Bapak Tarakan

When I was posted to Tarakan, never had I heard of this name in Indonesia before. But a Google on the web, I noted that Tarakan to be a significant name for Word War 2 history. It all started here. So, how on earth a small island like this can garner so much attention from the Japanese invasion?

The Japanese wanted Tarakan for two reasons: a rich oil field and as a strategic air base from which further attacks can be launched. Nowadays, it is still obvious to see them here when most of expats who flew with me on the same flight are Japanese and Dutch. I guess most of them work for oil based company that are stationed here. If not, I really don't see why someone will be attracted to here.

When it comes to Indonesia, people will just mention the name like Bali, Bandung, Jakarta or Medan. Tarakan? You just dumbstruck one people's conversation. It is so remote that I even had to make 3 transit flights in order to get there. If you think LCCT2 is a market, wait till you hop on the flights in Indonesia! You might elevate LCCT2 back to Tesco hypermarket status.

Though Tarakan is just another city like Terengganu or Kelantan, you still find some familiar faces back home. Like CIMB. Wow. Just imagine I can pay my Direct Access credit card or bank in my check here. KFC? Well, tried that. The menu and set are just not comparable to those back home.Furthermore, they don't serve bread but instead plain white rice.

I was staying in the only 5 stars hotel in town. Swiss-Belhotel Tarakan. The place has nothing to shout about. Just that I'll have FOC morning call from the morning prayers. Ironically, my stay here was not so lonely. I was actually staying with a group of Malaysian primary students who were having the 12th Asean Age Group Chess Championship in the town. With all those thick glasses student accompanied by their respective coaches and teachers, it reminiscend my day as chess player for my school. The difference nowadays is I do more check-in to hotel and flight rather than check-mate your opponent.

After some hectic night work, I had my ups and downs there. For the first time, I was sent into hospital  overseas. I had to be given jab to treat my allergic to an unknown insect bites. Even worse, I encountered a flattened dead cobra in the middle of the runway. Just imagine that, in full darkness, out of the sudden it was just 2 meter besides you. I knew of a movie called Snakes On A Plane starring Samuel Jackson. I guessed there might be someone up there threatened to follow the act from the movie too in Indonesia.

All these while, I never felt so proud of my work until I came here. The only time, I got journalists so close to me was when I boarded the fully-chartered flight for my friend's wedding. This time, I even had a group of journalists taking photos and interviewing us. Felt like a Justin Beiber doing an engineering job. Last but not least, the fried fish I had there was probably the best seafood meal I ever had. I had it for every meal. Lunch and dinner for 3 consecutive days! Just fried fish, rice, and some raw vegetables that were eaten with fresh sambal (chili paste). The Japanese must had left their fishy cuisine here though it must had been Indonesianised now.

I even tried their Nasi Padang there. The waiter in the restaurant immediately served the dishes directly to our table. Within seconds, our table was quickly set with dozens of small dishes filled with highly-flavoured foods such as beef rendang, curried fish, stewed greens, chili eggplant, curried beef liver, tripes, intestines, or foot tendons, fried beef lung, fried chicken, and of course, sambal. We took and paid for only what we had taken from this array of dishes. It is just like eating mixed rice just that this mixed rice is much more variety and expensive.

The people there was very polite. I found it so funny that I was called Bapak whenever a person greeted me. I think my most memorable moment during this trip was my immigration clearance in Jakarta. The conversation below was translated from Bahasa Indonesia.

Immigration officer: What you doing here?

Me: Business meeting.

Immigration officer: ... (stared at me and then my passport).

Me: ...(I smiled while my attention turned to the weird hand print sign on the counter-top which I never encountered any in other airports before)

Immigration officer: Hand (He said in a stern tone. I quickly divert back my attention to him)

Me: Huh!?!!!?? What?!? (I was confused by his instruction)

Immigration officer: Hand!! (He voiced in a louder tone this time)

Me: OK. (I raised both my hands up thinking that he is checking whether I'm in a sober stage or not)

Immigration officer: ON THE SCANNER!!!!!!

Shoot!!!

Lost In Bali - Bad Luck Strikes Twice

My Bali trip was quite an enjoyable one as this was the first time I traveled overseas wit my university's friends after graduation. Basically there are so-called two happening locations in Bali, being Kuta and Legian. When I say "happening", it means booze and partying.Bali is a favorite spot for tourists from Europe and Australia because it offers them a cheap partying location. I went to Legian, a place I would reckoned to be more happening than Kuta. Loud music, beer and I suddenly found myself to be in warm climate European country. Bali nowadays is a bit commercialised which is good thing to the economy of the country. Everyone is trying to build hotels and resorts here in Bali.

