Savor the Moment.

Bakso my friends, is Indonesia's version of Grandma's chicken soup. It consists of two types of noodles and balled-up ground beef in a steamy broth laced with garlic and onions. I usually add some sweet soy sauce and sambal for a little spice. There are many great Bakso houses around Jakarta, but stick with the established ones - the street vendors will give you a stomach ache you won't soon forget.

The delicate fragrance of the broth, the slippery noodles and the spice of the chili reminds me of my childhood. Danielle (my twin sister and I) would run to the front gate with bowls in our hands when we heard the Bakso man go by with his Bakso cart. Everyday we'd chant "Bang Bakso, Bang Bakso" (Bakso Man) and push our bowls through the front gate for him to fill. We'd then enjoy the noodley goodness on the front steps of the house.

Inevitably, Bang Bakso would approach my mother at the end of the week with a bill. "What's this for?" She would ask. He'd look at her with wide eyes and reply, "The twins, Ibu, the twins!" Ahhh, that was my first experience with charging to an account.

So while you're in Indonesia, please make sure you try this delectable treat!

Cool huh? I came across these Muslim dolls today at a craft fair, and I loved that they came with matching clothes and multiple outfits, in a plethora of colors and fabrics. They even had them dressed in traditional clothing from the different provinces! I almost bought them to send to my niece for Christmas, but then wondered what my brother would say. (Hell, children could do with a little cultural exposure, right?)

Playing with them reminded me of a story my friend Arian told me... Every year he used to return to Washington D.C to lobby for better Indonesian-American relations, banging on Senator's doors and meeting with Congressmen. He made a point of always leaving a token thank-you behind, one that illustrated Indonesia's impact on American culture. That year, they chose Kebaya Barbie.

You probably don't know this, but a large majority of ALL Barbie Dolls are made in Indonesia, (as are your shirts, Nike shoes and Gap boxers). With all those Barbie's, Mattel also produced local Barbie's, like Sumatra Barbie. Kebaya Barbie went to D.C that year and was a instant hit with the politicians (and probably their children). Arian said the greatest part was putting 70 Kebaya Barbie's through the security screening, imagining what they must have looked like through an X'ray. Freaky.

For those of you interested in the dolls pictured above, please check out their website.

That's all folks!

Have you ever met magical people? Ones that could charm the spines off a cactus or have a whole Russian gulag singing Kumbaya? I seem to collect them, like pieces of eight that I place into my treasure chest, hopefully to be revisited at a later date (arrrrrg matey!). These navigators of high seas, these guiding stars in darkness have helped me chart my path and find the strength to dive into the deep end... Although we often come from different countries, backgrounds and travel in different circles, I always have faith we'll see each other again.

One such unicorn of a human-being is Camilla, otherwise known in Patagonia as the special girl that sees pumas*, and she's even more of a crazy breed than I am. Try half Spanish and half Filipino but growing up in Saudi Arabia for size! Having met in London, we've been keeping in touch via e-mail, facebook and *gasp* even phone calls. Camilla was "in the neighborhood" (Thailand) and we decided to meet up in Kuala Lumpur.

*Camilla went to Patagonia last year and hung out at a park that is famous for its pumas. Ironically, no one hardly sees the pumas - her guide had only seen them a handful of times in the years that he's worked there. Camilla saw them 3 of the 5 days she was there, and the locals nicknamed her the lucky little girl that sees pumas.


I had imagined the two of us rendezvousing for a few days of female frolicking, but to my delight, our party of two became a party of four super-women running around causing a ruckus! The Perryer sisters came from England for a two-week vacation and joined us for 4 days of continuous binge-eating and tea drinking... These platinum blonde bombshells are special in their own right, but they also have stardust: they RANDOMLY met my twin sister on the beach in Hawaii last year, after having met me in Asia. Really.

Here are a couple of great photos outlining the wonderful adventures we had: