African Chapter #1 : Marvelous Marrakech ...

Okaaay...another series of my itchy-feet adventure..

I know, bits and peices are here and there, but as I just got time now to actually transfer them to my blog, then here they areeeee...

This time, I got my notes and photos from my Solo Adventure to Marrakech :D...


one of the doors in Villa Majorelle, Marrakech...

Yuuup, my first ever visit to the wonderful continent of Africa was in Marrakech, Morocco...Well, technically, I transited in Casablanca first before arriving in Marrakech but as I didn't spend enough time there, so Marrakech is the one :D...

It all started with our Working Group on Human Rights Education and Training...as one of the initiatives of the Human Rights Council, the main sponsors of this Resolution got a chance to discuss further on various aspects of this noble ideas...


some of us, lead by Don Omar, after a great dinner...

I practically arrived in the middle of the night...after grabbing my stuff and finding a colleague who picked me up at the airport, off we went to the hotel..

But, before that, we sneaked out to Jemaa Al Fenaa...grabbing its famous orange juice at 1.30am in the morning :D>..




I stayed in Mansoor El-Edabbi Hotel...where we had the meeting....

It was a typical architectural complex of comfort :D...lovely place indeed and I love the pool...


The place where I stayed...




Then, there we were....

When I arrived in Marrakech alone, I decided to take sometime to explore the city while waiting for the rest of the gank..

Not an easy thing to do, tho'..as the sun was soaring hot to 40 degrees, I guess..







i decided to visit Jardin Majorrelle, had a hamam, Koutoubia Mosque and back to Djemaa El-Fnaa, particularly the souks around it :D...

Well, this is what I can manage under the blinding sun :D...


Jardin Majorelle...


the door to the Villa...


my favorite spot :D...




Some details as shown above is lovely...



one of the corners of Jardin Majorelle....

the pond in the middle....

dont you love the coloooor...
Its collection of cactus is quite extensive....




I really spent my time in Jardin Majorelle....enjoying quite a collection of exotic plants from many parts of the world, particularly cactus,  as well as Yves Saint Laurent memorial and mini museum... 


One of YSL works...

I lovee the details...

such a simple yet memorable park....


Then, I took a stroll in Koutoubia Mosque...lucky me, during Friday prayer, I can get a chance to pray there as well...


Koutoubia tower in the evening....



after our Friday prayer....

Well, so many to share, so little time....mind if I come back for more? :D...

Amazing Indonesia: Underwater paradise, Bunaken #1...

In times of writing, I am desperately missing my underwater adventure...

So, while waiting for my next trip, I just remembered I haven't fully shared my joy of strolling around the beautiful and serene wold-famous underwater world of Bunaken...




Coined as one of the most beautiful Underwater Natural Park in the world, Bunaken National Park covers an extensive area of 89,095 hectares..featuring 200 - 1.840m deep sea depth between the islands and comfy homes for  thousands of different species of fish, coral, endangered marine mammals and reptiles, birds, molluscs and mangrove species, Bunaken certainly has its world-class reputation...Stretching from Manado Tua, Bunaken, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen to Sangihe, I can never get enough of its beauty...From enchanting walls, cracks and caves full of marvelous fish species to its chart-of-rainbow corals and many more...

I love the blue of Indonesia....

Despite the fact that I am relatively new to this heart-wrecking sport, I am already addicted to diving...No words can express my feeling while adventuring down there...


with the giant triton in Bunaken :D...

Bunaken, with its sparkling, crystal-clear water, has stolen my heart...

As amateur as can be, I try to enjoy every single dive I made in Bunaken while trying to capture its heart-stopping beauty..I managed to get 6 dives, which are a far-cry from enough...For me, every dive is like the first time...with the same excitement, the same anticipation :D...

Under water tree ...so full of life :D>..




Wherever you go, Bunaken will warmly welcome you with its colorful seabed and its cheerful residents :D..










 


Like this puffer fish, which seems to be eager (naaah, they are actually sy and afraid, sorry....) to greet us :D..


such huge beautful eyes...hope we don't bother you...

Fuschia, bright purple, shocking blue ...rainbows are laying beautiful everywhere....a lifetime guarantee to cheer you up...
one of the many fuschia corals....
We also visit the giant clamps...too bad not so many are left ...


One of my favorites is the huge blue starfish..they are sooo cute, at least to me :D...I also see red or pink one if I'm not mistaken, but I didn't get the chance to take picture of them...



I still got more photos and stories to tell....be right baaack :D.....

come swimming.....come swimming.....



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?




Mudik yuuuuuk .....

Mudik oooh mudiiiik...

Rasanya sebagian besar dari kita, terutama yang merayakan Hari Raya Idul Fitri, pernah atau bahkan selalu mudik saat Lebaran.

Buat kami yang on et off berlebaran di tanah air, mudik memang selaluuuu menjadi pengalaman tersendiri yang penuh cerita, warna dan air mataaa hehehehe...apalagi dengan 2 anak yang super 'lucu' dan aktif (baca: ngg bisa diem).

Untungnya, kami punya kampung yang sama.
LAMPUNG tercinta, tepatnya di Bandar Lampung.

Well, that's the tricky part sebenarnya.
Lampung memang relatively dekat.
Being the southernmost part of Sumatera, Lampung memang menjadi gerbang masuk dan keluar Sumatera via darat et laut. Technically, terbang hanya butuh 30 - 40 menit.

