Myanmar, the Land of Gold: #Shwedagon Pagoda..

Beberapa waktu yang lalu, saya sempat berbagi cerita tentang pengalaman mengunjungi Myanmar, salah satu anggota paling muda ASEAN.

Dan seperti biasa, banyak sekali yang ingin diceritakan. But again, baru sempat menulisnya setelah jeda sekian lama :D..tidak ada maksud lain selain sharing pengalaman berinteraksi dengan penduduk asli seraya menikmati keindahan alam di sana.

So....No excuses, I said to myself. Ayo kita menulis dan lanjuuuut kita mengunjungi Myanmar :D.

After finishing a fruitful Bilateral Dialogue between Indonesia and Myanmar at ministerial level, I finally got a chance to see more of Yangoon..

As always (hiks), I only have a very limited time and of course I managed to visit the famous Shwedagon Temple although I just got a chance to visit it at night.

Myanmar is indeed potential in terms of tourism .

And visit to Shwedagon Pagoda is indeed a must when you come to Yangon, Myanmar.

Coined as the landmark of Myanmar, the Pagoda is situated in Singuttara Hill..no wonder you can easily spot this jewel-studded pagoda even from afar...

Built firstly by King Okkalapa looong long time ago, a shrine believed to house the holy hair pieces of Buddha, has continuously  expanded into one of the holy places for Buddhists.

one of the Buddha statues in Shwedagon.... 

It is incredible.

As you stepped in, you would line up for tickets, took off your shoes and went through a 'tunnel' before welcoming yourself in a huge courtyard full of beautifully adorned temples, statues, and relics. As it is a highly sacred ground, no shoes, socks, and sandals are allowed.

It opens from 4 AM in the morning (definitely for monks and those devoted prayers) until 9 PM, but I guess the foreigners can only visit this place starting from 6 AM.

Here are some photos I took during my visit there.

lines of golden Buddha statues...

send a little prayer here...

gold gold and more gold...

everything is beautifully gold...

sleeping Buddha in one spot...

It was a great visit indeed.

Apalagi setelah tau bahwa stupa yang ada di Pagoda ternyata terbuat dari lebih dari 8000 batang emas!  Ada sekitar 10 ribu batu mulia, mulai dari berlian, safir,merah delima, giok dan topaz! Another wooow indeed. No wonder this stupa is incredibly famous for beautifully capturing the ray of the sun, particularly during sunrise and sunset... too bad I missed it.

Many people were flocking..and the Temple itself is more like a huge Buddhist  complex with so many temples with different sizes, details and adornment...as most of the temples were covered with gold (originally as well as plated :D), it was very grandeur and flashy at the same time.

locals and tourists, young and old...all gathered in Shwedagon...

Coming there with some friends, we stayed around to see people praying as well as gathering cheerfully with families..some of them even had a picnic. 

In one spot, people devotedly prayed, they burnt incense, followed the monks and chanted.

While in another corner, people were happily chatting, eating, sitting and enjoying the surroundings, spending some quality time with family, with one another.

gold...gold...and gooold....

It was a mixed feeling for me.
Knowing that this is a holy ground as well as public space where people spend time relaxing.

I myself try to observe and respect the holiness of this site, including by refraining myself from talking aloud and laughing, as well wearing modest clothes.
   
Well, as you can see in the pictures, it was quite a crowd we have here.

I was trying to communicate with local people while visiting the temple...asking here and there, trying to get more information on some details or asking for help in translating the scripts written on the wall. Well, most of them returned back to me with huge smiles and said 'no English"...some have been kind enough to talk to me in their local English..some of them were flocking near me and saying nothing but local lingo, and some even asked their friends to take pictures with me hehehe....never mind, I still enjoyed my conversations with them :D.

solemnly praying....

more Buddha....

with friends....it was an enjoyable visit indeed....

I really love the details on the roof...

one part of the roofs....

ceramic depicting the story of Buddha...

Burmese elephant :D...

All in all, it was quite an experience.
I guess I need to go back to explore more of this ASEAN  fellow member country and enjoy  more of the beauty of Myanmar..

enjoying Thai food in Yangoon...well well....

while waiting for my flight to Yangoon :D...monks are the priorities :D...

Anybody wants to take me back there?

ASEAN BLOGGER FESTIVAL INDONESIA 2013 #3

Alriteeee......it's my 3rd piece now already ... related to ASEAN Blogger Festival Indonesia 2013..

I know it takes ageeees to complete what I have in mind (and notes) regarding our one-of-a-kind event, but please, please, please bear with me :D...

Anywaaaay....

Let me talk a lil' bit about Solo.

I love this city...

