Fasting in Phnom Penh (Part III)

.... this is the continuation of my previous posting on Phnom Penh.

8. The check-in process took less than 10 minutes and before you knew it, we were already settled in out room. I had the time for a power nap. Just a tad close to 8 minutes of closing my eyes to regain energy. Yup, you need to take power nap to re-charge especially important when travelling. Well, you can have it while in the taxi, tuk-tuk or whatever.

9. Since it’s Ramadhan, and the Iftar in Phnom Penh was quite early at about 6.30 pm. Hurriedly, I dashed downstairs (oh, I stayed at the 7^th floor with town view and pagoda right in front of my window).

10. Our host for the night took us to the Indian Delight. An indian muslim restaurant at the famous Ton-le Sap river. I didn’t say much and with huge expectation of a sumptuous indian with a twist of Cambodian touch. So I ordered a mutton biryani and mango lassi. It was delicious. Maybe because I was hungry. Maybe because it’s the first meal in Phnom Penh. Maybe because the ambience of the restaurant. I don’t know but it was satisfactory for Iftar. The dinner cost me USD6.

WARNING: PLEASE DON’T CONVERT.

I don’t really mind cos my mind psychologically said that it’s RM6. Well, that help with the burning guilt feeling of the need to convert on everything. I don’t quite believe that you need to convert to RM when you travel cos you’ll end up not buying anything. Worst, you’ll die of starvation too. ***and oh, since this is the first night in Phnom Penh, I figured it’s ok to splurge myself. Well, why not kan?

11. One more thing, whenever travel, I will make it a point not to eat at the same place. It’s more adventurous that why and you’ll get to taste new thing. Well, it’s more of a trial and error. Sometimes it suck, sometimes it expensive, and sometimes it’s both suck and expensive. Well, at least we learn something and not to repeat it again.

12. For Iftar on the second day, I went to Asmak Restaurant – this is upon recommendation of the locals here and of course from online reading. Many praised for its delicious, affordable, halal and authentic Khmer food.

13. Asmak is located in the middle of the city and tuck in among shops very near to a shopping complex (forgot the name). Just ask your tuk-tuk driver and they know where to take you. The ride from my place cost me USD2. PLEASE BARGAIN. Don’t just agree to whatever fare they charge you.

14. The food at Asmak was good. Feeling adventurous, I ordered for local dish; KHMER SOUP WITH DUCK BREAST. For drink it’s soda with lemon to quench my thirst after one full day at work, meeting, presentations and of course, fasting. The meal cost me USD4 and the drink is USD1. Ok la, still under USD10.

15. My host also informed that he could take me to the nearest mosque in town to experience how the Muslim here observed the Holy Ramadhan. I forgot the name of that place but definitely not Kampung Cham. I was told it's about 20 minutes drive from the city*.

*The plan did not materialise as I was caught up in networking meeting and it ended at 9 pm the following day. Well, I will surely make it a point to go there. I was told the freshwater fish there was delicious (not that I eat fish. Just saying).

Phnom Penh Part Deux

The Travelling Beruang

Well,  hello again.

Look, I've told you that I'm such a sloth when it comes to update the blog. But, I will surely get it done. As promised, this is the second part of my so-called adventure in the land of Tomb Raider.

Where was I... I've covered the arrival and the airport and how to stay connected. Now, let's move to accommodation and others.

1. Always, always (repetition here meant it is significant) do some background check and research on the place you are heading to. With internet, there is practically no excuse at all not doing so. Worst case scenario, there's twitter, FB and other social media accounts with whom you can interact and get some information. Imagine what it's like back in the 80s or 90s where the internet was still unreliable and inaccessible. I had that experience and trust me, it takes double or triple the effort to look for information. What more the latest ones.

The Tuk Tuk

2. Ok, enough ranting. I've booked the accommodation through Agoda.com (you may also want to try trivago.com or booking.com - both are reasonable good). Since the payment and confirmation has been made in advance, the check-in process went very smoothly. I stayed at New York Hotel for good 7 days and 6 nights. The good thing about NY Hotel is that it is situated at the heart of Phnom Penh. So, you won't face any problem going in and out. Plenty of tuk tuk around for short excursion and the receptionists are exceptionally friendly. More importantly, they can understand and speak English.

3. IMPORTANT: I forgot to mention this. From the airport to the capital; on a normal, hassle free day it's going to take you 30 minutes. Since we arrived during peak hour (about 5 pm), the traffic was bad (well, not as bad as Bangkok). It took us 1 hour to reach the hotel.

NOTE: Leave early to the airport especially during peak hour. Trust me, you don't want to miss your flight.That is just bad.

