Makan Bedulang tradition in Belitung

Being a country with more than 17,000 island, it comes as no surprise that every island/provinces/district/ethnicity will have their own tradition and culture. Same goes for the beautiful island of Belitung, located on the far east of Sumatera; an island that also goes by the name of The Rainbow Troops Island or Pulau Laskar Pelangi, an island that was made famous by a movie of the same name. For Malaysian visiting this Laskar Pelangi island, you will be surprised to hear the way they speak, it sounded like ‘bahasa Melayu zaman P.Ramlee’.

What amazes me is makan bedulang tradition in particular as it reminded me of nasi ambeng from the Jawa ethnicity in Kuala Selangor, Malaysia. The objectives of makan bedulang or nasi bedulang is to promote unity, fairness, strengthen the family institution as well as respect to the eldest. Makan bedulung is usually practised during an event or traditional ceremony such as Idul Fitri, Maulud Nabi and such. Having said that, in order to educate, introduce and promote this unique Belitung culture, makan bedulang can be experienced in some of the restaurants around Belitung. The restaurant will explain and guide the guest on the protocol or procedure, every steps symbolizes their custom.

The uniqueness of makan bedulang is that even its preparation is being taken into account; Mak Panggong is the protocol or procedure coordinator, Tukang Berage role is to lay the dishes on the dulang (tray/large platter), then you have the Tukang Periksa Dulang where she will be checking an ensuring all the dishes are correctly put/laid, pouring the drinks into the glass being done by the Tukang Ngisi Air and last but not least, Tukang Ngangkat Dulang will carry the dulang (tray/large platter) to the guests. As you can see, custom and tradition is being upheld strongly by the locals here.

Upon the dulang (tray/large platter) being serves to the guest of which per tray/large platter shall not be lesser than 3 person ideally 4 person, the youngest in the group will need to serve the eldest first (or the highest in social ranks) before the rest can join the meal.

Interestingly, the dishes serve are rather standard and consistent; 7 plates/bowl/dish in total - nasi, ikan goreng bebulus, sate ikan, oseng-oseng, ayam ketumbar, sambal serai and gagan darat. The other unique thing is that when all the dishes beingn displayed in the dulang, it is covered with tudung saji or mentudong known to the locals. Mentudong is a large dish cover is made of daun mengkuang (screw pine leaves) that is being weaved into a conical shape with a crochet cover decorating top.

If you to sample the food and experience the whole process, head over to Rumah Makan Belitong Timpo Duluk.

Rumah Makan Belitong Timpo Duluk
Jalan Lettu Mad Daud
22, Kampung Parit, Tanjung Pandan
Parit, Tj. Pandan
Kabupaten Belitung
Bangka Belitung

Fam ‘Getaways’ Trip to Belitung Island is made possible by MTN Getaways.

Not everything in Belitung is about Laskar Pelangi

True as it can be.
Despite the fact that beautiful island is made famous by the movie Laskar Pelangi, many might not know that it has more to offer. All you need is to give it a little more time and space to appreciate the island as it is, then you will see Belitung as Belitung. I was tasked to write 3 entries on Belitung trip, having to complete the first one of which I felt rather easy (everything about Laskar Pelangi), this time around seems hard to share it in a listical manner without injecting my personal take on it. So I figure, let’s be blunt about this, let’s put my thoughts with some background facts to the list below.By the way, this trip was sponsored to promote the new Garuda Airlines route to Belitung via Singapore.

Slower pace
I have been to a few cities/towns in Indonesia, am yet to experience an Indonesia island that moves in a more leisure pace as Belitung (then again, Indonesia has 17,000+ islands). Located in Selat Sunda, to the west of Sumatra, Belitung was a quiet (quieter is more like it) island back then till the Laskar Pelangi fame brought the world’s attention to this pristine island. Yet, it feels as if time stood still, everyone is ever so friendly, no hurry in live, the tendency to appreciate mother nature seems to be higher too. Perhaps the decline of tin mining industry slows everything down, till now.

Jalan Warkop 1001
This was the second thing that excites me when Eka and Oki highlighted about the Jalan Manggar or Manggar Street. Not a coffee lover, but the smell of a coffee being brewed tends to make me ‘high’ for some reason thus stopping and sampling the famous Belitung coffee became a must. I managed to sample the Belitung coffee (with milk) as well as the Kongi coffee; a Belitung equivalent of Starbucks. Apparently this coffee is the one that will make you fall in love with Belitung (katanya lah).