Being famously known as the Spirit of Java, Solo is indeed the perfect choice for hosting this event. With its vibrant artistic environment and deeply-rooted cultural lives, Solo definitely has a lot to offer to bloggers. Even the theme for ASEAN Bloggers Festival Indonesia 2013, Re-inventing the Spirit of Cultural Heritage of Southeast Asia, perfectly reflecting the thrust of this lovely city. Wherever you look, wherever you go, Solo will cater you thirst for everlasting cultural values and principles.

My short conversations with many Soloensis (if I may call them that way :D) or Solonese clearly

reflected their pride and unconditional love towards their traditional values and rich cultures.

And as we packed ourselves for a 3-intensive-day meeting during ABFI, we had the honour, and privilege, to witness the beauty of those generations-long inherited traditions during the Mangkunegaran Art Festival.

Regularly conducted, The Mangkunegaran Performing Art truly entertained us. Through dances and operette, we vividly enjoyed these arrays of beautiful moves depicting the gracefulness as well as grand philosophies of their lives.

Enjoying tari Golek Sukoreno, Tari Kupu, Tari Sobra and Timun Mas or Golden Cucumber operette, I was fully absorbed to the richness and colorful world of Solonese....Breathtaking...

How could you not enjoy it....lovely Gamelan composition, graceful moves and beautiful ladies and girls....

Aren't they beautiful....

during the preparation....

si timun mas :D....

I do envy these girls....they are sooo graceful...

Even Sodra Dance is sooo funny, yet still energetically and gracefully performed by boys with cool attire..perfect mix between traditional costumes with modern touch..I loveee those shades :D...

And of course....the Mangkunegaran Palace itself is quite a place...

And bloggers? we enjoyed it sooo much...

cheeeers.....

See....it doesn't take much to fall in love with Solo...first impression and you'll be smithen...

So,  come and visit Solo then ... feel the vibe and get ready to fall for it :D...

Till we meet again, Solo...

ASEAN BLOGGER FESTIVAL INDONESIA 2013 #2

DAY ONE

And we are soooooo exciteeeed :D

Imagine this.
Around 250 bloggers, from all over ASEAN countries, gathered in a beautiful city of Solo, the spirit of Java!

say cheeers...some of us taking a lead in photo session :D...

Ecstatic? Indeed.

High-spirited? For sureeee.

FUN? definitely.

Why?
Because we finally can get together, discuss and share many interesting issues when it comes to bloggers.

Bloggers ...those staying in the frontlines when it comes to many important things, from raising awareness and solidarities towards certain issues or events, from promoting tourism to inspiring people, and of course from providing necessary information to sharing valuable lessons in life.

before everybody gets hereee.....

See, bloggers are so COOL, right :D..

That’s why ASEAN Bloggers Festival Indonesia 2013 has been highly anticipated.

And the theme, Reinventing the Spirit of Cultural Heritage of Southeast Asia, is indeed timely and complementary to the overall efforts we are taking in paving the way towards ASEAN Community 2015.

And, more importantly,  I have to luxury, - and honour, to join this incredible gathering…

I can feel the vibes as we started this event…

with Agus Lahinta...my MC partner :D...

Starting from the opening session, where H.E. Ambassador Hazairin Pohan, the Head of Center of Education and Training of the Ministry of the Republic of Indonesia, who is also an avid blogger, officially opened the Festival. Highlighting the changing world, ASEAN Community 2015 will definitely benefit from bloggers’ prominent roles in knitting ASEAN peoples closer together, in materializing the ASEAN Community in 2015 and beyond

Then, we have a series of seminar and workshop.

We also have a great Tumpeng Moment for the 2nd anniversary of ASEAN Bloggers Community.

and the tumpeng goes tooooo.....

No less than Prof Hermawan Kertajaya, the father of Marketing, beside Philip Kotler  :D and the President of World Marketing Association, himself, briefed us, bloggers, on how to maximize social media in achieving our goals.

remember 13 gamechangers from him?  :D....

I certainly hope all participants do note and acknowledge 13 gamechangers for bloggers as avid marketeers “D/... I did have those slides and learnt a lot from it...

Then we have the  representative of the US Mission to ASEAN, Thomas Bills, talking about what the US has done in supporting ASEAN, including in realizing ASEAN Community 2015.

the gamechangers a la Prof Hermawan.....

For sure, we had an interesting talk with Pak Muhammad Dian Navi on the origin of Southeast Asia Cultures..and how we all related.

After lunch, the party continued....as we have more discussion on the role of social media in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Building, featuring mas Budi Putra, the CEO of the Jakarta Post Digital, as well as one and only Mbok Venus @venustweets ...talking and sharing the ideas on how social media can boost and support the overall integrated steps towards ASEAN Community 2015. 

Here we curiously noted the idea of having bloggers exchange programmes and apparently everybody was so excited about it...we also noted the facts that bloggers have raised and campaigned many important issues, including those with less (or not enough) attention from the governments...Lucky me, I got the chance to moderate the discussion and again, we had many interesting and valuable inputs from the floor.

