Marley & Me(i)

Marley is every backpacker's dream travelmate. He is friendly, knowledgable (having visited so many places and hidden paradise in Indonesia), and loves sharing (his) stories (meaning he can be noisy) :)

I remember our singing days back at uni. he was tenor and then expelled to lower class (of voice). I din remember who moved him to join basses :)

So after long since we sang together, we met again on to hit the road. to Ujung Kulon on last year's Easter holiday. on the pier of Sumur, I joked, somebody, snap us! do us a Marley & Me shot.

Months later, and a few singing and trip together eventually brought us .... apart. no touchy feely here. Marley is getting married to Mei ("an old acquaintance from uni years") which is an eqally friendly and smiley person. Marley & Me has become Marley & Mei! Gonna miss their big and noisy wedding!

I'm happy for you guys! :) congrats! See you on the next trips!

Four Bags, One Flowery Face

Two years ago, these very times. I love the experience.

Plastic Fantastic (on "Kresek")

S: what's that sight?
K: I'm hanging them. plastic bags as you see.
S: they're dripping.
K: Yes, mind you, I just washed them.
S: huh?
K: To reuse them. You can wash them using second or last rinse. Hang it to dry. Voila. You can use them again.

Closely Monitor-ed (at Pulau Biawak)

One scene in Ocean movie keeps playing in my mind every time i think of the sea: lighting crashes, rain falls, it storms. one coconut tree is struck, falls into the sea. Meanwhile, a medium-sized monitor (biawak) rushed to the scene and swims to the fallen trunk, embarking on a journey to an island or a beach or ... to uncertainty.

The scene was repeated when friends and I stepped aboard a small boat on our way from Pelabuhan Karangsong, Indramayu. Destination: Pulau Biawak.

Sailing to Uncertainty

The clouds hung heavy above our heads and the wave caused headache. (To my shock, it was a tiny boat, it don't even have a cabin. here we were, all 13 of us plus two boatmen.) sleeping was the only option.

after 3 hrs, we met other boat. The boatman asked, where's the island? That way, replied the men on the other boat. and our boatmen changed the direction.


"Bon Dieu, these guys navigate by sight!" thought I. "How can they see it when all is dark blue on the horizon?" To turn back would be a defeat yet to go further seemed impossible. we were already halfway of 40 nautical miles distance.

I was reminded of the scene. I was worried we were drifting to uncertainty... It was magical that the worry din keep me sitting stiff. Instead I fell asleep again. I guess Atticus was right, It's not time to worry yet.

Waking up, it rained and wet us all. fortunately, the island was at sight. large and green. with a white lighthouse, a legacy of colonial era, towering near its pier. What a relief!

Picture Perfect Holiday
The weather wasn't our friend yet friends and I could enjoy the short holiday on the Pulau Biawak. We built three tents, snorkeled around, cooked this and that menu (almost constantly), and devoured (we being "nggragas") anything before us, sang to the half moon, chasing monitors, and climbed the lighthouse up to 60 m to the top! very exciting!

While sitting near the lamp cage on the lighthouse, I observed the island. it reminds me of Pulau Rambut in Kepulauan Seribu. Both are dense with lush carpets of mangroves and palms (conifers too!) and are birds sanctuary. big water birds like ibises, herons, and cormorants were seen here.

While snorkeling, I noticed that the reefs and the fishes aren't so colorful nor plenty. I guess it's due to 2004 oil spill. It still affects the island although I can see it recovering. Perhaps that explains why the fishes are of small sizes.

(a "hi there" look from Monsieur le Monitor, photo by friend Tetty alias 'tettyyangmotoloch')

Meanwhile the residents whose identity become the entity of the islands were rarely seen. I only spotted four. Most of them are of slender features and their skin patterns are interesting. Only one is very fat! couldn't believe it. how can a reptile grows so fat? guess that's the benefit of being the only predators on the island.

The whole journey was pleasant. Picture perfect. I even came to appreciate God's Lamps and learn to take chances. When arriving on the mainland, I texted Papi immediately, Pi, I been to Pulau Biawak (Varanus salvator), next is Pulau Komodo (Varanus komodoensis)! :)

"Menyelami Bali, Menghargai Bumi"

"Menyelami Bali, Menghargai Bumi" by SemSPurba.

I love the title. It wasn't the title I submitted to the editors. it appeared on Sunday 16 June 2010 issue of daily Media Indonesia. Now the article is online at Media Travelista or http://www.mediaindonesia.com/mediatravelista/index.php/read/2010/6/13/875/2/media_travelista_headline

want to deflate and dive deeper! :)

Old Man & The Sea (at Pantai Pangandaran)

and here i am standing

much awed by the mighty ocean

by the Window, Absorbed, Once More

I used to go to Vit's room back then. He owned a supercool tape, a large window to sit by, and being a student of Indonesian Literature a great selection of books. he introduced me to Burung-burung Manyar, Bumi Manusia, and Catatan Seorang Demonstran among others. (I'd sit by his window, reading while Vit would played metal bands whose music I could bear like Extreme.)

I grew very fond of the latter book, colored red, written by  Soe Hok Gie. i was hooked instantly. it was 1999. it was fun to read and very inspiring. he visited Mt Semeru in my hometown. not even I have climbed it. it's where he died. quite young.