I was made to understand that coffee is the lifestyle of Belitung, it started during the tin mining ear where you can see all the tin miners stopping by a warkop (warung kopi) before kick-starting their daily routine at the mines. After awhile, it became a Belitung lifestyle to lepak at a warkop. In fact, some warkop (like seriously, a tepi jalan warung kopi) has wifi to encourage younger patrons to stop by. Starbucks-Starbucks tak main lah… warkop pun ada wifi hokkay.

Don’t be surprise as most warkops tend to be slightly creative with their menu. My advice is to go with a few friends and each orders different drinks and food, the best way to sample local culinary *wink*.

Danau Kaolin
Once was an active kaolin mine, this danau or lake resembles the famous Turkey site – Pumakkale (but now not anymore). The turquoise blue water pops-out against its milky white sand, an instagrammable sites that is now restricted (yeah, swimming is highly DIScourage). Having said that, one can still stop by enroute to the airport as you probably need 15-20mins or so to take some photos.

Dermaga Kirana
This place is rather unique and is situated just across the street from SD Muhammadiyah site, do make a point to stop by as there are a few Rumah Kong there (shell like rattan hut). There is also a café by the name of Owly Café at the end of the Dermaga Kirana if you feel like you wanna lepak and laze around and perhaps just enjoy the calming mangroves riverscape. According to the locals, this place was built as a place for the locals and tourist to ‘photoin suka-suka’. Not wanting to go against the advice, I also photoin-photoin, suka banget gue *cheeky smile*.
 

Burung Mandi Beach
The name inself raised the curiosity in me, translated to ‘Bathing bird Beach’ makes me wonder the history behind its name. Pestering the guide was not helping as they themselves did not know how the beach got its name but one thing for sure, I realized that all the fishing boat that is docked there has a carved bird in front. I suspect there bathing bird and the carved bird have a deep dark secret that is waiting to be told (eye squinting trying to figure out the secret). 

As of now, I am here to appreciate my rojak buah with fresh coconut drink while enjoying the Laskar Pelangi breeze gently brushes my face. Drama sangat.

Kampung Ahok and Rumah Ahok
Ahok's home in Belitung, popularly known as Kampoeng Ahok has been renovated 3 times), the Rumah Panggung architecture is made of 'kayu bulin' (kayu belian) of Rumah Limas design in Palembang.

The actual house that the family is living in is located right across Kampoeng Ahok (last photo). Ahok or Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (chinese name : Tjung Ban Hok) grew up in Manggar, Belitung. He was the Indonesian People's Representative Council and Regent of East Belitung as well as former governor of Jakarta.

Kwan Ying Statue
Like any other Kwan Ying Statue and temple, this one is located on a hill overlooking the sea. The colourful temple is definitely a good venue for photo shoots but other then that, there is nothing much. I would suggest to give this a miss and spend more time at the Museum Kata.

Fam ‘Getaways’ Trip to Belitung Island is made possible by MTN Getaways.

Laskar Pelangi movie buff Must Visit Places

‘The story covers the struggles they and their two teachers face in keeping the Muhammadiyah Elementary School on Belitong Island, Sumatra, up and running, as a tin mining company circles their fecund land. The students each have individually interesting backgrounds, providing prisms for real insights into the diversity of Indonesia. Take, for instance, the child genius Lintang, who cycles 80 kilometres a day for the chance to study: “Lintang’s family was like the epitome of poverty for Malay and Indonesian traditional fishermen. They carried that misery in their hearts from generation to generation. They swallowed the bitterness of empty expectations for the future and their doubts about their children’s education.” Then there is the singer Mahar, who since the second grade has “worked after school as a coolie, grating coconuts at a Chinese produce stall.’ – Travelfish (https://www.travelfish.org/book-reviews/138)

With that in mind, my movie-adventure-trip to Belitung begins - The Land of Laskar Pelangi (roll montage, queue music). A place where movie-hunters should make a point to visit, with Garuda flying to Belitung from Singapore makes it even easier. For me, it is more of curiosity, especially of Museum Kata Andrea Hirata (Andrea Hirata's Museum of Words). Of Laskar Pelangi. Of Andrea Hirata himself.

