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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Commercial Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

From Singapore to Jakarta and SURPRISE upon arrival at our Villa

On March 2, 1992 we arrived from Singapore (where we spent one night after our consulting work period in India), in Jakarta.
Remember, that I found the magazine with mention of our boss on the cover...
Bad news!
By taxi we arrived at the Hyatt Aryaduta Hotel.
We now had the kitty room decor in the Regency Club.
We go for a coffee with petit-four in the private lounge, with wonderful view from this height.
On March 3, after a good night sleep, we flew to Yogyakarta, Central Java, where we arrived around 15:00 and the driver was waiting for us.
A lovely drive up into the mountains of a good two hours.
Then awaits us a big surprise.
Things looked suspicious, with so many people at the gate of our villa... and the police was there, with security people from Dieng Djaya, our company.
Turned out that they'd robbed our villa for the 3rd time.
What a sight, what a mess, what an experience to find your home like this. 
Pieter's Royal Gift, purchased at Harrods, London, the Tanner Krolle Attaché was cut to pieces... see previous post below.
Ideally, you would love to turn around and fly home to the USA...
Our books and training material they left untouched!
Not only robbing but vandalizing... On the bed are the cut off sleeves (see text I've added) of my most favorite jeans suit that Miss Yati, my couture seamstress did create for me.
It was so soft and pleasant to wear and you can see it here in this short video:
~
We did move into a guest bungalow on the premises of the company.
We decided to quit, even if our contract said we had to come back three more periods of two months!
The company being in financial trouble...
It's not worth all the stress, aside form having to wait for our travel expenses being reimbursed; we were still waiting on quite a sum of money...
On March 9 and 16, Pieter goes with me to the University clinic in Yogyakarta for having several fillings and also his partial repaired. It was not easy, understanding the dentist when he spoke while wearing his mask! But I managed to translate, and communicate while Pieter just 'opened' up his mouth for treatment! I also had my teeth cleaned.
We laughed a lot also.
We got a copy of the police report and had to hand in our Buku Biru (work permit) for our departure visa.
Pieter read in his new book from Scarlet, the sequel of Gone with the Wind.
(We only last week, finally found the time to watch the two video tapes of the movie... catching up on our life after completing our book!)
On March 19, the six perpetrators of the robbery in our villa got caught...
On March 20, we bring our Brabantia ironing board to Yati, my seamstress, so she can use it.
March 22, we visit the boarding school for saying our goodbye to all the girls that frequented our home on Sunday afternoons.
March 27, in Yogyakarta at Malioboro I found some sandals to wear.
Remember that both of us had given our hightops away to the compost people in India, since we had several pairs of shoes in Indonesia. ZERO!
April 2, on our way down from the Dieng Plateau area where the mushroom farms were located, we saw a cow tied to a beam on the bridge to be slaughtered. Not a very exhilarating sight... In these days around Idul Fitri, there is a lot of slaughter going on.
April 3, we went to Solo and the Kraton.
We also bought our final, fresh durian and ate half of it...
April 5, made photos from my LONG hair. Longest hair ever.
April 8, we say our final goodbye at the boarding school, you feel that there is true affection here, especially with Agnes, Wiwik and actually all of them!
We will not soon forget them...
On april 9, together with our driver Praytno and his wife, we depart for Jakarta, by car.
A beautiful route, via Banjarnegara, Purwokerto etc., in the direction of Cirebon (where Pieter's eldest brother was stationed). We arrived timely in Jakarta via the Interstate, for the final stretch it went rather rapid.
April 10, on Friday we go to the ABN/AMRO Bank for guilders, the Hyatt Aryaduta's neighboring Umum Bank Nasional did not have them. We now have a far smaller bundle of money... Those Rupiahs add up into the millions rather quick.
 We check out and went to the airport with our 92 kg of luggage.
We would have to pay at least a fee over 15 excessive kilos, US $ 430. 
Well, I had a feeling and luckily had put the photos in my purse to show that we got robbed and cleaned out, and this was ALL what was left.
The lady disappeared to discuss with her manager and came back with vouchers for the first class lounge and NO FEE. Pieter had to change his shirt, he got hot from all this. But now we could relax in the first class lounge. Pieter told me that I had to go shop and find me something special since I'd earned it!
That's when I bought the hand painted silk batik stole that I converted into a bolero.
Photo shows my sewing creation from that hand painted with gold silk batik stole...
~
Around 19:00  we depart on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, from Jakarta to Amsterdam in seats 24 A+B... with mixed feelings but rather relieved, now that all the stress is behind us.