Normallement, via darat dan laut butuh 6 jam.
Kalau lagi normal yaaaa.
Tapi seperti drama mudik tiap tahun yang kita dengar, lihat dan rasakan, tidak ada yang normal when it comes to mudik.

Apalagi, tahun 2013 ini, pengalaman kami agak sedikit berbeda.
Tahun Mama Bo et Obi was lucky enough to skip the inferno of mudik hotroad disaster (berlebihan sekali yaaa....) karena sedang ikut diplomatic course, jadi harus berangkat menjelang lebaran dan pulang duluan ke Jakarta sebelum puas berlebaran riaa hiks hiiiks.
Tahun lalu juga tekooor karena mama Bo harus terbang sendiri, sementara Bapak Udi dan anak-anak berangkat duluan via darat.

Selain itu, tahun ini kami benar-benar mudik berempat.
Tanpa nanny or domestic helper, tanpa nenek Lilis tercinta yang sudah pulang duluan karena mau buat kue.

So, let the adventure begin!


setting duduk 
harus benar-benar 
diperhitungkan :D...




First thing first, KAPAN kita mudik sangat krusial.
waktu persisnya kita berangkat mudik sangat pengaruh lho!

Dengan komposisi cuti bersama yang panjaaang sebelum lebaran, kita semua berteori bahwa puncak mudik akan terbagi dari Jumat, Sabtu, Minggu.
Tapi bukan Rudi namanya kalau ngga keukeuh tidak mau ambil resiko.
then, kami putuskan untuk izin dan berangkat Jumat pagi.
off we go!



Dengan VVIP member kami yang heboh nan lucu, segala perlengkapan perang pun dibawa, mulai dari standard comfort kit (you decide what's in it :D...) sampai bantal super besaaar.

Dari makanan kecil, ringan, sedang dan berat untuk anak-anak(kan mama et Bapak puasaaa :D) sampai mainan mulai dari Lego, plush toys, sampai buku dan puzzle.

Semuanya kompliiit ada di mobil :D.
Jadi kayak mini market hehehe.

Padahal, kenyataannya...berhubung kami berangkat sesudah selesai sholat subuh, VVIP members kami (baca: Bo et Obi :D) pun tidur dengan damai dari Jakarta hingga Merak. Alhamdulillaaaah banget!

Again, berangkat Jumat subuh itu terbukti sangat membantu kelancaran perjalanan, karena jalanan hanya normal dan dalam 2 jam kami sudah tiba di Merak, tanpa antrian panjang yang menakutkan yang malamnya kami lihat di TV.

Tiba di Merak, ada 3 dermaga yang beroperasi...dan kami pun antri di Dermaga 3...meskipun belum terlalu ramai,tapi teuteuuuup antri 1 jam baru naik kapal.


sayangnya, kapal keren di seberang sana bukan yang kita naiki, hiiks....


Then, setelah naik kapal yang somehow aku lupa namanya, kita pun mulai mencari posisi...aku ambil sofa yang lumayan nyaman, sementara Udi dan anak-anak asyik menikmati lesehan yang tempatnya kebetulan 

Another handy tip: SEGERA CARI TEMPAT!

I know it sounds scarry but sebelum pada brutal dan penuh, lebih baik segera cari tempat di kapal ferry.

Another thing that I like to do first is going to the bathroom. seriously, penting sekali untuk memanfaatkan toilet di saat tempatnya masih (relatively) bersih :D.
Dan jangan lupa, bawa perkakas yang dibutuhkan seperti tisu basah dan kering, hand sanitizers dan teman-temannya.

Sepanjang perjalanan di laut, lumayan banyak hiburan lho  :D.
Mai dari live music (khususnya dangdut yang suaranya keraaas dan super stereo) sampai film yang diputar di TV sentral kelas satu.
Bahkan di kapal yang kami tumpangi kali ini ada jasa pijat refleksi dan bekam :D.
Belum lagi di lautnya, yang seperti biasa, ada rombongan para pencari koin (dan juga uang kertas sepertinya) yang sengaja dilemparkan penumpang dari atas kapal. Seru yaaaa...

the coin boys...*eh, bener ngg sih panggilannya :D>...

Untungnya, perjalanan di laut kali ini pun lumayan lancar...setelah kurang lebih 2 jam mengarungi laut dan 30 menit menunggu kapal sandar dengan sempurna.
Dan tibalah kami di Lampung tercinta..

Taraaa....alhamdulillaaah....

tuuuuh, sigernya udah kelihatan...

saat menanti sandar....dari jauh kelihatannya sepi yaaa....

Dari Bakauheni, Udi sang Supir Lampung langsuuuung tancap gas menuju Bandar Lampung.
Alhamdulillaaaah  lagi, perjalanan lumayan lancar walaupun kondisi jalan tidak maksimal (baca: banyak  bolong-bolongnya euuuy :( ) dan lumayan padat kendaraan, terutama kendaraan besar.
Di sepanjang jalan kami juga melihat banyak posko lebaran yang didirikan, baik yang resmi oleh Polisi maupun dari partai-partai sponsor (menjelangpemilumode)... 

Mendekati kota Bandar Lampung, jalanan pun makin ramai dan banyak perbaikan jalan di sana sini... but the excitement of coming back home surpassed all those  hindrances :D

All in all, perjalanan mudik jilid pertama kami lumayan sukses.alhamdulillah ..niat baik berkumpul dengan keluarga besar puuun tercapai..

Senangnyaaaa...

Semoga mudiknya teman-teman sama serunyaaa yaaa :D>..