Photos - Sabah & Sarawak

The photos of the recent trip to Sabah & Sarawak (under Malaysian flag) have been uploaded to my Travelogue.

20110310 Sarawak – Kuching

Upon arrival at Kuching, I know this was far from my expectation, so quiet to be a city. I thought I would enjoy the similar lively atmosphere like KK. Wrong! I asked the opinions of tourists around, many preferred Kuching indeed for its serenity.

I stayed close to the China Town. To my disappointment the food courts here were so small and hardly provide various choices. Local foods like Kolo Noodle and Sarawak Laksa were OK, but in general not special, the prices were not cheap either.

It was quite fun to walk around the downtown. Many buildings preserved the traditional architecture and deco, beautiful for photographing. Good souvenir shops with attractive displays could be found. Liked the primitive “artistic” sculptures or carving from the local tribes, but I knew my mom would see them too evil. Let’s wait till I have my own house. There were many museums in town, not so interesting except the Arts Museum. The riverfront was the hot spot in the evening for a stroll. A few stalls selling finger foods, souvenir vendors displaying the cheaper products, street artists’ performance enliven the atmosphere.

In fact, the main selling points in Sarawak were the visit to different national parks, ranged from nature escapade to traditional culture exploration. Due to the remoteness of some places, we could hardly avoid to engage tourist agent to organize trips. Don’t expect that the aboriginal tribesmen are living still in the stone age and waiting for our visit. In fact many places have been commercialized and modern amenities are well integrated into their life. I’m not interested to see the modern tribesmen, I want the authenticity, but I have to travel deeper into the forest…

All these packages are not cheap and longer expedition needs longer time. I was in rush to return home, couldn’t arrange in this trip. I could only make up to Bako National Park for a day trip, not far from Kuching. Trek was fairly easy, but I was exhausted after 6 hr trek over 8.5km.

Sarawak Culture Village (SCV) is a living museum, with example of traditional dwellings of different tribes. It was more interesting than you might think. This was just exhibits, looked too solid and too clean to the reality. The 40min cultural performance was excellent, superb music and dancing.

20110307 Sabah – Kota Kinabalu

Better known as KK, the capital of Sabah state. Famous for the climb of South-East Asia highest peak 4095m Mt.Kinabalu – Malaysia’s first Unesco World Heritage that attracts the most tourists in Sabah. I had no plan to climb the mountain due to my knee problem.

It has strong influence of Philippines, seafood is cheap, many restaurants, several shopping malls and many many more hotels. The city is touristy. Best of all, the beer is cheap! I stayed every evening at Beach Street for some drinks while enjoying the live band performance. The Filipino market is lively at night, plenty of food stalls serving grilled seafood, mostly have the same menu and the prices are standardized… of course a little negotiation may grant you further discount.

Mamutik, Manukan and Sapi Islands, mostly within 20 min boat ride from KK, white sand beach and large number of fishes ideal for swimming and snorkeling, good places for a day trip. Facilities on the island were well established but slightly expensive. Sadly the environment was not well kept, rubbish still could be spotted here and there.Sabah Museum was not really interesting, except some photos of the last century. A small exhibits of contemporary paintings but not my preference. The Heritage Village displayed several real size house models of different tribes. Not much excitement.

The bus system in KK was a little confusing and frustrating. Most of the places are a few km apart, sometimes walking could be faster than wasting time on waiting for bus.

20110306 Sabah – Sandakan

Sandakan had nothing really interesting or spectacular to show. Anyhow I dropped by a day since it was just an hour drive from Sepilok. This is the 2nd largest city after Kota Kinabalu. The city itself spread out wide and far .The coastal old town was busy in the day time but the crowds moved to Bandar Indah at Batu 4 in the evening for nightlife and entertainments.

The fresh cheap seafood is the main draw in Sandakan. I headed straight to the famous Sim Sim Village, looking for Sim Sim Seafood Restaurant. The shore was dirty, lots of rubbish scattering around. Obviously it was an accumulation after months, wondered why the municipal didn’t clean up the area.

The lively seafood was displayed. You picked and the restaurant cooked for you. Fresh and cheap, but the cooking was not so scrumptious.

Sandakan was occupied by Japanese army during WWII, plenty of Prisoner of War (Australians, British) were transferred from Singapore to construct airfield. The notorious Death Marches claimed lots of life. The Memorial Park in the city recorded the unpleasant history, mainly descriptions, no gory photos. The young visitors had no sympathy to the tragedy but fooling inside the exhibition building, what a shame. Apparently our education had not been teaching the students to respect the history.