Laskar Pelangi Beach or Tanjung Tinggi Beach
Located in Sijuk District, approximately 45mins to an hour from Tanjung Pandang is the Tanjung Tinggi Beach. Famous for the smooth large oddly size granite boulders, on a pristine beach with powdery sand is where one of the Laskar Pelangi scene was shot. Tanjung Tinggi Beach; now goes by Laskar Pelangi Beach is a place where the locals hangs-out on a weekend. Stalls selling snacks, coconut drinks and beach toy to lure the kids are seen scattered along the coastline.

On a calm sunny day, the water is crystal clear with sun rays piercing from the clouds that sometimes shading the clear blue sky. Often you seen shots taken here reenacting scene of Laskar Pelangi, it is either that the starfish floating shots (no, didn’t do any as the current was too strong on that day for us).

SD Muhammadiyah or Muhammadiyah Elementary School
Another iconic site made famous by the LaskarPelangi book and movie is the replica of SD Muhammadiyah or Muhammadiyah Elementary School. This is where most of the scene centered on, where the teachers are devoted to inspire, teach and guide students from tin mining families who've come to study at the poorest village school on the island of Belitung, while having to brave 80km round trip by bicycle.

The replica of SD Muhammadiyah was set to looks as real as possible, ensuring each detail are accounted for. Stepping into the classroom creates a sense of childhood in almost all visitors where you can easily see the ‘pupil and teacher scene being acted out (dramatically)’. At times, you can see locals kid coming over with kaolin clay covered on their body, depicting the kids from mining family from the movie. And if you are lucky, you can have a picture of them or perhaps even with them.

About 100km from Tanjung Pandan City, rented car or tour arrangement would probably be the best mode of transportation for the drive can be up to 2 hours max.

Museum Kata Andrea Hirata or Andrea Hirata Museum of Words
Once known as Billiton; one of the top producer of tin and tin mining in the world, has now waned due to the decline in tin commodity that hit the world. This was during the time where many of the countries around South East Asia were impacted, Malaysia included.

This happens to be the most looked-forward place if you are in Belitung; for those that the appreciate museum, the those who love of art and those that got bitten by the travel bug. The book Laskar Pelangi or ‘The Rainbow Troop’ has achieved a worldwide success that a Museum of Words was erected for Andrea Hirata himself. Having produced a few sequels namely Sang Pemimpi, Edensor and Maryamah Karpov: Mimpi-mimpi Lintang, and his success in putting and highlighting Belitung in the map, aside from the fact the Laskar Pelangi book was translated to more than 20 languages and is being read around the world, this Museum of Words is the best (and yummies) icing on the cake.

The book not only introduce us to Belitung, but also the poverty, the desire to learn, the hope and dream. And that everyone can excel, given the right attention, guidance and encouragement. Nothing is impossible. From the word of Andrea Hirata – Bermimpilah kerna Tuhan akan memeluk mimpi-mimpimu (Dream for God will embrace you dreams).

The museum was the first and only Museum on Literature in Indonesia and was officially opened to the public in 2012.

Fam ‘Getaways’ Trip to Belitung Island is made possible by MTN Getaways.

Komodo Dragon | Komodo National Park in Flores, Indonesia

Toothless.

Night Fury.

Dragon.

Those that know me well would know that I love dragon (not that I have own one, or seen one), but who wouldn’t right? I mean, have you seen How to train your dragon? Super cute right? Makes you wanna own one yourself. Or perhaps migrate to Norway in the hope that will fly offer itself to be your truly beloved pet (dragon).

I did not get carry away with this dragon thingy, I actually went to Slovenia as they said there are a dragon bridge there. Betul, tak tipu! Google lah.

So here I am, in Flores, hoping to catch a glimpse of an actual dragon. Yah yah yah… I know this so called Komodo dragon is basically a biawak or monitor lizard, and not those green coloured dragon that fly and breath fire (Owwww man… kinda disappointing kan) . Oh well, a monitor lizard a.k.a Komodo DRAGON is still better than nothing kan. So I say to console myself.

