Captain Thailand In Chiang Rai

The adventure of Captain Thailand and team continued! After two nights in Chiang Mai, we commenced our day trip to Chiang Rai. The sky was still dark when we left Novotel and headed to McDonald's right on front of Tha Phae Gate. We had our breakfast there, then waited to be picked up.

The tour guide name was Gesara. In the van, she briefed us about our destinations and their origins. None of the main attractions is very old, apparently. 

Visting the hot spring.

The first stop was a short one. We were just there to admire the Mae Kachan hot spring. The big one was kind of cool, though. It kept spouting water to the sky, but I had no idea if it was natural or relying on a mechanical pump, hehe. 

About one hour and 40 minutes later, we reached Wat Rong Khun, better known as the White Temple. Like I said earlier, the temple isn't from bygone era. It is new and the toilet, according to Cicilia, was easily the most decorated toilet she had even seen. The main temple is all white and very much ornamental. We were told that we could only go straight and we shouldn't turn back because the only way in heaven was forward. Inside the temple was a mural depicting popular characters such as Superman, Pikachu, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, etc. Ruling on top of them is, of course, the Buddha.

At the White Temple.

We had a buffet lunch before resuming our journey. Next stop was the Blue Temple or Wat Rong Suea Tan. The newest among the three destinations of the day, this temple has a lot of gigantic statues as well as the 12 animals of Chinese zodiac. Inside the temple was a statue of Buddha. While we were at this temple, we got the impression that Chiang Rai was bloody hot. 

After white and blue, the next color theme was black. It was a museum, though. The Black House, locally known as Baan Dam Museum, somehow reminded me of the traditional houses of Dayak or Minang ethnicity. The main building is filled with paintings and animal skins. There is a QR code next to each painting and scanning it would animate the object if you view it on your phone. There are also arts showing distorted male and female sex organs. It was a cultural thing. According to our tour guide, the northern part of Thailand used to be a kingdom called Lan Na and the people were naked then. 

Queuing at Aroy Dee.

That eventually concluded our tour. We headed back to the starting point: Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai. From there we walked to Aroy Dee. The Thai food here was cheap and good. I mean, we had stuff like omelette, green curry, tom yum, morning glory, chicken, coconut, smoothie and beer for five people and the bill was only THB 800! Highly recommended!

Then, as the day turned into our last night in Chiang Mai, we went to Rimping Supermarket at MAYA to buy some Thai flavored gift to bring back home. We saw some neon lights across the street when we first came here, so went to check it out this time. It was a happening place for beer and hangout, but after taking some pictures, we decided to go back to hotel instead. We still had one last agenda on the following day.

Visiting Doi Suthep.

And the last destination was Doi Suthep. We started early in the morning, we climbed 320 steps and, after doing a quick round of temple visit, we went to the viewing spot for sunrise. The city of Chiang Mai was right beneath us, but it was cloudy and foggy, so the rising sun wasn't visible.

We returned to the hotel area for breakfast. There's this place called Black Gooseberry. Must be a popular eatery in Chiang Mai, because it was fully packed and we had to queue. And it didn't disappoint. The four colored custard, the charcoal toast, the noodles, all good! After breakfast, we walked to a post office nearby because, you know, we had a postcard tradition.

Even the logo has panda!

It was still early in the morning when we were done with the errand, so we headed to Chiang Mai Zoo that was located near to our hotel. It has a panda on its logo and pretty every corner of it, so imagine our surprise the counter lady told us that the panda had died. She told us this right after I paid for the entrance tickets! It was so shocking and hilarious at the same time that we couldn't stop laughing for a while. 

So we went in to a panda-less zoo. It was big, but not well-maintained. We had to walk a lot and some path was an uphill climbing. After we saw the Indian rhino and the peacocks, we decided that we had enough, then jumped into the tram and made our way to the exit. 

Coffee break at Wawee Coffee.

We returned to hotel and checked out, had our lunch at MAYA and were on our way to the airport. As it was still too early to check in, we had a coffee break. About two hours later, we were in the plane to Singapore. The touch down in Changi officially ended the reign of Captain Thailand. We took the last picture together and parted ways. All good things must come to an end, but they left behind a couple of memories that made us richer than before...

Back to Singapore!

Kapten Thailand Di Chiang Rai

Petualangan Kapten Thailand dan tim berlanjut! Setelah dua malam di Chiang Mai, perjalanan pergi-pulang sehari ke Chiang Rai pun dimulai. Langit masih gelap ketika kita meninggalkan Novotel menuju ke McDonald's di depan Gerbang Tha Phae. Kita sarapan di sana sekaligus menunggu jemputan. 

Pemandu kita bernama Gesara. Di dalam minibus, dia bercerita tentang asal-usul tempat-tempat yang akan kita kunjungi. Ternyata tak ada satu pun yang sudah berusia ratusan tahun. Semuanya masih tergolong baru. 

Di sumber air panas Mae Kachan.

Pemberhentian pertama hanyalah sekedar persinggahan sejenak. Kita mampir untuk melihat sumber air panas Mae Kachan. Yang besar sumurnya lumayan menarik karena airnya terus menyembur ke atas. Entah itu alami atau dibantu dengan pompa air, hehe. 

Sekitar satu jam 40 menit kemudian, kita mencapai Wat Rong Khun yang juga dikenal dengan nama Kuil Putih. Seperti yang saya katakan tadi, kuil ini bukanlah peninggalan masa silam. Bangunan terlihat baru dan menurut Cicilia, ini toilet paling indah yang pernah ia lihat. Bangunan utamanya putih dan penuh ukiran. Menurut Gesara, kita hanya boleh berjalan lurus dan tidak boleh berbalik arah karena di surga hanya boleh terus berjalan ke depan. Di dalam kuil, lukisan di dinding menampilkan tokoh-tokoh seperti Superman, Pikachu, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley dan lain-lain. Di atas semua karakter itu Budha duduk bertahta. 

