Hongkong, 8-9 November 2007

This is actually a traceback of my previous trip to Hongkong in 2005. Funny enough, when I planned to stopover in Hongkong on the way home from Chengdu, my original idea was just to revisit places that I dropped by in 2005. In particular, I wanted to go to Avenue of Stars in the evening, as well as The Peak. And it turned out that my stay was purposeful in the context of souvenir shopping since I could not find good items in Chengdu. So the Ladies Market at Mong Kok came into my list.

Hongkong has not changed much since my last visit. The skyscrapers, the food, the crowd, the markets... However, new buildings have been added into The Peak complex. One of the building has a special terrace, making it convenient for viewing Hongkong from the top of the hill. As more and more people go to The Peak, it is very crowded, especially in the evening. It took me almost 30 minutes to get into the Peak Tram. On the way back, I lost my patience and took a cab to go back to my hotel, since the queue was probably more than 100m long (and lost my HK$ 33 return ticket...)

The Tsim Sha Tsui area where all types of souvernirs are sold was still like 2 years ago: vibrant, busy, and demand high skills in bargaining. Unfortunately I don't have the latter, making my task seemed very difficult. Shopping for souvenirs is the most difficult task whenever I go. If not for some people that I love, I would not do this job... Well, I finally completed this daunting obligation, but I was not really sure I bought correct items for everyone. What I was sure was that I paid too much for every thing I bought :)

Anyway, I was very pleased with my two-day stopover in Hongkong. I could realize my expectation, I could see and admire beautiful views of this city, and I managed to make good pictures (at least better than those I made 2 years ago). The only thing I missed was someone very special to me... I wished I could sit beside her while enjoying the glamorous lights of Hongkong in the promenade... Next time, my dear...

Photo collection is at Google's Picasa web album.

Chengdu, China (5 - 7 November 2007)

After a tiring trip, including 4.5 hours transit in Hongkong, I finally arrived at Chengdu. I was surprised since the airport is very big, too big for a provincial capital. But later I found out that this capital of Sichuan province is a major hub for the western part of China. Even people who want to go to Europe now fly from Chengdu, instead of Beijing. Like other big city in China (Chengdu is the 7^th biggest city in China), it has enormous population – more than 10 million people. The 1,200 sq km city (probably a bit smaller than Jakarta) is located in a basin, so it enjoys a mild 4-season weather. Not much rain, not much sunshine, not too cold, nor too hot.

The hotel where I stayed, Shangri-la, is a landmark of the city. The newly-built 35-floor building erects proudly just beside the Jianjin river that runs through the heart of the city. When I entered my room, I was amazed - this is the most luxurious hotel I have ever stayed in. My room, a standard one, is about 42 m2. Very spacious. Everything is high-quality and made of first-class materials. This is the hotel where I have ever stayed which has a wall-mounted 32-inch LCD (but I could not enjoy it because most programs are in Chinese). In short, I was treated like a king ! The hotel surely represents its name: an earthly paradise.

What I expected the most in my first trip to China was its food. Yes, I am a fan of Chinese food. And the organizer of the China-ASEAN USO Forum perfectly filled my expectation, especially during the dinner in the first day of the seminar. The banquet was conducted in a big hall. The course consists of more than 10 (yes, ten!) dishes, each was served one after another. The good thing is that Moslem participants get special halal foods which were a bit different from the main course. There are new dishes (some of them are strange food!) that I have never tried before. My favourite was roasted duck and lamb. The taste...ummm...yummy... obviously different from Chinese food in Indonesia. The hotel also provides a broad varieties of cuisine, from Chinese to western. They even serve salty fish and salty eggs. But somehow I felt that Sichuan foods are not very good for health, since most of them are hot 'n spicy, oily, and salty. Well, I don't stay forever in Sichuan, so that's fine with me...

Another nice thing about Chengdu is that it is easy to find good-looking girls. Pretty face, slim and slender, and white skin. They are everywhere: at parks, on the pedestrians, and of course in the hotel... No wonder our local tour guide boasted these flowers of the city by saying, "If you go to Chengdu now, you'll be sorry for marrying too early"... The bad thing (or was it a good thing – for me especially ?) was that most of these Chinese people (even who work in an international hotel) do not speak English fluently.

During the event we were also taken to a Sichuan opera show. It was actually a variety show; there were a number of different performances. Each performance has its own beauty, but what brought my interest was the face-changing show. Several dancers wore a colourful mask, and during their performance, they kept changing their mask, just by a sudden movement. They did not even touch the mask. I don't know whether it was purely speed or any other things. It is said that this skill is unique to Sichuan people. They did not even allow Andy Lau to learn it -- even though he is a Chinese man.