From day 1 itself or probably upon me confirming my trip, I have all this imagination of a Komodo dragon and how the picture, blog and social media entries be light. You can’t blame me right, it’s like a dream come true. I am actually going to be on Komodo Island seeing a K.O.M.O.D.O. Opkos lah excited giler… sampai jetty terloncat-loncat cam orang sewel.

Arriving at the jetty was already a spellbinding experience, when reaching the Komodo Island entrance with the word Komodo Island terpampang tuh…. Aish….. rasa nak ambek 30juta gambar kat situ ajer. As we walk to the ranger quarters, located approximately 30m from the arch, cutting across dried and dead leaves coupled with savanna-like vegetation, wah…. I feel like Indiana-Jones cum Lara Croft cum Steven Irwin all in one gitew. Strutting my way to the ranger hut for briefing (poyo tak hengat donia, macam lah orang kisah pun, Komodo dragon tuh pandang pun tak. If dragon tuh pandang pun atas sebab lapar bukan because my strut tuh sexy kea pa [read : perasan]).

This is what I gather - Komodo Dragon Fun Facts :

1. The largest lizard on Earth, Komodo Dragon is named after the island.

2. Komodo Island natives named them “ora," which means “land #crocodile”.

3. Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek, an official of the Dutch Colonial Administration in #Flores, planned a trip to Komodo Island to search for the giant lizard upon hearing from sailors.

4. The giant lizard was named Varanus Komodoensis. Realizing its significance as an endangered species, the Dutch government issued a regulation on the protection of the lizards on Komodo Island in 1915.

5. Komodo Dragon is the largest living species of lizard, it can grow to a maximum length of 3m and weighing up to approximately 70kg.

6. The lizard has venomous bite; there are two glands in the lower jaw which secrete several toxic proteins.

7. Females Komodo Dragon can reproduce without having sex. The female lizard practices “parthenogenesis”; meaning in lieu of sperm, egg cells can fertilize each other.

8. They are protected under #Indonesian law, and a #nationalpark, Komodo National #Park, was founded to aid protection efforts.

9. Komodo Island has been included into the New 7 Wonders of Nature list since November 11, 2011.

10. Komodo dragon tak boleh terbang and tak breath fire (point yang ni pepandai add sebab nak cukup kan 10)

But I have to share you the fun (kinda) part, we dare not make noise when nearing the dragon, worried that it might trigger and excites it resulting to him jumping and striking us. We actually (like seriously) tip-toed behind it (with 2 rangers on standby to control the situation and to take our photos [obviously]). Jangan kata bercakap, bernapas pun takut. Giler besar Komodo dragon ni. Like really huge. And the best thing is, we don’t even know how our photos look like (clear ke, blur ke, buruk ke, herot ke….), we all just redho jer at that point of time. No one wants to die on a trip and got killed by a Komodo dragon. Confirm viral tak hengat donia. Rugi lah…. pemes tapi dah mati. Hahhahaaa….

There are 3 trekking path that the ranger can take you departing from Loh Liang ranger station, looking at the time and weather (it was about to rain), the ranger was against it and we all agreed.

• Short trek - Half hour, 1km
• Medium trek - One and half hours, 3km
• Long trek - Two and a half hours, 4.5km
• Adventure trek – Four hours

For you nature lover and outdoor enthusiasts, I highly recommend you experience one of the track with a ranger of course!

This trip is in collaboration with Ayuh Pelesiran and Be Borneo Tour. #AyoPelesiranXBeBorneo

UNESCO World Heritage-listed Komodo National Park – DONE

Achievement unlocked! (First UNESCO site visit for 2018)

Photos taken by Komodo National Park Ranger and @raninovariany

This trip was made possible by@beborneotour

The Pink Beach of Komodo Island

We moored at Gili Lawa Darat bay as the water is calmer and well protected from current and waves, on the other hand, no strong waves to rock us to sleep (and get us seasick). Aside being the best spot for boats to anchor away for a night, Gili Lawa Island is often chosen for sunset trekking from 5 to 6 pm, and perhaps sunrise too.

Gili Lawa Darat

Located 4 hours away from Labuan Bajo, this uninhabited island; Gili Lawa or Gili Laba is popular amongst divers and water sports enthusiasts, aside from this, one can also trek to the top of the hill as it offers magnificent view. Having said that, uphill climb is not for those lazy bums like me (ahaks). It is a steel trail of 70 degrees which takes approximately 45 minutes trek. However, the view on top is to die for, all the sweat and panting disappear upon seeing the postcard perfect scenery.