Di Kuil Putih.

Makan siang kita adalah menu prasmanan di seberang kuil. Setelah kenyang, kita lanjut ke Kuil Biru alias Wat Rong Suea Tan. Kuil ini adalah yang terbaru dari tiga bangunan kontemporer yang kita tuju. Selain banyak patung raksasa, terlihat juga patung 12 zodiak Cina. Di dalam kuil ada patung Budha. Selagi berada di sinilah kita mendapat kesan bahwa Chiang Rai sungguh panas. 

Setelah putih dan biru, tema berikutnya berwarna hitam. Rumah Hitam bukanlah kuil, melainkan museum. Nama lokalnya adalah Baan Dam Museum. Bangunan utamanya mirip rumah khas Dayak atau Minang dan penuh dengan lukisan dan kulit hewan liar. Ada kode QR di samping tiap lukisan. Bila dipindai, lukisan tersebut terlihat seperti bergerak di layar telepon genggam. Selain itu ada banyak ukiran alat kelamin pria dan wanita juga. Pemandu kita bercerita bahwa ini adalah budaya Lan Na. Sebelum Thailand menjadi negara, bagian utara dulunya adalah kerajaan Lan Na dan penduduknya tidak berbusana. 

Antri di Aroy Dee.

Rumah Hitam menjadi penutup tur singkat ke Chiang Rai. Kita lantas kembali ke Gerbang Tha Phae di Chiang Mai. Dari sana kita berjalan ke Aroy Dee. Makanan Thai di sini murah dan lezat. Kita memesan telur dadar, kari hijau, tom yum, kangkung, ayam goreng, kelapa, bir, smoothie dan lain-lain, namun total biaya makan malam cuma THB 800 (sekitar IDR 350 ribu). Sungguh layak untuk direkomendasikan! 

Seusai santap malam, kita belanja oleh-oleh di Supermarket Rimping yang berlokasi di dalam MAYA. Di malam pertama kita di Chiang Mai, kita sempat melihat cahaya neon di seberang jalan, jadi kita pun melihat ada apa gerangan di sana. Ternyata ini tempat minum dan kumpul. Setelah berfoto-foto, kita kembali ke hotel karena masih ada satu tempat tujuan lagi di keesokan harinya. 

Mengunjungi Doi Suthep.

Dan tempat yang hendak kita kunjungi di pagi hari adalah Doi Suthep. Setibanya di sana, kita mendaki 320 anak tangga. Setelah melihat kuil, kita pergi ke sudut bangunan dengan pemandangan mengarah ke lembah. Kota Chiang Mai tepat ada di bawah, tapi kondisinya berawan dan berkabut sehingga kita gagal menyaksikan matahari terbit. 

Kembali ke kawasan hotel untuk sarapan pagi, kita makan di Black Gooseberry. Tempat ini sepertinya memang populer, sebab padat pengunjungnya, bahkan sampai harus antri. Dan makanannya tidak mengecewakan. Kastar empat warna, roti bakar hitam dan mienya memang enak. Sesudah sarapan, kita berjalan ke kantor pos karena mengirim kartu pos adalah tradisi liburan.

Bahkan logonya pun ada panda!

Hari masih cukup pagi sewaktu urusan pos sudah beres. Karena masih ada waktu, kita putuskan untuk ke Kebun Binatang Chiang Mai yang terletak tidak jauh dari hotel. Kebun binatang ini memiliki panda di logo dan di hampir setiap sudutnya, jadi bayangkan betapa kagetnya kita saat penjual karcis mengabarkan bahwa pandanya sudah tiada. Yang lebih kocak lagi, kabar tersebut disampaikan pas uang dan karcis berpindah tangan. Semua kaget dan tergelitik di saat yang sama, sampai-sampai kita tergelak cukup lama.

Jadi kita pun masuk ke kebun binatang yang tidak berpanda. Tempatnya luas, tapi tidak begitu terawat. Kita berjalan mendaki karena tanjakan di sana-sini. Setelah melihat badak India dan merak, kita naik tram ke pintu keluar. 

Ngopi di Wawee Coffee.

Kita kembali ke Novotel untuk mengambil koper, makan siang di MAYA dan meluncur ke bandara. Karena masih ada waktu sejam, kita pun ngopi dulu. Dua jam kemudian, kita sudah mengudara menuju Singapura. Pendaratan di Changi pun mengakhiri liburan bersama Kapten Thailand. Kita berfoto untuk satu kali terakhir dan berpisah jalan. Hal yang baik memang harus ada akhirnya, namun semua ini menyisakan kenangan yang membuat kita sedikit lebih kaya dari sebelumnya... 

Captain Thailand In Chiang Mai

The story of Captain Thailand began back in last July, during lunch time. I stared at the trip to Pontianak that would happen in September. At that time, it was the only trip left in 2023, so I couldn't help wondering that it'd be a long while before I am going for another trip again in April 2024. It would certainly be nice to have a short trip in January, wouldn't it? 

While daydreaming, I was toying with the idea of Chiang Mai in our group chat as I hadn't been there before. I didn't expect much, so I was surprised that of all people, Hendra suddenly said he was keen to go!  

Hendra (left), with Surianto and Taty at Changi Airport.

An unlikely candidate, Hendra never went overseas with us before. The last trip he did with us was Tour de Java and he was the first to bow out from Japan trip last year. I was extremely intrigued that he wanted to see Chiang Mai. Thus the moniker Captain Thailand was born and Hendra became our captain. 

