Age Of Calamity

I often said this and I'd say it again, "there are many great games out there, but there's only one legend." Yes, the Legend of Zelda stands out because of three things: a brilliant gameplay, a fascinating story and the music that is worthy of a legend. 

But even within the legend, there's one chapter that we're going to talk about for years to come: Breath of the Wild. The game was so good that it brought the word legend to an unprecedented level that we never knew it existed before. Breath of the Wild was a discovery of what happened 100 years ago, when heroes lost, but one last hope remained. It was masterfully done.

The Princess.

But even after Ganon was defeated, it didn't change the past and how we knew so little about it. This left us wanting more. This made Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity a rather curious spin-off. How on earth could someone make a game out of a legend where the Champions died during the Great Calamity?

Now, when I said spin-off, you needed to know that Age of Calamity wasn't part of the Legend of Zelda. The gameplay certainly didn't feel like one. It was a simple hack-and-slash game. What made it special was the fact that it was endorsed by Nintendo.

The Calamity.

This was important and it resulted in a story so well-crafted, but yet the legend remained intact. The key in making this possible was Terrako. The diminutive Guardian didn't exist in Breath of the Wild. From the moment I saw it appearing in what looked like a time travel scene, I had this strange feeling that it would somehow change the story. True enough, it did, in a good way! 

Spoiler alert: because of Terrako's existence, the Champions survived! The story did follow the history as we knew it closely, but during their final moments, the Champions got a little help from... the future. From here onwards, a new timeline began. 

The Champions.
From left: Daruk, Mipha, Link, Urbosa and Revali.

So, for the first time ever, we had a chance to see the four Champions in action. Yes, we might have seen a glimpse of Mipha, Daruk, Revali and Urbosa in Breath of the Wild, when Link regained his memories. But to actually see the Champions riding the Divine Beasts and play all of them alongside Princess Zelda? That was wild! No pun intended!

One thing I couldn't help feeling about Breath of the Wild was a tinge of sadness that came with it. I mean, there were deaths that Link had to live with, as his victory was 100 years too late. Age of Calamity was a redemption that fans like me needed, an outcome that should have happened. It was good to have a second chance, even if it was only an alternate timeline...

Fixing Terrako.

Age Of Calamity

Saya sering mengatakan hal ini dan akan saya katakan sekali lagi, "ada banyak game bagus dalam 30 tahun terakhir ini, tapi hanya ada satu yang legendaris." Ya, the Legend of Zelda memang berbeda karena tiga faktor berikut ini: cara bermainnya yang unik, ceritanya yang bagus dan musiknya yang pantas disandingkan dengan legendanya. 

Akan tetapi di dalam legenda yang kaya akan beragam cerita ini pun hanya ada satu yang akan dibicarakan bertahun-tahun kemudian: Breath of the Wild. Game ini luar biasa bagusnya sehingga mendefinisikan ulang kata legenda ke level yang tidak pernah kita sangka ada sebelumnya. Breath of the Wild adalah sebuah petualangan yang membawa menemukan kembali apa yang terjadi 100 tahun silam, ketika semua pahlawan telah gugur dan menyisakan satu harapan terakhir. Sungguh sebuah maha karya. 

Princess Zelda.

Sewaktu kita mengalahkan Canon dan menamatkan game ini, ada perasaan bahwa masa yang telah lampau dan tidak banyak kita ketahui ini tidaklah berubah. Kita jadi berandai dan ingin menggali lebih dalam lagi tentang legenda ini. Karena inilah Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity menjadi episode yang unik dari cerita ini. Bagaimana caranya membuat game dari sebuah legenda dimana para pahlawannya gugur dalam era Great Calamity?

Sebelum kita berbicara lebih lanjut, perlu saya jelaskan bahwa Age of Calamity bukanlah bagian dari the Legend of Zelda. Cara bermainnya terasa berbeda, lebih menyerupai game perang Sam Kok yang menebas puluhan musuh di sekeliling kita. Yang membuat game ini istimewa adalah dukungan penuh dari Nintendo.

Link melawan Ganon.

Ini penting artinya dan berkat masukan dari Nintendo, ceritanya sangatlah menarik, tapi tidak mengusik legenda Breath of the Wild. Hal ini menjadi mungkin karena hadirnya Terrako, robot kecil yang sebelumnya tidak dikisahkan dalam Breath of the Wild. Saat saya melihat Terrako di awal cerita yang menyerupai adegan perjalanan ke masa silam, saya merasa bahwa robot mungil ini akan mengubah alur cerita. 

Spider alert: karena keterlibatan Terrako, para pahlawan pun selamat! Alur cerita Age of Calamity berjalan sesuai dengan apa yang kita ketahui dari Breath of the Wild, tapi di saat-saat terakhir mereka, para pahlawan mendapat bantuan dari... masa depan. Semenjak itu, alur cerita baru pun bermula. 

Para pahlawan.
Dari kiri: Daruk, Mipha, Link, Urbosa dan Revali.

Alhasil, untuk pertama kali kita bisa melihat sepak-terjang para pahlawan Hyrule selain Link. Ya, sebelumnya kita sudah melihat kilasan balik tentang Mipha, Daruk, Revali and Urbosa lewat Breath of the Wild, tatkala Link memperoleh kembali ingatannya tentang masa lalu, tapi ini tentu saja tidak sebanding dengan melihat langsung para pahlawan ini menunggangi Divine Beasts dan bermain sebagai mereka dan bertarung di samping Princess Zelda! Sensasinya berbeda dan terasa luar biasa. 

