Beautiful Indonesian Traditional Fabrics: Balinese Wastra...

Frankly, I am a biiiig fan of all Indonesian traditional fabrics...

ALL OF THEM :D...

I was so lucky that I have a chance to travel around my beautiful county and complete my collections..

Recently, my work took me to Bali..4 times in 2 months :D...

Theeen...my itchy feet took me to Pasar Badung :D..

And voilaaaaaa.....lines of beautiful Endek Bali as well as hand-woven tenun Bali were warmly welcoming me...
Panic attack? yeees....in a positive way of course...

Let me start with Tenun Bali...

According to the lady who sells these beautiful fabrics, approximately, it takes around 5 weeks to produce one high quality Balinese tenun....

Look at the colors and the patterns....brilliant colors such as fuschia, bright purple, royal blue, mint green are just some of them...

Another beautiful element of these amazing fabrics is the patterns...from intricated flowers to unique 'tumpal', from  classique leaves to contemporary pencil-shaped forms

All these things certainly steal my attention immediately :D...

So I managed to get my self one black songket Bali with colorful  flowery patterns, like this :D...

  

Well, well, apparantly, my shopping list is not exhausted, as I set my eyes on Endek Bali...

hmmm, what is Endek Bali? If I may put it briefly, Endek Bali is another beautiful example of never-ending creativity of Balinese women in hand-weaving cotton threads and turning them into masterpieces of arts

Again, lines of brilliant colors and wonderful patterns struck me....successfully making me, without any single doubt :D, to buy them..

Usually, they are sold in meters, so you can freely decide how many meters you need ..the width of this fabrics vary, from 90 cm to 110 cm

Wanna see what I have bought for me, me, and me :D....here are the photos:D..

Balinese Wastra, I love you to the bones :D...

Indonesian Cuisine: Balinese Food

Food food fooood...glorious food...

My love to food is indispensable :D...

And Balinese cuisine is indeeed one of my favorite...well, coming back and forth to this beautiful island (mostly for work) gives me extra attachment to their brilliant culinaries...

A lot to choose from...and the restaurants they have there in Bali is indeed exquisite...starting from 5-star world-class fine dining to street-vendor or 'warung' style corner, Bali certainly knows how to cater people's appetite...

Hmmm...where should I start...perhaps I can start with Sate Lilit, one of Indonesia's 30 Food Icon...all time and all ages favorite, Sate Lilit will always be part of the Balinese cuisine...

Made of grilled chicken, deliciously adorned with grandma's secret herbs and spices, sate lilit is uniquely tasty....melting in your mouth and leaving a perfect after-taste sensation..at least for meee :D.... 

And of courseeee....nasi campur Bali....now I feel like I want to eat it nooow :D...Too bad I missed my photos from Warung Made in seminyak :D...one of the nice places to enjoy Nasi Campur Bali , besides warung Ibu Wardana  and many moreeee :D..

Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk...toooop..

Another favorite Balinese food that I have here is Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk....my god, the spices and the way they cook....perfect combination that melts in your mouth...especially the one with the soup...Waring though, it's burning hooot...I loveeeee it...

I guess, I need to get my food first before continuing this blog :D...

Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures....of some of the culinaries I had in Bali...

one of my fave spots in Bali...

yummmmy yaaaaa......

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...

In the land of Gods and Goddesses

                                                        Bali Bali Bali....

                 No words can fully capture and explain its endless beauty....

truly a paradise for everyone...
I don't feel like adding some more stories to its breathtaking view..
just sharing some photos I love from Bali...

I hope you don't mind :D

sunset at Kuta Bali

I was there for work, no chance to actually go and fully browse this lovely island.

Yet, I managed to sneak out to the back of my hotel, tried to enjoy the beauty of mother nature.

Even that leaves me speechless.....

Bali, we'll surely come back..

Clean your teeth kiddos :D.....

Mengajari anak untuk sikat gigi bisa menjadi tantangan tersendiri untuk orang tua..at least for me and Udi :D... Two kids...with 2 different stories and approaches..