The Kadazan Museum conducts exhibitions occasionally. The photo gallery of last century was interesting, leaving precious record of life not long ago.

Many new commercial lots are erected in front of the waterfront, a good place to stroll and have a beer in the evening. Plenty of restaurants and hotels catered to different budget travelers, but not enough space for the public to hang around.

I scraped the plan to visit Turtle Island, the sole agent increased the price almost 2 folds since 2 years ago. A 2D1N package for single person costs about EUR100, too expensive.

20110304 Sabah – Sepilok

Probably the 2nd most frequented place in Sabah after Kota Kinabalu, for its ace attraction Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center (SORC). The center is harbouring mainly those orphaned or injured orang utans. The daily twice feeding sessions gathered almost all tourists to the platform, watching the superstars swinging around and eating bananas. Personally I didn’t find it exceptionally interesting.

There are several trails inside the park leading into the forest. Birder’s Trail was the only open to the public during my visit. It was easy in the beginning until I stood in front of a stretch of muddy path ahead of me. I wouldn’t want to smudge my shoes… and the leech was my concern too.

A short distance away is the Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC). It turned out to be more interesting. The displayed artifacts were informative. The staggering expensive Canopy Walk granted an excellent view 20m above the ground level.

SORC is for the orang utan, while there is a sanctuary for proboscis monkeys at Labuk Bay though it is always overshadowed by SORC and sometimes is neglected. Don’t miss it, it is better than SORC, its set up is more natural and up closer. Plenty of proboscis, a few hornbills, and the tamed silverleaf monkeys interact with the tourists. Unlike the governmental managed SORC, this sanctuary was run by private sector. The oil palm plantation owner allocated 1/3 of the land for this sanctuary, while preserving the precious wetland. Good effort!

20110303 Sabah – Sukau & Sg.Kinabatangan

Sg.Kinabatangan, the mighty 560km longest river in Sabah fames for the wildlife spotting. Sukau had been many years the place to organize river cruising and jungle trekking. It is just a small village (population 2000) but not so backpacker friendly. It seemed to be very safe. Due to the occasion floods, many houses were built on stilts.

There is no efficient cheap public transport from Semporna or Sandakan. Buses normally stop at Sukau Junction, 42km from Sukau. Private minivans are waiting to accomplish the transport. MYR50 for a busload or MYR20 per “tourist” head (local people obviously paid less, but I was charged as tourist). Along the road, thousand acres of precious rainforest has been fell and replaced by commercial oil palm plantation, which means the original ecology has been destroyed. Is it worth in exchange for country development? I strongly disagree.

Most of the homestays or B&B are quite far apart. Transportation was not easy to be organized in this village. The popular budget B&Bs recommended by Lonely Planet were all fully booked. I ended up lodging at a local homestay. The irresponsible minivan driver didn’t help me to locate the homestay but pulled out my knapsack and dropped me at the square. Bastard!

I tried to organize river cruising but I had to rent the whole boat since I was the only guest in the homestay of the day. Eventually the owner granted me a good discount.

At 03:30pm, we set off the first river cruising. Boat navigated through small rivers slowly and quietly, observing animals along the river bank, mostly monkeys, proboscis and birds. 2 small snakes were spotted coiling on the tree branches, but no pygmy elephants and orang utan. Journey lasted for 2 hr.

After dinner, we proceeded with the night cruise, more interesting indeed. The nocturnal animals become active at night. The guides used spotlights to search around. Interestingly some animals like king fishers would be stunned and stay put when the light was shined on them. Really up close, within touching distance. Crocodiles, flying fox, monitor lizard and civet were seen.

The skillful guides were good to spot the animals that hiding in the dense bushes along the river, so do at night. The experience counts! Though the qty was not many, the feeling of observing wild animals was not the same as in the zoo.

I gave up jungle trekking because it was too expensive to be alone to hire a guide. An acquaintance said he encountered a wild orang utan during his adventure. Sounds very exciting, I should organize another trip here in future.

20110228 Sabah – Semporna & Sipadan Island

Sipadan Island, a world renowned diving spot, attracts lots of divers throughout the years. Here, I came.

