Day 19: You drink what?!

A few things to know about the island of Java, Indonesia. 62% of the 240 million people in Indonesia live here, on an island not too much bigger than Tennessee, so it's stupid crowded. 85% of the people are Muslim, not Hindu like on Bali, which means they do not believe in Karma and have no problem stealing, cheating, jumping in line at the airport. That's why Shane and Lindsay taught me two phrases to use while here. The first is "Antre Dong" (pronounced On Three Dong) which means, get in line or in order. The second is to follow the first, "teribisa", which means No You Can't! The great thing about the Javenese is that once their fault has been pointed out, they are quick to acquiesce fault and step into line.  

When I landed Augus, their driver, was waiting. I don't remember half of the drive because I was zonked from lack of sleep and an upright sitting flight. So after our quick detour to McDonalds, I was struggling to keep my eyes open and struggling to keep them closed. Yeah, you read the second part of that sentence right. Little known fact, or maybe a widely known fact, I'm a bit of a side seat driver and my mind works in such a way that I observe everything on the road. Ask any friends who have driven me, it takes a lot for me to keep my lips shut and pretend to enjoy the drive. Ok, now in Indo, there are only general principles when it comes to driving here and no formal education. Motorbikes are everywhere and much like ants crawling next to beetles, they fill in all the gaps. There were several times I jumped because I thought we were about to hit someone at 60km/hr, but they were near misses and always the bikes fault. So much of the drive was like a wooden rollercoaster, starts and stops were quick and abrasive, turns oft times involved jolts to avoid the bikes, and bumpy because of potholes and motorists you run over ... Kidding about the last part. Eventually I reclined my seat, eyes were shut, and off to sleep I went - thankfully!

Arrive at Shane and Lindsay's house and got to meet little Judson for the first time, he's almost 1. A little background, we all went to Texas A&M together, Shane was my little brother in BYX, I was B-Team in his wedding. Lindsay was in a great group of girls that I often hung out with, and when Shane moved back to Houston to pursue Lindsay, I hooked him up with the Turners, where he lived for free all the way through his first year of marriage. So when I arrived, it was like old times, as if time had never lapsed. We talked life and missions and theology and about his suffering. Some of you know, because I have asked you to pray for him, but for those who don't, Shane has been in Indo for 2 years as a missionary. For some reason, this time around living here, his stomach has been giving him major problems. This involves frequent and oft times painful bowel movements, constant pain in his abdomen, occasional hot flashes and cold sweats, and dizzyness. There are probably more symptoms, but these are what I can recall. He has been to every specialist that South east Asia can provide and all are stumped. When back in the states, after a month, his body returns to normal functions and he is well, but everytime he returns, it goes wack again. Some say he's allergic to the tropics, but he has tried everything from diet, to antibiotics, to alternative medicines and accupuncture, nothing works. So now his missions company is working on relocating him somewhere else in the world - please pray for him and that process. 

So today he took me to meet Hardjono, the owner of the Blue Lotus Coffehouse and Cafe, one of his best friends. There I learned more about this Kopi Luwak, the most EXPENSIVE coffee in the world. Basically there is an animal called the Luwak that loves the coffee bean, but it's rather particular and only eats the best of the best coffee beans. So as it is processed through the Luwak's body, everything is digested except the bean and it comes out in a clump. People literally walk around the plantations all day picking up Luwak droppings and then dry it out into clumps, I have pics. Then they do some kind of cleaning process to the beans to ensure aroma and flavor before roasting. You can store them in an airtight container for over 2 years before roasting and they are perfectly fine. Why is this relevant? Well because a half a kilo of these beans here will run you about $70USD and a cup alone of it in NYC will run you about $60. Yeah, people pay 60 bones to drink some animals crap ... Amazing. With that said, Harjono roasts all his own beans and had no Luwak available, so in 2 days I will return and drink some Kopi Luwak, aka, Animal Crap Coffee! Woo Hoo. Here is what they look like unroasted:



Hardjono also showed me this cool chemistry set way of brewing coffee, it truly was a science. I have video of it, and will try and post that soon, but it's the most sophisticated way of brewing coffee to ensure maximization of aroma and taste. Now I'm not a coffee connoisseur (read that as snob) like my roomie from Brentwood, Cameron, so I was more fascinated by the process than the taste. In fact when Harjono poured me my cup, I dumped sugar, milk, and Hershey's chocolate sauce in it ... It was d-Lish!









I spent the rest of the day uploading pics and videos on a borrowed MacBook, such a treat, and returned a hundred emails. Came back with Shane to hang with Judson, the coolest little one year old, and just chilled at the house. They have a modernized Indo house that Shane and Lindsay have put a ton of work into. Most houses in Indo do not have central AC, just wall units if you're lucky. Floors are all tile, walls are all concrete and thick concrete at that. Bathrooms can range from completely tiled-in squatty potties with wet open showers, to what Shane has upgraded to, nice counters, modern toilets with sprayer & tee pee, and proper bathtubs and showers.  My favorite room is their family room, it has a feel of home for sure ... Aircon, sectional couch, nice carpet, flatscreen tv, satellite. This is a great siesta from my travels: great friends, great fellowship, great accomodations!

Nite nite from the iPhone blogger