Seperti anak-anak kecil lainnya, Bo sukaaaa banget dengan yang namanya permen dan coklat. Living in Switzerland gives you more choices of those great chocolates..untung ngga tinggal di Belgia nak, bisa-bisa kita ngabur ke Grote Markt terus untuk minum coklat gratis di Godiva 

So, berhubung syusyeeeh banget untuk forbid Bo from munching chocolates (berhubung Bapaknya demen banget makan coklat..), jadi compromise yang kita ambil adalah ngajarin Bo sikat gigi sedini mungkin. And It proved to be sooooo much fun 

Sejak pertama diajarin sikat gigi, si Bo ternyata suka banget karena odolnya rasa tuttifrutti :p. 

Lucunya, si Bo tuh masih belum bisa nyengir yang menunjukkan giginya semua (kebayang kan kalo kita mau pamerin gigi, hihi..), jadi kalo mau sikat gigi yang ada dia malah ngelewein (bener ngga sih tulisannya...bahasa apa ya ini )  kita..kayak gini   . 


otomatis semua odol dia makan, hehehe...tapi lama kelamaan si bo mulai diem aja kalo aku gosok gigi di bagian bawah en atas plus gerahamnya yang mulai tumbuh. Gigi si Bo tuh baru tumbuh sepuluh, 4 di atas, 4 di bawah en geraham kanan kiri...so, sebenernya ngga repot-repot amat. Yang bikin ribet tuh kalo si Bo udah ngegigit sikat giginya, karena dia pikir odol enak nih untuk dikunyah, hehehehe...yang ada jadi tarik-tarikan sikat gigi deh sama mama, hehehe...

Terus, kalo selesai sikat gigi, Bo ngotot nyuci sikat giginya sendiri. Sebenernya sih alasan aja supaya dia bisa main air dengan gelas plastiknya . Kalo udah begitu lama deeeh mandinya...

Dan sekaraaaang ...Bo juga sudah menggunakan odol yang pedaaas daas daaas.... dia somehow merasa 'dewasa' (lebih-lebih sejak punya adik :D) dengan menggunakan odol pedas..plus cool katanya karena sama dengan Bapak :D...

Well, I know it might sound silly, but all those simple things surely brighten up my day..

Lain lagi ceritanya Obi....

karena sudah  ada abang Bo, it is a loooot easier to teach her  how to brush her teeth and she  insists on doing it herself....herself lhoooo "D...

Good girl, rite...

in her tender age of 18 months, with lotsa teeth already, Obi has her own toothbrush...hhmmm, toothbrushes by the way, because she sure has a great collection of toothbrushes :D...

No need to persuade her to brush her teeth, once we have done the same thing, my lil' princess will do the same .... copy cat, but in a good way, in this case....

One thing for sure, Obi likes bright colors (just like Mommy) and cute toothbrush...many famous kids characters have adorned our bathroom until now :D....just like any other kids, she's a copy cat with an attitude :D...

I love them both, dearly....no doubt about it...so happy teeth cleaning Bo et Obi :D...

Amazing Indonesia: Kadriyah Palace, Pontianak, West Kalimantan

Well, well...after Rumah Betang and Tugu Kathulistiwa, I still have one more place you should not miss while visiting Pontianak.

Kadriyah Palace....or Keraton Kadriah.

Or some might say, Kadariyah Palace, once belonged to the Pontianak Sultanate.
I can imagine this royal palace during its hayday.

Crowds gathered in festive modes and full of joy...cheering the new-born heir of the Sultanate, celebrating love and marriage, or even saddening event of the loss of lives of the loved ones...

Grandeur 'panggung' architecture, dominated with bright yellow malay-arabic inspired decorations..

This palace housed the remainings of the royal attires, thrones, antique furnitures, small canon, and other objects belong to the royal family..lovely antiques collections for sure...

Unfortunately, they are in poor condition...

In front we also have some ladies and kids asking around for petty money, sometimes half shouting using their traditional dialects..


