The First Trip To China

Just in case the title got you wondering, the holiday to Macau, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong was my parents first trip to China, not mine. My first trip happened three years earlier in 2009 and the recent article about Ferlin got me reminiscing about those days in Nanning again. It was such an odd destination for the first time visitors to China. Initially, when I heard of it, I thought Yani had mispronounced it and I assumed she was referring to the more famous Nanjing, but no, she really meant it.

My sister-in-law was in Nanning for a student exchange programme, so we went there to visit her. We took our time and flew from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou, therefore Baiyun International Airport was my first impression of China. It was unbelievably huge, but the very short time we were there was marred by a small incident. It could be a luggage arrangement went wrong or I simply misunderstood things in Chinese, but as as we needed to change from international to domestic flight, we collected our luggage and rushed for the connecting flight. During the luggage check, the officer confiscated the liquid stuff, so after kissing our Bango brand sweet soy sauce goodbye, we flew to Nanning.

The night time in Nanning, not very far from Guangxi Arts Institute. 

After seeing how grand Guangzhou airport was, the one in Nanning paled in comparison. It was tiny, but when we stepped outside, we were immediately reminded again how spacious China was. This was in year 2009 and Nanning wasn't even the most talked-about city in China, but yet it already looked much better than Jakarta. Always a city man, I was amazed by its rapid development and how everything in China seemed to be bigger and wider than anywhere else in the world!

We stayed few days in Nanning, mostly visiting Guangxi Arts Institute where Leny was studying. We had a glance at the dormitories, classrooms, canteen and auditorium. Then of course I had a bowl of Guilin rice noodles or two. It was a famous local delicacy, but it did take some time to enjoy it. Leny also brought us from her campus to Walmart on foot. We went to the zoo as well. By the time we went to railway station for the second time (the first time was to check the timing and buy the train ticket), we made our way to Guilin.

We took a very old train and it was a five-hour ride on a hard bench. The train would often stop and vendors would come up to sell their goods. It was interesting to see how the little red book from Chairman Mao was still a hot commodity that found a lot of buyers.

Yani and Leny, dressing up as what I suspected to be the Zhuang Princesses. The Zhuang people are largest minority China and they live in Guangxi.

Guilin always gave me the impression of Jakarta in the 80s. It had an old and tiring atmosphere in the air, but of course we didn't visit the city just for that. What famous here was the scenery. The Reed Flute Cave (芦笛岩) was great. It was filled up with stalactites and stalagmites, artificially lit and, this being a Chinese cave, each shape of the rock formation was named in a highly imaginative way! Apart from that, we also had a boat ride to see the Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山). Believe it or not, the Chinese was so creative in naming such a natural wonder that it got me thinking, what if it was a real giant elephant that dipped its trunk to drink from the river?

Then there was Yangshuo. If I had to single out the most memorable scenery in this trip, it must be the Li river cruise in Yangshuo. The karst mountains that surrounded the river was beautiful. That's when I actually realized why the mountains in Chinese painting was drawn in such a weird looking shape. Apparently it was real and the inspiration came from here. That day, when we were slowly cruising the river against the wind in the afternoon, was definitely a moment to remember.

My ex-colleague Benjamin Ho once jokingly said, the places I went was for old folks. He wasn't exactly wrong. Based on what I heard from people around me, China isn't a popular destination for Southeast Asian adults below 60 years old, but it is surely not a bad place to visit. It's a big country with a lot to offer. I myself have my fair share of wish list and it includes Xinjiang and Yunnan, so yeah, don't be discouraged but go and visit China, guys!

Yani, Leny and the Elephant Trunk Hill at the back. 

Perjalanan Pertama Ke Cina

Kalau anda pernah membaca kisah serupa sebelumnya di roadblog101.com, perlu saya jelaskan bahwa liburan ke Macau, Zhuhai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen dan Hong Kong adalah perjalanan pertama orang tua saya ke Cina. Bagi saya sendiri, petualangan perdana ini terjadi tiga tahun sebelum saya berangkat bersama mereka. Tulisan saya tentang Ferlin membuat saya teringat dengan kota Nanning lagi dan betapa kota tersebut adalah tujuan yang tidak lazim bagi mereka mengunjungi Cina untuk pertama kalinya. Ketika saya mendengar tentang kota ini, saya sempat mengira bahwa yang dimaksudkan Yani adalah kota Nanjing yang lebih sering terdengar, tapi ternyata dia tidak salah sebut. 

Adik ipar saya Leny mengikuti program pertukaran pelajar, jadi kita ke sana mengunjunginya. Kita terbang dari Kuala Lumpur ke Guangzhou, jadi kesan pertama saya tentang Cina adalah Bandara Internasional Baiyun. Lapangan terbang di Guangzhou ini luar biasa besar, tapi saya mengalami sedikit masalah sewaktu berada di sana. Karena harus berganti dari penerbangan internasional ke domestik, kita mengambil bagasi dan bergegas mengejar penerbangan berikutnya. Ketika koper diperiksa, barang-barang yang mengandung cairan pun disita. Setelah kita berpisah dengan kecap manis cap Bango, barulah kita berangkat ke Nanning.

Yani di Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, sewaktu kita transit dalam perjalanan menuju Cina. 