Satu hal yang senantiasa menaungi Breath of the Wild adalah nuansa sedih di sepanjang cerita. Meskipun Link akhirnya berhasil menumpas Canon, teman-temannya telah tiada dan kemenangannya terasa terlambat 100 tahun. Age of Calamity bagaikan kesempatan untuk menebus kembali apa yang gagal dilakukan. Kemenangan dalam game ini adalah sebuah hasil akhir yang seharusnya terjadi. Senang rasanya bisa mendapatkan kesempatan kedua, meskipun hanya di alur waktu yang berbeda dan di luar legenda sesungguhnya...

The Parenting Expectation

Every parents want their children to excel in school. The intention is noble, alright, but in reality, the execution can be quite messy. Children feel like being forced to do something they don't like, parents are exhausted and frustrated by the disobedience and stubbornness.

Case in point was my daughter Linda. Sometimes I couldn't help smiling when I saw her studying under the watchful eyes of her Mum. She did quite alright in mathematics (though she definitely could be better, haha), but she was obviously struggling to maintain her interest in Chinese language. 

This is where it got a bit conflicting. As a parent, I really wished that she studied hard so that she'd do well, but if I recalled how I fared when I was her age, I was not any better. I remember taking English lessons from various tuition centres and none could get me speaking fluently. I would pretend to be sleepy or sick when it was time to go for tuition and Mum would yell at me, too. 

When she was doing her art.
Photo by: Yani Evelyn Robinson

Based on my experience, I learnt almost zilch when I had no interests. It would only work for me when I was motivated. That's how I picked up English. It's because I love the Beatles and was inspired by them. And that daughter of mine was 50% me. It might be too early to tell now, but she was probably the same as me, hence things would work out the same way, too. 

So how to draw the line between the parenting expectation and the fact that she might inherit 50% of my traits? I guess to certain extent, being parents means giving the kids the right amount of exposure. Right as in strict enough for their own good, but not burdening them with unnecessary stress or even our own personal ambition. What good is number one when she's not a happy kid? Not everyone is meant to be academically inclined, anyway.

If there was one thing different from my daughter's young life and my childhood, that has to be the fact that parents these days are more attentive, open-minded and keen to develop the kid's talent. I like this idea better and I think this should be the right thing to do. Linda is a good and happy kid. She's playful, creative in her own way and, most importantly, has an interest in art. That, perhaps, is what my wife and I should really encourage her to do...

Linda's cartoon about COVID-19.
(Read from top left, clockwise)

Harapan Orang Tua

Setiap orang tua pastilah menginginkan agar anaknya sukses di sekolah. Tujuan ini lazim dan mulia, tapi pelaksanaannya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari seringkali tidak semulus yang dibayangkan. Terkadang anak merasa dipaksa untuk mengerjakan apa yang tidak mereka sukai dan alhasil, orang tua juga cape dan frustrasi karena ketidakpatuhan anak. 

Contoh dalam kasus ini adalah putri saya Linda. Ada kalanya saya jadi tersenyum simpul sewaktu melihat dia belajar di bawah pengawasan ibunya. Dia tergolong bisa dalam mengerjakan matematika, tapi terlihat betul bahwa dia tidak memiliki minat dalam mempelajari bahasa Mandarin. 

Saya jadi merasakan konflik di dalam hati saat melihat hal ini. Sebagai orang tua, saya sungguh berharap bahwa dia belajar lebih keras lagi supaya menguasai bahasa Mandarin, namun saya juga ingat bahwa di saat saya seumuran dengannya, saya pun tidak lebih baik. Saya kursus di sana-sini, tapi tetap saja tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris. Bila tiba waktunya untuk pergi kursus, saya juga pura-pura sakit atau mengantuk dan ibu saya pun marah-marah. 

Berdasarkan pengalaman saya, jikalau tidak memiliki minat, hasil dari apa saya pelajari nyaris tidak ada. Beda ceritanya kalau saya termotivasi. Inilah alasannya kenapa saya jadi menguasai bahasa Inggris: karena saya terinspirasi oleh the Beatles. Nah, putri saya ini boleh dikatakan 50% diri saya. Walau terlalu dini untuk menilainya sekarang, mungkin saja dia pun sama seperti saya. 

Ketika Linda sedang menggambar.
Foto: Yani Evelyn Robinson.

Jadi bagaimana caranya agar netral antara harapan orang tua dan fakta bahwa 50% karakternya adalah warisan dari saya? Sampai batas tertentu, saya rasa menjadi orang tua berarti memberikan kesempatan yang layak bagi anak dalam mengenyam pendidikan. Saya harus cukup tegas demi kebaikannya, tapi jangan sampai membuat dia merasa tertekan, apalagi sampai memaksakan kehendak saya. Apa gunanya menjadi nomor satu di kelas kalau dia tidak bahagia? Lagipula tidak semua orang bisa sukses dalam hal akademik. 

Jika ada satu hal yang membedakan kehidupan saya dan putri saya sekarang, maka itu adalah kecenderungan orang tua zaman sekarang dalam memperhatikan dan mengembangkan talenta anaknya. Saya pikir ini adalah ide yang bagus. Linda anak yang baik dan riang. Dia lucu, kreatif dan memiliki minat dalam bidang seni. Mungkin ini yang seharusnya lebih menjadi fokus saya dan istri...

