience has proven worthwhile. I commissioned Ander to replicate the postcard in an original oil painting. It was to be my anniversary gift to celebrate our first date together.

"Uluwatu Temple, Bali . . ."


When I got the postcard in the mail, I squealed. I jumped up and down. I had a huge grin on my face. Ander was perplexed at my delight. After all, it was just a postcard.





But not just any postcard. It was my “Blogger Postcards of the World” postcard! Via her blog profile, my BPW partner calls herself “Strawberry”, but she introduced herself as “Cindy” on her card. She mentioned she is from the island of Java of the country of Indonesia. Her postcard was of the Uluwatu Temple, perched high above the cliffs of Bali.

Cindy is currently a student at a University in Toronto and was on holiday (vacation) when she sent the postcard.


"Uluwatu Temple, Bali . . ." Oil on Canvas, 5"x7", ©ander. All rights reserved.


I’ve never been to Bali, but I’ve had acquaintances that traveled there. They always claimed how “inexpensive” everything is in Bali. I knew a designer that left her business in San Francisco for a life in Bali. She couldn’t get over the fact that she could live on less than US$5.00 a day. She actually penciled it out. If she sold all her belongings, she could make it there for a couple of years. That would include her accommodations and food. She had the type of personality that would provide her with the sustenance she would need to survive and get by. People would always “treat” her to a drink, a dinner, or a piece of jewelry. You know the type. She knew how to work it, milk it and get it. I lost track of her when I didn’t take her offer to buy her Pratesi sheets. Somehow these Italian fine linens did not work with our simple Queen-size platform bed we bought from IKEA shortly after we were married.

I knew a food commodities broker that was on holiday on a yacht off the shores of Bali on a surfing excursion with some friends when 9/11 occurred. They were stranded on the yacht. No where to dock. Almost two weeks later, they managed to get to port somehow and found a flight back to the US via a flight out of Sydney, Australia.

My sister has a dear friend that shares her birthday in June and is Dutch-Indonesian. I always enjoyed being around her. She always insisted on being called “Roxie”, instead of the formal “Roxanne”. Roxie gave my sister one of her first baby showers. I will always remember the buffet table she prepared and the endless amount of boxes of See’s chocolates that were given to guests as favors.

In yet another lifetime (I have a few…), I worked at a Century City lawfirm. The principal attorney and his wife would sponsor foreign students attending UCLA and open a room in their home for them to stay during the school term. Usually they were grad students. His name was Hadi, from Jakarta and he was studying to become an Oral Surgeon. He was quite a catch. He was a very strict vegetarian and a strict Christian. His beliefs were strong and were prevalent in his conversations. He “walked with Christ in his life.” Last I heard, he became a prominent surgeon and set up his practice to help his people.

That’s about the extent of my connection with Bali or Indonesia, with the exception of Indonesian cuisine. I love it, when I can find it.

In her minuscule writing, Cindy notes her favorite foods, including, ”Ayam Betutu” and ”Babi Guling”. She recommends ”Jimbaran restaurants famous for grilled fish and seafood.”

In my excitement of receiving this postcard, I was inspired to cook up some Indonesian food. I pulled out my recipe archives to check out what I had on file. Very slim pickins’.

Nasi Goreng = Indonesian fried rice

Ayam Bali = Balinese Fried Chicken

Gado Gado = Indonesian vegetable salad

Indonesian Sate's = Marinated, skewered chicken, pork, beef or prawns

Atjar Bening = Mixed vegetable pickle. Similar to the Filipino “Atchara”

Sambals = Various Chile condiments

I’ll have to wait to make a special Indonesian meal. We just got word that Ander’s cousin, “Cousin K”, from Toronto, Canada will be visiting for several days. We will spend time with her and his Mother, “Lady A”. This will mean a break from cooking for me as I always defer to Ander when cooking in his Mother’s kitchen. Not that I’m intimidated in any way. As a trained chef, I can make my way through a well equipped and supplied kitchen. It’s just that, it’s my MIL’s kitchen. Those that know me well, feel me.

Thank you, “Strawberry”/Cindy, for a wonderful postcard. I look forward to continued exchanges via our blogs. I was thrilled to know that we have a couple of mutual blogger friends in Meeta and Ivonne.

Danke Schön, Meeta!

Grazie, Ivonne!


Life’s a banquet, my friends.