My Beautiful Indonesia: Lembeh, North Sulawesi..Underwater Macro Heaven...



I should start with an apology...

To my self particularly..

Why ooh why?

Because I should've written this piece looong time ago...right after I shared my unforgettable underwater experience in Bunaken...

Well, better late than never, rite...
Particularly as I will never stop writing about my beautiful Indonesia :)..

And this time, I have LEMBEH in my draft :D...

Have you ever heard of Lembeh before? Some of you might have...particularly those who love diving..and even more particular (I keep using that word!), divers who enjoy underwater photography, especially macro!

Yuuup...let me present Lembeh, famously coined as the capital of muck diving and even more popularly known as the capital of underwater macro diving ...

This crab (too bad I don't know the name..) was so tiny..I was lucky I could actually catch it...



Where is Lembeh anyway?

It is located in Bitung District, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. When I visited this beautiful island and strait, I stayed in Manado, which is near to Bunaken Marine Park (read here and here for my lovely underwater adventure in Bunaken :D). It took approximately 2 hours to reach Lembeh from Manado by car. There, from Bitung Port, it took another 20 minutes to reach the island and the strait, where the diving spots are.


two tiny pygmy seahorses....

Why do divers come to Lembeh? What makes Lembeh famous?

Critters and their magnificent beauty...Critters and all those gorgeous creatures you can possible find in this beautiful place!

For an amateur diver like me, I don't know what to expect when our group said we would try muck diving in Lembeh and that we would find different atmosphere as well as different creatures. But what I saw was beyond my imagination indeed...especially compared to my previous diving.


Don't forget, that Lembeh is world-widely known for its muck diving..so, instead of clear turquoise water, you will find otherwise...It might be deceiving for a start, but as I started to see those lovely (some are weird) creatures, it felt like I could scream on top of my lungs for excitement (of course I couldn't do it...not down there! :p)

I just luv to see these two nudibranch :D...sooo cuteee :D...





When is the best time to visit Lembeh?
Well, I went there in the middle of April and the weather was a bit tricky...It was raining cats and dogs as we stepped into the van that would take us to Lembeh, but as soon as we dived, everything was peacefully beautiful underwater.

arriving at Bitung port...

Lembeh Island...


There are many operators offering Lembeh experience...so you just google it and they're all popping out :D. My group and I dived with La Rascasse diving center, with Luther a.k.a Meta as my cool, funky DM :D>..

And here are some of the photos I managed to make while enjoying the beauty of Lembeh.

When we met this mimic octopus, we really took our time to take her (I call it 'she' for being soo beautiful :D>) pictures...well, judging from her swift movement and different poses she gave, she is definitely a great actress :D...



the octopus :D...


on the seabed...


Pak Sinek, my DM :D...



See you around, beautiful...


another pose ...


time to go...


Then we met puffer fish...or scientifically known as Tetraodontidae...Well, they can be cute, but dangerous at the same time...



big eyes...puffer fish...





Then, more and more nudibranch...









Ribbon eel...



Frog fish


Flamboyant cuttlefish







And soooo many moreee...





More puffer fish, including the one without being puffed ....
he's coming to meee :D...



Well, well, well...for sure Lembeh has sooo many more beautiful things to see and I would definitely lovee to come back..as you see, I still have to work on my UW photography et diving skills...

cheers...

In times of diving, I was accompanied by my lovely Canon D20 :D...now, I have new toys, G15 with fantasea casing (courtesy of Bapak Udi, my luuuv) and GoPro Hero3 that I haven't tried underwater (but properly abused by Bapak Udi my luuuv during his downhill cycling trips :) ) 


our tools...all in the bucket :D...

Now, it always happens to me whenever I finish writing anything about UW..
I want to dive noooow.....


P.S :  I really want to be a professional underwater photographer but I'm still learning the ropes now...so, this blog, and all its photos, is part of my never-ending learning process :D..so amateur as it might be, that's me :)...

si sandal tercinta....

Suatu pagi di akhir pekan..

Obi: Mama, Obi udah mandi niih...sekarang mau main dulu yaaa....
Pakai sandal angry bird yang merah....

Mama: Dede Obi kok pake sandalnya ngg ganti-ganti siiih...

Obi: Obi suka, soalnya mama beliin sandalnya sama-sama ama punya abang Bo ama punya mamaaa..pokoknya Obi mau pake yang itu aja ya ma..

Sandal Mama, Abang Bo et Obi...punya Obi yang udah terkelupas :D>..