The small town Semporna has become the hub of all scuba operators for activities around the adjacent islands. The nearest Tawau Airport was 1.5 hr drive away. No shuttle bus prevailed. The tourist traffic is relatively low and majority is foreigners, probably this explains why the private transportation companies charged fairly high price.

The town was small but all basic facilities were available. Most places were within walking distance. All luxury exclusive hotels set their base on the islands (except Sipadan) while the economic options were found on the mainland.

Walking around, I was upset by the dirtiness which could hardly be linked to tourist spot. Rubbish floated on the shore - even at the resort, the pungent stinky rotten sea products smell enveloped the jetty and market. The empty broken seashells were disposed right back to the sea. I asked around, why as such? There were many floating villages along the shore, accommodated mostly the early stage immigrants from Philippines and fishermen. The sanitary system and dumping area were not well planned and enforced. Environment conscience evidently was not fostered. The rubbish and discharge were poured into the sea habitually, sadly.

I liked the small town feel, kinda fun and nostalgic to move around seeing the old-fashioned buildings. Don’t miss the visit to the floating villages. No permission was needed, people might throw curious eyes to the foreigners but a smile said it all, was a beautiful place for photographing. Be aware not to step on the missing or broken plank wood on the platform. You wouldn’t be able to recover your slippers or any.

Foods were so-so, alcoholic beverage was fairly cheap. KaraOK and bars were available, but in general the entertainment was quite dull.

02-Mar, heavy rain pour started in the midnight, luckily it turned drizzling around 8am but the thick dark clouds still hung low in the sky. Boat departed at 9am, 7 divers with 2 dive masters, 1 hr chilly journey to Sipadan island on the fairly rough sea. 3 dives to be arranged on this day.

Frankly I had forgotten a few procedures as my last dive was done exactly 2 years ago, no big deal. The first 2 dives at “White Tip Avenue” and “Barracuda Point” were not special. Water was a bit milky due to overnight rain. Not much big fishes, many turtles and white-tip sharks. Disappointed for not seeing school of barracudas (was said easy to find at this spot). The last dive, we were led to the famous “Turtle Cave”, but only allowed to stay at the entrance. Was fun, first kind of my experience. Best of all, school of jacks around us! The most amazing dive I ever had!

There are several other islands in this area (e.g. Mataking, Mabul, Pom Pom) worth exploring too.

Mad Dog Of The Middle East

A nickname dubbed by Ronald Reagen of his anti-western policy, the power hungry Muammar al-Gaddafi has vowed to fight to his death in the spread of Jasmine Revolution. The sickening dictator even deploys artillery, warplanes and private army to suppress the protesters. He will probably do anything to defend his regime disregard the humanitarian accuse worldwide.

We heard critics mainly from US and European countries, but China as usual remains silence till now despite their investments in Libya were said being looted. Because the suppression resembles the notorious 14-June TianAnMen Square incidence. The Mad Dog keeps the foreign countries mouth shut by threatening to destroy oil and gas facilities. The interrupted supply has helped the oil price soaring again lately.

I think Gaddafi is on the verge of collapse, like a dog being cornered. I am counting his days…

Sanctum

“Sanctum” was not good as expected. Stunt was not exceptional jaw-dropping, story flow was kinda predictable and the actors were not shining.

The caving activities sound interesting, which I have read about it on NG years ago. Such adventure is really expensive, not for the ordinary people like us. The underwater cave diving must be exciting, probing in the pitch black and narrow spaces require special training.

The caving fun at Vang Vieng (Laos) in 2005 refilled my memory instantly, of course this was just a fun trip. The nervous feeling grew while wading through the shoulder height cold milky water with anxiety of touching unknown exotic insects or spiders or snakes. The complete darkness infused mystery and uncertainty throughout the expedition, definitely not catered for the faint of heart.

I’m planning to go diving at Sipadan Island (one of the world’s top underwater odysseys) and trek inside the world’s largest cave – Mulu National Park very soon. It’s time to explore the beauty of my own country.

A Day At Kuala Lumpur's Birdpark

Conveniently located at city centre, this was my first visit to KL's Birdpark. Not bad, a good spot for family outing. Opposite to the Birdpark are Butterfly Park, Orchid Garden and the Islamic Arts Center. Will visit next time.

My nephews were posing in front of a peacock.

The feeding was fun.

New Year Gathering

Had a gathering with ex-schoolmates. 10 years apart, all have developed their own career – doctor, businessman, engineer, manager, accountant, IT specialist, chef… a group of us all in 40’s still made stupid jokes and nonsense, was hilarious.

