Baguettes and Brunettes

That would've been the by-line for our French road-trip tour... And I can't believe I haven't written a thing about it in my blog and two years have passed already!

So I'm reminiscing, cuz I'm missing my companions, I suppose... although don't tell them that.. they don't read my blog anyway, so they'll never know, and I can still feign indifference when our next attempt at a reunion comes up!  ;)  I'm also briefly in Singapore with a fabulous internet connection (which I never have), so am taking advantage and uploading pics...

Anyway, whatever the cause, it means you get treated to a story or two, and lots of pics!  I didn't journal, or blog, while we were on our trip, which is sad, because it was such an amazing time, full of lots of laughs, along with a few tiffs… we did and saw so much… but the things that stick most in my mind are the meals… not just because of the incredible food and wine (which it really really was, by the way), but because of the family and friendship and chats shared at the table amidst good French ambiance… Hey!  How exciting - I can actually use that word in relation to the place of its origin!  The funniest thing is that when I was searching photos to upload for this post, food and meal photos were noticeably lacking... hmmm... maybe it's like diving - I just let myself absorb and enjoy more without being behind the camera!?

Memorable Meals and Moments:

Chez Boizeau & The Moulin Rouge!!!

Parks, Palaces and Picnics in Paris

Rediscovering #14 in Paris!?

Dancing Sur le Pont d'Avignon

Creperies & Cafes

The roadtrip mobile... and familial send-off!  (The only thing in that car that made us uncomfortable was Lucette, aka 'the bitch'!)

Castles and Culture

The Picturesque Dordogne

Porquerolles Hashing

Perfumerie at Grasse

"The Last Supper":  Moulles Frites (Mussels) in Nice

And of course... what trip to France would be complete without a trip up the Eiffel Tower!?

Les cousines at Traocadero with a fabulous view of the light show at Le Tour

We walked it...  

Tokok Sago - Trying to lend a hand!?

Tokok Sago is the processing of the sago tree into sago flour, the traditional staple in Papua.  I've written about it a bit here and here and here before... 

I have seen it done a few times in Raja Ampat, and participated in both Biak and Sarmi.

In the village of Beneraf, in the Sarmi Regency, we were invited to join the village as they went to the river to cut and process a sago palm (whose leaves they also use for rooves).

First the trek out into the forest to find and chop down the sago palm tree...

They then peel the bark from the tree and start hacking away at the pith... 

To hack out the pith of the tree a primitive bamboo tool is used, rendering the pith to a soft mulch...

The mulch is then saturated in water and squeezed through a multi-filter system to extract the starch... 

All the materials they use to cut and process the sago are completely natural, including the fine mesh they use to filter the sago through... it's actually the gauze wrap from the whorl of the banana tree.

Apparently the processing of the sago pith/pulp rids the sago of a protein potentially poisonous for mammals...  So, rid of the poisons, it's on to the cooking phase!  Actually, to make the simplest sago dish, papeda, all you need is the sago and boiling water...

Boilding water is added to the sago starch while mixing...

... and almost instantly it turns into a glue-like paste - ta-da!

The other way they showed us to cook papeda in Beneraf was part of the 'Bakar Batu' process... they remove red-hot stones from the fire and put them into the sago/water mixture.  When the mixture reaches the right texture/consistency, it literally spits the stones back out!

The following excerpt is taken from my Biak blog:  The next day we enjoyed an early morning walk through Sagu plantations (hoping for hike, and a chance to inaugurate my shiny new white shoes, but our guide didn't show).  We expected this area to be relatively pristine forest, since we were in a 'reserve', and all - I should know better, after this long in Indonesia...

Anyway, it was a nice walk, and our hosts, a group of Sagu farmers that invited us to join as they cut and worked a Sagu Palm (Tokok Sagu).  It was great to learn more about this traditional staple of Papua from these kind and fun men!

We also each took a turn trying our hand at pounding the sago pith into mulch...

A giant stick bug showed up for the work bee as well...

... careful not to get pricked by the sagu spikes, we picked our way through the forest...

Yikes!

FINALIST in Raja Ampat Entrance Tag Design Competition!

I didn't actually imagine that I would become a finalist amongst the hundreds or thousands of entries in this contest, but I have... so now, I need to ask you all to vote for me 'cuz I would really REALLY love to win the grand prize trip.... I've been working in conservation here for years, and yet only rarely get to dive it! And hey, if I win, I'll need to take someone with me...

VOTE FOR ME HERE!!! There are lots of great entries - Indeed, after seeing them, I don't claim that mine is the best one by far... Although it is unique and different than any winners in the past! Mine is the black n white 'stars on the brain' picture of a sea star on brain coral...

Click the link "1st" below my pic to vote for me! (The link should turn shaded in blue) Your votes are worth even more if you register for a free account, then vote... so please consider that! THANKS for your support! http://wetpixel.com/competition/index.php?view=entry&id=16747