Alan Freeman Days

I had been listening to Alan Freeman Days on daily basis recently. The song sung by the late Robin Gibb was upbeat and the lyrics told a beautiful story of a bygone era. The three lines below were... captivating.

The magic would emerge

On Radio Luxembourg

That I heard back when I was younger

People listen to Spotify these days. At the very least, you can search and play the songs you'd like to hear on YouTube. We don't even really talk about downloading songs anymore as we're so used to streaming music now.  That's how advanced we are today.

Track #3: Alan Freeman Days.

What most of us would have taken for granted was non-existent back then. In the 50s, teenagers in UK would listen to Radio Luxembourg, the only station that played something new and exciting at that time: rock n' roll. Yes, it was Radio Luxembourg (and Alan Freeman was the deejay), because BBC didn't play this kind of music. Bad though the reception might be, it was through Radio Luxembourg that youngsters first heard of Chuck Berry, Little Richard and, of course, Elvis Presley.

It might be hard to imagine now, but it was a big deal. Prior to rock n' roll, what they had was the Great American Songbook. Stuff like Bye Bye Blackbird, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Moon River. Try listening to these songs and you'd know why rock n' roll mattered. The latter was wild and the singers looked hip (though this wasn't the case for Bill Haley, haha). Simply put, it was nothing like what they'd heard and seen before. 

The Beatles in Australia, 1964. 
Source: https://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/

Four out of so many listeners of Radio Luxembourg would become the Beatles. When John, Paul, George and Ringo came to Australia in 1964, they were so well received. Around 300 thousands people turned up to see them. Robin and his brothers were living in Australia at that time and the arrival of the Beatles was an eye-opener. It was like seeing the messiah and it reaffirmed what they always wanted to do: music.

Fast forward to the future, when Robin wrote and sang these lines, they meant a lot to fans like me:

And with Lennon and Bolan gone

And the music their memoriam

And the past is part of all our lives

And my brother Maurice is staying alive

Bolan was Marc Bolan, famous for a song called Get It On. Lennon was, of course, John Lennon. To hear Robin sang about him was very surreal. Just like many of us, Robin was a fan of John, too. Indeed the music was their memoriam. Long after he'd gone, his music was an everlasting legacy for us. Then finally Robin mentioned about his twin brother Maurice within the same sentence that used the phrase staying alive. If you were a Bee Gees fan, it would make you smile. It was bittersweet.

This then got me thinking about the guessing game I had a while ago with my highs school friends via our chat group. Funny how some of us couldn't remember the song titles from our time, but could guess correctly older songs such as Leaving on a Jet Plane. I reckon songs in the 80s and 90s were good, but those written in the 60s and 70s? They were meant to last forever.

If you never heard of Alan Freeman and Radio Luxembourg before, I hope you learnt something from the brief history above. Without people like him, we wouldn't have artists like the Beatles and the Bee Gees. Without them, we wouldn't have the old songs we know and love today. It would have been a very different world if we never had Alan Freeman Days in the 50s...

Alan Freeman Days

Belakangan ini saya hampir setiap hari mendengarkan lagu Alan Freeman Days. Lagu yang dinyanyikan mendiang Robin Gibb ini pas temponya dan liriknya bercerita tentang sebuah kisah di masa silam. Tiga baris berikut ini sungguh membuat saya menerawang kembali: 

The magic would emerge

On Radio Luxembourg

That I heard back when I was younger

Sekarang ini Spotify adalah cara paling mutakhir dalam mendengarkan lagu. Bila anda tidak menggunakan Spotify, anda masih bisa mencari dan memutar lagu favorit anda di YouTube. Zaman sekarang orang bahkan tidak lagi mengunduh lagu, sebab semua sudah terbiasa mendengarkan langsung lewat internet. 

Track #3: Alan Freeman Days.

Apa yang mungkin kita anggap lumrah ini sama sekali tidak terbayangkan dulu. Di tahun 50an, para remaja di Inggris sibuk menyetel radio untuk menangkap siaran Radio Luxembourg, satu-satunya stasiun yang menyiarkan sesuatu yang baru dan asyik pada masa itu: rock n' roll. Ya, Radio Luxembourg (dan Alan Freeman adalah DJ-nya), sebab BBC tidak memutar rock n' roll. Meski terkadang buruk sinyalnya, lewat Radio Luxembourg inilah para remaja pertama kali mendengarkan Chuck Berry, Little Richard dan tentu saja Elvis Presley.

Anda mungkin susah membayangkan betapa pentingnya hal ini. Sebagai informasi, sebelum rock n' roll, apa yang biasa diputar di radio adalah lagu-lagu the Great American Songbook, misalnya Bye Bye Blackbird, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Moon River. Anda coba dengarkan lagu-lagu ini dan anda bisa mengerti kenapa rock n' roll memiliki daya tarik tersendiri bagi remaja pada saat itu. Musiknya jelas lebih liar dan mantap untuk berjingkrak. Penyanyinya pun lebih muda dan menarik (walau tidak demikian halnya untuk Bill Haley, haha). Secara singkat, rock n' roll itu berbeda dengan apa yang pernah mereka dengar dan lihat sebelumnya. 