Everyone has his own story to tell, has different opinion but we all share the common thought that the politic and corruption in the country are worsening, long for a change in government.

Rumours said the next general election would be announced soon… I doubt… the current Prime Minister wouldn’t be so stupid to lose his crown before the official expiry of his term 2 years from now. The voice of opposition party is getting stronger, and the ruling party has no confidence to secure majority Malay votes. The recent launching of several mega projects look like they’re desperate to collect some benefits before their end of time.

Game Over Mubarak

Eventually Mubarak has surrendered his presidency after the dramatic 18 days democracy revolution.

A few US politicians once publicly backed Mubarak, Dick Cheney even praised him “a good man”. Clear, Mubarak granted US to implement military strategy in the area, and oppressed the influence of Islamic fanatism in the region. The main concern now is that worrying the Islamic party “Muslim Brothers” would rise in the politic arena and turn to the direction of Iran.

No doubt the social platform (Facebook) initiated by Wael Ghonim played major role in this case, he catalyzed the firm and high spirited demonstration. His interview and speeches were very well scripted, touched the heart of millions Egyptians.

Mess is what left over in Egypt now. It’s still a long way to fight for democracy, to strive for better living conditions, no easy task. Don’t expect the new government be much cleaner and efficient, but at least they have heard the voices of the public and be more prudent and aware of people’s power.

Good Job, Wikileaks

Since Wikileaks unearthed and published the corruption scandals of Tunisian government, the president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his family have been forced into exile by people’s power. This Jasmine Revolution has further “inspired” their neighbouring Islamic countries (Egypt, Yemen, Jordan etc.) to walk out the streets proclaiming their dissatisfaction and anger. The riot erupted in Egypt has by far destabilized the social and economic operation. I think Mubarak would fall in this crisis.

I really appreciate the guts of Wikileaks disclosing the hidden facts of dirty politics, to keep us aware of the unjustified and unfair practice of a handful selfish bastard. Like most of the ordinary law-abiding citizens, I’m sick with the corruptions that obliterating our efforts and deterring country development.

I don’t think any new replacement government would be clean. The words “Anti-corruption” have been seriously abused by these politicians. Who would enact/ amend laws to shun their wealth generation opportunities? Will a thief alert himself to be caught?

 

I hope Wikileaks could do more to shake up the world, act as a watchdog/ spy to keep those foul practitioners be more cautious.

Malay Reserve Land

I went to look for another new house the day before. Quite near to my present house, good looking and much much more cheaper. I walked in to the developer’s office. The staff immediately informed me that this is a Malay Reserve Land, and cannot be sold to non-Bumi. In Malaysia, Bumi is referred to those genuine Malay who claimed to be the aborigine on this Malay land.

I asked if it is possible to buy it on used properties basis. He replied, “No, never, only for Malay.” Not fair, I cursed a bit. What can I do, their privileges was noted in our laws.

Damn the speculators (mostly the money minded Chinese) who fry the housing price high. Please… someone please burst the properties bubbles!!!

Sudan Referendum 2011

While I was working in Sudan from 2001-2005, the conflicts (civil war) between the Sudanese central government (north Sudan, majority Muslims, Arabs) and “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement” SPLM (south Sudan, majority Christians & Animists, black Africans) who was termed “rebels” continuously erupted. The southerners accused the government’s tactics of suppression, marginalization and unbalance wealth distribution. Both parties eventually signed the Naivasha Agreement in 2005 and truce was called. The agreement was to develop democratic governance countrywide and share oil revenues. It further set a timetable for Southerners independence referendum in 2011.

At that time, I had predicted the country/ the 2 parties would split up in the end, based on the factors of widely different cultures, traditions, mentalities, high illiteracy, lasting poverty, corruptions, contradictory political philosophy etc. This 6-year transition period was too short to change the mentality.

The initial polling result of the referendum announced up to 98% of the votes opted for independence. The Central government led by Omar al-Bashir by no mean would agree to split this largest African country into 2, the government would never let the fertile and resources rich southern lands out of their grips.

The next step, I predict the government may do some tricks to agree with concession to buy time and plan to strengthen their hold in the South. They can’t afford to initiate next round of civil war to jeopardize the booming economy. No matter how, President al-Bashir wouldn't give a damn to the world for his humanitarian accuse.