When visiting Flores during year end, you'll get this savannah type of vegetation and after the rainy season, it will turn into green-boulder-like-hills scenery. Due to this very same reason, you guys will notice that most of the post on Flores is dry-brown-savannah-ish type of feel.

Hence, I kept telling them, it’s a tally tubbies hill…. Or perhaps, more like (fat) belly tummies hill. Hhahahhahaa…. Get it? Get it?

Pink Beach

The famous Pink Beach of Komodo Island.

Yeah! It is not as pink as what we all saw on the internet, I guess they might have enhanced the colour a tad too much. As we docked, I honestly thought we need to walk over to another beach as it was barely pink but Indra of Be Borneo Tour told us, this is the one. The one and only – Pink Beach of Komodo Island.

The Pink Beach is located near the Komodo Island entry point called Loh Liang; where the ranger station is located. I will share more on Komodo Island and its dragon in the next post. Also on how they said I can’t own one, let alone train them. I guess my dream of having a Toothless/Black Fury end on that day.

Back to the pink beach…. It is said that the "pink" sandy beach is one of only seven in the world. The sand appears pink due to the mixture of white sand and red sand, formed from pieces of Foraminifera (obviously I googled this lah kan, macam lah I tau awat warna pink).

Oh yah! This is the only island that I decide to climb for whatever reason… konon nak ambek gambar dari atas, kot-kot Nampak lebih pink. TET! Tak pun. Gue tertipu. Having said that, it was a good trek experience (for me lah since I trek much [read : at all]) and definitely a good vibe when you sit at that vantage point embracing the Lesser Sunda Islands with wind brushing over your face, and your sun kissed tan finally settling in. My feel exactly. Try it.

This trip was made possible by @beborneotour (you can check them out on Instagram).

This trip is in collaboration with Ayuh Pelesiran and Be Borneo Tour. #AyoPelesiranXBeBorneo 

Pink coral.

Next entry will be on Komodo dragon… my favourite!

Kanawa Island and Taka Makassar | Where Time Stood Still

I was told that during this LOB trip, we will be visiting a few islands around Flores and that there will snorkeling and trekking, aside from eating, sleeping and ‘bahan’-ing. Keh keh keh…

This is what I come to realized during this trip,  as most of the islands are not fully develop thus the beach and sea condition are amazing - clean with crystal clear water. Of course we sound some stray rubbish by the beach, but what I was made to understand that depending on the wind blow ie west/east as well as monsoon, rubbish from other bigger islands will be washed to these little islands.

Kanawa Island

Out first stop was at Kanawa Island. I have to say that never have I seen so many quaint and serene islands before in my life until I visit Flores (well, except Komodo Island because there are dragons there kan). Kanawa Island represents tranquility with its white sandy beach, crystal clear water and let's not forget the panoramic view.

Located slightly an hour from Labuan Bajo, you can actually take a speed boat and do a day trip to Kanawa, but for us, we engaged with Be Borneo Tour for our 3d2n LOB trip that covers a few major and significant islands.

Most travelers either come hear for snorkeling or diving enroute to Rinca or/and Komodo Island, the other activities that are rather popular for travelers are trekking and catching the sunset.

#TravelTips for Kanawa Island :

Travel Tips 1 : The best period to visit is from April to December.

Travel Tips 2 : Rainy season is from January to March.

Travel Tips 3 : Suitable for snorkeling as the water is very calm.

Travel Tips 4 : The boat ride takes approximately 1.5 hour from Labuan Bajo if you are not doing LOB that is.

Travel Tips 5 : Kanawa Island is a cash-only island so do bring enough to pay for accommodation, food, and etc.

Travel Tips 6 : There are minimal/no internet or phone connectivity.

Makassar Reef

Our next stop was at Makassar Reef or in local language Karang Makassar/Taka Makassar whereby it is also known as Manta Point (well, it is very near Manta Point), as you've guessed it, this is where you can see mantas gliding away gracefully and peacefully, reason being as the reef is situated between the islands of Komodo and Tatawa, the strong currents that rush through a narrow strait attracts the mantas.

I guess the question would be whether did we see any mantas?