Setelah melihat betapa megahnya bandara di Guangzhou, lapangan terbang Nanning terlihat kecil dan sempit. Meskipun demikian, begitu kita menuju kota, segera terlihat betapa luasnya Cina. Ini adalah tahun 2009 dan Nanning bukanlah kota yang popular bagi turis, namun saat itu pun kotanya sudah terlihat lebih maju dari Jakarta. Sebagai wisatawan yang lebih menyukai kota modern, saya kagum dengan cepatnya perkembangan di sana. Segala sesuatu di Cina tampak lebih besar, lebar dan luas dari negara-negara lain di dunia ini! 

Kita tinggal beberapa hari di Nanning dan sering berkunjung ke Institut Seni Guangxi, tempat Leny kuliah. Di situ kita berkesempatan untuk melihat asrama, kelas, kantin dan auditorium kampus serta kehidupan mahasiswa di sana. Saya mencicipi Guilin mifen (semacam kwetiau atau mie), makanan khas di sana. Kalau ditanya enak atau tidak, saya rasa perlu penyesuaian untuk menikmatinya, hehe. Kita berjalan kaki dari kampus ke Walmart, naik bis ke kebun binatang dan, sewaktu kita pergi ke stasiun kereta api untuk kedua kalinya (pertama kita ke sana adalah untuk membeli tiket), kita berangkat ke kota Guilin.

Perjalanan ke Guilin ditempuh dengan kereta tua yang memakan waktu lima jam. Keretanya sering berhenti dan para penjaja dagangan pun naik untuk berjualan. Satu hal unik yang saya amati adalah betapa larisnya buku merah Mao Zedong. Orang-orang di daerah kecil sepertinya masih menaruh minat besar pada pemimpin mereka ini.

Sore hari di Guilin, setelah melihat Bukit Belalai Gajah. 

Guilin tampak seperti Jakarta di tahun 80an, namun ada kesan bahwa kota ini sudah tua dan menembus zaman. Yang menarik di sana adalah wisata alam yang menakjubkan. Kita mengunjungi Gua Seruling Buluh yang penuh dengan stalaktit dan stalakmit. Gua ini dikelola dengan baik. Tata cahaya dan warna lampunya memberikan nuansa klasik pada setiap bentuk stalaktit yang unik dan penuh cerita ini. Selain itu, kita juga naik kapal mengelilingi Bukit Belalai Gajah. Satu hal yang tidak bisa dipungkiri adalah betapa tingginya daya khayal orang Cina dalam memberikan nama. Ketika saya melihatnya, saya jadi berpikir, bagaimana seandainya bukit ini dulunya adalah gajah raksasa yang mencelupkan belalainya untuk meminum air sungai? 

Dari Guilin, kita juga mengunjungi Yangshuo. Jika saya harus menyebutkan satu pemandangan terindah dari perjalanan pertama ke Cina ini, maka itu adalah saat kita menyusuri sungai Li di Yangshuo. Pegunungan yang mengelilingi sungai tersebut sangat memukau dan membuat saya menyadari kenapa gunung di lukisan Cina seringkali digambar dengan bentuk yang berbeda dengan gambar di Indonesia. Ternyata dari sinilah inspirasinya berasal. Gunung seperti lukisan Cina ini bukanlah imajinasi belaka, melainkan benar-benar ada. Di hari itu, ketika kita menaiki perahu mengikuti aliran sungai sambil dibelai oleh angin semilir, adalah hari yang indah dan sungguh pantas dikenang. 

Mantan teman sekantor saya, Benjamin Ho, pernah berkata sambil bercanda bahwa tempat yang saya kunjungi ini lebih cocok untuk wisata orang tua. Pendapatnya tidak sepenuhnya keliru. Dari apa yang saya dengar dari sekeliling saya, Cina bukanlah negara tujuan wisata yang populer bagi orang Asia Tenggara yang berumur kurang dari 60 tahun, namun sejujurnya Cina cukup seru untuk dikunjungi. Jangan lupa bahwa ini adalah negara besar yang menawarkan begitu banyak hal, mulai dari pemandangan sampai budaya. Saya sendiri masih memiliki tempat-tempat di Cina yang ingin saya kunjungi, misalnya Yunnan dan Xinjiang, jadi bagi yang berminat, jangan berkecil hati untuk mengunjungi Cina!

Leny, sewaktu kita menyusuri Sungai Li di Yangshuo.

Social Media: Do's And Don'ts

How many people have social media accounts these days? I guess almost all people, especially the youngsters, have at least one. Many people share their lives through social media such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. You can see any pictures, from travelling to their daily activities. People are sharing basically everything, be it general news or private life matters. As a reader, I agree with what my friend said, "if you don't like to read the status or see your Facebook friend's pictures, just skip it." However, I tend to think if we would like to respond to a friend's status, do it wisely and nicely. Well, as much as we would like to have our opinion to be heard, we also have to respect other people opinion, don't we?

Do's and don'ts for the readers:

1. Positive thinking
Pictures can be seen in two perspectives. Someone may see his friend's travelling pictures and feel that his friend simply want to show off by posting those pictures, but others may see the same pictures and get an idea for their next travelling destination. Don't envy, but be inspired instead.