The Beatles di Australia, 1964. 
Sumber: https://www.manningrivertimes.com.au/

Empat dari begitu banyak pendengar Radio Luxembourg ini kelak menjadi the Beatles. Ketika John, Paul, George dan Ringo tur ke Australia di tahun 1964, mereka disambut sekitar 300 ribu penggemar yang tumpah-ruah di jalan. Robin, Barry dan Maurice saat itu tinggal di Australia dan kedatangan the Beatles membuka pandangan mereka. Rasanya seperti melihat mesias dan mereka pun menjadi yakin bahwa bermusik adalah jalan hidup mereka.  

Berpuluh-puluh tahun kemudian, ketika Robin menulis dan menyanyikan bait berikut ini, suaranya menyentuh hati penggemar seperti saya:

And with Lennon and Bolan gone

And the music their memoriam

And the past is part of all our lives

And my brother Maurice is staying alive

Bolan adalah Marc Bolan yang terkenal dengan lagu Get It On. Lennon tentu saja John Lennon. Ada kesan tersendiri saat mendengar Robin bernyanyi tentang John. Seperti halnya kita, Robin juga seorang penggemar. Benar katanya bahwa musik John adalah kenangan yang abadi tentang dirinya. Kemudian Robin bernyanyi tentang saudara kembarnya Maurice dalam kalimat yang juga menyertakan frase staying alive. Jika anda adalah penggemar Bee Gees, kesengajaan Robin ini akan membuat anda tersenyum.

Saya lantas teringat dengan permainan tebak lagu yang saya adakan beberapa waktu lalu di grup chat teman SMA. Lucu juga rasanya bahwa lagu-lagu dari generasi kita ternyata tidak diingat dengan baik judulnya. Yang lebih berkesan di ingatan teman-teman justru tembang lawas seperti Leaving on a Jet Plane. Lagu-lagu tahun 80an dan 90an memang bagus, tapi yang ditulis di dekade 60an dan 70an? Lagu-lagu ini akan bertahan selamanya.

Jika sebelum ini anda tidak tahu tentang Alan Freeman dan Radio Luxembourg, saya harap sejarah singkat di atas membuka wawasan anda. Tanpa orang seperti Alan, kita tidak akan memiliki musisi seperti the Beatles dan Bee Gees. Tanpa grup-grup musik ini, kita tidak akan mendengar lagu lama yang enak di telinga dan kita cintai. Akhir kata, dunia ini akan sangat berbeda jika bintang seperti Robin tidak pernah mengalami Alan Freeman Days di tahun 50an...

The Final Lesson

I saw Dad's name on my phone's address book as I looked for other people's contact the other day. Dad used a prepaid card and of course the number wasn't his anymore by now. I wasn't sure why I still kept it, but I was somewhat reluctant to delete it away. Probably it was my way of honoring his memory or perhaps I just wanted to preserve the last link between us.

Whatever the reason was, seeing his name brought me back to our last moments together. I remember his voice. The tone was so normal and positive that he didn't sound like a sick man. I thought it was just me, but even my wife, Endrico and Alvin told me so when they spoke with Dad. It was kind of sad that I would never hear it again if I ever pressed that number. 

Then I remembered the new Xiaomi Redmi 7 phone that I bought for him. He only managed to use it for two weeks before he passed away, but he was so happy when I created a Facebook account on the phone for him. It was a childlike happiness. He was so amazed that he could find so many family and friends on Facebook. I remember him adding them excitedly while telling me the short story of each person he added. 

I never dreamed of Dad since he left us last June. I took it as a good sign, that he had left this world peacefully. I did speak with my wife about him from time to time, though. There and then, as all these good memories flashed back the moment I saw his name on phone, I couldn't help smiling. 

Even in his death, Dad still taught me one final lesson: the quality of your life would reflect on how your dearest ones spoke so fondly of it. Dad was not a saint and he made a plenty of mistakes, too, but he did a good job living his life. His greatest legacy? The time he spent for being my Dad. 

Dad's Facebook account.

Pelajaran Terakhir

Baru-baru ini, ketika saya mencari kontak di telepon genggam saya, secara kebetulan saya melihat nama Papa. Dulu beliau menggunakan kartu prabayar, jadi sudah pasti bahwa nomor yang saya simpan ini bukan lagi miliknya. Saya tidak tahu pasti kenapa saya masih menyimpannya, tapi saya juga agak sungkan untuk menghapusnya. Mungkin ini cara saya untuk mengenang ayah, mungkin juga karena saya ingin menyimpan sesuatu yang bersifat pribadi antara saya dan ayah. 

Apapun alasannya, saat melihat namanya, saya jadi terkenang dengan saat-saat terakhir bersama Papa sebelum dia tak sadarkan diri. Saya ingat suaranya. Nadanya begitu normal dan positif, sama sekali tidak terdengar seperti orang sakit. Saya sempat mengira bahwa hanya saya yang berpikir seperti itu, tapi istri saya, Endrico dan Alvin juga berpendapat sama saat mereka mengobrol dengan Papa. Agak sedih rasanya bahwa saya tidak akan bisa mendengar suara ini lagi bilamana saya menekan nomor yang tersimpan ini. 

Saya lantas teringat dengan Xiaomi Redmi 7 baru yang saya belikan untuknya. Papa hanya sempat menggunakannya selama dua minggu sebelum dia meninggal, namun dia begitu gembira saat saya membuatkan akun Facebook untuknya. Ya, kegembiraan yang polos dan tanpa beban seperti kanak-kanak. Dia sangat senang bisa menemukan kembali saudara dan teman-temannya di Facebook. Saat Papa menambahkan teman satu persatu di akunnya, dia pun bercerita singkat tentang mereka.  