Aaah, Obi...kecil-kecil sudah punya sandal favorit :D...
Saya ingat, waktu awal membeli sandal yang sama untuk kami bertiga, saya kok sudah membatin kalau Obi dan Bo pasti akan suka bangeeet. Dan ternyata benar...selain karakternya yang memang sudah dikenal anak-anak, sandal ini pun memang nyaman. Makanya, mama Bo et Obi got one for herself :D..

Dan Obi, sangking sayangnya ama sandal ini, selain dipakai terus dan dibawa ke mana-mana (termasuk ke dalam kamar...diajak bobo, kalau kata Obi :D ), Obi juga selalu bilang ke orang-orang bahwa sandal Obi  dibeliin mama dan sandalnya sama dengan punya mama et Abang Bo...

To me, it's so sweet of her ...

Bicara soal benda kesayangan, rasanya setiap orang pasti punya.
Bahkan bisa jadi bukan hanya satu, tapi beberapa...

Biasanya benda ini penuh kenangan atau punya nilai lebih...entah karena benda itu diberikan oleh seseorang yang istimewa, dibeli dari uang gaji pertama, ataupun dicari dengan susah payah hingga ketemu, penuh perjuangan...

Seperti si sandal ini...
Kalau dipikir-pikir apa siiih istimewanya..lha wong hanya sandal aja..buat dipakai di kaki...
Semua orang punya, semua orang pakai..bahkan banyak orang yang punya sandal lebih bagus.

Tapi ternyata, untuk Obiku sayang, sandal ini bukan hanya sekedar sandal...tapi lebih sebagai bentuk ikatan cintanya terhadap mama dan abangnya tersayang. Si bungsuku yang belum genap 3 tahun ini ternyata begitu perhatian. atau mungkin lebih tepat attached, dengan keluarganya. Well, paling tidak itu perkiraan saya, karena setiap ditanya kok ngg mau pakai sandal yang lain, jawabannya sama...karena yang ini 'kembar' dengan abang dan mamanya :)..

Itu alasan mengapa saya suka dengan postingan dari Mba Lianny Hendrawati, blogger panutan yang jam terbangnya sudah tidak pelu diragukan lagi, mengenai benda kesayangannya yang berjudul Benda Kesayanganku (baca di sini).

Ada begitu banyak cinta, harapan dan komitmen yang tersirat dari cerita sederhana mengenai cincin kesayangan Mba Lianny yang diperoleh dari jerih payahnya sendiri di usia yang sangat belia, 5 tahun!

Walaupun (agak) berbeda nuansa dengan sandal Obi, tapi benda kesayangan memang selalu punya arti lebih dari sekedar barang milik.

neng Obi dengan sandalnya :D...

Karena benda kesayangan ini selalu berhasil menorehkan senyum karena mengingatkan kita akan cinta dan harapan...serta pada orang-orang terkasih :).

“Postingan ini diikutsertakan untuk memeriahkan GA Blog www.liannyhendrawati.com.”




ps: untuk tebakan usia putri cantik mba Lianny Hendrawati di foto, mama Bo et Obi jawabnya 5 tahun :D..*duuuh, moga2 beneer ..

The Autumn Leaves.....

Saat itu...
Di tengah macetnya Jakarta yang sudah tak terperikan *tsaaaah
Saya diharubirukan oleh lagu lama yang (memang) selalu enak untuk didengar...

The Autumn Leaves...by Nat King Cole...



The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sunburned hand I used to hold

Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sunburned hand I used to hold
Since you went away the days grow long
And soon I'll hear old winter's song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall





(I can't help myself but singing along ..berasa merdu sendiri hihi)

Walaupun di belahan dunia sana, sekarang sudah mulai memasuki musim dingin, tapi saya iseng ngobrol ngalor ngidul dengan suami ..ngobrol tentang musim favorit kami, kala tinggal di tempat yang memiliki 4 musim :D..



Dan musim gugur pun berhasil dinobatkan sebagai musim favorit :D...

Yup, autumn, or fall, is our favorite
Not only because it is perfectly represented by this melodious ever-lasting song, but simply because it is (always) beautiful..
Feels good to see the warmy colors of red, orange, goldish yellow....
Feels so close to mother nature...
Feels so wonderful...
@Arboretum, Switzerland...




So, Autumn....continues to be our favorite time of the year..
And autumn has successfully takes us here and there just to capture her magical beauty...




Plus, jadi kangen dengan keluarga besar dan teman-teman Foto Kuliner Group di Jenewa (mau facetime-an aaah :D) ..kangen udara bersih...kangen semua-semuaaa









Dan karena di Jakarta tercinta tidak ada musim gugur, jadinya kami kangen-kangenan lewat foto-foto ini :D...


