Gaudi-ful

by Dadan Ramadhan

Whenever I come home for holidays, I think it should be meaningful ones for me. I always feel I am like a tourist. Back then, I took it for granted. I'd never known what I'd got until I missed it. But it was not too late because I still can come home and spend much time there.

One particular hotel that had long attracted me was Hotel Tugu in the center of the regency. It is a place of eclecticism, full of totems, Bhuddas, miniature Sphinx, chunky Moroccan garden lamps, and all fascinating artifacts.

I love one special spot which in my opinion it draws inspirations from Antonio Gaudi's art nouveau. It was special moment just lingering there.

Batik Shopping (Jogjakarta)

batik cetak Surakarta

batik tulis

vintage or used batik

batik cetak

Madurese batik

Batik shopping is a serious thing. once, I ended up buying something overpriced and of bad quality. Thanks to the man at Museum Batik, I always check whether it is batik tulis (candle drawn), batik cap (stamped) or cetak (print batik) and the cheapest and the most not recommended is print batik. i ever bought 2 x 1.2 m print batik at Pasar Baru for Rp 75,000 (about USD 8) this is much more expensive than what i get (see 4th batik above) which is cetak.

Having no skill in bargaining, i opt fixed price :) and bazaars and Mirota (Yogyakarta) are my favorite place to shop batik. They give reasonable price for best buys, like batik tulis Madura and vintage batik.

Dieng, here i come!

The name had never entered nor excited my mind. But on listening to Sienni's friendly persuasion, I made the decision that some time in December we would go to Dieng, to which both of us had never been before. As the long weekend approached, Sienni said she could not make it.

thought, i must go. i contacted travelmates and none showed interests. so i decided i would go there by myself. a week prior the date, i could not resist the urge to urge people to join my maiden journey. the thought of traveling alone was unbearable (hey, i need constant companion!)

so, Cika and Fajar said they agreed to go with me just three days before December 21.

i prepared my clothes. i must bring less, i thought, so into my back pack i stuffed:
- 3 t-shirts
- 1 longjohn
- 1 jacket
- 1 knit scarf
- 1 hoodie
- 1 linen scarf
- 2 pairs of socks
- 1 shorts
- lots of undergarments

i also brought essentials: victorinox kit, shampoo, flash light, sandals, liquid soap, deodorant, lipgloss, muscle gel, Voltaire's Candide, and small note. Also camera.

i warned them to pack less. so we showed up bringing only single backpacks.

first, Cika and I headed to Gambir for express train tickets on the day before. there was none. sold out. so was at Senen. Later Fajar told us to go to Rawamangun bus station and after long wait, we decided to buy Lorena tickets, each Rp50,000 (USD4.5) or 3 times cheaper than the train ticket.

since price rhymes with comfort, we nodded understandingly when the AC-ed bus began to show some oddities: dangdut karaoke and magical smell. we hardly sleep for 10 hrs until we arrived at Purwokerto, Bello's hometown, at 5.30.

we continued the journey to Wonosobo on a stuffed non-AC bus. it was fine, only my butt felt numb for sitting 2.5 hrs.

we changed bus to Dieng, chatted with local guide, Pak Hengky ("He looks like a Jakartan movie star," said Fajar) and arrived thee at 12. we chose Dieng Plateau Inn and got the biggest room for only Rp40,000 (extra Rp10,000 expected for extra pillow and blanket). we've got king size bed, only this went with wafer-thin sponge mattress. and luckily, it got electricity

it was sunny outside but the water in the bathroom ice cold! I chose the latter not because I was unwilling to pay extra Rp5,000 for hot water but i remembered russians even dipped into icy lake in winter. it proved to be refreshing as my nerves was given shock therapy :) i felt rejuvenated.

we ate meatballs for lunch ("Mouse-meat meatball," joked Cika).

then we began the historic hike. we went to Candi Site, Indonesia's oldest Hindu temples site. we got past two potato fields (Dieng provides potato stocks for the entire island of Java) and paid Rp6,000 for entering 3 areas.