Saya tidak pernah bermimpi tentang Papa sejak dia meninggal di bulan Juni lalu. Saya anggap ini adalah pertanda baik bahwa dia telah meninggalkan dunia ini dengan tenang. Kendati begitu, terkadang saya masih berbicara dengan istri saya tentang Papa. Ketika saya melihat namanya dan kembali terkenang tentang Papa, saya jadi tersenyum. 

Bahkan setelah dia wafat pun Papa masih meninggalkan satu pelajaran terakhir untuk saya: kualitas kehidupan kita akan tercermin dari apa yang dibicarakan oleh mereka yang mencintai kita. Papa bukanlah orang suci dan dia berbuat kesalahan semasa hidupnya, tapi dia hidup sebaik yang dia bisa. Peninggalannya yang paling berharga? Waktu yang dia gunakan untuk menjadi seorang ayah bagi saya.  

Book Review: The Travels Of Marco Polo

Marco Polo was, probably, the first travel blogger, except he didn't write it himself. Yes, I just knew it after I picked up the book. I thought it was like from one traveller to another, so I read his book. It turned out that the Travels was written by another guy named Rustichello da Pisa. Marco was jailed in Genoa when he shared his story with his fellow inmate. Their collaboration eventually became the book that shook the whole Europe.

In order to understand the significance, imagine the time before Google and AirAsia. The travels happened long ago in early 1270s. Not many were crazy enough to travel that far to the East, or to the West, if we were talking about the Asians. It took years and the journey was perilous. There were deserts and bandits, not to mention warring kingdoms. As a result, people from both sides of the planet vaguely knew there were other kingdoms on the opposite side, but due to lack of contacts, they barely knew what was going on there. 

Those that made it and returned home safely, they didn't tell their story or didn't do a good job in doing so. In fact, the first Polo to reach Cathay (North China) was Marco's father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, but yet they didn't bother to write a book about it. What Marco did in jail to pass time was, perhaps, the most important coincidence that changed the world. It inspired Columbus and many more explorers after him.

Now, after hearing all the hype, how was the book like? I had to say it was pretty boring, haha. I struggled reading it and almost fell asleep pretty often. The writing style was descriptive and Marco Polo himself was mentioned only in passing. The focus was more on each city he visited, for example what the culture was like (some were nice, some allowed strangers to sleep with their wife and daughters, etc.) and whether they were idolaters, Christian or Mahometan (the latter meant Islam, but throughout the book, Marco called them Mahometan). After reading the same info over and over again, you'd roughly get the idea and tend to skip those pages with similar content. 

If I needed such info, I'd browse Wikipedia. But if I looked at it from the perspective of people from Medieval time, this book was beyond the wildest dream. Marco told a tale about cities that were unheard of by people at that time. Names as foreign as Khanbaliq and Shangdu (which would be known to the world as Xanadu) that filled up a book as thick as 300 pages, they couldn't be just some fantasy, could they? The mystery was probably what sold the book.

For modern day's readers such myself, first and foremost, it was the travels that were charming. Marco travelled from Europe to Israel, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, from the driest land to the highest snowy mountains, before entering Cathay from Xinjiang. Then when he was in China, he travelled not only in Cathay, but also went to Manzi (Southern China). He even visited Tibet and Myanmar, where he heard of people from Bengal. But scholars couldn't help noticing that Marco actually failed to mention about the Great Wall. 

Anyway, whether he was really there or not, his story about the journey back to Venice was equally mind-blowing. He told about this island called Japan. He sailed from Cathay to Vietnam and then Sumatra (from the route, it was unlikely that he ever visited Java, but he probably heard of it and included Java in his story, too). After that, he continued to Sri Lanka, India and Iran. From there, he headed to Turkey and back to Europe.

Crazy, huh? What made the journey even crazier was, together with his father and uncle, he became the honorable guests of Kublai Khan, the greatest emperor of his time. If you'd like to know how great the emperor was, the Mongol Empire covered part of Europe (Russia included), Persia (that's Iran) and China (even kingdoms as far as Vietnam paid tribute to the Great Khan). So, yeah, Marco literally got a friend in a high place and he offered a glimpse of how history could have been different. 

As mentioned earlier, Nicollò and Maffeo Polo were the first Italians to reach Cathay. The reason why they left was partly because the Great Khan asked them to sent a letter to the Pope. Kublai Khan was curious about Christianity and he requested the Pope to send 100 missionaries, but the problem was, Pope Clement IV already died when the Polo brothers reached Europe. The new Pope was only elected when Nicollò and Maffeo began their journey with Marco, so in a rush, he only managed to secure two friars whom immediately ran for their life in the face of danger.

Years later, if Marco's account was to be trusted, the Great Khan did say that he couldn't be a Christian because unlike any idolaters from India, the Christian people didn't seem to be capable of doing magic. As the Great Khan, Kublai simply couldn't afford to be seen as endorsing the weakest religion. Too bad, eh? If only things went well, it'd be interesting to see how China looked like these days...

The story is ancient, the book is also old!