I sincerely hope this historical place will be maintained in a far better way...

The Thrones...

I found it in the back of the Palace...

Nevertheless, for those who like to see the historical past of Pontianak, this palace can be a good start.

Have a great time in Pontianak.

Amazing Indonesia: #Singkawang, West Kalimantan

I welcomed myelf to Singkawang last October 2012..

We had an official visit to West Kalimantan, exploring Pontianak, Singkawang and Entikong, Indonesia's border with Malaysia..

Quite a colorful journey for sure...

one of the many statues in the oldest temple in Singkawang...

And this time, let me share my lovely time in Singkawang...


Literally adorned with thousands of temples, Singkawang is indeed the jewel in the western part of  Kalimantan..

traditionally composed of Chinese- descent offsprings, the city indeed reflect the vibrant cultural heritage of our Chinese ancestors..


Wherever you look, you'll easily spot temples...colorful ones for sure :D...

 in the oldest Budhist temple in Singkawang...

perfect mural for photo session :D...

then....Another white sandy beach is waiting for you to enjoy here.....

After religious visit to the Budhist temples, it's time to hit the beach...

Yuuuup ..... it's Pasir Panjang Beach, still in Singkawang, West Kalimantan...



Well, well...surely we were having fun thereeee...

Pasir panjang beach...

enjoying the beach...

It was a windy and cloudy day when we came, but we still found it amusing to stay on the beach while waiting for our lunch..

clear, blue sky coupled with turquoise water...guarantee to feast your eyes and refresh your body, mind and soul...

So, all in all....do take some times to visit Singkawang....I heard the best time is during Cap Go Meh or Chinese New Year...hmmm, I can't wait to come back...

Amazing Indonesia: #Pontianak, West Kalimantan

A lovely city for sure....That's what Pontianak is for me ...

Our guide in Pontianak :D...

I was very intrigued when I search Pontianak for the first time in google....the search hits back many pictures of Kuntilanak (perhaps the modern name of Pontianak...who knows), one of the scariest and the fiercest ghosts in Indonesia....Can you imagine that? 

Then I read more of its history ....



Back in 1771,almost 4 centuries ago  the city was formerly the capital of the independent Sultanate of Pontianak and was founded in 23 October 1771.  Buit around an old trading station on the Borneo coast, It was founded on swampy ground. 




Then when it comes to the name, apparently  it originated from the story that the founder had seen an appearance of Kuntilanak ghost at the place to be built for the palace, which he fought to save the people. Well, lucky me they didn't keep the photos of their captures.

Another interesting fact about Pontianak is that it is located almost precisely on the equator.....no wonder it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City)


So, when you are around, don't miss Tugu Khatulistiwa (Equatorial Obelisk) or the Equatorial Monument :D....



A bit outskirt, it takes around 45 minutes to go here from the city center.

 It was built directly under the 0 degrees equator line, how cool is thaaaat :D..... 

Approximately 11km from the city center, there are many displays showcasing interesting facts about the equator. 

For sure, that's what  Pontianak is unique as one of the few cities in the world situated exactly on the equator line. Well, the consequence is...the city is very hot :D...





And of course, if you don't have time to actually go to the Dayak village, then come and visit Rumah Betang, the traditional house of Dayak Tribe residing in Kalimantan since ages ago.
The original ones are situated in the smaller cities and vilages, but they have one in the middle of the city as the sample of this traditional house....

the traditional pattern in the wooden columns of the house...

It was an interesting visit...
looking at the way the house is built..
and the philosophy surrounding it...

wrapped in fuschia Papuan  batik, right in front of the Betang House... 

There are some totems too...too bad I didn't really catch the story on it...

the stairs used to climb up the house..pretty steep...

I really enjoy the visit to this western part of Kalimantan or Borneo Island. Their unique tradition and cultures really fascinate me...

one of the faces in totem..

And I still have more stories on Kadriyah Palace as well as Singkawang temples and city  in the next post, so hopefuly you got a chance to check that one out as 
well.. :D...