first we admired the temple complex. most of them are slender and less decorated compared to those 'newer' temples like Prambanan or Candi Kidal. some reliefs still show their original forms while the rest are left for us to imagine.

it was midday but the cloud, if not fog, rested heavy above our heads. we chose to continue walking despite the drizzle. the plateau was beautiful. the vast valley look inviting and as fas the eyes could see, hectares of land were being ploughed into crops producing land. i just hope that some of them reforested.

along the roads we found cinnamon trees in bloom and trumpet trees were also in full bloom, ranging from whitish to orange. elephant grass were towering among them.

while walking we saw in the near distance a cluster of abandoned house. we guessed, it was mushroom nursery (factory?). it is said that mushroom is the region's most valuable crop next to potato of course. but we found out that the factory had long been abandoned and none cultivated mushroom no more. sad eh?

Kawah Sikidang
The drizzle poured and we took refuge at food stalls. somebody from umbrella rental approached us and we were given large umbrella-ella-ella and decided to have a look at the bubbling crater.

from afar we could smell the sulfurous air and it hurt eyes. the ground was white and grey and small clear watered pools exhumed sulfuric smoke.

the crater was situated in the valley, surrounded by hills, so it has beautiful scenery and evoked my memory like deja vu. it was like the final battle ground in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Witch, The Lion and The Wardrobe. Seriously. the hilly scenery was graced with pines and western-looking trees. i was hoping it snowed.

the crater itself is about 3 m in diameter and is boiling, smoking. not far from it, we saw big pipes that belongs to the govt. they use geothermal to generate electricity.



We went down to the Telaga Warna (Colored Lake). It was drizzling but beautiful, perfect for photo shoot :). the lake is situated among thick greenery and is rocky. the rocks form some caves which people believe to be magical, giving special strength to get some 'thrones'. but the caves were closed. it's okay, we enjoyed the surrounding especially where the fog fell heavy on the woods.



There's no life in the Telaga Warna because the water is sulphuric, but at the neighboring lake is surprisingly a lake full of fish. In the raining seasons, youths flocked there to gather fish with their trappings.

The walk was memorable because the trees (mimosas, cinnamons) and the shrubs (hydrangeas, morning glories) were flowering. We hiked to Dieng Theatre to watch the short movie about the mount's namesake. It was old movie that needs some update. But it was nice to see how it looked in the late eighties.

As we went home, we stopped at a warung nearby and shyly tried to sip the notorious drink, , purwaceng. No effects. We fell asleep soon after dinner.

By the way we had dinner at Wisma Pak Jono, next to Dieng Plateau Homestay where we stayed. So delicious that our long waiting worth while. The sup sayur (vegetable soup) was freshly cooked, it tasted so good. I felt like this was mandatory for me to order the local harvest. the cabbage, tomatoes, and green beans were crunchy and the tomatoes were soft and spicy. The best i ever had!

We woke up early in the morning to catch the sunlight but the sky fell heavy on our head. we were not disappointed though. We had so much fun up there. We hiked from one place to another, see every thing, and it all took only 6 hours! Time stopped here. Amazing, eh? :)

The best (suggested) time to hike up there is between March to June because it will be icy cold in August and rainy on November to January.

Affandi's Garden Bliss

Last Christmas Cika, Fajar, and I were in Yogyakarta. We woke up in confusion: where to go? So we chose something "culture-y" yet "phenomenal". We went to Museum Affandi in the heart of the city.

Apart from its beauty architecturally, it has beautiful and well groomed garden, complete with blooming tropicals like frangipani, hibiscus, etc.

And there I learnt that Affandi, world famous for his abstract paintings, started his career as expressionist. I was totally eyes when I saw his painting of his mother. It is pastel on paper. it has quality of photograph with tiny details. "young abstracts" should also start their career like he did.

Tumpang!

Candi Jago

long long time ago . . .