On the third day, during our field visit, we were taken to a tourist destination in the Dujiangyan city. The location is actually a water irrigation management system built by an engineer named Li Bing in the 2nd century. The system controls the flow of a river that runs through Sichuan basin, and serves two purposes. First is to prevent floods coming to Chengdu, and the second is to provide water for irrigation in the dry season. The unique thing about this system is that it is based on precise calculations of the river bed's physical condition, and the flow control is purely carried out using natural means, with minimal man-made intervention (such as dams, etc).

Okay, enough talks about Chengdu... Next: Hongkong...

Kuala Lumpur, 9 - 12 Sept 2007

As a MIC advisor, I got an invitation from Microsoft to attend Faculty Summit 2007 in KL, which was held concurrently with the TechEd 2007 conference. The venue was in KL Convention Center (KLCC), at the heart of KL city. I went with 3 other MIC advisors from UI and ITS. We were lucky to have an accommodation at Impiana Hotel, just across KLCC. The good thing about the hotel was that it is close to great objects in the city center, namely the famous Petronas Towers and the KL Tower.

It was not long after we arrived at the hotel, we snapped our cameras and started taking pictures of the beautifully-lit twin towers. It was good to find out that KL still offers space for pedestrians to wander around the city, so we went from a corner to another to admire the view of the towers. Even from my hotel room, the towers still show their beauty. They are like two tall candles reaching out the dark sky.

On the second day, we were invited for a dinner at the revolving restaurant on the top of KL tower. Located on a hill, it is a 255 meter tower not far from the twin towers. The restaurant rotates at about 1 rev/hour, and the view is breathtaking. The twin towers looked like siblings, shining in cool white.

I think this KL trip's theme was best named as "grandeur in height".

Oh, and the Microsoft event itself was very interesting. There were a lot of talks about new trends and technology. Some of them are even accessible by academics. Looking at the effort to organize such a big event, I just thought how big the power Microsoft has, and how it exerts its power to penetrate into all sectors (academic, business, government, ...). No wonder their credo is "world domination"...

Btw, I have moved all the pictures of my visit trails to Google's Picasa web album. Enjoy my web album !

Serawak, Sabah, and Tronoh - Malaysia, 13-18 August 2007

I had a chance to visit Malaysia again, but this time a bit different. If normally I go to big cities, this time I went to rural areas to see the implementation of USO (universal service obligation) facilities in Malaysian villages. They assigned me and some friends to Serawak and Sabah, two states that I've never been to.

Malaysian villages are not much different from Indonesian's. However, their public infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and telecommunication are much better than ours. I imagined that our visits will take much energy, but that proved wrong. Even at places with no access roads, alternative transportation such as boats and ferries are available.

Their people are similar to ours: friendly and sincere. Even some of them cannot speak English, communication was not a problem since Malay language is very similar to Indonesian language. In Sarawak, there are 3 major ethnics: Malay, Chinese, and Dayak (Iban and Bedayuh). In Sabah, there is more diversity since Filipinos and Bugis are also there.

An interesting experience for me was the opportunities to taste Malaysian's unique cuisines. Among of them are teh tarik (pulled tea - because one has to "pull" upside the teapot to pour the tea to the glass), laksa Serawak, and red and pink durians. Foods are cheap here, a normal meal costs RM 3-4 (1 RM = Rp 2600, US$1 = RM 3).

On the way back, I had the chance to visit the University Teknologi Petronas (UTP) at Tronoh. Some of my colleagues study here, so it's worth to visit them. The campus is new (built in 2004). It has modern architecture with curvy theme. It is located in a remote area (around 1 hour from Ipoh, the state capital, and 4 hours from Kuala Lumpur - going there from Yogyakarta really takes time). Almost all students live on-campus, only students with familites live outside the campus. And since UTP is owned by the rich Petronas oil company, all students get scholarship from Petronas !

Padang, 3 August 2007

This is my second trip to Padang. In contrast to my first visit, I only had one day to explore West Sumatra. So I picked Maninjau Lake, the only lake I missed when I went to Padang last year. When I mentioned my plan to my friends, they also offered me to revisit Bukittinggi. Fine, I think. We then planned to go to Bukittinggi first, then to Maninjau and stay overnight there.

So we went to Bukittinggi at around 10am. Too late, in fact. We had Jumat prayer at Padangpanjang, where we also had the original sate Padang. I was surprised with the tenderness of the meat. It was so tender that I almost thought it was a chicken satay...

When I entered Bukittinggi, I felt the same calming atmosphere. The city has changed since last year when a big earthquake shook the area. Ngarai Sianok looked brighter due to the peeled topsoil during the quake. Some people said the quake has damaged the view of Sianok, but some others prefer its current appearance.