2. Have empathy for others
You may be bored with your friend's daily post about their kids, but please understand that for their mummy, the children are her world. Mothers, especially a stay-at-home mum who spends most of her time with her baby at home, she needs a media to share her life with friends.

3. Be careful with your words
You may not always agree with your friend's status. If you ever decide to comment, choose the right words that will not hurt others.

Do's and don'ts for the writers:

1. Think twice before posting something in social media, especially when your account is open to public. There are some topics that, I think, are quite sensitive and risky to be posted:

a. Uploading pictures of our money
A Facebook friend of mine posted a lot of money she got from her husband after they won the lottery. What if there is a thief out there who is eyeing on her?

b. Uploading personal information
Be mindful not to post our phone number, address, identity card and passport numbers, etc. as it can be misused by others.

c. Uploading our kids' pictures on his/her school uniform
While Singapore may be quite a safe place, I ever read the news about the kid in other country whom was kidnapped by stranger at her school. The kidnapper got information about the kid and her school from her parent's post on social media. Better to prevent this incident from happening rather that regretting it later.

d. Making status that offends other people's ethic, race and religion.
Be sensitive and mindful.

2. Do take note that when you share the news that is still not yet confirmed, you'll end up spreading gossips.

3. You may be angry or disappointed with someone and you want to share your feeling by directly putting up a status about it on social media. I'm not convinced if that is actually okay, but if you do it very frequently, people will get tired of it. Other people will know your personal problem (or you are actually the problematic one) and kindly be also aware that by sharing on social media, your problem will not be solved. You need to settle it directly with the person, preferably without blowing it out of proportion.

4. It's rather eerie, not to mention unethical, to post the photo of a dead person or someone who was in coma or in accident even though he or she is our own family. If the photo is used in order to get donation, that still can be understood. However, if it is only for the sake of sharing, I don't think it is appropriate, considering the privacy of the person on the photo.

5. Share something that will be useful for others, something that will encourage your reader or give them inspiration. People will be more interested to read something that will benefit them.

At the end of the day, social media is just a tool for us to share or to communicate with others. It depends on us as a user to use it wisely. Same like a knife. Knife is very useful when we use it to cut meat, vegetables or fruit (positive way), but knife can also be used to hurt others (negative way). The above tips are just my two cents. I hope it will, in some way, be useful for you.

The social media generation. Oh no, this little girl is just posing for the camera! 

The Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is coming! As I grow older, it feels just like another holiday and I don't really bother about it anymore, but there were times when I was so into it. Allow me to reminisce and share with you how it was like in my hometown.

It was much more fun when I was a kid following my parents around to meet our relatives. I'd receive ang bao, the red envelopes with some amount of money in it, then I'd have some snack and soft drink before I hung out with my cousins. However, it was only when I grew up that I got a full grasp of how the Chinese New Year was celebrated.

The fireworks ritual on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Photo by Eday Ng.

It always started with a reunion dinner on the eve of the celebration. When my grandparents were still around, we'd gather there, a big family of uncles, aunties and cousins. On the dining table, there would be all the exquisite Chinese food, from pig trotter to sea cucumber cooked with bamboo shoots. While the dining and the talking happened, we'd hear people lighting up the fireworks.

This ritual musti be uniquely Pontianak: people would line up on both sides of Gajah Mada road and fire whatever they had as if it was a competition! This activity would last the whole night (and my wife, when she had her first and only Chinese New Year celebration in Pontianak so far, curiously asked me at around 10pm if they would ever stop playing). Came the next day (and it was the first day of the celebration with the duration of 15 days), we would visit and be visited by the relatives.

When friends came visiting in 2005. 

The second day onwards were reserved for friends. This, in my twenties, was easily the fun part of the celebration. I didn't go back to Pontianak that often since I started working in Jakarta and perhaps I went back only one time since I moved to Singapore, but I did have good times. I remember the 2005 celebration. We were so young then, just got out from college not so long ago to enter the society, wherever it was. Chinese New Year was like the reason for us to go back home, meet up and hang out again. So there I was, going from one house to another with Endrico and others.

The same event was repeated in 2006, when I quitted without any job, thinking that I'd give it a try in Singapore. What made it rather special was Soedjoko, a friend from Jakarta, whom came visiting. He already knew Parno and Endrico since Jakarta days, but it was through this trip that he got to know more friends of mine. We went to the houses of Heriyanto, Suhendi, Tedy Trisno, Pranoto, Gunarto, Khendy and called it a day at Angelia and Angelina's house.

The stop at Gunarto's house in 2006.

And that was the last time it felt fun, I guess. I don't recall why I never went back again until 2014, but the last time I was there, I was a married man with a child and so were many of my friends. It wasn't the same anymore and gone were the days when we could just hang out and spend the whole day together. Come to think of it, that may be the reason why I'm very reluctant to go back to Pontianak for Chinese New Year celebration these days.

By the way, you did notice that I mentioned it would last for 15 day, didn't you? The last few days were the days the dragon appeared. Apart from lion dance, we had dragon dance, too. The mighty dragon was long enough for everybody from all races, be it Chinese, Dayak or Malay, to join in and play. We might be of different origins, but once a year, in this festive season, we had this spectacular view of racial harmony and it was a beautiful sight to behold...

The dragon dance!
Photo by Rudy Santyoso.