4. Did I tell you about what happened to our taxi driver on our way to the hotel? He made a daring move by making an illegal U-turn in the middle of the main road. Perhaps, he didn't realize that there were few Traffic Police by the road side. As you guessed it, our taxi was stopped just when he made the turn. To our surprise, everything was settle in less than a minute. He gave the traffice USD1 and called it a day. Efficient deal but ethically wrong. Hmmm.

The helmet free motorists.

5. For motorist, helmet is a requirement but not a necessity. I would say, more than 80% motorists that I saw were without helmet. And the police seem to care less about it. So, why bother?

6. Here in Phnom Penh, there is no such a thing as one way or two way road. Anything and any way works. Motorists, again, happily ride in every direction. The best thing about this whole experience is, there was no cursing, no middle finger, no angry face and not even a honk. It's more like a mutual understanding and everyone give way to one another. Well, so long you don't hit anyone. hehehe.

7. Like Vietnam, it's a challenge to cross the road. The motors are never ending and waiting to cross  is like an eternity. Just be brave and use the power of hand to stop and stall and slow the traffic. Trust me, they'll happily oblige. You will be safe.

To be continued.... again.

apekTravels

Pergh at Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA (Part 1: The Arrival)

Standing tall at Wat Phnom

This is the third or fourth trip overseas that I made during fasting month. It started off as work assignment and later was extended to kinda sorta backpacking adventure on my own. Considering this is the first time I stepped foot at the worldly famous Angkor Wat (I didn't get to go to Siem Riep though), the excitement almost blew my mind.

My initial plan was of course to go to Siem Riep and stroll along the famous Angkor Wat. But fate has it, my boss seemed to sniff my plan and assigned me to another meeting that kind of screw the whole road trip. Well, what to do. When you travel on assignment, these things are almost expected to happen (and it did).

1. I boarded MH762 (Yerp, Malaysia Airlines). Well, when you travel with company, why not use the perks right? And the flight departed from KLIA at 1520 hours. Since I fast, the air crew kindly 'tapau' for me.

MAS over Phnom Penh

2. Despite all the bad lucks with MAS, the service and inflight entertainment were updated with selection of new movies and good songs.

3. I arrived at about 1630 hours, Phnom Penh time. Smooth immigration process and entry. Prolly because of ASEAN country and heck , there's even ASEAN lane. That cut off queuing time because there were few more flight arriving at the same time and it caused a bit of congestion with few immigration officers resulted in shouting and giving instructions to unruly white tourists. The funny thing is, they shouted in Khmer. Well, that kinda beat the purpose and obviously none of the foreigners understood what they were shouting about. Hmmm.

Phnom Penh International Airport

4. For an international airport and the main entrance to Cambodia, the Phnom Penh International Airport is surprisingly small. I was thinking if not big, it should be as spacious as Yangon Airport and I was wrong. The walk from the flight to the immigration gate was around 5-7 minutes or so. And to the exit, it was just a dash of another 5 minutes. Yup, that is all.

5. Oh, while you are fresh from Malaysia, don't forget to get local simcard. The aisle of telco and internet provider readily awaits for you as you exit. And yes, you can get the simcard for FREE here. Use SMART. With free simcard, all you need to do is to just top up USD5 which will allow you for call, sms and most importantly, 1.5gb worth of internet. It is more than ok for me.

The rate for SMART Simcard

You know what, I didn't even ran out of data on for the whole 6 days in Phnom Penh. Power tak? Power tak? :P

Things to do in Pangkor

the beach at Teluk Nipah

 

1. At Teluk Nipah (where I stayed), you gotta try the banana pancake (lempeng pisang ye kawan2). Well, may not be as grand as Krabi Pancake, but at least we've got one also. And the taste is not bad. Eat it while it hot . It'll cost you RM1.50 per piece and open daily around 4 pm onwards. During weekend, you'll see a long queue and that's when you know you are at the right stall. 

Travel essentials

 

2. Compared to 5-10 years ago, night life in Pangkor and Teluk Nipah in particular could be dead boring. But all is not lost. Albeit the lines of street vendors and dim light, there is this Raggae Bar for shisha and coffee enthusiast (no liquor though). You will not miss it cos it's just by the road side facing the beach, right in front fo Lorong 2. Open daily until wee hours.... So, burung2 pungguk sekalian, korang boleh la lepak situ. Brader yang meniaga pun very friendly and quite a chatter box.  And, there's music too. If you are lucky, buskers will play there. Otherwise, layan je lagu from its jukebox.
3. HORNBILLS SPOTTING. Yup. Don't forget to look up when in Pangkor. You could spot hornbills flying and lepaking around almost an instant. In fact, there's this one chalet famous for its activities of feeding these wild Hornbills. If you wanna catch it, be sure to be in front of that chalet about 4-5 pm daily. Oh yeah, I forgot the name of that chalet. But it's located at Teluk Nipah. Be friendly and ask around. The people there knows. :) 