In case that the Southerners succeed to claim independency, I’m afraid the new land would probably turn out to be another Congo, and another outlaw sooner or later.

Thaipusam 2011



The neon light illuminated cart is no longer drawn by cows.



Smashing coconut... can't remember the meaning. Sort of expelling evils.

Tomorrow will be the Thaipusam festival, celebrated mostly by our Tamil countrymen. Malaysia is hosting yearly the world largest celebration, particularly at Batu Caves.

The parade has started today. Not feeling well lately, couldn't join the devotees tomorrow to participate in this "exotic" and colourful festival. Some wonderful photos can be seen here or here or try google it.

Want to complain that, rubbish was found scattered along the whole stretch of roads where the parade marched through. The coconut (offering) shells are fine, but why all styrofoam containers? Why can't people be more environment concious in this 21st century?

Photos - Rwanda

Just found out I have forgotten to put a link to Rwanda photo gallery. Pls refer to my Travelogue.

Photos - Hong Kong & Macau

The photos of Hong Kong and Macau trips have been uploaded to my Travelogue.

20110110 Macau

Conveniently accessible by an hour ferry ride from HK.

Macau is a magnet to gamblers. This tiny city is heavily packed with casinos. Each one is competing to be grander and larger, providing free entertainment and lucky draw to casual players. All major casinos provide free shuttle service at ferry pier and airport to transport guests the very first hand to their own premise.

Each casino has its own character, while Venetian is the most unique. It copies the scenic view of Venice into it, has the most beautiful deco with water canals and huge shopping mall. Coupled with the world class Four Season Hotel, the flow of tourists never cease.

Chinese gamblers (mainly from mainland China) dominate almost the entire gambling industry. Chips on their hands seemed to be worthless. They throw on the table in stacks. While the luxurious boutiques around are frequented mostly by them too. The consumption power of the Chinese has reached an unprecedented significant.

Lots of watch and jewelry shops sprouted around the casinos, but the price tags were ridiculously high. Probably the winners from the gambling do not mind to waste some easy fast money to flash around.

There are a few world heritage monuments on this former Portuguese colony. Largo de Senado has the finest example of Portuguese architecture influence. The black and white waving pave walk is elegant.

The iconic Ruins of St.Paul is a must visit to most tourists. Nothing much left after the fire eruption in 1835. The majestic stairway certified it was once an important Christianity centre in the past.

Macau is less developed compared to HK, but the culture is quite similar. It has no short of delicious cuisine. Don’t miss it.

20110107 Hong Kong

Hong Kong, a metropolitan, an international financial hub, paradise for shopaholics, famed for cuisines, previously the Hollywood of Chinese movies… all these factors form an unique character of this city and attracts lots of tourists.

After this trip, I have changed many opinions on HK positively. It is more organized and disciplined than I thought. People, mostly are friendly. The transportation system is absolutely efficient. Local foods are reasonably priced. The drawback was the hotel rooms are far too expensive.

There are not many sights to see. Am not interested with the temples, no spectacular sceneries… but the suburban like former fishing village Tai-O was attractive with its personality.

Foods were good in general. A bowl of noodle under EUR1 is still available; some exotic restaurants tucked in narrow lanes secretly only be known to local people; snacks and desserts can be found anywhere… international cuisines, you name it, you get it. My stomach got no chance to feel hunger throughout the trip.

Shopping… international signature boutiques flagship stores studded mostly at Central and Tsim Sha Tsui. Lots of variety and the demand was strong. Imagine customers have to queue up patiently outside LV store waiting for their shopping spree.

Compare to Lan Kwai Fong where pubs filled with executives after works at Central, I prefer SOHO at stone throw away. It has more character and wider choices.

My trip wouldn’t be so memorable without the assistance and hospitality of my local friends Jimmy, Ivan & Tung. Thanks again! I will definitely visit again!

p.s. On my first night of arrival at HK, we walked past a crime scene near to our hotel with police and reporters gathered around. A dead body was seen. Someone jumped off from a building. I reckoned it was quite unlucky superstitiously. On the way back, a woman kept pointing and reminding us a corpse was there. Weird people, was it exciting to her?! The newspaper next day reported the case saying that the limbs of the person were found scattered around. Was he dismembered or the momentum of falling torn the limbs apart? Scary…

Photos - Indonesia

Have uploaded the photos of Indoensia trip to my Travelogue.