Tahun Baru Cina

Tahun Baru Cina akan segera tiba! Seiring dengan bertambahnya usia, hari raya ini kian terasa seperti liburan biasa dan cenderung saya abaikan, namun ada suatu masa dimana saya bersuka-cita menyambutnya. Izinkan saya berbagi cerita tentang bagaimana Tahun Baru Cina biasanya dirayakan di Pontianak. 

Perayaan ini lebih berkesan ketika saya masih seorang bocah yang mengikuti orang tua saya berkunjung ke rumah sanak-saudara. Saya menerima ang pao, amplop merah yang berisi uang, lantas menikmati kudapan dan minuman soda sebelum bermain bersama para sepupu. Setelah merayakannya selama bertahun-tahun, perlahan-lahan saya mulai memahami rangkaian acara sepanjang Tahun Baru Cina.

Parno dan Endrico di malam Tahun Baru Cina 2006. 

Di malam sebelum hari perayaan, kita selalu berkumpul di rumah keluarga yang paling senior. Di kala kakek dan nenek masih hidup, kita selalu makan malam di sana, berkumpul bersama keluarga besar mulai dari paman, bibi dan sepupu. Makanan yang disajikan bukanlah hidangan sehari-hari, melainkan menu istimewa mulai dari kaki babi sampai teripang yang dimasak dengan rebung. Kemudian, selagi semua bersantap dan berbincang, suara petasan dan kembang api terdengar di luar rumah. 

Ritual ini sepertinya hanya ada di Pontianak: lautan manusia membentuk dua kubu yang berseberangan di jalan Gajah Mada dan saling menembakkan kembang api bagaikan kompetisi! Aktivitas ini bisa berlangsung semalam suntuk, sampai-sampai istri saya yang kebetulan ikut serta merayakan Tahun Baru Cina pertamanya di Pontianak pun bertanya kira-kira pada jam 10 malam, sampai kapan sebenarnya mereka baru akan berhenti menyalakan kembang api. Kemudian, ketika hari esok tiba, mulailah perayaan tahun baru yang akan berlangsung selama 15 hari. Hari pertama biasanya diisi dengan acara kunjungan keluarga.

Sylvia dan pasangan saat berkunjung ke rumah Anni, tahun 2005.

Di hari kedua, barulah kita mengunjungi teman-teman. Ketika saya berumur dua puluhan, ini adalah hari yang paling ditunggu. Walau saya jarang pulang ke Pontianak sejak bekerja di Jakarta (dan lebih jarang lagi setelah pindah ke Singapura), saya ingat betapa berkesannya Tahun Baru Cina, misalnya di tahun 2005. Ketika itu kita masih teramat sangat muda, baru lulus kuliah dan mulai menjajaki dunia kerja, baik di Pontianak, Jakarta maupun daerah lainnya. Tahun Baru Cina adalah saat dimana kita pulang ke kampung halaman, bertemu dan berkumpul lagi, jadi di sanalah saya berada, berkunjung dari rumah ke rumah bersama Endrico dan teman-teman lain. 

Saya juga pulang di tahun 2006, terutama karena saat itu saya berhenti kerja dan berpikir untuk mencoba peruntungan saya di Singapura setelah Tahun Baru Cina. Yang membuat tahun ini sedikit berbeda adalah kunjungan Soedjoko, seorang teman dari Jakarta. Dia sudah kenal dengan Endrico dan Parno sejak saya bekerja di Jakarta, namun lewat kunjungan inilah dia berkenalan dengan teman-teman saya yang lain. Sama seperti tahun sebelumnya, kita bertemu dari rumah ke rumah, kali ini ke tempat Heriyanto, Suhendi, Tedy Trisno, Pranoto, Gunarto, Khendy dan Angelia/Angelina.

Dari kiri atas: Soedjoko, Endrico, Angelina dan Jimmy.
Bawah: Angelia. 

Dan mungkin itu terakhir kalinya Tahun Baru Cina terasa menyenangkan. Saya tidak ingat kenapa saya tidak pernah pulang lagi hingga tahun 2014 untuk merayakannya, tapi ketika saya kembali, saya sudah menikah dan memiliki seorang anak. Demikian juga halnya dengan teman-teman, saat itu banyak yang sudah berkeluarga. Suasananya terasa tidak sama dan kita tidak lagi bisa berkumpul seharian seperti dulu. Kalau dipikirkan lagi, mungkin itu alasannya kenapa saya kini enggan pulang untuk merayakan Tahun Baru Cina di Pontianak. 

Oh ya, anda perhatikan bahwa saya sempat menyinggung tentang durasi 15 hari dari perayaan ini? Berapa hari terakhir diisi dengan kemunculan naga. Selain tarian barongsai atau singa, Tahun Baru Cina juga diisi dengan tarian naga. Sang naga terkadang luar biasa panjang, cukup bagi semua dari berbagai suku untuk berpartisipasi. Ya, sebagai bangsa Indonesia, kita bisa saja berasal dari suku Tionghoa, Dayak, Melayu dan lain-lain, tapi sekali dalam setahun, setidaknya pada acara yang gembira ini, kita bisa menyaksikan pemandangan hidup bertoleransi para anak bangsa yang majemuk...