Ulasan Buku: Perjalanan Marco Polo

Marco Polo bisa dikatakan sebagai blogger pertama tentang kunjungan ke luar negeri, hanya saja dia ternyata tidak menulis sendiri ceritanya. Ya, saya baru tahu setelah saya baca bukunya. Sebagai sesama pelancong, suatu hari saya terpikir untuk membaca karyanya. Setelah saya simak, ternyata buku ini sebenarnya ditulis oleh pengarang yang bernama Rustichello da Pisa. Sewaktu Marco dipenjara di Genoa, Marco mengisahkan petualangannya kepada teman satu sel. Kolaborasi mereka inilah yang akhirnya menjadi buku yang mengguncang Eropa.

Untuk memahami betapa berpengaruhnya buku ini, anda harus bayangkan zaman sebelum Google dan AirAsia. Perjalanan ini terjadi berabad-abad silam di awal tahun 1270an. Saat itu tidak banyak yang nekad untuk pergi sejauh itu ke arah Timur bumi ini, atau Barat, kalau kita lihat Eropa dari sudut pandang orang Asia. Butuh waktu bertahun-tahun lamanya dan bahaya pula perjalanannya. Para pedagang yang berangkat harus melewati banyak padang pasir dan senantiasa dihadang para bandit. Belum lagi kalau mereka terjebak di tengah dua kerajaan yang sedang berperang. Karena sulitnya perjalanan, orang-orang dari dua sisi bumi ini tahu bahwa ada kerajaan lain nun jauh di sana, tapi terselubung oleh misteri karena minimnya kontak. Bagi orang Eropa, bangsa Mongol ini disebut Tartar karena mereka terkenal kejam bagaikan penghuni Tartarus yang berarti neraka dalam mitologi Yunani.

Jika ada beberapa gelintir pengelana yang berhasil mencapai Timur Jauh dan kembali dengan selamat, mereka tidak bercerita atau mengisahkan perjalanan mereka dengan baik. Bahkan Niccolò dan Maffeo Polo, ayah dan paman Marco yang lebih dulu mencapai Cathay (Cina Utara) tidak pernah berpikir untuk menulis buku. Apa yang Marco ceritakan saat berada di penjara menjadi suatu kebetulan yang luar biasa penting dalam mengubah sejarah peradaban manusia. Kisahnya menjadi inspirasi bagi Columbus dan penjelajah yang bermunculan setelahnya.

Nah, setelah mendengarkan ulasan betapa berpengaruhnya buku ini, sebenarnya seperti apa isinya? Jujur saya katakan bahwa buku ini sangat membosankan, haha. Saya berjuang menahan kantuk saat membaca. Penulisannya bersifat deskriptif dan Marco Polo sendiri hanya disinggung secara selintas di beberapa bagian buku. Jadi fokus buku ini lebih kepada kota yang ia kunjungi, misalnya seperti apa budaya kota tersebut (ada yang sopan, ada yang barbar, ada pula yang memiliki tradisi mempersilahkan orang asing untuk berhubungan intim dengan istri dan putrinya) dan juga agama yang dianut penduduk setiap kota (apakah mereka penyembah berhala, Nasrani atau Mahometan alias Islam). Setelah membaca informasi yang sama berulang-ulang, saya jadi cenderung melewati halaman yang kurang lebih sama isinya. 

Terus-terang saja, kalau saya butuh info seperti itu, saya akan cari di Wikipedia. Namun orang Abad Pertengahan tidak memiliki internet dan bagi mereka, buku ini sungguh mencengangkan. Marco bercerita tentang negeri asing di ujung dunia dengan kota-kota yang aneh namanya, seperti Khanbaliq dan Shangdu (yang kemudian lebih dikenal sebagai Xanadu). Kisah setebal 300 halaman ini tidak mungkin hanya sekedar dongeng belaka, bukan? Misteri inilah yang mungkin membuat pembaca terinspirasi. 

Bagi pembaca zaman sekarang seperti saya, yang paling mengesankan adalah petualangan Marco Polo. Dia datang dari Eropa ke Israel, lalu melintasi Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan. Dia berkelana melewati gurun yang paling kering serta gunung yang tinggi dan bersalju sebelum memasuki Cathay dari Xinjiang. Tatkala berada di Cina, dia tak hanya mengunjungi kota-kota di Cathay, tapi juga pergi ke Manzi (Cina Selatan), Tibet dan Myanmar.  

Meskipun mereka yang terpelajar meragukan Marco karena dia tidak pernah berkomentar tentang Tembok Raksasa Cina, apa yang dia kisahkan cukup akurat. Perjalanan pulangnya pun tidak kalah serunya. Dia bercerita tentang negeri di seberang lautan yang bernama Jepang. Dia berlayar dari Cathay ke Vietnam dan Sumatera (dari rutenya, sepertinya Marco tidak singgah ke Jawa, tapi mungkin dia mendengar tentang pulau ini, lalu dimasukkan pula ke dalam ceritanya). Selanjutnya dia meneruskan perjalanan laut ke Sri Lanka, India dan Iran. Dari sini, dia kembali ke Eropa lewat Turki.  

Luar biasa, bukan? Tapi yang lebih dashyat lagi adalah posisinya sebagai tamu kehormatan Kublai Khan yang tersohor. Kalau anda ingin tahu sehebat apa kekuasaan Kublai Khan pada saat itu, Kekaisaran Mongolia mencakup sebagian Rusia dan Eropa, Persia dan seluruh Cina. Bahkan kerajaan sejauh Vietnam pun mengirimkan upeti kepada Kublai Khan. Jadi teman Marco ini bukan teman sembarang teman. 