Curvy road, Canton Valais, Switzerland...

on the way to Derborence, Valais, Switzerland...



standing tall....

Vineyard at Valais, Switzerland...

Le beau pont de France...


Well, autumn...dream a little dream of me...

Nantua, France....one lovely day...
#CatatanditengahmacetnyaJakarta

My Itchy Feet

Semua orang yang saya tau, selalu bilang kalau saya ini ngg bisa diam...

Sejak kecil :D..

Selalu saja ingin tau dan selalu ingin mencoba hal baru, termasuk tempat-tempat menarik yang ada di seantero jagad raya ini (lebaay...)

Being active (and talkative) since you were a kid is certainly coming with benefits...
You are always intrigued with new things and ideas and places...and seldom feels afraid of the new surroundings and people.. 

Well, sepertinya ini yang membuat saya senang bertualang...atau jalan-jalan tepatnya :D..

Dan beberapa teman saya sering nyeletuk "Mau kemana lagi si Ndah...gatel amat kakinya ngg bisa diem" ;D...

Celetukan sayang ini yang mengilhami saya untuk membuat satu dedicated section in my blog dengan tajuk My Itchy Feet...

Traveling is indeed my hobby..my cup of tea...my soft spot..well, whatever you call it...
My itchy feet takes me here and there...

Alhamdulillah, kesenangan saya dan pekerjaan yang saya geluti, benar-benar memberi saya kesempatan untuk melihat dunia...Lebih senang lagi, karena suami dan anak-anak juga punya kegemaran yang sama :D..Yuuup, my hubby is indeed my sole supporter, or rather my partner in crime in this case. Along with my two gorgeous kids :D...

Lucky me....Sungguh ini karunia Allah SWT buat saya, si anak kampung yang punya cita-cita :))...
My hubby, Udi, dan I...my partner in crime :D...one lovely afternoon in Annecy, France...

Kalau ditanya tempat favorit, pasti saya bingung jawabnya...karena semua tempat punya keunikan masing-masing...

Hmmm... which one is my favorite place? Well, that's the one-million dollar question!
I love every one of them...

Satu desa kecil di Cinque Terre Italia bisa membuat saya nyaman berjalan kaki, sama nikmatnya dengan saat 'mondok' di Teluk Kiluan, yang jauh nun di pelosok Tanggamus, Lampung, yang terkenal dengan orkestra lumba-lumbanya...Mendokumentasikan Gereja Stefansdom sama asyiknya dengan membidik kamera di Keraton Jogja...Berenang sampai kedinginan di Pantai Padang-padang, Bali, sama bikin histerisnya dengan main salju di Mount Jura, France ...Ngeliat parade Waisak di Borobudur ngga kalah seru dengan menyaksikan L'Escalade di Geneve...

Bukan, bukan saya ingin pamer kalau saya sudah jalan ke sana kemari...
Don't get me wrong....I never meant to boast on this or all the trips and travelings we have done so far..


Mama et Bo....@La Alhambra, Granada, Spain :D..


Saya hanya ingin berbagi bahwa ada begitu banyak keindahan dan kedamaian di luar sana yang layak dan (perlu) kita lihat...

Narcis abiiis :D...Solo traveling to Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia...

Supaya kita bisa selalu bersyukur menikmati indahnya keunikan dan perbedaan budaya maupun nilai-nilai sosial. dan percayalah, semua ini justru membuat saya dan keluarga semakin bersyukur lagi atas semua nikmat yang dilimpahkan Tuhan kepada kita, termasuk nikmat menjadi orang Indonesia!

Berempat siaaaap keliling-keliling :D...


Dan my itchy feet memang telah banyak mengajarkan saya tentang hidup...mulai dari membuat pilihan hingga belajar toleransi...dari indahnya pertemanan hingga belajar bersyukur...pokoknya banyak bangeeet deh (bisa jadi 1 posting khusus hihihi...)

@ Venezia Carnivale....sharing lovely moments with Udi and friends....


All in all...saya akan terus mencoba berbagi keindahan ini....
Life is a journey, not a destination, said Steven Tyler :D...
Apapun warna perjalanan hidup kami, rasanya petualangan ini akan terus berlanjut :D...
I have to warn myself, I guess :D...

Bon voyage untuk semua teman-teman dan mari kita jelajahi Indonesia tercinta dan dunia ...
Viva my itchy feet :D...

cheers from the desert and Sphinx...