The last day i went to Tumpang, it was an uncomfortable experience. i was like being bullied by local people. they were interested in me and constantly called me tole (TOE-lay), Javanese for little boy. Somehow, it was like an insult to my haughty ears haha. Stop calling me tole, i yelled. I was 5 or 6 yo.
last May i decided to return there, to my birthplace, Tumpang. i need to reconcile, i thought. (The word tumpang is Indonesian for sleep over or temporarily stay. i stayed there until i was 3.) Straight from Marly's house at Mendit spring, Malang, it is about 30 min on motorbike.
Papi and I stopped at Candi Jago and did some climb on that Bhuddist temple (AD 1268). Although the top part has been scattered down, the base is still solid and the relief is visible, telling Mahabrhata epic.

and then we went to the neighboring Candi Kidal, a slender 8 m tall Hindu temple built to honor a king of Singosari. it is adorned with chronicle of garuda (eagle headed, half man, half god). i just couldn't believe the fact that it was built centuries ago (AD 1182). it's well chiseled and well structured. beautiful.

Candi Kidal

then we went down to Desa Kidal. It is remote and surrounded by sugarcane fields and some lush greenery. beautiful. some streets remain unpaved and chicken roam freely. You know, Tumpang is well known for producing crunchy apples and sweet native kelengkeng (lychee's cousin).

and then Papi spotted this and that: we rent this house, this is ...'s house etc.
i think i want to go back there some time because none called me tole that afternoon :)

Sem

Pulau Pramuka: Turtle & Soto

farewell to Nelly

this is rainy season and i miss Pulau Pramuka (PP). the last time i went there was sunny and warm. i had a vey good time there: swimming, boating, eating, basking, singing, photographing.

my friends and i sailed about 3 hours from Muara Angke pier to PP on that noisy diesel powered boat. we mounted on the top and have the best view and the bluest sky we'd ever seen.

the wave rocked gently and we didn't talk much because the view was so amazing and none of us had ever gone there before.

at 12 we landed on the PP. the surrounding water was clear and schools of fish roamed here and there. and the pink jellyfish added to the beauty.

like many other islands in Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu), PP's beach have been heavily transgressed by the sea water. but it has unwalled, white sand beach on its back side of the island where the abrasion shows no lethal threat.

the island is about half the size of Ragunan Zoo or about 5 ha, .

we stayed at a local house. it was a 5 x 2.5 m upper room with spacey terrace with beach view for only Rp 250,000 or USD 25 for 11 of us.

after securing the shelter, we rent ojek (rent boat) to go islands hopping for the fare of Rp 250,000. we went to uninhabited Pulau Semak Daun and once commercial Pulau Air. we had much fun there, from free diving, photo shoots (we did 2007 calendar), to scavenging garbage in search of cast sandals (Victor and I lost our beloved sandals).

we returned to PP and had lunch, it was soto ayam. this was the spiciest soto (turmeric chicken soup) i'd ever tasted. the coconut milk was thick and the turmeric was so generous with occasional eruption of salt and leek. and the food cost inexpensive even for an island 40 miles far away from mainland Java.

the island itself is one of 10 inhabited islands in the cluster of 108 islands in the Thousand Islands. it has schools, from preschool to high school, cyber cafe, hospital, and football field. so there are plenty activities here.

and the most exciting part is the turtle farewell party. the island houses the best turtle sanctuary in Jakarta. Pak Salim (58) has been collecting turtle eggs around the islands for more than 2 decades. for his initiative and vision, he has been given various awards. he led me to his sanctuary. its garden served as mangrove nursery. the sprouts are kept until they're 3 months old before transfered to the beach. nearby, i saw a caged heaps of sand. it was the site of unhatched eggs. each mound was labeled and dated. then i entered a building with many a blue container in which the turtles live.

i saw many hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). so amazing. the cute reptiles swam here and there and they looked like angels when seen from above. their front feet often rest on the scaly back that they it resembled shoulders. you should see it yourself. really.

when my friends later joined, Pak Slamet said we could release the tukik (hatchlings) to the sea. he arranged them on the beach seawise. in seconds, they turned the direction instinctively and marched into the sea, to the calling of Mother Nature. so beautiful and moving.

i wanna go back there, soon as the rainy season ends.