Di sini Marco mengisahkan sepenggal cerita yang nyaris mengubah Asia. Seperti yang telah dijelaskan sebelumnya, Nicollò and Maffeo Polo adalah orang-orang Italia pertama yang mencapai Cathay. Mereka kembali ke Eropa karena diminta Kublai Khan untuk mengantarkan surat ke Paus di Roma. Khan Agung ini tertarik dengan ajaran Yesus dan di dalam suratnya, ia meminta agar Paus mengirimkan 100 orang misionaris. Masalahnya adalah, sewaktu kakak beradik Polo tiba di Eropa, Paus Clement IV sudah wafat. Penggantinya baru terpilih setelah Nicollò dan Maffeo memulai perjalanan kembali ke Cathay bersama Marco. Karena tergesa-gesa, Paus yang baru ini hanya sempat memanggil dua orang biarawan. Di kala keluarga Polo dihadang bahaya di awal perjalanan, dua biarawan ini lari terbirit-birit meninggalkan mereka.

Beberapa tahun kemudian, berdasarkan cerita Marco, Kublai Khan berkata padanya bahwa dia tidak bisa memeluk agama Nasrani karena penganutnya biasa-biasa saja, tidak seperti pemuja berhala dari India yang bisa sihir. Apa kata dunia kalau seorang Khan memilih agama yang tidak kelihatan sakti? Jika saja sejarah berkata lain, hari ini Cina mungkin menjadi negara Katolik terbesar di dunia... 

City Vs. Nature

I woke up with this thought in mind: city or nature? Gosh, I must have missed traveling so much! I just had to get this out of my system, didn't I? So what will be the answer? To me, it's obvious. I love cities, but that's not to say I simply dislike nature. It's more complicated than that. 

Between the two options, I didn't really have good experiences with nature. The few trips I had, including Temajo and Boracay, were not exactly enjoyable. Perhaps I didn't really know how to appreciate the beauty of nature. To me, it was like, "okay, it's nice, but what should we do next?" 

Island hopping in Boracay. I don't think I enjoyed this, haha.
Photo by Yani Evelyn Robinson. 

I remember that as a kid, I had a three-hour car ride from Pontianak to Pasir Panjang. Once we reached there, all that I saw was a long stretch of sandy beach with endless waves came into shore. We were under the sun, playing with the waves, but it was only a matter of time before it started to get boring. It was the same with Temajo. Time passed really slow when we were supposed to relax and I felt inept when we started exploring the island. Being adventurous in the wilderness just wasn't for me. I was very much a city boy that my fondest memories in Boracay were sisig, the band that sang November Rain and the Da Vinci Code that was showing on TV.

I found it not sustainable to only go for nature. The story would be different if the sightseeing was part of the itinerary. For example, I cherished the visit to Chocolate Hills in Bohol and the time in Xihu, Hangzhou. The former was unique and the latter was majestic, but most importantly, I spent just the right amount of time to admire their beauty and by the end of the day, I got to go back to the city I originally visited to do another things.

In Chocolate Hills. Don't mind the expression. It was the sun!
Photo by Yani Evelyn Robinson.

So, yeah, pure nature just didn't work for me. Cities were better, but to be more precise, what I meant here were modern cities that are big and safe. Tokyo and Osaka were excellent examples. Not only it was easy to get around thanks to the extensive metro system, it also felt safe even at night (I somehow remember Dōtonbori). Choices of food were abundant. Attractions were aplenty and easily reachable. The good coverage of Google Maps was definitely a great help for me to explore the city.

Less advanced cities such as Yangon or Surabaya were notably harder to navigate around as they lacked of metro systems. Luckily, this problem was more or less resolved by Uber and Grab. But still these cities weren't pedestrian-friendly, which was too bad. As of why this mattered, that's because I loved walking since a long time ago. Back when I was living in Pontianak, I used to walk around with my friend Parno. Then, in Singapore, walking had become part of life. 

Exploring Singapore on foot with Endrico and Parno.

Up until here, you might have noticed that I mentioned metro twice. I just loved this transportation! It was practical and you wouldn't go wrong with it. Language barrier wouldn't be an issue here, because you just had to look at the map. The same reference was also useful in planning the route we would be taking. 

To summarize the answer of city vs. nature, I'd say this: always planned for cities with a slight detour to nature! I remember Hiroshima and the visit to Miyajima. I remember Guilin and the visit to Yangshuo. They were cool and memorable.

Cruising on the Li River, Yangshuo.
Photo by Yani Evelyn Robinson.

Wisata Kota Atau Alam?

Seminggu lalu saya terbangun dengan pertanyaan ini di benak saya: wisata kota atau alam? Sepertinya saya memang sudah butuh jalan-jalan sehingga sampai terbawa mimpi, haha. Kalau sudah seperti ini, saya perlu menuangkannya dalam bentuk tulisan. Jadi apa jawabannya? Bagi saya pribadi, saya lebih suka kota, tapi tidak lantas berarti saya tidak suka alam sama sekali. 

Di antara dua pilihan ini, saya tidak memiliki pengalaman yang menyenangkan tentang wisata alam. Beberapa liburan yang saya lalui, termasuk masa-masa di Temajo and Boracay, tidak begitu saya nikmati. Ini mungkin karena saya tidak begitu mengerti cara menikmati keindahan alam. Rasanya seperti, "oh ya, bagus sekali, tapi apa acara berikutnya?" 

Berlayar dari pulau ke pulau di Boracay. Saya tidak begitu menikmati ini, haha. 
Foto oleh Yani Evelyn Robinson. 