And the answer is yes, we saw them… from the boat. You can snorkel and swim with them if you are lucky enough. It is also said that if you are super duper lucky (note the emphasis on ‘super duper’), you might get to experience swiming with more than 10 mantas. Kalau nasib baik lah kan. Kalau…

So, what is Karang Makassar?

Well, Karang Makassar itself is a sandbed island and you can easily swim around this island as it is rather shallow (jangan lah gi swim di tengah lautan pulak).

#TravelTips for Makassar Reef :

Travel Tips 1 : It is said to be a smaller than a football field, so do take a walk.

Travel Tips 2 : There is no trees, hut or anything (smaller than football field remember!), so do prepare yourself for a few mins of nothingness and embrace the sea. Gitewww…

Travel Tips 3 : Try snorkeling around this area just don’t go to far out, it is still in the middle of the sea after all.

Travel Tips 4 : Great place for photo session due to the white sandy beach and crystal clear water (but then again, this is Flroes, almost everywhere is this beautiful).

Travel Tips 5 : We rented a few floats (flamingo, pineapple, unicorn etc from @floatsewa (instagram) for fun photo session, oh what fun we had. You can try this too *wink*.

Travel Tips 6 : Boat can’t dock here, be prepare to swim over or pray hard they have a smaller boat/kayak to take you over. Ours was kayak *cheeky smile*.

Other than that, we had tremendous fun at both the islands, each with different feel and experience, and should not be missed when visiting Flores.

Next entry will be on Gili Lawa Darat and Pink Beach.

This trip is in collaboration with Ayuh Pelesiran and Be Borneo Tour. #AyoPelesiranXBeBorneo

My journey begins - Flores, Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT)

I was in Melaka 2 weeks ago, managing a company training. As I was going into the function room, my colleague greeted me and say :

Colleague : Excuse me, the function room is locked, can you open it.

(Clearly thinking I am with the hotel)

Me : Oh really! Let me go get the hotel staff.

Colleague : Eh! Lily! I thought you were one of the hotel staff. You look so tanned that I can’t recognize you.

(Obviously! I said to myself)

Well, I guess I am abit very tan after coming back from Flores LOB trip. How in the world I get this tan?

Well, it started with Sham asking me whether would I be keen to join an LOB trip in Flores.

“Naaaak!!!!” Without hesitation. Without even a blink. I'll check my annual leave later I told myself, if need be, I’ll take unpaid leave. I mean, LOB in Flores… only idiot will say no. #Eh (over sangat lah pulak)

#TeamMalaysia

Sham briefed me the detail whereby our trip was made possible by Be Borneo Tour (you can check their Instagram too - @BeBorneoTour), and that I need to push it on my Social Media platform. Kamoooonnnn… a place this amazing with crystal clear water, beautiful sunset view and a dragon, I will freak out if they say I can’t post anything everything on Social Media.

I. Need. To. Show. Off.

Comprende!?!

Before I start my story telling of the dragon, the undercurrent that made our boat swiveled 360 degree, the many whirlpool that we saw, the part that I was stranded alone on the beach of a lonely island… I should first, share with you on what we learnt (took us 1.5 days to master this and yet we still stutter when asked). Here goes….

Together with my 'teachers' from Indonesia

We have been trying to learn, understand and memorise these fun facts during the whole of our trip. Alot of effort and time been put into this and I sincerely hope I got this right :

On Flores / Nusa Tenggara Timur

1. East Nusa Tenggara or Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) is the southernmost province of Indonesia and capital is Kupang.

2. NTT consists of more than 500 islands, the three largest being Flores, Sumba, and the western half of Timor (West Timor). We only visited a few islands near Flores.

3. The name Flores was given by the Portuguese ie Cabo de Flores or Cape of Flowers.

4. Labuan Bajo is the entry point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island; home to the famous Komodo dragons of which am so looking forward too. Even their airport is called Komodo.

5. There are 760 islands out of 1,192 islands in NTT have not been named until now.

Interesting right!

Do you know that there are 17,504 officially listed islands in Indonesia? Giler banyak!!!

The struggle to learn on Flores is real. 