Sem

Four First (Kepulauan Seribu)

‘seriously?’ asked i.

vit nodded, broad smile.

At our contracted house. Vit played the cassettes and transcripted the conversation.

‘what is cat in your tongue?’, ‘how do people call banana?’ etc came the annoying secret taping. It was dea with a warung owner.

The tale was so exciting: the island’s size is twice soccer field and the area code is 021—jakarta, a spring in the middle of the island, the schools [kindergarten to junior high school] and Nana couldn’t help but inserting coins to call her overtly jealous bf.

They slept at local houses. And they din forget to have fun: renting a motored boat to a nearby island to collect memorabilia. Nimas later told that the turbine was grapped by kelp it couldn’t move that they release all the collected items including the ‘living’ ones: sea stars. Thought it was fun especially when vit showed me the photographs of the boat, the island, and him as a rickshaw [becak]. The sea!

So 3 semesters later I enrolled myself to the class of ibu sri and prof muhajir. Language researching methods. All for the sake of traveling to tidung island: big and lesser tidung at thousand islands [kepulauan seribu]. The class consists of female students except moi. From the beginning I thought to myself, I doubt ibu sri would get us there.

It happened to be true and I’d got C for it! how come? I roared. Jenni and vita resent my resentment, ‘hey come on, you can wash it later’. ‘washing means taking the same credits next semester. C for 4 credits meant a lot. So I sued ibu sri, telling my proposal was for case study not literature—of course I whined about not going to tidung. She gave up and gave me B! hahahahaha. For the first day in the week I could smile. Jenni and vita also smiled.

So, when came the offer from kbspi historia, I got excited: tour to 4 islands for the price of 300,000 rupiahs! I told cika and she got excited too [upon hearing bidadari island]. I wanted to ring vit, but I was sure he wouldn’t come [now I doubt] or martha.

At muara kamal, Cika and I took the front seat in order to get the first view of everything. Eka introduced herself to us. So I shook some hands before returning to my own seat to calm myself from [the boat was rocking and I sat stiff, hahahaha].

4 yrs later on september 16 here I was at onrust island. I couldn’t believe it! hahahahah

Landed and we were hushed to ‘hajj registration office’ to talk of history! I thought, hey let’s take some fresh air before digging the memory!

I thought, it’d be easier to make friends when you are in the same boat—literally speaking, meaning you have a reason or cause to talk to each other. But it never happened.

We din lose hearts especially by taking pictures the way tpi guys did and enjoying ourselves in the beach [if only I swam!] and getting tanned :)

The four islands (Onrust, Bidadari, Cipir, Kelor] were fantastic and mysterious. Why these island? The history boy said, ‘there were only 5 islands used by the dutch: these four and edam which takes an hour by boat’. Sounds like cheese.

ONRUST
meaning not resting, was once used by banten princes for ‘seaside rendesvouz’ due to its cool sandy beach. In 1610, the dutch [east indian company, voc] used the island for commercial use. The Brits destroyed it in 1803, 1806, and 1810. rebuilt, it was later swallowed by tidal waves from krakatoa eruption in 1883.

From 1911-1933, the dutch used it for hajj quarantine. The pilgrims must stay there for about 3 months before leaving for the holy land. the tour leader said that ‘haji and hajjah’ are titles created by the dutch for political reasons [but how about tolstoy’s ‘hajj murad’?]. we slept inside hajj registration office by the pier. It was cool inside, no mosquito. I imagined how the pilgrims slept in barracks with metal roofs and 1.5 m tall walls. The island served as epidemy quarantine (1950-1960) and for beggars quarantine (1960-1965). In 1968 the island was deserted and nearby people robbed the materials that only foundations and toilets left to tell their past glory. Sad, eh?

The island is approx 7 acres from the previous 15 acres in 1700’s.