Sewaktu kecil, saya pernah menempuh jalan darat selama tiga jam dari Pontianak ke Pasir Panjang. Tatkala sampai di sana, sepanjang mata memandang, yang terlihat adalah pantai pasir dan ombak yang menggulung tiada henti ke arah saya. Di bawah terik matahari, saya diajak menikmati terjangan ombak, tapi lama-kelamaan bosan juga. Sama halnya ketika di Temajo. Waktu berjalan pelan saat kita bersantai di pantai. Saat kita menjelajahi pulau, saya justru merasa tidak bisa berbuat banyak di lingkungan yang begitu asing bagi saya. Bertualang di alam benar-benar tidak cocok bagi saya karena saya cenderung memiliki karakter anak kota, sehingga kalau bicara tentang Boracay, yang terkenang oleh saya adalah sisig, grup musik yang membawakan lagu November Rain dan film Da Vinci Code yang kebetulan ditayangkan di TV.

Pokoknya liburan yang hanya berkunjung ke alam terasa tidak memiliki pesona yang tahan lama dan saya pun akan merasa bosan karena tak lagi tertarik. Akan berbeda halnya jikalau menikmati pemandangan alam adalah bagian dari rute perjalanan. Sebagai contoh, saya senang dengan kunjungan singkat ke Chocolate Hills di Bohol dan juga waktu yang saya habiskan di Xihu, Hangzhou. Yang pertama terlihat unik dan yang satunya lagi benar-benar bagus dan damai. Namun yang lebih penting lagi adalah, setelah puas menikmati keindahan alam, saya bisa kembali ke kota dan mengerjakan hal lainnya. 

Di Chocolate Hills. Abaikan ekspresi saya. Ini karena sinar matahari!
Photo by Yani Evelyn Robinson.

Jadi saya lebih menyukai kota. Lebih tepatnya lagi, saya suka kota-kota modern yang besar dan aman, misalnya Tokyo dan Osaka. Di kota seperti ini, mudah bagi kita untuk pergi ke mana-mana karena sistem kereta yang ekstensif. Selain itu juga tidak terasa was-was di malam hari (saat menulis ini, saya teringat dengan Dōtonbori). Pilihan makanan pun berlimpah. Atraksi ada di berbagai sudut kota dan mudah dijangkau. Di kota maju, Google Maps juga akurat sehingga nyaman bagi saya untuk menjelajah. 

Kota yang masih agak terbelakang seperti Yangon atau Surabaya tidaklah begitu praktis untuk jalan-jalan karena tidak memilik sistem kereta bawah tanah. Untung saja sekarang ada yang namanya Uber atau Grab. Kendati begitu, kota-kota ini tidak ramah pejalan kaki. Ini menjadi masalah karena saya senang berjalan kaki. Dari sejak di Pontianak, saya biasa berjalan kaki bersama teman saya Parno. Kemudian, di Singapura, kebiasaan ini menjadi bagian hidup sehari-hari. 

Berjalan kaki menjelajahi Singapore bersama Endrico dan Parno.

Sampai di sini, anda mungkin memperhatikan bahwa saya menyebut sistem kereta dua kali. Saya suka metode transportasi ini! Begitu gampang untuk digunakan dan bahasa pun tidak menjadi kendala, karena anda hanya perlu melihat peta. Jalur-jalur kereta ini juga sangat berguna untuk merencanakan rute keliling kota. 

Akhir kata, jawaban dari pertanyaan wisata kota atau kota bisa disimpulkan seperti ini: yang paling seru adalah liburan ke kota yang juga diselingi kunjungan ke alam. Saya ingat dengan Hiroshima dan persinggahan di Miyajima. Saya juga ingat dengan Guilin dan saat saya mampir ke Yangshuo. Benar-benar mengesankan. 

Berlayar di Li River, Yangshuo.
Foto oleh Yani Evelyn Robinson.

Muscles Don't Lie

I'm 40 something, half way to 50 years old, hahaha. Due to this awesome age, I have to be cautious with what I consume everyday. I need to put on more effort to shape up. Hi, it's me, Parno. It's been a while since I wrote a story of my life. 

In 2019, our high school friend successfully transformed his body to a six-pack dude 😁 and this became a topic in high school chat group. We wanted to shape up and live a happy life, therefore we challenged ourselves. The reward was Bruce Lee's iconic yellow costume. I was encouraged and inspired by the role model Eday Ng. 

After that, I joined the WhatsApp group for bodybuilding where all the members were determined to shape up with cardio exercise, jogging, anything! Every week I had to take the picture of my tummy as a proof of our daily exercise. I got so tired but I knew muscles didn't lie, so I focused again. But a week later, there was still no result while my body was feeling like being torn apart. I started to get used to this habit, though. I felt that my body was getting lighter, but the tummy remained the same and it looked just like this, haha.

Sexy body.

My activities went on for the next three months and the result was facinating. I managed to reduce my weight from 68kg to 65kg. I felt reliable. I seldom fell sick, that's the most important one. But about your tummy, get real, haha. Face it. Muscle don't lie. 

I'm still the same old Parno 😁 and in this 2020, the year of pandemic, I still maintain my body. My daily exercise is from Monday to Friday, one hour of work out per day. I do jumping jack, running on the same spot, sit up and push up, then close it with plank. Try it at home, I guarantee it's working.  

PS: in the end, I still got kicked out from the group by the role model 😂