The road from Bukittinggi to Maninjau was narrow and winding. In fact, there is the famous "Kelok 44", the 44 bending curves along the route. The view when we approached the lake was breathtaking. Green paddy fields with a traditional Minang house standing, with the background of the lake itself. I was also astonished to find a beautiful mosque near the like. It turned out that the mosque was built with the donation of a prominent person in this country.

After enjoying the panorama, we evaluated our plan. The journey time was longer than we had expected, so we thought it would be too risky to stay in this place because my flight was early in the following morning. So we headed back to Padang, and got to the Bumiminang hotel at about 10pm.

Banjarmasin, 26-29 July 2007

"The city of water" -- I should call it. After a two-day event at Unlam, some friends took me for a boat (they call it "jukung") ride in the Barito river. The trip started at about 5 am, and the boat's roof was so low that I had to bow deeply to enter it. It was also very narrow, so we had to be careful not to disturb the balance. Despite such inconveniences, the trip was wonderful. The main attraction was a floating market where people sell and buy daily needs, mostly veggies and fish. After we finished, we went to a floating restaurant -- the cook, his cooking equipments, and seats for visitors were all packed in a boat. I ordered soto banjar, the taste was not special, but the sensation of having breakfast in the middle of a huge river in a small boat is thrilling.

We also crossed a tug boat with payload of coal. It has been said that coal mining has degrading the quality of environment in South Kalimantan. To make it worse, the money is said to go to Jakarta and even abroad. On the way back, I watched people living in the river bank starting their daily activities: bathing, washing clothes, and shopping -- using boat as a transportation of course...

What an unforgettable experience...

Borobudur - 30 June 2007

When Puri Asri Hotel in Magelang declined our booking due to no vacancy, I reluctantly chose Borobudur as the place for MTI's annual meeting. I only know Amanjiwo as the best hotel in the area, but the cost is surely out of MTI's budget. From Google, Nana and Yeni found Hotel Manohara, which is said to be run by the company who manages the great temple.

So at the day of the meeting I drove to Borobudur with no great expectation about the venue. I imagined a above-average budget hotel, located in the busy spot of Borobudur, etc...etc... But that imagination disappeared straightaway when I entered the gate. The hotel is within the temple complex. No crowd, tranquil garden, small-but-well managed rooms, ... and the great Borobudur in our frontyard.

The hotel offered a sunrise tour, which was very tempting to me -- but I declined that because I was not so sure that the sky would be friendly enough to pamper the viewers with a beautiful sunrise. However, I took an early self-tour and climbed to the top of the temple. It is a magnificent view from the top! The mystic atmosphere surrounded me for a splash moment. The story of Siddharta Gautama that I heard when I was a kid suddenly rushed into my mind...

Well...I'd better stop writing now. Just enjoy some of the pictures...

Ciater, 17-19 May 2007

Another family vacation, the second time to North Bandung area. This was almost exactly one year after our first trip to the same area. Last time, we did not complete the trip due to the big earthquake in Yogya that forced us to rush back home.

This time the trip was perfect. My Honda Stream has fully loaded with 7 people. We booked at the Sari Ater cottage at Ciater, a small place on the slope of Tangkubanperahu mountain. The cottage is located at the same place as a hot spring tourist object. So hot spring is the main attraction in the cottage. There are two hot spring pools for guests. Even every bathroom has a hot spring tap. People said the minerals are very good for skin health.

Well...this trip was fully a family trip. The focus was on my children. We just follow what they want. Fortunately, there are also interesting activities for children in the cottage complex. There are gokart and ATV (all-terrain vehicle), but they are not recommended for children under 10 years old. Children may also be interested in paint ball games with war settings. For my children who are addicted to war stuff, this is a perfect game. Horse- and cart-riding are also available.

We also went to the peak of Tangkubanperahu, but this time we did not spend much time as it was very crowded, and the weather was not too friendly (raining!).

Bromo, 10 May 2007

Just two days before the SITIA Conference at ITS Surabaya, a crazy idea popped up into my mind. The conference schedule was compacted into one day, and I got another day free. Then why shouldn't I use it for something unusual...something that I've never done before. And of course, it should be able to charge my spirit.

Bromo soon came into serious consideration. It matched with my requirements, and more importantly, this time is a perfect time to visit the infamous mountain since I would be travelling alone without my family. I know that the journey would be difficult and harsh -- something absolutely not for family. Then I booked a car for local transport to Bromo from Surabaya. Rp 300.000 (plus petrol) is fairly cheap for 24 hour rental period.

The car owner told me to depart at 11.00 pm. Okay...no problem. The driver was stunned for a moment when I told him I was travelling alone :) He must have thought I was a bit weird...

