Yesterday, Saturday (sabtu), we went to the large market in the center of Jogja with one of our tutors, Ari. Those of you who live in Boone, imagine the Farmer's Market multiplied by some orders of magnitude, and you may get a hint. This huge covered market of two stories houses dozens of small shops selling batik clothing, both men's and women's. Upstairs are dozens of stalls with fruits and vegetables on display in large containers. Some sellers specialize in citrus fruits, where we would see large baskets of limes, lemons, oranges, and other tropical fruits. Passion fruit, guava, mangos and other fruits in season greet the eye. And there were many fruits new to us, such as jackfruit, leche nuts, and star fruit. (Some we have sampled with our ample breakfast at the hotel.) The vegetables are familiar ones: carrots, cucumbers, various greens, cauliflower and broccoli, potatoes, eggplant, sweet potatoes, and many others. When we walked into the section housing the spice sellers, the aromas were delightful, coming from baskets filled with ginger, coriander, turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, and others. Ari showed us various foods special to the region, gave us advice on bargaining (Maria purchased a shopping basket), and just enjoyed the time with us. We two who enjoy strolling through the Farmer's Market in Boone found the Pasar (think "Bazaar") an even greater feast for our senses, and took pleasure in the crowds of people doing the same.
Afterwards, we treated Are to lunch at a traditional Indonesian restaurant, and in a shop there found some nice batik shirts for Pak Bob and a blouse and kimono for Ibu Maria. We waited out the usual afternoon thunderstorm, returned to our posh hotel, said goodbye to our delightful tutor, and rested. That evening we donned one of our new batik outfits and dined at a very fine restaurant. All in all, a good day.
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