A new disease and a new delight

We went to a public swimming pool over the weekend. It was fun at the time, but the result was the acquisition of a viral skin infection around my eye. This is what I looked like when I woke up this morning, after taking a quick shower to wash away the discharge that had glued my eye shut.I had purchased some antibacterial eyedrops the previous day, but they obviously didn't fix the problem, so I got in a taxi and headed to Rumah Sakit Surabaya Internasional. (Rumah Sakit translates as "sick house" and is Indonesian for hospital.)

I brought my camera but didn't take any pictures. There was nothing remarkable about the hospital; it looked like a hospital, which is a good thing.

A doctor briefly looked at my eye, asked some questions, and sent me on my way with some anti-viral opthalmic ointment. I was in and out in about half-an-hour, with a bill of approximately $20.

***

We went to the amazingly nice new mall a street over from our house for an after-dinner beverage the other night.

We were situated across from our most frequent dinner haunt, Izzi Pizza, and I noticed that they had a sign advertising the new "Obama Pizza." I went over to investigate.

The server explained the pizza quite poetically, saying that it combines the flavors of America and Indonesia (Obama lived in Jakarta for four years as a youth). It has an Indonesian rendang sauce of spiced coconut milk, and is topped with chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese. It is not, however, topped with a big portion of "Change!"

After finding out about the pizza, I settled my seat at Black Canyon Coffee (despite the cowboy logo, they are a Thai restaurant) to try an avocado drink. In Indonesia, the avocado is considered equivalent to any other fruit, and is therefore usually in sweet concoctions as opposed to savory dishes.

I ordered this shake partly because it came in a cool glass, and partly because I felt I had to try an avocado shake at some point in time. The drink I ordered was a blend of avocado, coffee, chocolate, and a hint of rum.

Part of my inital reaction was because the drink was surprisingly bitter; despite being green, the main taste was of coffee. After a few sips to equilibriate myself, the drink was pleasant, and my favorite part was the bigger chunks of not-fully-blended avocado.

I will have to give avocado shakes another try at some point in time, but sans coffee.