Monday, September 14, 2020

Adventure in Madras India, now Chennai

Yes, we had now worked, high in the mountains of South India, for Pond's India in their mushroom plant. This was during our four weeks off, after living/working two months in Indonesia.
Our first day, February 21 of 1992, driving up to the plant, we had a driver that had to hold the door shut with one hand, while driving in the mountains. So we swapped taxis!
Pieter had fallen on February 24, with one foot inside the goody pit... the entire day being smelly from those anaerobic bacteria. We stayed in a guest bungalow and washed his jeans, socks and hightop shoes, and dried it in front of an electric stove.
On February 25, we bought our leather jackets, from their Leather Garment Factory.
On February 28, we go one final time to the mushroom farm and received a silk chain stitch embroidered wall hanging, each of us the very same. 
They also proceeded to make a professional video about my Techniques for Harvesting Quality Mushrooms. Today, September 15, just received the converted version on a memory stick and will post it some time later...
Both of us had left our hightop shoes at the Pond's mushroom farm, for those poor workers that have to work in the hot (50-70°C) compost with bare feet. That was far easier than having to clean them up for packing inside our luggage. 
We drive back to Coimbatore, and from there we board a night train to Madras (Chennai).
We have a 1st class sleeping coupe with air-conditioning. 
This time, I slept in the top bed...
February 29, after a ten hour shocking and rattling ride, we arrive in Madras and we slept well.
We got told that we should keep the sliding door of our cabin closed, but having to wash up in the bathroom early morning, of course we opened it.
How in the world could we know that before arriving at the Madras station, a giant of a guy had jumped on the riding train and entered it!!!
He stood there, and grabbed our two suitcases and placed them on his head... Those are mine!
Two people from Pond's met us at the railroad station, and after a fierce dispute with the giant, he ignored them and only hollered: 'I have to feed a family of seven!' He then was so brazen to carry our suitcases on his head, at a rapid pace down the stairs. We had a hard time to keep up with him!
Finally the two people from Pond's located their car and the giant put them down, he got paid and left.
What a zoo...
That guy would be the perfect player in David and Goliath!
This Image from Chennai Central, formerely Madras Central, was created by User:PlaneMad.
We both were wide awake now
~
They bring us to Hotel Chola Sheraton at Cathedral Road.
Now it is called the Welcomhotel Chennai.
After a fresh shower and breakfast, we got picked up by 10:30 AM for a meeting with the manager from Pond's India in Madras.
We visited their Leather Garments Factory and found a better size for our leather jackets, so we swapped them.
On March 1, we wake up at 4:00 AM and depart from this 5 Star Hotel for the airport and our flight to Singapore.
We place our suitcases in a locker and go by taxi to the our Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre
We walk to Centrepoint for some shopping.
March 2, we are early, and by taxi we go to the Alberts Centre for reparation of our Rado watches. 
From there we went to the airport and picked up our suitcases from the locker.
As usual, we shop around at the airport and always did stock up on reading material.
My eyes turned BIG however when I found the Malay version of Times magazine and our boss was mentioned on the cover... Not looking good financially!

To be continued...

Related link:
{Our DEEPER Reach In Bedroom Closet} | previous post showing the silk chain stitch twin embroidery


Saturday, September 12, 2020

Mom Made the BEST Onion Sauce - CRAVED for it...

Already on April 23, I made us a replica of Mom's BEST Onion Sauce because I CRAVED for it...
Onion Sauce with Langostino Lobster Tails... tiny red potatoes boiled in skin and green asparagus
Found them at Costco, Langostino Lobster Tails from Chile
On the Internet I found this photo (obviously from 2011...
My next fresh bought, product of Chile Langostino Lobster Tails...


Mine were fresh!

 Onion Sauce
Ingredients:

350 gram onions finely chopped 
40 gram butter or oil 
25 gram flour (I used whole wheat)
 2.5 dl milk 
2.5 dl bouillon 
1 bay leaf
few sprigs of parsley
1.5 dl whipped cream
 salt and pepper
 fresh nutmeg

Preparation method:

Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet. Add the onions and fry them until soft and golden. Not brown. Stir in the flour and fry it gently for about 3 minutes. Then stir in the stock and  milk, stir well so that no lumps form. Bring to a boil, add bay leaf and parsley and then cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently on low heat. Otherwise, the sauce will burn. So be careful: take out the parsley and bay leaf. Stir in the whipped cream and season with salt and pepper. Then if desired, some nutmeg.

It sure did bring fond memories back of Mom!

Do you at times crave for a dish that your Mom loved to cook for the family?

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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