Before I arrived in Bali, there was news that about the "Beach Boys" or "Cowboys" in Bali. Nah...The version here are not those Takeshi Sorimachi type in Beach Boy or David Hasselhoff in Baywatch. Then, there was news that there are to many strayed dogs around with rabies. Yup, there are some dogs there but the closest we encountered one was at the Ibu Oka there where the smell of the roast pork is drawing the attention of the dogs nearby. Last but not least, the famous bombing a few years back. Therefore, we tried to avoid places where there a high chance of European grouping there.

Staying in Kuta Tune Hotel was an enjoyable moment yet again for me. So far Tune Hotel never disappoint me. Budget wise aside, the hotel is clean, secured and basically it offers me everything I need. A comfortable bed and bathroom to clean myself. The only difference I found in this hotel is I get to see the room for one person only. Well, Boon Chuan tried it. It reminds me of the days when we were at our university hostel. Just that this one is slightly better as it has its own toilet inside. I guess it is quite spacious as I see one fella holding a 2 meter surfing board walking into his room.

The hotel itself located in the middle of housing area away from the main street and "happening" area. Therefore, you will have a good rest for sure. The management staff did a good job on the architecture side of the hotel itself which gives a local touch into it.

As we all booked our flight in the afternoon, Yande was kind enough to give us a free ride back to airport without any charging us 1/2 day. Furthermore, he burnt one DVD of the photos he took for us using his Nikon camera as a token. Tour guide cum photographer.

The airport in Bali reminds me of Siem Reap airport. It looks more like a resort type. Sometimes, there are many things in the world which looks funny. Just like the McD restaurant which operates as a stall inside the airport and you have to place your order and they will send the food to you from no where.  Normally you get to see the crew behind the cashier doing all the frying and packing. Here, you can't even see the kitchen. I guess that's why their logo "M" is half. The other part of the "M" must be located elsewhere where the kitchen is.

We went to Bali with Han Ching's baggage get into other flight. When we reached back to Malaysia, it's my turn to experience it. Well, I'm considered a bit lucky. You see we took this AirAsia bus back to KL Sentral. I'm sure my baggage was loaded into the bus before I embarked. When we reached KL Sentral, the driver was busy collecting our ticket while the ground crew took out our baggage from the compartment. Meaning that your baggage might be taken by others while you are still inside the bus trying to get out. Daylight robbery can easily happen right in front of our eyes. After some frantic moment of complaining to the ground crew, we were relieved to find that the baggage was located in the subsequent  bus. Fuh... Now, that's bad luck struck twice. So the morals of the story again are:

1. Stand outside the bus until they close down the compartment.
2. Sit near to the baggage compartment so you can have a good view in case any fishy thing happens.
3. Get out fast from the bus upon reaching the destination.
4. Don't eat Bakso with the word "Malang" behind prior to your flight!

Lost In Bali - Glisten Under Bali's Sun

When Han Ching enquired again for her bag on the second night, the staff at the hotel nodded. The AirAsia staff had sent them a bag. Han Ching was very happy not until the staff stopped her and asked her to prove the ownership of the bag. Luckily, of all the passwords she has to remember (apart from the Internet passwords) , she confidently turned to the number which unlocked the bag and convinced the staff that she's the rightful owner. Everyone was so happy for her and the joy was carried to the next day where the bright and shiny weather greeted us.

After we had some light breakfast, Yande brought us to this place called Mengwi Temple. This very pleasing temple was built by the King of Mengwi as his family temple. The terraced courtyards of the temple are set in very well maintained grounds, surrounded by man-made waterways. From far, I find this buildings resembles Chinese pagoda with no staircase to the top.

After the short trip, we made our way to another temple, Ulun Danu Temple. This temple to me is one of the best as it is set at lakeside with beautiful lake view and hills surround it. It is situated in the plateau area and surrounded by cold weather and owns the magnificent view which makes good impression for every visitor. After taking some pictures by the lakeside, we decided to outdo ourselves jut like 100 Plus. We rented ourselves a boat and rowed towards the temple.

With most of being a beginner in rowing a boat, we were having difficulty at first. But it does not take long for us to get our act together and we moved closer to the temple. We are sure most of the tourist on the lakeside are jealous of us getting so closed to the temple. Some finds us annoying too as we spoilt their pictures. If not because of the 30 minutes time allocation we have to meet, we would have rowed the boat to the mountain on the other side of the lake. Making into this activity eventually left some mark on Han Ching as she suffered sunburn at the end of the day. Because the weather was cool and breezy, you won't feel much of the silent yet deadly ray affecting your skin.

Soon after our buffet lunch, our guide drove us to Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot is one of the important directional temples in Bali. Once you have made your way through the souvenir vendors, you will see the magnificent temple perched on a rock just a few metres offshore.