Happy New Year

Looking back year 2010, it was a good one. The 1st half was hectic with works, while the 2nd half was a total leisure vacation. Felt like wasting my time luxuriously. I possessed and enjoyed my freedom that I dreamed of. Unfortunately I had neglected the most important aspect – health. The blood test identified my cholesterol exceeds healthy range. Not a big deal but I have to control my diet stricter from now on.

I wish to have a fruitful and happy new year.

20101208 Indonesia – Bali

The tiring 17.5 hr bus journey started at 12:30pm from Yogya. It was terribly uncomfortable because of the nauseating artificial air refresher in the bus. They had done slightly too hard to please the passengers. It took me a few hours to accommodate with the ordour. A female passenger boarded, I guessed she had overdosed cheap perfume… my nose suffered again.

There was no highway from Yogya to Bali, only 2-lane roads. All the way the bus navigated through green fields, jungles and local villages, and boarded a ferry for an hour. Was so glad to have hotel pickup arranged beforehand, saved my time searching for transportation in the tired mood.

08-Dec was a Hindu festival, many shops were close. I spent my time strolling on the beach and had a long sleep to compensate the sleepless night earlier.

I rented a motorbike (USD 6) and rode to Tanah Lot where a temple was built on an island, everything looked alike as 8 yr ago. The island was accessible in the evening during low tide. There was a cave at the bottom where “holy” spring water flow. I guess that was just a waterhole from the lime stone. Proceeded to Ubud, but under-estimated the distance was so so far away. Ubud seemed to be much more commercialized nowadays. Lots of expensive hotels, restaurants and souvenirs surround the palace. Ubud is famous for quality paintings and sculptures. Of course good stuffs are not cheap.

Went to the pub at night. Drinks were cheap, but the crowds were much less compared to Thailand. As usual, many people volunteered to accompany the lonely hearts… but they were not pushy.

With an acquaintance, I shared renting a car to travel to north Bali. Pretty cheap - USD15/day. First to Lake Beratan, not so impressive. Dense fog enveloped the whole area swiftly after we arrived. The adjacent temple Puraluhur Baratan was small. A few km ahead lied Lake Buyan & Lake Tamblingan. Circumnavigated the mountain roads was not easy in the rain. We headed straight to the north point - Singaraja. Quite disappointed, stayed less than 1/2hr and returning to Kuta. We stopped by Gitgit Waterfall, quite impressive but all of us were partially soaked in the rain.

The next day we covered the southern region. Nusa Dua has good white sand beach but almost exclusive to the luxurious hotels and resorts. We had our lunch at Jimbaran. We chose the lively seafood from the aquarium – clams, crab and a fish (frozen) for the kitchen to prepare grilling. When served, I noticed the crab meat shrunk and was too soft, 4 legs were missing. Obviously it was a dead frozen crab but not the lively creature that I chose. I complained to the waitress but she insisted that she supervised the food preparation.

20101205 Indonesia – Yogyakarta

I travelled by train to Yogyakarta (pronounce Jogjakarta), or Yogya in short. The service was quite good and clean, though the wagons were not new. It’s Ok, comfortable with a/c. The 8 hour journey passed through villages, symmetrically divided vast lush green rice field, the terraces shored up according to the slope contours, with scarecrows' thatching sleeves hung on the bony frame. I was listening to Yanni, wonderful feeling.

Rain poured lavishly at the time of my arrival. I was partially soaked. The rickshaw driver seized the chance to demand higher charges. I settled at a guesthouse tucked inside a very narrow lane near to the railway station. Was inconvenient to move around to find a better option.

Dinner was OK, had the local vegetarian food Gado-gado and scrumptious avocado juice.

Yogyakarta is said the most touristy city (other than Bali) in Indonesia. This statement misguided me somehow. It was not so attractive. The main draw – Kraton (Palace of Sultans) failed to impress me, only some exhibits of the previous sultans were displayed. The bird market was my pick in the city. Not bad, plenty of birds, roasters, lizards, dogs and cats for pets. The odd creatures like python, civets, bats, monkey were also found. Can't be sure some of them are illegally traded.

Due to the recent eruption of the nearby Merapi volcano, the most famous Borobudur Temple was partially close for ash cleaning and renovation. Tourists were only allowed to stay at the lowest platform though the entrance fees remain the same (EUR 10). Not fair… I skipped the visit this time.

