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...

Medan, 19 - 20 September 2006

I was invited by PTPN III, a state plantation company based in Medan to deliver a speech about IT implementation in their company. The flight from Jakarta was quite smooth. The B737-500 practically flew quietly, no turbulence whatsoever.

I stayed in the Emerald, a 4-star, Chinese-style hotel. The hotel is still new. My room is clean, with a standard size. However, it seems to cost a bit dearly. The published rate is > Rp 800.000 for superior rooms. I don't know the exact price since PTP III takes care of everything.

During the stay, I was taken to different restaurants. Medan is really a big city with so many choices of food. We went to steak and Padang restaurants. The food is above average. But in general, I prefer Javanese food to Medan food, which tends to be very hot.

Lembang Area, 26 - 27 May 2006

A family trip to West Java. Destination: Lembang. My wife wanted to go to a cool place this time. We chose Lembang because we haven't had any chance to go there. The trip was pleasant even with baby Izna was on board for more than 9 hours. Apparently, he is just the same as our older children: he loves to travel :)

We stayed at an old hotel, the Grand Lembang. The room was spacious but a bit dark. We didn't care much because we were to tired to complain for that.

The next morning was a trip to Tangkubanperahu. The mountain is famous for its crater. The sulphuric smell stinked when we approached the top of the mountain. Unfortunately there is no way for visitor to descend down to the crater... well, there may be one, but surely I wouldn't try to find it :)

We didn't stay long at the top. We then approached Ciater, the place of a hot water spring. It is said that the spring water is good for skin health. I don't know whether it is true or not, but surely it was relieving when I put my legs into the pool.

On the second day, we plan to go to Bandung, but early in the morning I got a shocking phone call: there was a big earthquake in Yogyakarta. We then rushed back home, and alhamdulillah everyone in the big family was safe.

West Sumatra: 1 - 3 May 2006
I was invited by Padang Institute of Technology for a technical assistance workshop. Oh boy! This was really a moment I've waiting for so long... The workshop started on Monday, but I decided to depart for Padang on Saturday.

The Minangkabau airport was newly opened at that time. It stands proudly with its unique buffalo horn rooftype. However, it was a bit weird for me since the airport only has two gates! Anyway, some friends picked me up, and I asked them to drive me to the local minibus station. And off I went to Bukittinggi...

I stayed at Novotel Hotel at Bukittinggi. The hilly town was calm and clean. The hotel clearly shows the Minang accents in its design. The night was rainy, so I just stayed at the room during the night.

In the morning I booked a car. Well... I should admit that I didn't really think much when I made the booking. The cost of the rental was Rp 700.000! Very expensive indeed, but I didn't have any desire for finding a cheaper one.

The first place I visited was the Japanese fortress. It is in the middle of the town. There was a local guide offering a short tour service. I took his offer. He told me stories about the fortress. When I finished, he pointed me a lookout place, and when I got to the place... it was really amazing !! The scenery of the Sianok canyon was really breathtaking !!

After passing the Great Clock (Jam Gadang), I depart for Arau Valley (Lembah Arau), about 1.5 half hour of driving. There is a waterfall there, but I was more interested in gigantic granite walls surrounding the location.

Next was the Pagaruyung palace. It is no longer inhabited, but the original settings are still preserved. The interior was very colourful. Very beautiful !

Not very far from the palace is the Singkarak lake. I love its blue, calm water. Very peaceful there. The lake concluded my journey on that day. I had to admit that this was the most impressive tour I've ever had.

-- Day three

After the workshop ended, the guys took me for a city trip in Padang. Well, the city was ordinary. I almost got bored when they finally took me to a hilly place just outside the city. The time was perfect -- it was just about sunset. We sat on a very simple coffee cafe, eating boiled noodle. The cafe just stands at the edge of a very steepy hill, and below it was a beach. The sky was clear... and the grand moments came when the mighty sun set into the horizon. Subhanallah !!

I wish I could come back to this beautiful land...