This is an extremely popular tourist destination and the whole area is often very busy indeed, especially in the late afternoons, pre-sunset. A visit to Tanah Lot for sunset is one of the most popular organised tours offered in Bali.

Photo-opportunities are aplenty here.

When we were there we could even see one see one photography session organized by a famous camera brand for those photographer wannabes thronging with all those gigantic lenses. Sometimes, when there are so many people in the surrounding, it's tough to have the object to be belonged just for you. You have to make do with people getting into your photo.

For me that's what make the photo authentic. People in the photo tells you the real atmosphere there.

Just like these group of outcast photographers wannabes. FYI, one of them are without a camera (just posing for this photo)! Can you guess who's the one?

Lost In Bali - Healthy Living

Day two and there's is still no sign of Han Ching's baggage being recovered. Luckily I brought some extra t-shirt which I borrowed to her. Proudly showing off the instruction "Do Not Disturb, Genius At Work" printed on the shirt, it is quite obvious that Han Ching was not in a good mood to poke fun on that day. Well, the show must goes on. So was the trip. We just have to give way to the obstacle and deal with it step by step. Yande brought us to a typical Balinese style house in the morning. I was puzzled to find the house was named "Rumah Sehat".  The owner must be very healthy instead! Wonder will there be names like  "Rumah Kuat" or "Rumah Kaya"?

I know that there was open-concept office where Han Ching used to work before, I've been to her office and I can guarantee you that there won't be any secretary-boss extra relationship going to happen in that office. Even when you coughed, sneezed or farted, the whole office will know that it was coming from you. That was the case in Bali house too. Basically they don't have walls or cubicles. Everything is open. Only the the rooms has some sort of curtain to shield the people inside. There is no privacy at all. For sure there's no naughty naughty period without getting the kids locked outside the house :-)

We then headed to try out the famous coffee, Kopi Luwak. Touted as the most expensive coffee in the world, kopi luwak was famous because of the way it is produced. Believe me, you wouldn't want to know the origin of this coffee after you try it. It is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract.

We all knew that some tea leaves need to undergo fermentation process.Guess what? You coffee bean will undergo fermentation process inside some animal's stomach before being recovered through their faeces. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, those enzymes seep into the beans. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness, widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.Other's poo-poo is your great source of coffee satisfaction.

You will wonder why Nescafe does not want to have this type of coffee in their range? Nevertheless, we gave it a try. World most expensive coffee oh? It costs  five of us to share one small cup of this coffee le! The taste is like those strong herbal-like medicine that give you the extra oomph. In this case I don't think the extra oomph they meant are the same effect of those "Tongkat Ali", "Kacip Fatimah" or "Kopi Jantan" like. No faster heart beating, no sweat and no sudden burst of energy felt. Just some sore pain in the heart because of paying so expensive for drinking animal's poo poo.

After a an early teatime, without wasting time, we headed to the our planned destination of Mount Batur and Lake Batur. Lake Batur is the widest lake in this island. It lies down in the feet of Mount Batur and Mount Kintamani.

The surrounding of the lake is a favorite place for picks you self up. Mount Batur itself is actually just a small volcano, but its setting is in the heart of a huge crater. Adjacent to the volcano is the large crescent-shaped Batur Lake, all surrounded by the high walls of the crater rim.

We then went to Ubud to try this must-try "babi guling" or in other words meant rolling pig. Nope. This has nothing to do with "Angry Bird". "Babi guling" is Bali’s most famous dish. Ask any Balinese person what their favourite food is and there is a good chance they’ll say "babi guling”. Indonesia is a Muslim country, so pork isn’t as celebrated as it is here in Bali.

The famous stall to serve this babi guling was Warung Ibu Oka. Finding a seat might be difficult and the sight of strayed dog hunting for leftover just make the stuff place stuffier. I must say the skin of he pork is very crispy. It's so crispy that you can literally hear the sound of paper being teared off when you try to cut the skin into smaller pieces. Having said that, this dish is not recommended for those with high cholesterol.

Tegalalang rice terrace is part of our itinerary on that day. Tegalalang countryside is located at 5 km northern part of Ubud. The rice terrace is designed very beautiful with exquisite hollowing rice field and precisely located on the hill bank forming a contour which surveyor in engineering field will be very delighted  to map the topography here. So easily defined. Trust me, you will enjoy the beautiful panorama of valley with rice terrace and coconut trees.

Goa Gajah, our last trip for the day as we we heading back to our hotel. You see, Bali is quite a sizable island. To travel to one attraction to another needs some time and proper planning so that you won't need to make repeated journey. Furthermore, the people here adhere to the speed limits. Well, this cave is really small and basically Goa Gajah provides the beautiful panorama if we overview from the step down to access this place. It looks a bathing shower, Hindu temple, hole of cave with unique ornament in firm of relief and lush tropical trees surrounded.