As the last part of the subtantive segments (not the part tho’ :p), we had presentations and dicussions with the representatives for the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy as well as from the regional office of tourism from the city of Surakarta...

Well, the fun continues as games and free stuff were distributed...through games of course :D...lucky me I got stocks of questions and games that can be used ...while we are waiting fooor...taraaaa, the fashion show...

Yuuup, fashion show...featuring bloggers from 10 ASEAN countries, featuring a lovely Batik Solo collection....

Then, we wrapped the day with 2 jammin’ sessions with Solo bands...one singing blues tunes and the other one offering some now-classic collections like what’s goin’on- 4 non blondes or imagine-John Lennon...

the band ...

Psssst....it was not all actually... I still have my piece on our adventure in the Mangkunegaran Art Festival :D...wanna check that out? Just wait and see yaaaa....

VIVA ASEAN BLOGGERS

ASEAN BLOGGER FESTIVAL INDONESIA 2013 #1

What an amazing gathering....

Rasanya memang woooooooow berat kalau kumpul dengan bloggers :D.

Not only that you instantly have great friends, new and old.
You also get new followers and great chats, membuka wawasan baruuu. Belum lagi dapet free products dari sponsors, free wifi!
and ALL THE FUN in the world.

Seruuuu kaaan :D.

Last night , we had a excellent welcoming dinner at amazingly beautiful traditional and historical house of the Mayor of Surakarta, Loji Gandrung

Loji Gandrung....elegantly standing since 1823

Lovely place indeeed.
You should see how elegant Loji Gandrung is.
Yang telah tegak berdiri sejak 1823.
Kebayaaang kaan....
No wonder banyak urban legend yang bilang kalau ada noni Belanda yang suka say hiiii to people (lucky me I didn't see her :D).

Makanannya? 
Guess what!

All those yummy food from Solo! the famous culinary collection from the city of Surakarta certainly swayed me away....

Nasi Gudeg ceker, mie godog, selat Solo, risoles solo, danish kelapa sukseeees mengenyangkan kita semuaaaa...

nasi gudeg cekeeeer...yummy beraaaaaat :D...

mie godooooog yang kondaaang :D...

si danish kelapaaaa :D,,, 

Belum lagi minuman segaarnya.
Sayangnya aku ngga kebagian karena sibuk ngeMC ama Agus Lahinta, my dear friend from Gorontalo...... 

Dan hiburannya pun ngga tanggung tanggung lho. 
Ada Himpunan Artis Musisi Kroncong Indonesia (HAMKRI) sukses menghibur dengan koleksi lagu - lagu cantik mulai dari Dongengan ala Solo, Bengawan Solo, Jembatan Merah sampai Besame Mucho and the Autumn Leaves.
Pokoknya juaraaa deeeh :D....
Apalagi ditambah sumbangan suara emas Pak Walikota dan Pak Dirjen Kerjasama ASEAN, H.E. I.G.A Wesaka Puja, who happens to be my CHarge d'Affaires di PTRI Geneve dan Dubes RI untuk Vienna, Austria

All in all, it was an enjoyable, memorable gathering.

VIVA ASEAN BLOGGERS.... 


And I'll come back soon with more souvenirs from ABFI 2013 :D...

A lil' note on Kiluan, Lampung's hidden paradise...#4 - More tips...

Don't get bored...this will be the last piece :D

Still on KILUAN...

So perhaps, more little tips for you, first and foremost....make sure your car is in top condition…

sedan is indeed a big NO-NO and 4-wheel drive is the best. 

Well, front-wheel drive cars like ours (Nissan Livina) can make it, but it will be quite challenging… We were lucky it was not raining, but I couldn’t imagine if we were trapped in the roads raining cats and dogs. As the roads are curvy and some of them are steep with loose rocks and big holes, better get yourself prepared :D..

 

There are many choices of accommodation there..

ranging traditional cottage rated RP 350.000,- (USD 40) per night with 1 bedroom and perhaps enough for 6 adults, to better accommodations which sold pack-and-parcel with the trip…

small cottage..Rp 350.000 per nights...

bigger cottage...

I guess the package starts from Rp 380.000,- (USD 42) per person for accommodations, meals, dolphin et Kiluan island trip. You can easily google it (Kiluan dolphin is the keyword) or contact Pak Solihin (0811369997831) for the eco-tourism package. 

Don’t forget to bring Flashlight (no electricity yet, generator starts from 6pm to 6am…but they say starting Desember the electricity is on..we saw the poles already :D), mosquitoes repellent lotion, food and water, especially clean water, swimming gears et snorkeling/diving gear (I haven’t tried diving here, so I dunno). 

What else…

hmm, sarong might be a good idea, either for sleeping or taking a bath :D..

and of courseee....Camera….

yuuup, to capture all those happy moments in Kiluan… i guess I don't have to remind you on that :D..

So, hope it helps and have fuuun in Kiluan...