Relaxation

Third day in Pontianak, the most relaxing I’ve had for weeks. I was able to sleep in until 8:30 am, (so late!) and had a fabulous breakfast at the hotel. Breakkie is included in the hotel package, and it is truly a meal fit for a queen – fruit, about 7 different main dishes, rice porridge plus fixings, custom omelets, a selection of sweets, white rice, fried rice, coffee and tea.

Indo food is diverse and inventive – sweet with sour, hot with sweet, vegetables with fruits, fruit with meat. Most streets have at least one Padang restaurant, which serves food from Sumatra. Every island, (and if the island is big enough, each region within the island), has specialty foods. Pontianak is heavy on fish, because it is at the junction of a river and the ocean. Yogya’s specialty is cooked breadfruit. The one thing that all Indonesian people seem to enjoy is fried (goreng) food. Unfortunately I’m not down with the fried stuff, so my choices are sometimes limited.

Of course, like everywhere else in the world, certain American chains can be found in this country. The most popular seem to be KFC, Dunkin Donuts, and Pizza Hut. Happily, I have yet to see a Micky D’s or Starbucks in Pontianak, although they can be found in Jarkarta and probably Bali as well. I must be in the boonies when I cannot order a double grande half-caff skim latte!