Tahun baru 2014 di Pontianak. 

Wonderful Indonesia: Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta is a strange place to be, even by Indonesian standard. I remember when I first visited the city more than a decade ago, it was like time almost came to a halt and the lifestyle was moving at a slower pace than anywhere else in the archipelago. When we took the becak (an alternate version of rickshaw), I could see that people were smiling, very relax and there was almost no sense of urgency. As a place to live, you either like it or leave it.

As a holiday destination, however, Jogja (yes, a different spelling, but still the same city, so don't get confused) had many to offer. It was a city brimming with culture and history. It was also budget friendly, with cheap but delicious food all over the place. The people, being Javanese, were very polite. There were flights from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, so Jogja was pretty accessible. A four days, three nights would be just nice.

Visiting Borobudur in 2004. 

My first trip to Yogyakarta was part of the Java-Bali roadtrip roughly 14 years ago. When we headed back from Bali to Jakarta, we stopped by for a night in Jogja. We were from Solo, visiting Prambanan temple and then Borobudur before we made our way to Jogja. It was late afternoon when we arrive there and when the night begun, we took the becak for a city tour that included the visit to bakpia factory. Oh, by the way, bakpia is a small, round-shaped Indonesian Chinese-influenced sweet roll, usually stuffed with bean paste. 

After a glimpse of Jogja, I returned to the city 10 years later for a proper visit in 2014. I went with Indonesian and Singaporean friends and we stayed at Ibis Malioboro. It was a good place to start. The first day we were there, we explored the major shopping street. It had local cuisines, handcraft and batik there. As we walked towards the end of the street, it led to Yogyakarta Kraton, the sultanate palace. It was no Buckingham Palace, but it was alright and very much the reflection of Javanese culture.

And they fought, Spartan style, at Sambisari Temple. 

Jogja also had a lot of Hindu temples. We started our historical and cultural tour with the visit to Sambisari Temple. The temple was quite decent, but scenery was beautiful and the weather was good. Then of course we had to visit the famous Prambanan. It was too bad that most of the complex was still in ruins after the earthquake, but at least we had some fun there. We skipped Borobudur as the site was closed after the recent eruption.

So we went to Mount Merapi instead. The active volcano was thrilling, with smoke still coming up from the ground. There was also a house that was engulfed by the ash clouds during the Merapi eruption. It was hot enough to melt even stuff made of metal, so no human could have survived this merciless ordeal! It was quite eerie to be there, really, but it was soon compensated by the four-wheel drive adventure that brought us off-road to the highland and valley. The view was amazing and we all screamed like kids as the car drove through the shallow river. That was easily the highlight of the trip!

Now, before we close this chapter, let's talk a bit about the food. I don't remember eating nasi gudeg while we were there, but at least we had Mbok Berek fried chicken that was located not very far from Prambanan. We walked into a satay stall somewhere on the roadside of Malioboro, too, ordering 50 pieces of chicken satay that costed us IDR 50K, which means it was only SGD 0.10 per piece! Then there was also this very innocent question from our Singaporean friend who had the warm orange juice for the first time: how could it be warm? Well, the vendor just had to mix it with warm water, didn't he? In short, the cuisines were good and extremely affordable! Welcome to Yogyakarta!

When our driver rammed onto the rock in Merapi.

Indonesia Yang Menakjubkan: Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta adalah tempat yang bernuansa aneh tapi nyata, bahkan untuk standar orang Indonesia. Saya ingat ketika saya pertama kali mengunjungi kota ini 14 tahun silam, waktu seakan-akan berhenti dan gaya hidup di sana berjalan lebih pelan dari kota lainnya di tanah air kita. Ketika kita naik becak, saya melihat orang-orang begitu santai dan tidak terburu-buru. Sebagai tempat tinggal, beberapa teman saya menikmatinya, namun belum tentu demikian halnya bagi yang lain, termasuk saya.

Beda lagi ceritanya kalo Jogja adalah tempat tujuan wisata. Daerah Istimewa ini menawarkan begitu banyak hal yang menarik, mulai dari sejarah sampai budaya. Selain itu, biaya di Jogja juga ramah terhadap saku wisatawan dan makanannya pun murah dan enak. Penduduk di sana, orang Jawa, terkenal ramah dan sopan. Ada banyak penerbangan dari Singapura, Kuala Lumpur dan Jakarta, jadi banyak jalan menuju Jogja. Liburan selama empat hari tiga malam rasanya pas bagi yang ingin mengunjungi Jogja.

Pak Chandra and Hartono berpose dengan becak, tahun 2004.

Kunjungan pertama saya ke Yogyakarta adalah bagian dari perjalanan darat Jawa-Bali di tahun 2004. Ketika kita pulang dari Bali menuju Jakarta, kita singgah dan bermalam di Jogja. Berangkat pagi dari Solo, kita mengunjungi Candi Prambanan dan Borobudur sebelum menuju Jogja. Kita tiba menjelang senja dan di malam hari, kita naik becak keliling kota serta mengunjungi pabrik bakpia.