BIDADARI

Whereas the other island sheds their greenery, bidadari is evergreen, superficial—that is, commercial. We went to a bastion [fortress] where java jive filmed their clip back to 12 yrs ago. Two weeks prior our visit, there was a rave party in the fortress. That was shy I saw garbage, spilt foods and vomits, and nails that ruined the ruins. Very romatic for photo shoots esp pre-weds :) It was beautiful and I like the sight of big lizards [biawak] roaming back and fro the beach.

CIPIR

Or kahyangan island was one connected to onrust. Nothing special but remains of barracks. I noted some bush there: graceful, thornless, evergreen. None knew its name. The twilight was so beautiful, too bad we set wrong size for the photographs.

KELOR

About half a soccer field, 15 min by boat in friendly waves [when tide was high, the waves get mad easily] 5.30 in the morning. The martello fortress was still there, beautiful and 60 % complete. I met a feline there. She has 2 shy kittens that feeds on patinlike fish [ibet the fishermen gave it to the lonesome feline]. How she mated remained a mystery. The beach was beautiful and the kelp grow like mat. Wished I had swam! Next time, I’d wear no goody bag shirts and strike more vogue pose, hahaha.

Listening to the stories was enchanting and a bit scary [especially at night tour]. The islands were bloody, built upon sweat, blood, tears--perhaps, and misery. Still amazed on how the Dutch built the red and yellow bricks. So strong that they withstand the rough climate and years. Some parts of the islands were ‘bruised’ by concrete mixture of wave breakers.

Still curious on how the animals multiplies there. I saw lizards, mourning doves, plenty of fish—caught by fishermens, crabs, hermit [what d you call keong?], and sea snake! Chartered car driver told of __ island, home of many phytons, which none dare to land

I've nothing to complain about now and am looking forward to going there again!

(Sept 06)

Tea Time! (Wonosari)

ah, so cool!

this is the first time i return to Kebun Teh Wonosari, Lawang, Malang regency, after about a decade ago! This very first tea plantation in East Java is located about 1,200 m above sea levels in the slope side of Mt Arjuna.

i went there with Pi and the day was almost over. before, we stopped by Pak Slamet's. Pi had a nice trick he repeated. the guard was just amiable, then. so, he opened the gate.

It was a small yet beautiful house. the front terrace was full of blooming flowers. They let us in. Ah I remember this mister. he din change an inch, perhaps only his thinning grey hair. And imagine, he used to walk down the hill to LBTC like weekly to attend the very long sermon. How faithful he was (and still is).

The boy Elisa has grown up (i remembered his red shiny mini plastic ankle boots). His sister was not around. there was his ma. her cheeks still looked tight as drums and were rosy. She always smiled as she always did. I guess that's the wonder of tea has done for her. it was a nice surprise to know that Elisa was going to go to Germany as exchange student. I saw his pa's face beaming. he must be very very proud of him. (we could have changed numbers, no? Sem pls remember next time).

his wife served us warm black tea accompanied with oily kucur (remember a boy that sold this kind of dessert. "kucur...kucur..." he called everyone's attention. I felt sorry for him but he must have been a fighter.) i think the dutch brought this custom of tea drinking in the afternoon here. but i think people serve drinks to guests regardless the hour.

i passed the chance to take pictures of them. i regret! anyway it was good to know they lived well and their simplicity was amazing. I guess they have faith like those of children.

the rain has just stopped and we cruised about for a while, sniffing the fresh air. it had a slight tea smell. cool, eh? and we did some tea walking. and i searched the blooms, but found none. i remmebr tea blossoms are quite like those of ornamental camelia. the older version--which i visited years ago with Kak Harry and Charisma--offered more difficult tracks compared to the newly paved walks.

i learnt that the century old plantation is now quite managed. there are good enough facilities for travelers: hotel, mini zoo, small dept store, etc. you can also do factory visit. i learnt 95% of the products are exported abroad and the remaining lower grades are sold for local consumption. so i was happy to buy some premium tea, export grade tea.

it is 15 minutes drive from Lawang and visitors are expected to contribute Rp 3,500 for the ticket. it is relatively pollution-free compared to Puncak. great place for long weekend.

