Kiss of the Komodo

An impromptu trip to Komodo turned out to be the highlight of my last month!  I had been to Komodo National Park before, but in a completely different situation... here are a few blogs from that trip... here.  This one ended on a much more positive note with no illnesses or medical evacuations!

Great people, great diving, great trip to Komodo on a liveaboard.... and I even got a few great pics (since my camera was repaired just in time to take with me)!  Here are some samples:

Temin Tui, Kaimana

I had the pleasure of a trip to Kaimana last week to help the CI team there build an Inclusive Communications and Education Strategy... we had a training with the team and CI stakeholders in the town of Kaimana, then an intensive internal CI workshop at the CI Field Station in Temin Tui... there was a lot of brain smoke, but we really got to the root of conservation issues in the region and built a comprehensive plan which, I hope*, the team will begin to implement in conjunction with their partners there.

I have been hoping to go to Kaimana and work a bit with the team there for over two years now, and am so happy to have finally had the opportunity! Of course, having been infected by stories of colleagues swimming with the whale sharks at our field station there, I was certainly hoping to get to do that in between workshop sessions, but alas, the current weather conditions mean that the sardine fishing platform where the whale sharks usually hang out has moved to seek shelter from waves, so we didn't have any whale shark time.  Hopefully next time!  But I still got to attend an World Environment Day Educational Event, and see a bit of the field, around Triton Bay, and appreciate the beauty and wonder of the area which has become a target for conservation.

Chilli Chocolat!?

Lindt, you're really crossing the line, now!  Mint chocolate, ok... but Chilli - uugh!  In fairness, I haven't actually tried it myself... but I also have absolutely no intention of wasting a good chocolate experience on this... sorry!

HOME SWEET HOME

It was so nice to be home again for an extended holiday over the Christmas season!  It was really great to see family and friends.  (Yes, this is a very belated posting - I'm on my way back home to see everyone again already, and found this in my drafts... so better late than never!)

And no matter what so many people say... I love Ontario winters!  While so many people complain about it, I really miss the skiing and the cold crisp sunny days in the snow.

Bench press the cookies away...

After consuming all the cookies in those two tins (over 3kgs of cookies!), you better be doing some extra bench-pressing...

Headstands on Haad Rin

When Gabby got back to Koh Phangan, I immediately broke my fast and we went to the night market...

We delved into tofu burgers, spirulina shakes, pad thai and lots of other goodness for the short few days we got to spend together... I couldn't be in Thailand without having some of the fabulous food!

We also did some touring and I got to have her as my own personal yoga tutor...  which led to a yoga photo session with headstand attempts on the beach in front of the centre!

What fun, good friend!

Spice Islands!

The Moluccas are known as the "Spice Islands" for very good reason.

We often found nutmeg, mace (actually the filigree surrounding the nutmeg pit), cloves and chocolate drying by the roadside, adding a lovely fragrant aroma to our travels.

Spices drying by the roadside

Chocolate beans

Nutmeg

Mace (the filigree around the nutmeg pit)

Nutmeg fruit (unripe)

Dried Nutmeg fruit candy

There was also ginger, galangal, tumeric, lemongrass and lots of other great herbs and spices found in the markets... and in the food!

Galangal with Market lady

No, it's not ginger... similar, but much more whitish (than yellow) inside

lovely little packages of seri (lemongrass) for sale for apount ten cents

We found Ambon not only rich in spices, but also all manner of fruit... which I think is the defining factor for their famous Rujak Natsepa (a special Indonesian spicy peanutty fruit salad)!

And of course, there's always that lone chicken with his beautiful pink wall...

Wat Pho Thai Traditional Herbal Sauna

This place was perfect for a visit during my detoxifying cleanse.  The hot, steamy, herbally goodness is pretty intense, but also felt very purifying.

It's a traditional setup with a fire-powered cauldron piping steam into two separate male/female rustic steam rooms.  The steam is filled with herbs such as lemongrass, jasmine and tumeric, which are healthy for the skin and also aid the body to purge toxins.

We also pumped it up a notch with some natural exfoliating scrub of tumeric and seasalt.  I felt like a squeaky clean newborn when I left there and was apparently glowing for days!

Healing

I feel very lucky not to actually need a healing retreat... but when one of your best friends happens to be the manager at just such a retreat not sooo far away, and you happen to have to leave the country for a visa run... well, the universe was aligning itself...

So here I am at the Orion Healing Retreat Centre in Koh Phangan, Thailand.

Here's a blurb from their website (orionhealing.com):

The Orion Healing Retreat Center is set in the serene Srithanu bay in Koh Phangan, Thailand. Nestled in peaceful surroundings, amid soothing sounds and rippling waters, your mind and soul are balanced, restoring a sense of serenity and vitality.  At Orion we have created a unique life changing retreat program which combines detox, healing and yoga to create Absolute Alchemy.

Our detox retreats are specially tailored and supported every step of the way. As healers we ensure that your cleanse is a healing experience for your body, mind and soul. A personal touch is given to all our cleansers and this will ensure that your individual needs are always looked after.  Using ancient methods with modern day touches, our unique treatments harmonize, balance, attune and charge your body to leave you feeling completely revitalized.

I can't say I had the right motivation in coming here... I wasn't feeling toxic, or the need for healing necessarily... I really just wanted to see a good friend in her element, and thought the best way to do that, since she was to be working, would be to integrate myself into her life... so I signed up!  And no doubt it will have all kinds of additional positive benefits as well.  Although I am still a little upset about being in Thailand (with some of the best food on the planet) and not EATING, I am really enjoying the daily yoga, and have been to the Wat Pho Traditional Thai Herbal Sauna, and am taking advantage of being here to get some work done in my sweet little bungalow!

(All the pics are from the Orion website, since my camera is in the shop... )

Rujak Natsepa

Rujak is the Indonesian version of a fruit salad... and like all food-things Indonesian, it must have its share of chilis!  I've written about the common-man's rujak here... 

But of all the Rujaks in all the land, the most famous is Rujak Natsepa, from Natsepa Beach in Ambon.  So of course, we had to try it... twice!  The beach itself, although it did nothing for me whatsoever, is a very popular spot for locals to spend the weekend!  Overcrowded... ughh.

But the Rujak was its redeeming quality...

Rujak ingredients

The combination of an extensive variety of fruits, plus fresh peanuts used in the sauce, no water, but fruit to make the sauce saucy, are what makes this the King of Rujaks.

Masterpiece

They even got the bule to try to make the Rujak sauce... 

It did not compare to the original!

Rujak lady at her station at the far end of the beach mixing up her sweet goodness for us!