As usual, things happened rather quickly when it was another trip by Robinson Travel. Interested members were gathered and tickets were settled. Instagram links were shared in the group, giving me the rough ideas what the members would like to see. It was a good thing, as I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do in Chiang Mai. 

Arriving at Chiang Mai Airport.
(Photo By Surianto)

Six months later, we arrived in our destination. Cicilia and Hendra had flown in earlier from Jakarta and we took the same flight from Singapore to Chiang Mai. The airport felt dated, but things were quite efficient there. We booked Grab, checked into Novotel, then began exploring the city on foot. 

We reached a local eatery not very far from our hotel. It was situated right next to MAYA Lifestyle Shopping Center. We stopped there and had our first Thai food in Chiang Mai. I personally find it interesting that our captain thought pad thai was too sweet when I normally eat it with sugar when in Thailand.

Taty and Cicilia waiting for their first meal.

Once we were done dining, we had a glimpse of MAYA and continued walking to Old Town. Half way there, we passed by a roadside stall called ราชาบะหมี่ เกี๊ยว ปู หมูแดง. It was crowded and Google Translate said this is the King of Noodles, so we sat down and ordered. Turned out to be good!

We resumed walking towards Old Town after that. Some parts of the city felt like Pontianak. The stretch heading to Hard Rock Cafe reminded me of Legian in Bali. But two things stood out in Chiang Mai, though: the cleanliness and the pavement. The city was really clean and the pavement was so wide that it was nice for walking in a breezy night. 

Making our way to Old Town.

From Hard Rock Cafe (because it was a must-visit), we browsed the night market and had a drink at Kalare Night Bazaar, then we Grabbed back to Novotel. Since there were five of us, we soon learnt that we either took GrabVan or Grab RodDaeng. The normal Grab didn't have enough space for five. 

We returned to Old Town on the following day, this time by taking a songthaew. This is the one called Grab RodDaeng. Had our breakfast at Chiang Mai Breakfast World. The rice soup was delicious. Next stop was Tha Phae Gate, because Cicilia wanted to feed the pigeons.

Trying out Grab RodDaeng.

Mae Kampong was our next destination. It was on a mountaintop, so we booked a van to get there. The van window had a Rambo sticker and Tom was one helluva driver that made us hold on tight, so we nicknamed him Rambo. We reached Mae Kampong around 11:21 AM and we would stay there for three hours. 

Mae Kampong is basically a small village with only one main road. Shops are lining up on both sides of the road. Thanks to its nice weather, it offers a relaxed atmosphere that suits the leisure mood. We walked as far as we could before having a coffee break at ฮ่อมดอย Coffee. The place was secluded and we were the only customers!

At ฮ่อมดอย Coffee, Mae Kampong.

After Mae Kampong, we headed back to the city and went to the Big Bee Farm because Cicilia would like buy some honey. The salesman did the presentation and we ate all the honey products he offered to us, haha. Later that night, we returned to Old Town and had our dinner at Lanna Square. My turn to get my first plate of pad thai with sugar!

The night was ended with a cabaret show. We waited at Anusarn Market as the show only began at 9.30pm. Some of us had never seen a cabaret, so they were enjoying it. Memorable moments including a rose squeezed by butt cheeks! As for me, I was nervous because I stood the closest to the stage. True enough, one of them came to tickle my chin!

Waiting for the cabaret show to start.

Kapten Thailand Di Chiang Mai

Cerita tentang Kapten Thailand ini bermula di bulan Juli silam, di saat jam makan siang. Kala itu saya terpaku menatap liburan ke Pontianak di bulan September yang tertera di aplikasi TripIt saya. Itu adalah satu-satunya rencana liburan 2023 yang tersisa pada saat itu, jadi saya pun membayangkan betapa lamanya saya harus menunggu hingga liburan berikutnya di bulan April 2024. Tentunya lebih menyenangkan bila ada satu liburan singkat di bulan Januari, bukan?  

Sambil melamun, saya iseng bertanya di grup SMA, apakah ada yang berminat ke Chiang Mai karena saya belum pernah ke sana. Di luar dugaan, Hendra ternyata berminat! 

Hendra (kiri), bersama Surianto dan Taty di Changi. 

Perlu dijelaskan bahwa Hendra ini adalah kandidat yang mengejutkan. Dia tidak pernah bertualang bersama kita ke luar negeri. Hendra hanya ikut serta dalam Tour de Java di tahun 2019 dan dia juga calon peserta pertama yang mengundurkan diri dari liburan ke Jepang. Saya jadi tergelitik oleh keinginannya untuk ke Chiang Mai. Dari sinilah lahir gelar Kapten Thailand yang kemudian disandang oleh Hendra. 

Seperti biasa, proses persiapan berlangsung cepat bilamana liburannya diselenggarakan oleh Robinson Travel. Yang mau ikut serta segera dikumpulkan dan pembelian tiket pun dibereskan. Cuplikan Instagram dibagikan di grup dan memberikan gambaran pada saya, apa yang kira-kira ingin dilihat oleh para peserta. Ini masukan yang bagus, terutama karena saya kesulitan untuk menemukan daya tarik Chiang Mai, hehe. 

Mendarat di Chiang Mai Airport.
(Foto oleh Surianto)

Enam bulan kemudian, kita mendarat di tempat tujuan. Cicilia dan Hendra terbang dari Jakarta, lalu kita berangkat bersama dari Singapura ke Chiang Mai. Bandara di kota kedua terbesar di Thailand ini kelihatan tua, tapi proses imigrasinya cukup efisien. Kita lantas naik Grab menuju Novotel, lalu mulai berjalan kaki menyusuri kota. 

Persinggahan pertama adalah tempat makan yang berada tak jauh dari hotel. Lokasinya pas di samping mal MAYA. Hari sudah menjelang malam, jadi kita pun menyantap menu Thai pertama kita. Kapten kita berpendapat bahwa pad thai ini terlalu manis. Satu komentar yang menarik karena saya justru biasa menambahkan gula pasir di pad thai saya. 

Taty dan Cicilia menunggu makan malam.

Seusai makan, kita masuk sebentar ke MAYA, lalu meneruskan perjalanan ke Kota Tua. Di tengah perjalanan, kita melewati tempat makan di kaki lima yang bernama ราชาบะหมี่ เกี๊ยว ปู หมูแดง. Ramai tempatnya dan menurut Google Translate, tempat makan ini disebut Raja Mie, jadi kita pun duduk dan memesan tiga mangkok untuk berlima. Lezat nian!

Setelah itu, kita lanjut lagi ke Kota Tua. Beberapa sudut kota terasa mirip dengan Pontianak. Sepanjang jalan yang mengarah ke Hard Rock Cafe pun bernuansa seperti Legian di Bali. Akan tetapi ada dua hal yang sangat menarik perhatian saya: kebersihan dan trotoar di Chiang Mai. Kotanya sungguh bersih dan trotoarnya juga lebar, sangat nyaman untuk berjalan kaki menikmati udara malam yang sejuk. 

Menuju ke Kota Tua. 

Dari Hard Rock Cafe (karena ini tempat yang wajib untuk dikunjungi), kita melihat-lihat dagangan pasar malam dan beristirahat sejenak di Kalare Night Bazaar. Dari situ kita berjalan sampai ke ujung jalan dan pulang dengan Grab. Karena kita berlima, kita akhirnya menyadari bahwa pilihan yang lebih cocok adalah GrabVan atau Grab RodDaeng. Grab biasa tidak memiliki cukup tempat untuk berlima. 

Keesokan paginya, kita kembali lagi ke Kota Tua. Kali ini kita naik songthaew yang dipanggil lewat opsi Grab RodDaeng. Kita sarapan di Chiang Mai Breakfast World dan saya memesan sup nasi. Sesudah mengisi perut, kita mampir ke Gerbang Tha Phae karena Cicilia ingin memberi makan burung merpati. 

Naik songthaew. 

Mae Kampong menjadi tujuan berikutnya. Lokasinya di puncak gunung, jadi kita memesan mobil van untuk ke sana. Di jendela mobil ada stiker Rambo dan supirnya memang jagoan, jadi kita juluki Rambo. Kita tiba kira-kira pada pukul 11:21 pagi dan berjalan-jalan tiga jam lamanya di sana. 

Mae Kampong ini ternyata cuma sebuah desa kecil yang memiliki satu jalan dan deretan toko di kiri-kanannya. Enak cuacanya, jadi suasana pun terasa santai. Kita terus berjalan hingga ke ujung, lalu beristirahat di kedai ฮ่อมดอย Coffee. Tempat ini terpencil dan rombongan kita adalah satu-satunya pengunjung!

Di Mae Kampong.

Dari Mae Kampong, kita kembali ke kota dan singgah di Big Bee Farm sebab Cicilia ingin membeli madu. Di tempat ini, penjual menjelaskan produknya dan kita tinggal icip-icip, haha. Di malam harinya, kita pergi ke Kota Tua lagi, kali ini makan malam di Lanna Square. Sekarang giliran saya menyantap pad thai dengan gula!

Dan malam itu ditutup dengan pertunjukan kabaret. Kita menunggu di Anusarn Market karena kabaret baru mulai jam 21:30. Beberapa di antara kita belum pernah menonton kabaret, jadi mereka sangat menikmati hiburan ini. Salah satu kenangan lucu adalah mawar yang dijepit di pantat. Bagi saya sendiri, saya agak gugup karena posisi saya paling dekat dengan panggung. Dan benar saja, seorang banci akhirnya mendekat dan menggelitik dagu saya! 

Menunggu pertunjukan kabaret dimulai.

2023 In My Mind

I rarely write a year-in-review. The only time I did it was, perhaps, in 2020. The first year of COVID-19. Very unusual, a pandemic of an unprecedented scale, and it was bleak. The future was so uncertain that I just had to write about hope and survival. 

Considering how gloomy it was previously, the year 2023 felt liberating. It was also different than 2022, when the world was opening. All the travels done last year felt like trial runs. I remember a driver in Kolkata telling me that nobody wore mask there because COVID was no more. It sounded almost comical then, until it was proven to be true in 2023.

Hence the trips I had this year: Manila, Tokyo, Kawazu, Yuzawa, Niigata, Yokohama, Hakone, Doha, Geneva, Lyon, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zürich, Vaduz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Bangalore, Pontianak, Jakarta and Batam. I went to places I hadn't been, I rediscovered the places I had seen. Talk about a freedom regained! It was good to be out and about again!

The 20 destinations mentioned above!

Dreams did come true in 2023, all right. But the best part of the travels was never something I planned. No, moments that happened once in a lifetime couldn't be engineered. They happened spontaneously, the way life should be. You had to be there at the right time. These moments couldn't be recreated and you could only be grateful knowing that you had been part of them.  

And I was blessed with not only one, but three moments like this while I was in Japan: the cold night at a tiny sake bar in Ueno; Parno at Hard Rock Cafe; the time Eday and I discovered Snow Drop in Asakusa. Those moments would forever be mine. Ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life. 

Travels. Dreams. Moments. These alone would have made it a great year, but 2023 still had more to offer. Even when the experience wasn't exactly pleasant, I still treasured and learnt from it. Yes, I was referring to the day I sprained my ankle. Ironic though it was, we made it all the more memorable by choosing to have some fun and laugh about it. At the same time, it also reminded me of what John Lennon had sung before: life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. He was right. Life is fragile, so live to the fullest while you can. 

Once upon a time on a wheelchair.

And 2023 was also the year I conquered my fear. I was a nervous wreck whenever the water level reached my neck. I had a phobia that the water would go into my ears if I submerged. I felt like drowning when I was lying face down in the water. For the past 42 years in my life, I couldn't swim. 

Swimming felt impossible until one day in 2023, when I opened my eyes and found myself afloat. Just like that, the fear suddenly subsided. Unbelievable. But it didn't happen instantly for sure. I lost my balance and panicked many, many times. I choked on water and indeed it went into my ears. I even wondered why my progress was so slow that I might never succeed. But similar to learning how to ride a bike or drive a car, I paid my dues. Then for the first time ever, I swam. Not really good, but I guess it can only get better. 

And 2023 was equally great even when it wasn't about me. My wife, she had dreamt of going to Switzerland since God knows how long. There was also the Sound of Music in Austria, of course. For that few hours in her life, she was simply that little girl who finally fulfilled the dream that began years ago, when her father introduced Julie Andrews to her. I am just glad I was there to make it come true. 

Yani and the Sound of Music.

To top it off, there was Now and Then, the last Beatles song ever. So poignant, sentimental, just the kind of closure I needed as this year headed to an end. Seriously, what else can a person ask for in this lifetime? I can only be thankful that 2023 had been brilliant. I don't know what 2024 will bring, but this year certainly taught me that one can't be too afraid to live!

2023 Di Benak Saya

Saya jarang menulis tentang ulasan tahun yang saya jalani. Sekali-sekalinya saya menulis topik ini mungkin di tahun 2020, tahun pertama COVID-19. Sungguh berbeda, sebuah pandemi dengan skala yang belum pernah saya lihat sebelumnya, dan tampak suram. Masa depan terlihat tidak pasti dan saya ingin bercerita tentang harapan dan bertahan hidup. 

Dibandingkan dengan kesuraman di zaman korona, 2023 terasa merdeka. Meski korona mulai berakhir di tahun 2022, dunia baru perlahan-lahan membuka diri dan semua perjalanan di tahun tersebut terasa seperti uji-coba. Saya ingat dengan perkataan supir saya di Kolkata bahwa COVID sudah tamat, makanya tidak ada yang memakai masker di sana. Ucapannya terasa kocak saat itu, namun akhirnya terbukti benar di tahun 2023. 

Karena itulah saya melanglang buana di tahun ini: Manila, Tokyo, Kawazu, Yuzawa, Niigata, Yokohama, Hakone, Doha, Jenewa, Lyon, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zürich, Vaduz, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Bangalore, Pontianak, Jakarta dan Batam. Saya pergi ke tempat yang belum pernah saya kunjungi dan saya menemukan kembali tempat-tempat yang sudah saya datangi. Sungguh sebuah kebebasan yang diperoleh kembali! Senang rasanya bisa seperti ini lagi. 

20 tujuan yang disebutkan di atas!

Banyak impian terwujud di tahun 2023, tapi hal-hal terbaik dalam perjalanan ini bukan sesuatu yang saya rencanakan. Oh, segala sesuatu yang berkesan itu tidak bisa direkayasa. Semua ini terjadi secara spontan seperti halnya hidup ini. Kita hanya bisa berharap ada di sana di saat yang tepat. Dan untuk semua yang tidak bisa dirancang ulang ini, kita hanya bisa bersyukur bahwa kita bisa menjadi bagian dari peristiwa tersebut. 

Dan saya diberkati tidak hanya satu, tapi tiga peristiwa menyentuh sewaktu berada di Jepang: di malam yang dingin, di sebuah kedai sake kecil di Ueno; Parno di Hard Rock Cafe; di kala Eday dan saya menemukan Snow Drop di Asakusa. Tiga kejadian ini akan selalu menjadi kenangan indah yang akan hidup sampai akhir hayat saya. 

Berkelana. Impian. Momen. Tiga hal ini sudah cukup untuk membuat tahun ini luar biasa, tapi 2023 masih memiliki banyak kejadian lainnya. Bahkan ketika pengalaman tersebut tidak menyenangkan pun saya masih bersyukur dan bisa belajar dari apa yang terjadi. Ya, yang saya maksudkan adalah ketika kaki saya terkilir. Meski ironis, kita masih bisa menyikapi kejadian itu dengan canda dan tawa. Di saat yang sama, musibah tersebut juga mengingatkan saya tentang apa yang pernah dinyanyikan oleh John Lennon: hidup adalah apa yang terjadi ketika engkau sedang sibuk merencanakan hal lain. John benar. Hidup itu rapuh, maka hiduplah sepenuhnya selagi bisa. 

Suatu ketika di kursi roda.

Dan di tahun 2023 juga saya menaklukkan rasa takut saya. Saya sangat gelisah bila ketinggian air sudah mencapai leher. Saya memiliki fobia bahwa air akan masuk ke telinga kalau saya menyelam. Saya merasa akan tenggelam bilamana posisi saya tengkurap dengan wajah terendam air. Dalam 42 tahun terakhir, saya tidak bisa berenang. 

Dan berenang terasa mustahil sampai suatu hari di tahun 2023, tatkala saya membuka mata di dalam air dan menyadari bahwa saya mengapung. Di saat itu pula, rasa takut itu sirna. Sulit dipercaya. Tapi tentu saja semua ini tidak terjadi dalam sekejap. Entah berapa kali sudah saya kehilangan keseimbangan dan panik. Saya tersedak air dan telinga pun kemasukan air. Saya bahkan berkecil hati, kenapa perkembangan saya pelan dan merasa mungkin saya tidak akan bisa. Namun seperti halnya kita belajar sepeda atau mengemudi mobil, jerih-payah saya terbayarkan. Kemudian, untuk pertama kalinya, saya bisa berenang. Masih perlu banyak latihan, tapi saya rasa perkembangannya akan semakin baik. 

Dan 2023 masih tetap terasa menakjubkan, bahkan ketika segala sesuatu itu bukanlah tentang saya. Istri saya sudah lama mendambakan untuk pergi ke Swiss. Dia juga sangat menyukai the Sound of Music yang berlatar Austria. Dan untuk beberapa jam dalam hidupnya, dia akhirnya mewujudkan impiannya sedari kecil yang bermula sewaktu ayahnya memperkenalkan Julie Andrews kepadanya. Saya senang bisa membantunya mewujudkan semua itu. 

Yani dan the Sound of Music.

Selain itu, ada pula Now and Then, lagu terakhir the Beatles. Ada perasaan senang bercampur sedih saat menyadari bahwa kisah terhebat di abad 20 itu pun akhirnya tuntas ditutup dengan lagu ini. Jadi apa lagi yang bisa diharapkan seseorang dalam hidup yang penuh berkah ini? Saya hanya bisa berterima kasih karena tahun ini sudah begitu dahsyat dan penuh kesan. Saya tidak tahu apa yang akan terjadi di 2024, tapi yang jelas tahun ini mengingatkan saya kembali untuk tidak terlalu khawatir dalam hidup ini! 

Syria: Up, Close And Personal

When it comes to traveling, my friend Eday is in a league of his own. He has traveled so much that it is no longer just for fun, but for the sake of history that he loves and the betterment of himself. Just when I thought places like Iran or Ethiopia were kind of weird for a former Chinese Indonesian to visit, I heard him saying that his next destination would be Syria via Lebanon. 

Syria is known to the world as a war-torn country. As Eday himself was to discover, the destination was not even covered by travel insurance. Those that included it in the coverage had ridiculous terms, such as you had to be kidnapped for at least for six hours before you could submit the claim for just a meagre amount of money. It was as if the terrorist would fill in the timesheet and stamp it before releasing the captive!

Beirut.

But Eday was determined even though his destination was deemed as extremely dangerous. Prior to his trip, we did discuss about how biased people could be these days. Feeling entitled and know-it-all, many were quick to condemn and judge. The drone attack in Homs and airport bombing in Damascus that happened right before the trip only made it worse. On the pretext of caring, Eday was bombarded with discouraging articles, advices and comments from many around him. Having so much fear projected onto him was quite a daunting experience! 

A lesser man would have given in, but not Eday, though. He knew the trip would be life changing. His previous adventures taught him that. After tasting such personal growth, he was resolute to seek the truth about Syria. The moral support from his wife was all he needed and off he went to a place none of us had ever thought of visiting before.

Umayyad Mosque, Damascus.

He landed in Beirut, Lebanon. While a certain part of the city looked like Europe, the scars from civil war were very much visible, too. Many buildings were still covered with bullet holes. Presidential seat was currently empty. Cars without car plates were a normal sight to behold. Electricity was almost non-existent. 

But Beirut wasn't as bad as one would imagine. Eday told me that the atmosphere was quite relax. The Lebanese people were generally friendly and very welcoming, mostly because they rarely saw tourists from our part of Asia. Tough though their lives were, the Lebanese persevered by helping each other, a culture that occurred largely due to the absence of the government.

Latakia, Syria.

Eday's journey to Syria began the next morning. The ride to Lebanon's border took about 1.5 hours. The view was hilly, somehow reminded Eday of Puncak in Indonesia. There was a short ride between Lebanon-Syria border and Eday had to hop on an old car that had approached and waited for him in Syria as he exited from Lebanon. It was like being smuggled! He passed through more than 10 military checkpoints before reaching the chaotic immigration office. Not very far from the border, there was a duty free mall with European look and feel. It just seemed so out of place!

Damascus was about 1.5 hours ride from the border, too. It was an old city. Even Saint Paul went there before and that was like 2000 years ago. From Damascus, Eday crisscrossed the country, exploring cities and towns such as Maaloula, Tartus, Latakia, Kesab, Hama, Aleppo, Palmyra, Busra and many more.

Eday in Palmyra.

To be in Syria was as good as breathing and absorbing the history of mankind. There was Temple of Jupiter that had been converted to Umayyad Mosque now. There were tombs of religious and historical figures such as John the Baptist and Saladin. There was this monastery visited by the young Muhammad, before he became the Prophet. The whole country was brimming with culture and history.

With so many things going on since ancient times, one couldn't help sensing that Syria was different spiritually. There was this unique experience in the desert when Eday was on his way to Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian. It was almost quiet. There was nothingness as far as eyes could see, but then appeared this constant buzzing sound that was eventually replaced by humming. Coincidence?

Krak des Cheavaliers. 

Then there was the war that had ravaged Syria for more than a decade. In a city called Idlib lived the freedom fighters, ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the likes of them. They were all contained there. 1 KM away from the battle zone, Russian tanks patrolled the area. Life must be so hard there that the civilians had the coldest stare, as if they'd rip you apart anytime. 

Of all the cities Eday visited, Homs was remembered as a cautionary tale of how damaging the war could be. The city was so severely destroyed. As a matter of fact, there was almost not much to see there as it was left in ruins. What Eday saw and heard there was so harrowing to the point that whatever problems he had went through in life suddenly seemed trivial and paled in comparison.

The war-torn Aleppo.

Eday used the phrase mixed feelings when he shared his story with me. Throughout his stay there, he was excited, sad and anxious. Syria's kind of normal was very unusual by our standard. He could drink beer or smoke shisha on a rooftop tonight, travel back in time and history tomorrow, then get surrounded by buildings in the state of disrepair on the following day. He heard the saddest stories directly from those who lived to tell them. He also became the beacon of hope simply by being there when most of the world had seemingly abandoned Syria. 

Eday also met seasoned travelers there were already hardened by what they saw. There was a Russian lady that had just conquered the Himalayas. There was a young man who casually talked about changing his route tomorrow because Damascus Airport was just bombed again the day before. And all this was normal in Syria. Worlds apart than ours. It was emotionally challenging. 

Hummus.

On a lighter note, we talked about the food. Hummus was a permanent fixture there. The taste of the food was generally sour. Rice was rarely seen and they ate pita bread instead. One unforgettable memory took place at a restaurant in Kesab. There were tiny birds kept in a caged garden and Eday was asked to choose one. Little did he know that the bird was the menu!

It's been almost two months now since Eday returned from Syria, but looking back, there is still a lot to unpack and process. He learnt now how people could be unknowingly biased. Those that know only the surface of the matter, but yet talking about it as if they are the source of truth. But Syria taught him to identify the naysayers and ignore them. And that's just a glimpse of what he had gotten from his life changing trip.

In his quest of investigating the fear of the unknown, he now understands it better than before. But was he really fearless during his time in Syria? To paraphrase his words, he was never worried of being bombed or shot, but he did imagine how troublesome it would be if he was kidnapped, so quick death was preferred, haha...

The other side of Aleppo.

Suriah Di Mata Teman

Kalau kita berbicara tentang liburan ke negara lain, teman saya Eday ini ada di kelas tersendiri. Begitu seringnya dia berjalan-jalan sehingga dia tidak lagi sekedar melakukannya untuk bersenang-senang, tapi juga demi sejarah yang menarik perhatiannya dan juga demi menambah wawasan serta pengalaman pribadi. Saya dulu berpikir bahwa negara-negara seperti Iran dan Etiopia itu tidak lazim dikunjungi oleh mantan Tionghoa Indonesia, jadi bayangkan betapa terkejutnya kita saat mendengar bahwa dia mau ke Suriah melalui Libanon. 

Suriah dikenal sebagai negara yang sedang berperang. Eday sendiri juga tertegun saat menyadari bahwa tempat tujuan ini tidak termasuk cakupan asuransi perjalanan. Kalau pun ada yang memasukkan Suriah, asuransi tersebut memiliki klausul yang tidak masuk akal seperti pemegang polis harus diculik dulu, minimal enam jam, baru bisa klaim asuransi senilai 60 dolar. Ini ironis sekaligus kocak, seakan-akan teroris dengan senang hati membantu mengisikan formulir sebelum membebaskan korban. 

Beirut.

Eday tetap bersemangat meski tujuannya tergolong sangat berbahaya. Sebelum dia berangkat, kita sempat berdiskusi tentang bahaya biasnya pendapat orang awam. Banyak yang merasa tahu tanpa menelaah lebih jauh apa yang dipahaminya, lalu dengan cepat menghakimi. Penyerangan dengan drone dan pemboman bandara Damaskus yang terjadi sebelum hari keberangkatan membuat suasana tambah buruk bagi Eday. Banyak yang "peduli" dan membombardirnya dengan berita, nasehat dan komentar supaya dia membatalkan niatnya. Alhasil Eday dibebani dengan kecemasan yang berlebihan dan bertubi-tubi. 

Orang biasa mungkin sudah menyerah, namun Eday tetap teguh. Dia tahu perjalanan ini akan membuahkan pengalaman yang mengubah hidupnya. Liburan-liburan sebelumnya telah mengajarinya akan hal tersebut. Eday bersikukuh untuk melihat Suriah. Dukungan moral dari sang istri sudah cukup baginya dan dia pun berangkat ke negara yang tidak pernah masuk dalam daftar impian orang awam. 

Mesjid Umayyad, Damaskus.

Eday mendarat di Beirut, ibukota Libanon. Ada bagian dari Beirut yang mirip Eropa, namun bekas perang saudara masih terlihat pula. Banyak gedung yang masih memiliki lubang peluru di dinding. Kursi kepresidenan sedang kosong. Mobil tanpa plat terlihat lumrah di jalan. Listrik pun sering padam. 

Akan tetapi Beirut tidaklah seburuk yang dibayangkan. Eday menjelaskan bahwa suasananya cukup santai. Penduduk Libanon cenderung bersahabat dan ramah, terutama karena mereka jarang melihat turis dari belahan Asia tempat kita tinggal. Meski hidup mereka susah, warga Libanon bertahan dengan hidup gotong-royong, budaya yang terbentuk karena mereka harus hidup mandiri di tengah absennya pemerintah. 

Latakia, Suriah.

Perjalanan Eday ke Suriah dimulai keesokan paginya. Jarak tempuh dari Beirut ke perbatasan adalah 1,5 jam. Pemandangan di sepanjang jalan terlihat berbukit, mengingatkan Eday pada kawasan Puncak di Indonesia. Perbatasan dari Libanon ke Suriah kira-kira 100 meter jauhnya, namun Eday harus naik-turun dan berganti mobil saat keluar-masuk perbatasan. Rasanya seperti diselundupkan. Ada lebih dari 10 pos militer sebelum dia mencapai imigrasi Suriah yang kacau. Tak jauh dari situ, tiba-tiba ada satu mal dengan suasana Eropa. Keberadaannya sangat menyolok!  

