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!).