Day 22: Fishes and spiders and goats oh my ...

I awoke earlier than usual, whether naturally or by alarm I cannot recall, knowing that today we were heading to the farm. Now what that entailed I was unaware, just that part of the reason Shane is in Indo is to help run the farm and make it more efficient. So Augus, their driver, picked us up at 10:15am and off we went for a 45 minute drive up the mountains past the teak and rubber tree orchards into the rice fields. We arrive and Aji, the national that helps run the day to day operation, was waiting for us at the main house. Shane and he exchanged some banter about the existing projects, in progress projects, and future projects while I walked the property trying to avoid the monster spiders who made their webs in any available open space. 

Two of their new projects are the goats and the fishes. Both are aimed at helping the locals create sustainable ways to live off the land. Pretty sweet goal, right? The goats reproduce providing mothers for milking, meat for eating, and waste for fertilizer. The fish pretty much provide the same but also provide cash when sold. They also have rice fields and vegetable gardens and fruit trees - all supported by IMB to help train the locals in farming and business. I think that's way cool.

While there, they had me try two of the local delicacies, Rumbatan & Coconut Water. Check out the two videos below to find out how that went.





On the way back, the drive was speed up, slow down, honk, and repeat. Some parts were very rural and lightly trafficked but back in the city it was mayhem as usual. It's hard to capture in a video what it's like here on the roads, but I poorly compiled a few moments from my return trip and here it is.



By the time we returned to Shane's place it was definitely time to grab some grub and a nap. When I woke, we headed to the Blue Lotus to visit with Hardjono and partake of some Kopi Luwak. As you recall, this is the most expensive and rarest coffee in the world. If you have seen the Bucket List with Morgan Freeman, you know all about it. Hardjono syphon brewed me a cup, and I must admit, there was an allure to the drink. The aroma was strong, the coloring dark, the taste rich. But being a fru fru connoisseur, after a few raw sips, out came the sugar, chocolate, and milk. Most coffee aficionados would say I ruined my $60 drink, but I'd say I made it drinkable. So now we can check that off my bucket list, which incidentally I watched for the first time tonight when we got home. 

Alright, I'm pooped, will upload this blog and hit the hay! Nite nite from the iPhone blogger.