Damaskus juga berjarak tempuh 1,5 jam dari perbatasan Suriah. Kota ini berdiri dari sejak lama. Bahkan Santo Paulus pun pernah ke sana dan peristiwa itu sudah berlalu 2000 tahun lamanya. Dari Damaskus, Eday menjelajahi Suriah, melihat kota-kota Maaloula, Tartus, Latakia, Kesab, Hama, Aleppo, Palmyra dan Busra.

Eday di Palmyra.

Berada di Suriah itu bagaikan menyerap sejarah peradaban manusia. Ada Kuil Jupiter yang kini telah berubah menjadi Mesjid Umayyad. Ada pula kuburan-kuburan tokoh agama dan bersejarah seperti Yohanes Pembaptis dan Sultan Saladin. Ada lagi biara yang pernah dikunjungi oleh Muhammad di masa mudanya, sebelum dia menjadi Nabi. Negara ini sungguh diwarnai oleh peradaban dan sejarah di setiap sudutnya. 

Begitu banyak yang terjadi dari sejak zaman dahulu di Suriah, sampai-sampai terasa nuansa mistisnya. Ada sebuah pengalaman menarik di padang gurun saat Eday menuju ke Biara Santo Musa dari Abyssinia (sekarang dikenal sebagai Etiopia). Awalnya perjalanan itu terasa sunyi dan tidak terlihat apa pun sejauh mata memandang. Setelah itu terdengar suara berdengung yang lantas berubah menjadi semacam suara senandung. Sebuah kebetulan belaka?

Krak des Cheavaliers. 

Dan tentu saja ada perang yang telah mengguncang Suriah lebih dari 10 tahun lamanya. Di kota bernama Idlib hiduplah para pejuang revolusi, ISIS, Al-Qaeda dan lain-lain. Semuanya berkumpul di situ. Tank-tank Rusia juga terlihat berpatroli. Kehidupan di sekitar kawasan perang ini sangatlah keras sehingga tatapan penduduknya terlihat begitu dingin dan tak lagi manusiawi. 

Dari semua kota yang Eday kunjungi, Homs akan selalu ia kenang sebagai bukti nyata betapa dahsyatnya kehancuran yang bisa ditimbulkan oleh peperangan. Kota itu nyaris luluh lantak. Tak banyak lagi yang bisa dilihat di sana karena sebagian besar kotanya kini berwujud puing-puing reruntuhan. Apa yang Eday lihat dan dengar selama di sana membuatnya berpikir bahwa masalah kehidupan yang sudah dilewatinya hingga hari itu hanyalah hal kecil dan tidak sebanding dengan apa yang terjadi di Homs.

The war-torn Aleppo.

Eday menggunakan istilah perasaan bercampur-aduk untuk mendeskripsikan apa yang ia rasakan saat berada di Suriah. Dia bersemangat, sedih dan bersimpati pula selama di sana. Apa yang dianggap normal di Suriah itu berbeda dengan standar kita di belahan dunia ini. Eday bisa minum bir dan menghisap shisha di puncak gedung di satu malam, lalu bagaikan kembali ke masa silam pada keesokan harinya saat menyaksikan peninggalan bersejarah, kemudian dikelilingi oleh bangunan-bangunan yang hancur dan hampir roboh di hari berikutnya. Dia mendengar cerita-cerita sedih dari para korban perang. Di saat yang sama, keberadaannya pun menjadi sumber harapan bagi penduduk lokal karena dia berani mengunjungi Suriah di kala sebagian besar dunia sudah mengabaikan Suriah. 

Dan Eday bertemu dengan para petualang yang sudah banyak makan asam garam di Suriah. Ada seorang wanita Rusia setengah baya yang baru saja menaklukkan Himalaya. Ada pula pelancong lain yang dengan santai bercerita bahwa rute perjalanannya berubah karena Bandara Damaskus baru saja dibom lagi kemarin. Inilah kondisi normal di Suriah. Jauh berbeda dengan apa yang kita anggap normal, jadi memang sangat menantang secara emosional. 

Humus.

Beralih ke topik yang lebih ringan, kita membahas tentang makanan. Humus adalah makanan yang paling sering muncul di Libanon dan Suriah. Rasa makanan di sana cenderung asam. Nasi jarang terlihat dan sebagai gantinya, orang-orang di sana memakan roti pita. Satu pengalaman yang mencengangkan terjadi di Kota Kesab. Ada sebuah restoran yang memiliki kandang burung di sampingnya dan Eday pun disuruh memilih burung yang paling disukainya. Ternyata burung-burung ini adalah menu yang kemudian dimasak dan disajikan di hadapannya! 

Sekarang sudah hampir dua bulan lamanya sejak kepulangan Eday dari Suriah, namun pengalaman selama di sana sangat membekas dan masih dicerna perlahan-lahan. Satu hal yang pasti, sudah terbukti bahwa memang banyak yang memiliki tendensi untuk beropini secara bias. Hanya tahu sedikit dari apa yang sekilas didengar atau dibacanya, namun berbicara seakan-akan memang ahlinya. Suriah membuatnya lebih kritis dalam menyikapi orang-orang seperti ini. 

Berkaitan dengan minatnya dalam mengamati rasa takut terhadap ketidaktahuan, apa yang dialaminya selama di Suriah kian membekalinya untuk memahami fenomena ini. Namun apakah ini berarti dia tidak memiliki rasa takut selama di Suriah? Mengutip perkataannya, dia tidak cemas dengan bom dan peluru nyasar, tapi dia sempat membayangkan kalau sampai diculik, pasti repot dan berbelit-belit nantinya, jadi kematian yang berlangsung dengan cepat merupakan opsi yang lebih baik, haha... 

Sisi lain Aleppo.