Setelah melihat Jogja secara sekilas, saya kembali lagi satu dekade kemudian, kali ini khusus untuk berlibur di sana. Berangkat bersama teman-teman Indonesia dan Singapura, kita tinggal di Ibis Malioboro yang terletak bersebelahan dengan Mal Malioboro. Lokasinya cukup strategis. Di hari pertama, kita menjelajahi Jalan Malioboro yang terkenal sebagai pusat perdagangan batik dan kerajinan tangan. Ketika kita terus berjalan, kita tiba di Kraton Yogyakarta yang ada di ujung jalan. Arsitekturnya sangat berbudaya lokal, lengkap dengan nuansa mistiknya.

Di Kraton Yogyakarta. 

Jogja juga memiliki banyak candi Hindu. Kita mulai rangkaian acara ini dengan kunjungan ke Candi Sambisari. Bangunannya lumayan, tapi yang lebih menarik lagi adalah pemandangan dan cuacanya. Selanjutnya kita pun menuju ke Prambanan. Sayang sekali banyak dari bangunan candi tersebut yang sudah runtuh terkena gempa. Kita akhirnya batal ke Borobudur karena situs bersejarah bagi umat Budha itu masih ditutup. Saat kita ke Jogja, ada sebuah gunung yang baru saja meletus sehingga abunya menutupi Borobudur.

Setelah candi-candi, kita lantas menjajal Gunung Merapi. Gunung aktif ini terasa mendebarkan, terutama karena ada beberapa tempat yang tanahnya masih mengepulkan asap. Kita juga mampir ke sebuah rumah yang dilalui oleh awan panas. Di situ terlihat bahwa barang dari bahan logam pun bisa meleleh, jadi tidak akan ada manusia yang bisa selamat jika terjebak bencana letusan gunung berapi! Agak seram suasananya, tapi segera terobati oleh petualangan dengan mobil 4WD yang melewati dataran tinggi dan lembah. Pemandangannya sangat indah dan kita berteriak riang seperti sekumpulan anak-anak ketika mobil jip yang kita tumpangi melaju melintasi sungai dangkal. Benar-benar pengalaman yang patut dikenang!

Oh ya, sebelum kita tutup cerita ini, mari berbincang sedikit tentang makanannya. Saya tidak ingat bahwa kita pernah mencicipi nasi gudeg selama di sana karena rasanya yang manis mungkin tidak cocok bagi orang Singapura. Kendati begitu, kita singgah di Ayam Goreng Mbok Berek yang terletak tidak jauh dari Prambanan. Kita juga memesan 50 tusuk sate di tepi jalan. Harganya 50 ribu rupiah, berarti satu tusuk cuma seribu rupiah! Kemudian ada lagi pertanyaan polos dari teman Singapura yang baru pertama kali mencicipi air jeruk hangat. Teman ini bingung, kenapa perasan jeruk bisa hangat? Tidak pernah terpikir olehnya kalau air jeruk perasan ini tinggal dicampur dengan air hangat, hehe. Singkat kata, makanan Jogja enak dan benar-benar terjangkau. Selamat datang di Yogyakarta!

Berfoto bersama air jeruk hangat.

South Korea: Inside Out

South Korea is like one of the coolest destinations on planet Earth these days. I remember the time when it seemed like all my colleagues and friends were visiting South Korea. Here's one country that is busy dominating the world with its culture, from the cuisines, fashion, K-Pop, films to technology. The word oppa (오빠) is so popular and widely used these days.

For many outsiders, the charm of South Korea is simply irresistible, but how does the country look like from the eyes of its citizens? I was curious, therefore I asked. I happened to have this South Korean colleague, Sangdon Jung, a man with a keen interest in photography (you can follow his Instagram account @sdjung), so I got him to share with us about his country.

Seoul.
Photo by Sangdon Jung.

It was impossible to talk about South Korea without mentioning Seoul, so we started from there instead. Three days in Seoul would be just nice. Places like Myeongdong (easily the most touristy spot and heaven for shoppers) and Gangnam (of Oppa Gangnam Style fame, a vibrant area filled up with funky restaurant, pub and club) were recommended. Not all Koreans could speak English, so I assumed it'd be like visiting Japan, where simple English plus hand signals would do the trick.

Once we were done with Seoul, the most famous getaway would be Jeju Island. Then of course there was Busan, a city that many of us first heard of through the movie with zombies in the train. What I never heard of was a city called Gyeongju. Apparently it was a very old city. Often referred to as the museum without wall, it sounded like an interesting destination for those who were into the history of Korea.

Gyeongju at night.
Photo by Sangdon Jung.

Next topic was the cuisines. The proper meal was like having a kimchi affair, with kimchi and a variety of side dishes filling up the whole table. Coming from an upbringing that taught me to finish the food on the table, the never ending side dishes were rather intimidating. But main course such as bibimbab or bulgogi were pretty alright. Also worth mentioning was buchimgae or Korean pancake.

After talking about where to go and what to eat, we dove into the topics I were curious about: how was it like to live and work in South Korea? It turned out that South Koreans lived quite a normal life. Work life balance was not an utopian dream, because it was achievable for some. During holiday, they'd go to countries such as Japan, the US or Southeast Asia (this might explain why I saw a lot of Koreans in Cebu, the Philippines). Some who loved winter would opt for skiing as South Korea had plenty of ski resorts.

Winter in Seoul.
Photo by Sangdon Jung.