Last Wednesday Deste introduced me to one online site. she was ordering a book written by her friend. i asked her, does it have Soe Hok Gie's? No, she said. meanwhile i was clicking about this book by Rudy Badil, entitled Norman Edwin. I said to her, Pls order me this one and we can save delivery money.

two days later the book hadn't arrived yet. I grew impatient. i lost my newly sown faith in online shopping!, i said to Deste in an air of a drama king. lol. i ws expecting to read it over the weekend!

this morning the two books arrived. Norman Edwin from that lazy online store and Catatan Seorang Demonstran from Adeste (she lends it.)

i had a difficulty in choosing. i want to read both. While lunching, I skimmed Norman Edwin and read through everything written about Gunung Gede, the volcano friends and i climbed last week.

now here i am, sitting by my window, renewing acquaintance with Soe Hok Gie. once again i put layers of respect for this person. ever productive, idealist, brave and honest person, activist, gentleman. (i had been looking for Gie's book for a very long time.)

then in the middle, i switched to Norman Edwin and learnt both Gie and Norman had things in common: Mapala members, UI students, conquered mountaintops, and died there.

Norman Edwin contains the travel writings he submitted to media, while Catatan Seorang Demonstran contains diary entries by Gie.

it's timely that the books arrived at the same time.

inspiring. good reads i will recommend to anyone!

Castle in the Sky ("Negeri di Awan")

Last night, it was German's triumph over Argentina. but Anast, Erika, and I din care much. we chose to sing the night away in a panic room. amid the playlist, i inserted "secretly" Negeri di Awan (Land in the Clouds, its literal translation), a song by Katon Bagaskara. it was my only favorite Indonesian song because I loooved--and still do--the video. it was done by Garin Nugroho. it is very indonesian both in scenery and feel.

watching this video again, i was moved. i jumped and thought, i know this place! Ambarawa, no? i remember last December I went there with Ent, Fit, Ocha, Cupay, and Yudi, riding the train to the rice fields and Lake Rawa Pening nearby.

and while i was being mellowed out by the video and the music--and the lyric, Erika ruined it all. she exploded at the sight of Katon's mullet. Lol. Annast and i couldnt not laugh along.

"hey, you must forgive him. it was the coolest look back then," i barked :))

and now i am checking it once more.

Sometimes, I Love Getting Lost

because it's fun sometimes. (never have i intended to get lost!) i have to ask people for directions. and most of the times, i receive more than just directions but also kindness. i guess, they are angels unaware.

Happy Sunday, Class of 1987!

(from Abbe de Witt and Ron de Witt)

i was so sad to lose the bundle. it contained about 25 letters from other continent. they were children my age. i was 9 back then. i used to store it in the rack in the grey cabinet Papi built to cage the TV set. one day the bundle just disappeared. i was so sad.

one boy told me of his opossum pet, another told me of their siblings, and another told about their separated parents. the letters were colorful, i mean they drew pictures of themselves, opossums. it opened the world of a 9 yr old boy i was. they even said, they hanged my pic in the classroom! i was so flattered. they din even know me and i couldnt even speak english! i had no idea in which place they lived. they signed every letter. Abbe de Witt and Ron de Witt, their teachers, encouraged them to write to me. from that day, i often went to library to learn about the States and dreamed someday i'd go there.

one card survived to this day. it's very special. it reminds me of the act of kindness. would love to know who they are, what they are doing, and where they live. i've tried to search the teachers via internet but it haven't been fruitful yet.

wherever you are, whatever you do, the 9 year old boy would like to thank you once again. happy Sunday to you, Class of 1987!

In a Glade, Chasing Rainbow's End

From the top of Gunung Gede, I look beyond this open space or meadow or what i consider very poetic: a clearing in the wood. seeing glade Surya Kencana from above reminded me of a scene from Finian's Rainbow.

it's as if i saw a rainbow's end.

i wonder how vast it is! very beautiful from above, lined with Javanese edelweiss bush--all in bloom! all my sorrows (headache from midday heat, dehydration) soon were forgotton.

it was bliss!

what's up doc?

last Wednesday, the doc told me to have some rest but the offer was too interesting to resist: friends asked me if i could join them climbing Gunung Gede.

reading their mails, i was taken back to 2000 when friends of Garda Hijau and moi tried to climb it. amateurs we were--as i still am today--we only made it to Cibereum Waterfall and camped nearby. This time i have to make it to the summit, i said to myself.

so i did quick packing and off I went to meet Umi, Mamet, Phie, Jainer, Rudy, Toto, Emma, Hanum, Adink, Jaman, Dony. happy to see them!

i only guess that the track would be as "easy" and as "short" as in Mount Ijen (3 km from Post I to the summit) in East Java.

i was shocked to learn it took 8 hrs to reach campground Kandang Badak and another 2 hrs to the summit! 1 hrs down to glade Surya Kencana, 30 min to its edge, and as if not enough: 5 hrs walking in the darkness to reach Gunung Putri.

beyond my calculation, I did it. We did it. and on the last few miles I walked in the moonlit path and thought, how can't i be ungrateful?

we made it and i felt so much healthier despite some leg fatigue :)