Coffee Pooped By Cats

If you have never heard of Kopi Luwak, you are in good company - I too had never heard of Kopi Luwak until this very day.  I heard about it, because I had some.  Caroline, Abbie, Joanna, and I all went looking for a coffee shop which came recommended to us by a friend of Joanna's.  It was explained to us how this particular coffee was eaten by Asian Palm Civet, a cat/weasel-like animal indigenous to South-East Asia.  The Civit selects the best beans to eat, because it only likes the best.  After the beans pass through its digestive system, the beans are then excreted and collected from its feces.  These beans are then washed (thoroughly) and roasted.  Ours were roasted that morning.  I not only had a cup of this coffee, I also bought a bag of un-ground beans to take home.  The coffee was good, but the story is priceless.   

Although Joanna is not a coffee drinker, she did sample a bit.

This is me toasting the Civit who passed my coffee beans with such care and affection.

This is actually a picture from the other day - we got caught in the rain and Abbie rode on the back, side saddle, with a banana leaf to protect herself from the rain.  This girl is seriously adventurous!

This is the back of my head, driving on one of the busier streets in Medan.  At one point (not in this picture) I drove against the flow of traffic (Joanna explained that, for a motorcycle, there is no such thing as the "wrong side of the road"), I drove though traffic jams, weaved in and around cars, and at one point, drove on the busiest street in Medan.  

Joanna is very trusting with my motorcycle skills.  We were stopped at a red light for this picture, by the way.  

Joanna peaking in through her recently-painted TARDIS doors.

Abbie enjoying a Nutella shake at Breeks, an American restaurant in Medan.

Later that night, we went to a graduation ceremony for Joanna's school.  There were seriously eight courses of food put in front of us!  We ate more, and more food kept coming.  At one point, the brought us chicken that was sauteed in coffee - a new experience for everyone at the table.  

Joanna teaches at the Singapore International School in Medan.  It is a private school, based out of Singapore, which is on the same school curriculum/schedule as Britain.  She teaches middle school geography and literature.  We got to look around her school the day before yesterday and meet some of the staff.  If you want more information about SIS, here is the link to their website.