Christmas Trees in the Sea

This is one of my favouite sea beings... and I can't believe I haven't written about them before!

You can see for yourselves where these colourful, bushy-tailed segmented worms (polychaetes) get their name!

These aptly-named Christmas Tree worms (Spirobranchus giganteus) burrow into massive coral heads to make their home.  They expose only their fluffy tail, which they use to filter-feed as the current brings plankton and other goodies their way.

This featherduster worm is a close, less-colourful, relative!

I am looking forward to seeing another kind of Christmas Tree in the not-so-distant future!

Dream

Mimpi means 'dream' in Indonesian.  It's also the name of the resort where I spent a weekend on the north coast of Bali a few weeks ago, and the subtitle I'm giving to my life for that weekend.  They definitely made no mistake in naming this place - it is seriously like being in a heavenly dream.

The coastal property is sprawling, complete with several natural thermal pools, at least 3 regular swimming pools (although regular is anything but what they are!), spa, mangrove forest, with several villas tucked away amidst it all.

The most stunning area is the beach-front... complete with infinity pool overlooking the ocean and the sunset over the mountains in East Java... We enjoyed a beer here after several nice dives... aaahhh.  Doesn't it sound like a dream!?

I thought I was in a dream underwater as well, as we glided along a very healthy, colourful, fishy wall along the 'back' side of Menjangan island, and I saw turtles, and a spotted eagle-ray.

Ship Food

We are pretty lucky to have a decent cook onboard the Kalabia... I don't call him a 'chef'... he's never worked at 5 star restaurants preparing international fare, but considering his training and experience (none), he's amazing!

He does a few dishes that I would include among my favourite foods in Indonesia: One Eggplant Coconut milk Curry that is scrumptious (I think for cooked veggies eggplant is surpassing brusselsprouts and others as favourites for me now!), and he makes a Chicken Curry that is the closest thing to Indian flavouring I've had in Indonesia (and since Indian food is hands-down my favourite, it automatically makes the cut)!

Of course, most of the food consists of regular Indonesian food... nothing fancy... and almost always, there is fish (apparently if Indonesians don't eat fish at least once a day (and for a lot, every meal), they feel like something is missing.  Dishes like this have made up the majority of my diet over the last few years:

Dragonfly Delicacies!

Yes, dragonflies... although I can't imagine wanting to kill one as a food source, since they have much greater value as mosquito-eating machines in my books!

Here, the Balinese use dragonflies as one of the ingredients to one of their special dishes:  Pepes.

How do you catch a dragonfly?
Well, with a long thin strip of bamboo covered in the sticky sap of the jackfruit tree... not to be mistaken for a fishing pole.

Pepes Preparation?
The legs and wings are removed, and the insect is ready to cook!

Only one of the ingredients?
The cooked dragonflies are added to a pounded mixture which also contains:
coconut paste
fermented fish paste
garlic
chilis
tamarind juice
basil leaves
ginger
and lime juice

The complete mixture (paste) is wrapped into individual banana leaf packets and grilled to make pepes.  I tried pepes once (before I knew of its special ingredient), and I must say, I really didn't think it was anything special... and I certainly couldn't taste the dragonfly flavour!?