I also planned to trek the highly recommended Bromo mountains. The authorities have banned the trekking due to some signs of eruption and the continuous rain pour lately. The risk had increased. I skipped again. Will definitely make it next time.

Without Borobudur and Bromo, there is no point to stay in Yogyakarta. I decided to leave to Bali, to try to recall some memories almost 8 yrs ago.

20101201 Indonesia – Bandung

Bandung is not a destination for ordinary backpackers, but its relatively higher altitude promising a cooler climate and being the hub of clothing factory outlets have attracted many tourists from both domestic and abroad.

Bandung airport is really small. 2 immigration counters were located right in front of the arrival entrance. The long queue of passengers may have to stay under the sun or rain outside the arrival hall. For all foreigners, all 10 fingerprints and a photo must be taken for record – first kind of experience in my travelling life. Process was fast somehow. The baggage conveyor belt (only 10m long) is found right next to the counters. Prudent custom officers checked almost each piece of luggage, but foreigners are mostly exempted from this tedious procedure.

The climate, indeed, not really cooling, but just a couple of degrees Celcius lower than Kuala Lumpur. The city is quite tidy, quiet and clean, this was a good start to convince my mom the place is not filthy like India.

Many street entertainers were waiting at traffic light junctions. Mostly have a guitar on hand, a few kids and transvestites were seen. They approached the stopping cars and sang or danced, expecting a few coins of appreciation.

Probably the hotel staffs didn’t understand us well, they couldn’t recommend precisely the outlets that meet our expectation. After visiting several disappointing outlets on Cihampelas Road, we finally found one. Ha… shopping spree commenced! The outlets have lots of signature brands with huge discounted price – some rejected items, some “A” quality imitation, some belong to previous seasons.

We rented a car to Tangkuban Prahu (30km north of Bandung) to see the volcanic craters. At the entrance, the rent car driver was so enthusiastic to purchase tickets for us. I counted he paid for 6 persons but only 5 tickets were given. I demanded back the difference. Reluctantly he withdrew the missing Rs50000 note (EUR4.5) from his pocket to me. I gave back the money to him end of the trip as tips. He was overjoyed.

There are several craters in the area, the car park was situated right next to the biggest Kawah Ratu. Scenery was good. Plenty of souvenir and fruit vendors gathered. The sulphuric fume was still emitting, tourists were kept a distance away from the poisonous gas. With my family, I couldn’t trek to other craters. The tourism authorities strictly requested all tourists to be accompanied by official guide to trek to other craters.

p.s. The hotels and taxi are not so cheap. Local foods couldn’t please our taste buds.

Indonesia – General

Indonesia is so close to Malaysia, yet I feel so far away. I have no clue at all about our neighbour other than Bali. The general impression (mostly negative) is mainly picked up from the local media about those crowds filling the hard labour works abandoned by Malaysians. How ignorant I was, the trip changed lots of biased stereotype positively. In fact majority of them are so genuinely friendly. Well, I had only been to Bandung, Yogyakarta and Bali (all in Java Island). My judgment is simply based on the experience on these 3 cities.

The country is wide, scattered in several huge islands. It is less developed economically than Malaysia, but this world’s largest Islamic country has a huge population of 270mil. It has great potential to surpass other Asean countries due to its huge internal market, low labour costs and rich resources.

I bought Lonely Planet edition 2009. Most of the prices and costs were not updated accordingly.

Re-Open

I have closed this blog for 2 weeks for some personal reasons. Now the mood is back and will start posting again. Thks for your visit.

Trip To Indonesia

Next week, I will travel to Bandung with my family, and will move on alone to other places in Indonesia afterward. No route plan yet, very much depends on the mood then.

Best Actor

The stampede set-off by the bridge collapse at Phnom Penh (Cambodia) 5 days ago caused a death toll of 357 and thousands wounded during a festival which attracted 3 million people from nationwide. The picture of the incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen with spouse weeping for the tragedy was published on the newspaper the next day. What a great actor. I guessed he didn’t blink an eye during his notorious period in office in the 80’s. His hands were stained with bloods of thousands of political prisoners.

Freedom In Exile

Being a highly respectful and reputable leader to the Tibetans, I guess most of the visitors are definitely interested to study Dalai Lama. This book was first published in 1990, narrating only the superficial history of his life and philosophy, gratefulness to Indian government, struggling to free Tibet. Quite interesting and it arouses sympathy. Somehow there is not any hint to uncover / criticize the mistakes done internally.