Even though South Korea was known for tech giants such as Samsung and LG, the people were not averse to other foreign products. Our friend here was a fan of Apple. Same for the culture such as K-Pop and plastic surgery (if it was ever really part of the culture at all). K-Pop/Drama was popular, but not for everybody. As for the facial enhancement, I remember feeling confused when I watched Wonder Girls' music video called Nobody. I mean, they all so looked alike! More and more girls had undergone such surgery, though not to the liking or preference of the men.

Then we ventured to more daring questions. How did it feel to live next to a country led by Rocket Man? He was unpredictable! But being a neighbour that endured the constant threat had its advantage, apparently. Seoul was such a bustling city that the citizens had a lot to do instead of worrying about such uncertainty. I also learnt that while South Koreans were not permitted to travel to North Korea, they were once allowed to visit Mount Geumgang until the shooting incident in 2008.

The discussion was an eye-opener, really. Despite the fact that it was sandwiched by China and Japan, South Korea managed to stand out on its own proudly. Perhaps I'd plan a trip to South Korea one day...

Endrico and Lina in Jeju Island.
Photo owned by Endrico Richard. 

Korea Selatan Di Mata Penduduknya

Korea Selatan adalah salah satu tujuan wisata paling populer saat ini. Saya ingat ketika semua kolega dan teman sepertinya berlomba-lomba mengunjungi Korea Selatan. Negara ini kini sedang sibuk-sibuknya mendominasi dunia dengan berbagai budayanya, mulai dari makanan, mode, K-Pop film drama dan teknologinya. Seperti yang kita ketahui, kata oppa (오빠) sekarang sering terdengar di mana-mana.  

Bagi orang luar, pesona Korea Selatan sulit untuk dipungkiri, tetapi seperti apakah Korea Selatan di mata penduduknya? Saya penasaran, maka dari itu saya bertanya. Kebetulan saya memiliki kenalan di Seoul yang bernama Sangdon Jung, seorang kolega yang juga memiliki hobi fotografi (karya-karyanya bisa diikuti di akun Instagram @sdjung), jadi saya memintanya untuk berbagi cerita tentang negaranya. 

Rusa liar di Seoul.
Foto: Sangdon Jung.

Mustahil untuk berbincang tentang Korea Selatan tanpa menyinggung tentang Seoul, jadi kita mulai dari ibukota negara ini. Menurut Sangdon, tiga hari di Seoul harusnya cukup. Kawasan seperti Myeongdong (tempat yang paling sering dikunjungi turis dan surga bagi mereka yang senang berbelanja) dan Gangnam (yang terkenal karena lagu Oppa Gangnam Style dan dipenuhi dengan restoran dan tempat minum) tentu saja direkomendasikan. Perlu diingat pula bahwa tidak semua orang Korea bisa berbahasa Inggris, jadi saya berasumsi bahwa wisata ke Korea mirip dengan Jepang, dimana bahasa Inggris yang sederhana dan isyarat tangan pasti akan sangat membantu.

Setelah Seoul, tujuan wisata terkenal lainnya adalah Pulau Jeju. Kemudian ada lagi yang namanya Busan, yang mungkin pertama kali didengar orang asing dari film Korea yang mengetengahkan serangan zombi di kereta api. Yang tidak pernah saya dengar sebelumnya adalah kota Gyeongju. Setelah saya baca di internet, ternyata ini adalah sebuah kota tua yang telah berdiri di zaman sebelum Masehi. Kota ini seringkali disebut sebagai museum tanpa tembok, tentunya menarik bagi mereka yang ingin tahu tentang sejarah Korea.

Gyeongju.
Foto: Sangdon Jung

Berikutnya adalah topik makanan. Hidangan Korea yang disajikan secara lengkap, misalnya untuk makan malam, tidak ubahnya seperti pesta-pora. Meja akan dipenuhi dengan makanan kecil yang terdiri dari kimchi, kecambah dan lain-lain. Bagi kita yang diajarkan sedari kecil untuk tidak menyisakan makanan, santap malam gaya Korea yang disuguhi begitu banyak makanan kecil ini bisa terasa sangat menantang. Akan tetapi menu utama seperti bibimbab dan bulgogi lumayan enak. Buchimgae pun menarik untuk dicoba. Bagi yang menyukai aroma ginseng, samgye-tang juga bisa menjadi pilihan.

Dari kiri, searah jarum jam: Samgye-tang, kimchi, buchimgae dan samgye-tang dari dekat.
Foto: Mega Lee.

Setelah berbincang tentang ke mana dan apa yang bisa dimakan, kita lanjut ke topik yang ingin saya ketahui: bagaimana rasanya tinggal dan bekerja di Korea Selatan? Ternyata warga Korsel cukup menikmati hidup dan tidak senantiasa berkutat di kantor. Di waktu liburan, mereka senang mengunjungi Jepang, Amerika Serikat dan negara-negara di Asia Tenggara (saya jadi ingat dengan banyaknya orang Korea yang saya jumpai di Cebu, Filipina). Bagi mereka yang menyukai musim dingin, ada banyak tempat bermain ski di Korea Selatan. 