Boon Chuan suggested to us Bebek Bengil at Dirty Duck Restaurant Ubud for our dinner. The name Bebek Bengil / Dirty Duck has made it big across the region and internationally but have you ever wondered what does the name means?

Here’s the story extracted from their menu:

“One tropical monsoon morning, when the restaurant was very close to being finished (we had the concrete floor down, and the tables in ), a flock of ducks from the rice field across the road ( yes, there were rice fields all around us then ) ran quacking and squawking into the restaurant and across the floor and tables. They left muddy webbed footprints all over the place. They were our first guests – those dirty ducks !”

Hmmm... it makes me wonder, does "Beggar Chicken" share the same story?

Lost In Bali - Dancing WIth The Garuda

"Sorry miss, I think your baggage might had gone into the plane after this flight. We can't claim it is a missing baggage until 24 hours.", claimed the airline ground staff upon our arrival at Bali Airport

(music: Usher's OMG!)

So there we were, facing the prospect that my girlfriend's baggage might gone lost or misplaced into other flights. So much for the "convenient" online check in and baggage drop-off booth which caters for all destination baggage. Don't be surprise your baggage made a half round world trip before being handed back to you 1 month later.

Moral of the story:

1. Avoid online check in if possible.

2. If you do online check in, avoid going to drop off baggage counter. Go to the normal check in counter. If they shoo you off to the drop off baggage counter, ask them whether they can guarantee your baggage won't got mixed up by the baggage handling crew inside.

3. Please remove all your previous airline sticker! Don't be surprise your bag got into Tiger Airway when you are going Kota Bharu by Airasia!

Last year, my trip to Bali was one of those resolution in my list. As usual, from my experience of self-tour -yet-guided, we engaged a guide in Bali through Internet. Mr. Yande, our guide sent me a text to inform me that he was waiting at the lounge when I switched on my phone inside the terminal. All this while, Yande communicates with me via email. With him embracing the latest technology of Blackberry, his response was almost instant. Getting a quotation from him was brisk and reasonable. With him being first on the list of google search for "Bali Tour Guide", it not difficult to make him the choice for most the people like me. A couple of email exchanged coupled with his generosity, a deal was struck.

Once dropping us in our hotel, I met up with my friends who arrived one day earlier. To cover the lost time we had in the airport,we headed to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana or in short GWK.

"Huh,why are we going to IWK (which stand for Indah Water Consortium)?", I looked at Han Ching with a frown eyes making sure that I didn't heard wrongly.

GWK is a private cultural park. It is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu and Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion. The statue of Vishnu is 23 m high, although the original plan was for a 146 meter. The park is located at a a limestone quarry area. This place is still being developed and came into some financial problem recently. The idea to build the gigantic statue was not without controversy, and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate.

After having lunch there, we made our way to Uluwatu. Moving around with our guide's Avanzza car was comfortable you see. Fits perfectly for a small group of 5 people like us. Our guide brought us to a scenic location which oversees the Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple.

The ancient Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple, dedicated to the spirits of the sea, is perched on steep cliffs. Built in the eleventh century, the temple is one of the oldest and most important temples in Bali.. To me, Uluwatu Temple is a classic expression of ancient Bali in a spectacular setting, high above the crashing waves. This is one of the oldest and not to be missed temples in Bali.

I was told there will be a Kechak show at 6pm. The cost for one person was 70,000 rupiah. I was a bit reluctant  at first, but after much persuasion and deep thinking, I gave it a go. After all, I came all the way and to have regret of missing out such event was unforgivable. And I'm glad I made the right choice. To be part of the hundred audience sitting rubbing each other's shoulders was truly enjoyable evening. The fine weather was on our sides too.

Kechak also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, is performed by a circle of 150 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "chak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle of how Ramayana king and the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana who kidnapped his wife.

With a group of chest bared male dancer entering the tarmac, I was treated with the torrential machine-gun -type chants of "chak,chak,chak,chak"

It made me wonder how may "chak" they had chanted during the whole show.  We were already warned by the menace posed by the monkeys in Uluwatu, but the audience were shock to find one dancer who impersonates a white monkey  (Vanara) in the show popped up in the middle of no where; that drew some laughter among us. I have been always against the idea of sitting in front in any show because of fear the performers will choose you as volunteer for any magic show. Luckily, during this show they don't have such slot. However, my advice for you if you are going for any Kechak dances and so be it that you have no choice but to sit in front.

Cover your face with handkerchief against the saliva bullets!