On Labuan Bajo

1. Labuan Bajo is the entry point for trips to Komodo Island and Rinca Island; home to the famous Komodo dragon.

2. Labuan Bajo has 4-6 daily flights arriving from Bali - KUL-DPS-LBJ route (flew with on Air Asia and Wings Airlines)

3. It’ll cost approximately RM450-500 p/pax p/way from KUL-DPS-LBJ and that was 2 weeks before flying date.

4. Komodo Airport is located just 2 km from the town, if larat memang boleh jalan (you can actually walk to the town if you are up to it).

5. Ojeks (motorbike taxi) and bemos (small taxi bus/van) pass every 5 minutes if you get tired of walking and it cost approximately IDR3,000-5,000 p/pax p/way.

6. The town is pretty small, you can literally walk the whole town within half a day.

7. Labuan Bajo sunset is awesome!!

That’s about it for now, stay tune for my next entry. Meanwhile, the below pictures was captured in Labuan Bajo, a day before we embark on our LOB trip.

This trip is in collaboration with Ayuh Pelesiran and Be Borneo Tour. #AyoPelesiranXBeBorneo

Teaser for the next blog entry.

Semarang | 3 Must Not Miss Attractions

We were introduced to Semarang where we get to experience some local delicacy (blogged HERE) and covered a few amazing places. Semarang is the 5th largest city in Indonesia, and its harbor is at the heart of central Java, making it a regional center of commerce for Java Island.

Semarang history dated as far back as 1678 when Sunan Amangkurat II promised to give control of Semarang to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a part of a debt payment, this sets the beginning of the Dutch colonial era in this city. It was made official in 1705 when Susuhunan Pakubuwono I made another deal to give extensive trade rights to the VOC in exchange of wiping out Mataram's debt in which prolonged and empowered Dutch to have full control of Semarang. This is when the VOC establishes tobacco plantations, and build roads and railroads thus making Semarang an important colonial trading centre; similar to the British colonial administration in  Asia as well as India.

Most of the Chinese settlements existed in the north coast of Java, and most of them are traders and merchants, this is way before Dutch arrive in the 17^th century.

The skilled Chinese artisans assisted the Dutch in the construction of Batavia (Jakarta), making Batavia the home to the largest Chinese community in the archipelago and remains so in the 21st century. As a result of this, several Chinese temples emerged which includes Sam Po Kong, built in honor of the Chinese Great Admiral Zheng He and Tay Kak Sie Temple.

Due to Dutch colonial and oriental influence, Semarang boost as a city of architectural and culinary wonders, yet always fall under the radar. Few Semarang attractions that we visited during this 5 days trip covering Semarang and Jogjakarta are as below. A must visit place if you plan to drop by in this beautiful and wondrous city.

Gedung Batu Temple or Sam Poo Kong Temple

Also known as Gedung Batu Temple, Sam Poo Kong Temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. It is said that this temple was built in honour of Admiral Cheng Ho; a famous Chinese Muslim explorer in the 15th century who visited the Semarang in 1405.

Ambarawa Train Station

Once a military city during the Dutch Colonial Government, Ambarawa now has a unique museum focuses on the collection of steam locomotives. The construction of the new railway is to enable the transport of troops to Semarang. In April 1976, this Ambarawa Railway Station was converted into the Ambarawa Railway Museum.

The heritage railway between Ambarawa-Bedono is currently operated by steam locomotive. Aside from this, there is also a tourist railway servicing Ambarawa-Tuntang.

Lawang Sewu

One of Semarang landmark is the Lawang Sewu or Thousand Doors; a headquarters of the Dutch railway company. Famous for being haunted, this Dutch colonial has gone thru few attempt of unsuccessful rebranding and repositioning by the local council.

Japanese occupied the building and used the dungeons for interrogation and prison during the WW2, where else the basement was used as a killing fields of the indigenous population, young Indonesian and Dutch troops. Lawang Sewu complex was completed in 1919 and later seized by the Japanese in 1940s. It was initially used by the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij, the first railway company in the Dutch East Indies.

Obviously there are many more that you guys can visit aside from this 3, hence a 2 days 1 night trip is highly not advisable *wink*. Spend abit more time here and am sure you will love it, not to forget, Semarang is also a food heaven.

Semarang-Jogjakarta Fam Trip is in collaboration with Tourism Indonesia and all its sponsors with #MATTA as Fam Trip coordinator.