Sem

Feeding Elephant, Ragunan

Something's telling me it happens at the zoo

I do believe it

I do believe it's true

(At the Zoo, Simon & Garfunkel)

We made acquaintance in 2003 when i threw him some kecapi fruits (Sandoricum koetjape) fallen from trees nearby. He seemed constantly hungry. Poor elephant. i watched Animal Planet Reveals Asia. it said that adult elephants eats up to 300 pounds of plants daily. how underfed he must be!

I had a time to visit him. he was displaying an odd behavior which i assumed he was in heat period (but he lives alone in his cage, other elephants were grouped). he banged his head to the wall time and again. i called him to distract his self bashing. but it didnt work. So I searched the guards, and they told me to ignore.i said to them, you must do something.

it was 09.00 am, only few people were there.

the guards heaped lots of rumput gajah (Pennisetum pupureum) next to his cage. and they noticed my presence. so i ASKED for their permission.

the threw his trunk to greet the feed and I was like, gajah makan rumput gajah (elephant eats elephant grass)?

Sem

pasir putih

i have visited this beach many a times but the most memorable perhaps was the first time. it was the first time in my life Mom approved my being lazy to school. besides i remember, i had a boil growing on one of my leg. Mami said, the saltwater will cure it.

so i went with all LBTC people on bus. i din remember how long it took. i remember mami and i sat on a big rock and got photographed.

in the evening when the sun was setting, i played on the beach, searching for some hermit crabs, then i found some trapped fish. i dug a small well in the sand and the water filled it. i browsed the seashells sellers and wished i could buy some miniatures of men horsing made up of bright colored shells glued together and to adorn them was small bright colored ropes, chepa velvet mini jackets and fake black-and-white "moving" eyes.

little sem also played with a living gurita (what is it in english?). its tentacles wrapped around his right arms and felt squirmish :)

someone (tante who?) removed it with stick.

i remember the lunch pack, a goodie from Blue Band: it was yellow with white cover. on the cover was a drawing of boy chasing a ball, painted in metallic navy blue. i cant remembr what mami put in it: simple sandwich of margarine and sugar?

i love the experience and mostly the leisure of not going to school that day and i think my boil was cured that day :)

the second time i went there perhaps in 1991, SDK farewell party. students from 6-a-b-c (me from 6B) went there. i remember harsa dhani, grendy, ? we took a ride on a boat. they provided us with an aquariumlike floating object. it turned out to be a giant google so we could see the seabed clearly. think most of the time we saw only firce and intimidating spines of bulu babi....

the third time, perhaps last Lebaran

Shepherd's Hill

Last night--with nothing triggering my mind say a song or a piece of conversation not even upon seeing a hill--i remembered about one of my favorite sanctuaries. perhaps i was being melancholic. i remembered about Bukit Gembala (Shepherd's Hill), a mountain slope about 6 km from my old house atlawang. It is situated in the slope of Mount Arjuna.

Charisma, Gideon, etc and I frequented the place, specifically about 2 ha of plantation owned by LBTC. we often took the shorter route via a steep ravine in which flows a spring where we used to wash or saw farmers bathed their cows. It is a 'civilised' ravine. coffee bushes occupy it so do bamboo and we loved the sounds of birds, gareng (some kind of high pitching insect), and sometimes we spotted monkeys, birds, and kites (alap-alap or elang).

whenever we arrived there, we'd be greeted by the dogs--friendly ones--at the gates. when it was the time to reap corns, we would go up and spend the night there, singing, grilling corns, drinking coffee, joking around and eating a lot shamelessly.

Its real name is Gebug (literally to hit). what's in the name anyway?

locals and the guards often said that the entire place is haunted with haunting sound of wailing and crying. but we heard nothing but sweet sounds of dog barks, birds singing, wind singing etc.

so i guess people 'baptized' the place and christened it Shepherd's Hill. now i can tell how that transformation brought nice results. It sounds romantic and pastoral and it reminds me of the tales of Famous Five :)

when faced with a problem, all i need to do is change its name

for whomever changed the name from Gebug to Bukit Gembala, i thank you for this lesson.

Xem