Meskipun Korea Selatan terkenal dengan perusahaan elektronik ternama seperti Samsung dan LG, orang-orang di sana tidak cinta buta terhadap produk mereka. Kolega saya ini lebih memilih Apple. Sama halnya juga dengan budaya seperti K-Pop dan operasi plastik (kalau ini bisa dikategorikan sebagai bagian dari budaya). K-Pop dan drama Korea juga terkenal di negaranya, walau tidak semua menyukainya. Demikian juga dengan operasi kecantikan wajah. Saya jadi ingat tentang betapa para gadis penyanyi di grup Wonder Girls terlihat mirip satu sama lain di video musik Nobody. Di kehidupan sehari-hari, ada banyak wanita Korea yang menjalani operasi plastik, meskipun para pria Korea belum tentu suka dan lebih memilih yang berpenampilan alami.

Malam yang sibuk di Seoul.
Foto: Sangdon Jung.

Kita lantas masuk lagi ke pertanyaan yang lebih menantang. Bagaimana rasanya tinggal bersebelahan dengan presiden yang suka meluncurkan rudal? Kim benar-benar tidak bisa ditebak! Kendati begitu, setelah bertetangga sekian lamanya dengan Korea Utara, warga Korea Selatan belajar untuk tidak peduli dan lebih fokus pada kesibukan sehari-hari. Saya juga baru tahu bahwa penduduk Korea Selatan tidak diijinkan untuk berkunjung ke negeri tetangga, kecuali ke daerah Gunung Geumgang yang memang khusus turis. Akan tetapi kawasan ini pun kini ditutup bagi wisatawan Korea Selatan setelah kasus penembakan yang terjadi di tahun 2008.  

Masukan dari Sangdon sungguh membuka wawasan! Meski terhimpit di antara Cina dan Jepang, Korea Selatan mampu berdiri tegak dan bangga akan budayanya. Mungkin suatu hari nanti saya harus berkunjung ke sana dan melihat sendiri... 

Seoul memiliki beraneka fauna yang menarik fotografer kita, misalnya yang satu ini.
Foto: Sangdon Jung.

A Life Less Ordinary (Part 2)

When I was a second grader in elementary school, a friend once said to me, "don't sit with a girl. You will be stung by the girl." But it turned out that I was sitting with a girl, so I pulled a sudden stunt that eventually scared her. It was an awful day, but certainly a day to remember. 

And how time flew so quickly. I remember when I was a six grader,  I farted in the class right before we ended the last lesson of the day. What a shameful thing to do! I thought I could resist the feeling triggered by my stomachache until I reached home, but I just couldn't help it and it came out as a puff. The teacher gave me the awkward look as he smelled it, haha.

Another highlight of my childhood is, you know that aside from playing arcade, we also ate as well as played kranji (or better known as velvet tamarind in English). Kranji fruit was black in color and had a shell that could be cracked open easily using our thumbnail. But instead of doing that, we had a game with it. Basically each of us would push our kranji against our opponent's and the one that didn't crack won the game and was allowed to take the loser's kranji.

I got a lucky kranji fruit that won me many games. I thought I would be busy eating by then, but there I was, busy defeating the challengers instead. Suddenly there was a competitor who cheated and broke my fruit. I was heart broken, too, and my rewards were gone like the wind. I was speechless on my way home and very determined to grow my own kranji so I could harvest more. But it didn't grow and the kranji season slowly passed...

Between "Want" And Commitment

It is just the 11th day of New Year. I am sure numbers of us have resolutions. And I am pretty sure although it is a new year resolution, the resolution itself might not be new. My resolution is to get fit, something that I didn't achieve last year because of my busy schedules. My resolution is travelling to Japan, which I couldn't make it due to budget constraint. Those are few samples of the repeated resolutions. 

Now, I’m not here to share about resolutions. You can name it anything, your objective, target, goal, wish or whatever name you like. Don’t tell me you don’t have one, because every sober minded person will definitely have at least one. Don’t bury them, get your goals back.

A friend just shared that this year she wants to make her parents and parents-in-law happy. What does it take to make them happy? Does she WANT to make them happy or is she COMMITTED to make them happy? If she is committed, has she already started planning? For example, if she wants them to travel together, has she decided where to go and when to go? By the way, on this happy parents thingy, just a piece of advice: what you think will make them happy might not make them happy, do discuss with them about your plan.

So back to the commitment and want. They are two different things. If you just want it, you will do it only when it is convenient. However, if  you are committed, you accept no excuses, only result. I can have many excuses, ranging from lack of resources, time, money, right people and so forth. Whatever it is, the truth is none of them matters. You do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. But then again, they are a lot of talking about commitment, saying about right things, but yet the behavior doesn’t align. What happen if you are just repeatedly saying right things but your attitude shows otherwise? People around you might say, "yeah, great, good job," but deep inside, they would think, "argh, not a chance."

Be honest to yourself, if you really want that shit to happen, hold yourself accountable for it. There should be some consequences when you fail, so you'll try your best to get it right. For example, when you commit to wake up at 5am in the morning but fail to do so, find some friends, treat them a good dinner. Write down what you'd like to do and really focus on getting it.

So what I want to share from this:

1. When the decision is made, you are doing it.
2. You turn up everyday despite the obstacles
3. No excuses, only result.
4. Don’t feel eager just because you have read this but;
5. Shut up and do the job, show the world the right attitude.

Lost in thought...