My Brother, Wawan...

...and me...taking him for a ride.

the 1970s. It was in 1976...the year Wawan was born. 

...and then we were growing up....

in our kindergarten years...gee...I still remember having the sweater and how itchy it could be at times. *giggles*

...this was taken at our grandparents' house.

and the rattan chair?.yup....I also remembered how it felt when I sat on it.

oh...time flew so fast....if we looked back.

but I cherish the moment and time we spent together growing up..

Soto Branggahan: 3rd Day of Ramadan

What would a visit to Kediri without having to sample the famous Soto Branggahan (Branggahan village's own chicken soup made of coconut milk). Anyway...that's what it is. 

There are a lot of vendors selling Soto Branggahan and since it's Ramadan...there were long queues since it's the breaking the fast time.  

People came from all ages ..irrespective of their social status...with one thing in common:  

Their love for Soto,

The seller was preparing Soto one person at a time. 

and we're waiting... 

As for side-dish, we could choose from so many available on the table: eggs, stir fried mashed potatoes, etc. 

Since there were no enough seat inside, some of us were sitting outside. 

haha...At first Seonhee kind of shocked to find chicken soup in coconut milk...but...to her own surprise..she ate more than one bowl... 

Dada....we did it. I mean..we had our 'buka puasa' at Soto Branggahan. 

Mengasikkan memang jika rame-rame. 

Group time....me, Seonhee, my sister, sister-in-law and...their kids or...my nephews and nieces.

Berkunjung ke SMP PGRI Ngadiluwih

We're visiting our father's school where he's in charge of. I know that it's holiday but...my sister said that she got to get something from her office. SMP PGRI Ngadiluwih. 

Kulihat bendera sang saka Merah Putih tetap berkibar walaupun hari telah beranjak sore...dan kulihat pula di atasnya terbang tinggi seekor sebuah layang-layang. 

열대지방의 꽃들도 맣ㅇ이 보인다.  

Bara, my nephew.....well... 

and...along came his sister, Lala, yang mau pula main-main sama tiang bendera. 

Sekali lagi...Sang Saka Merah Putih...di langit sore itu.....Juni pertengahan 2015. 

Suasana SMP PGRI Ngadiluwih - Kediri. 

 

ooops..this is not at the same place. Instead, ini rumah adikku....saat itu suami adikku memetik daun jeruk dan daun salam...(bay leaves) untuk kubawa ke Korea...wow....oya..ada jeruknya pula.

Min Seon-hee sih seneng-seneng saja..ikut berada di sana. 

Buka Puasa Bersama

Menyenangkan sekali. Alhamdulillah...saya bisa berpuasa Ramadan di rumah Kediri walaupun hanya 5 hari saja. Yup..seperti ini suasananya....dapur rumah. 

Adik ipar, istri adik laki-lakiku bersama anak-anak (atau keponakanku) datang dan itu membuat suasana berbeda. Menyenangkan pokoknya. 

Walaupun hanya ada krupuk, sayur bayam, tempe goreng, dan well...nasi tentunya....itu sudah cukup untuk membuat suasananya membahagiakan. * plus ada kolak....walaupun tak terlihat di foto ini.

Bagaimana nggak....lha wong...inilah yang saya cari .....

alasan saya ke Kediri bertepatan pas Ramadan adalah karena...inilah suasana yang kuinginkan. 

Keponakanku mulai bermunculan....Bapak dan Ibu pun terlihat sekelibat..sana. ^^

Alhamdulilah. 

First Day in Kediri: Hospital & Traditional Market

Hospital? yes. Another reason as to why I went back home last June was to see how my Dad was doing after having hospitalized. He's released. But, check-up was necessary.  

The first day as I arrived in Kediri turned out to be the day when Dad got to have his health checked up again. So, I took him along with Mom. * Just for the sake of 'capturing' the moment and memories, I took some pictures. 

I was pretty sure that Daddy was so happy for me being there with him.  

With Mom. She's happy, too...for me being there. 

Then..I went to the market....along with Mom. 

it's been such a great day...to be able to accompany her... 

We're buying lots of stuffs... 

and I also managed to capture the moment...like this.  It's so Indonesian in style. I mean..I never see small sachets of shampoo being sold the way we have it in Indonesia... elsewhere. At least I do not see any of these in Korea. *anyone knows the same style somewhere?

Ok..another shot .... 

Mommy was selecting some vegetables. 

It's really traditional in nature. Look at the dilapidated roof...and the layout. 

Sprouts....sprouts... 

Dada> as I was going out of the market, I saw a vendor selling birds!!!

Soto Branggahan (Agaiiiin)

 

Hmm...the one delicacies in Kediri not to be missed whenever we're back home is none other than Soto Branggahan. Yes..Soto..Branggahan. It's funny that I could savor this even though I do not eat meat. so, what about this chicken soup? yes..as for me..it's soto..but without chicken.^^

funny, eh? and I loooooveee the small sprouts that go with it. 

Mom, Lala, and his Dad, Ricky (my brother-in-law)...

My Dad was at the other corner of the section...as for me....

hmm....too full to be in the picture.^^

#satisfied! fully.

Dinner @ Ayam Lodho Restaurant

 

The 2nd day of my stay in Kediri was celebrated by inviting the whole family for a dinner at a nearby restaurant....which later on I found out to be our Dad's favorite in town. 

The whole family came, my sister, my brother and along with their children (my nephews and nieces). 

Lala, Nana, Barra, and Ricky, their Dad.

and then my brother,Wawan's children...were all so excited to be having a dinner together.

Grilled fish turned out to be their favorite...

The restaurant is well situated not far from home..and the laid back atmosphere sort of helped us enjoy the night in a relaxing way... 

Photo session at the parking lot before parting. Yes, my brother lives a bit far off so... 

Why not take a picture before leaving, right? 

Indeed, it's a great night. Being with the whole family...well not whole since my wife and kids were in Seoul when I visited home.^^

Bye bye Wawan. See you again soon.