We took almost 4 hours to reach the last stop of the car. This small village is actually still a few kilometers from our destination. From here normal vehicle cannot proceed due to the very narrow and winding road. So I rent a 4WD old Jeep to continue the journey. First, we went to Mt. Penanjakan and stopped at a lookout shelter. We wanted to watch sunrise from this spot. Unfortunately the sky was not too friendly...too many clouds. However, the other side of the spot offered a breathtaking scenery! The view of two mighty mountains: Bromo and Butak. Both of them stand proudly in the middle of sand sea. Bromo is easily spotted by its greyish volcanic rock composition. Butak, on the other side, has a perfect symmetric shape, with greenish colour. The two mountains, side by side, seem to tell me that two contrast characteristics can still go together, hand-in-hand in harmony. The quiet and chilly morning added some further sensations. My soul was like to surrender completely... subhanallah...

From Mt. Penanjakan, we descended down to the sand sea and crossed it to reach the slope of Bromo. There is a Hindu temple close to it. The temple is used for Kesada ceremony. Our Jeep stopped near the temple, and I took a horse to climb Bromo. The horse didn't really bring me up to the peak, but stopped near 250 stairs towards the top of the mountain. When I saw the stairs, I thought...oh, this should be easy. But when I started climbing about 30 of them, my knee started trembling and I suddenly could hear my heart pumping very hard. Oh boy... it was not as easy as I thought... Finally with hard struggle, I managed to get to the top, and I was rewarded for my effort with another fascinating natural phenomenon. The Bromo crater is not big, but it continuously blows heavy smoke with strong sulphuric smell. And when I looked down, the temple and the surrounding sand sea offer another great view...

I didn't stay long at the top of Bromo since the smoke was also itchy to my eyes. From here, the Jeep driver brought me to another side of the Bromo's vast caldera, to a plain land full of bushes. Local people call this place "padang rumput" (savanna). I quickly remembered an old film, A Little House on the Prairie... this savanna was just exactly like that shown in the film :)

On the way back to our car stop, the driver brought me to the center of the sand sea. He called the place "pasir berbisik" (whispering sand). Whichever direction I saw, I saw sand and small stones. Oh...people said that this place is also famous for being used as a scene spot of Dian Sastrowardoyo's clip.

At around 8.30 am, we drove back to the car stop, and after I paid the Jeep driver (the cost of Rp 450.000 was a bit to expensive, I thought -- I should admit I'm not a good bargainer), I went back to Surabaya.

What a charging experience... the only thing I felt sorry was that I brought a wrong lens for my camera. I brought my 70-300mm tele lense, which was perfect for zoom pictures. However, I had difficulties to capture the breadth of the scenes. Unfortunately, the grandness of Bromo can only be captured through wide, panoramic views. So it seemed that I would rely on Photoshop to fix things...

Singapore, 30 March - 1 April 2007

A present for MTI crew members after very hard and dedicated work: a trip to Singapore. Since none of the guys and girls has been to Singapore before, I had to assume role as a "tour leader" :) So many things to prepare, including briefing pak Muji and mas Purbo what to tell other people if they asked about our absence :D

So... the trip started from Batam since we wanted to save fiscal cost. On the first day, our destination was the NUS campus. We met with a Vice Dean of MBA program and discussed about program development. I was almost sure that most of us didn't concentrate on the discussion... their mind was already on the tour plan after visiting NUS :)

I don't want to tell about details of our visits to interesting places. Just enjoy some of the pictures...

Dieng, 18 - 19 March 2007

This time we wanted something new. The holiday theme was 'into open air'... Furthermore, we didn't want to go very far. So Dieng came into our list. It is close to Yogya, it has open air, and we haven't been there for long time. But there was one problem: where should we stay ?

The Internet proved to be an invaluable tool in such a situation. My browsing provided me with an interesting option: the Tambi tea plantation guest house. At first I was in doubt, is it a good place to stay ? But I took the risk and made a booking. One million rupiah for a big bungalow with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms was fairly a good deal.

The plantation location is about 14 km north of Wonosobo, on the way to Dieng. From Tambi to Dieng is about 11 km. The premise was perfect. It is cool, clean, and quiet. One problem was food. It was not easy at all to find food in the complex. Fortunately the management offer lunch and dinner for Rp 25.000 per person. Not bad for hungry people ! We didn't have much activities on the first day.

I started the second day with a short stroll just before sunrise. I walked around tea trees, watching villagers going to tea fields or tea factory. Those peaceful and friendly faces...

Later in the morning, there was a short tour. Going around tea plantation area, the guide explained about tea and the production process. I was not interested, so I took photos, practicing with my Canon 400D.

After taking bath, we packed and proceeded to Dieng. The road is very steep. We went to Telaga Warna, whose colour can change according to the climate. We also watched a film about Dieng at the Dieng Plateau Theatre. Finally we visited the Sikidang crater. Unlike Tangkubanperahu crater, we could approach very close to the crater and felt the burst of its mud.

The Dieng experience showed me that even small places that we often overlook hide magnificent beauties...