4. Pangkor also famous for its seafood by-product. Err... that's processed food, yes? I visited and shopped handsomely at Chop Ha LI at Pangkor town. It's located slightly inward from the jetty. Cheap and you can bargain if you buy more. Well, most shops sell at affordable price.  

the road to Chop Ha Li

The variance is around 10-50 cents I think. But it makes all the differences if you buy a lot kan. 5 posen diskaun boleh jadik 10 inggit kalo beli banyak... Well, not that I'm a cheapskate. You do the maths hehehe.

5. ACCOMMODATION. There are plenty of budget chalet hostel around. Pangkor is a good destination for backpacker, students or those who travel on a budget. Teluk Nipah have a number of alleys (lorong) that offer chalet and hostel at affordable rate. The rate starts at RM20 per nite. Most accommodation that I've seen are cosy and comfortable enough for your stay. After all, when you are on vaccay, you will not or should not stay in your room. Go explore. The room is for your good nite sleep only. Kan? Or am I wrong? Heh.

6. RENT A BIKE - MOTORCYCLE OR BICYCLE. Mark my word. Do not rent a car. It's a waste and Pangkor is not huge to begin with. It's merely half of Langkawi and its accessibility would only require two-wheelers. It is in fact, the best way to explore the island because again, Pangkor is relatively small. The good thing is, most resort / chalet / hostel offer bike rental. And yes, you gotta go and scout first. Boleh dapat harga murah. Normally, the rental cost is RM30 per day for motorcycle. 

7.INSIDER'S SECRET: At beach, apart from water sports (canoe, banana boat ride, speed boat, island hoppings, etc.) and swimming, you should have a stroll along the beach line. There, if you are lucky, you will spot local villagers donning an activity called "yatyat harvesting". Yatyat is a snail-like creatures and there are abundant of 'em hiding in between the wet sands. The locals like to deep fried the yatyat and serve with rice. Below are the yatyat:

8. GOOD FOR MONEY: Be on the ook out for budget beach resort because the motorcycle rent there gonna cos you RM30 per day. Others, between RM40 and RM50. Oh yea, this is the rate during peak seasons, weekends and holidays. 

9. When you have a bike, go to the Dutch Fort located about 1.5km from the jetty. Not many tourists know or even bother about this historical site especially backpackers. Well, not to blame them, the promotional part of it also lukewarm and it is not even highlighted anywhere. People will know bout it when you go on a guided tour.

  10. Wait, the excitement doesn't stop there. About 50m or so from the Dutch Fort, there's this Batu Bersurat (inscription on the stone). The Batu Bersurat marked the presence of Dutch merchants in Tanah Melayu back in the Kesultanan Melayu Melaka heydays. These inscriptions dated as early as 1743.

11. The inscription depicted:
a. Story of a Dutch baby  snatched by Malayan tiger at nite.
b. Letter VOC - a registered trademark of Dutch ship.

12. The best part is that there was no whatsoever descriptions or story behind these huge Batu Bersurat. The museum authority built a roof to cover it from ruin. That's just about it. 

Indrawati and her husband; an Indonesian. Prolly that's how she's got the name from.

My doodle on Indrawati. heh.

13. I was lucky to have met Indrawati Gunawan, a Dutch traveler who happened to be on the site. She was very friendly and warm and she was the one that shared the story behind this Batu Bersurat and the meanings of the carving on the stone. **a bit embarassed I must admit. Heh. 

14. At nite, Teluk nipah offers an array of seafood. There are plenty of 'em specializing in all-you-can-eat seafood from grill, tomyam, deep fried, tiga rasa and list go on and on. The trick however, is to find the good one and cheap. So far, I've been unlucky. The stalls I went to it's either delicious but expensive, cheap but tasteless or worse, expensive and tak sedap. Puih. Better luck next time!

15. To go from ferry to Teluk Nipah or elsewhere, use the public transport - the PINK VAN. Easily available and they roam all throughout the island. It'll cost you RM15 per trip to Teluk Nipah. That RM15 is per van, not per person. If you are alone or forever alone (haha) try to find someone and tumpang la. The van can accommodate about 6-7 people. 

Resit kena simpan!

16. The ferry ride from mainland to island cost RM10 for return trip. KEEP THE STUB cos you need it on the way back (they check!!)

17. I guess that's just bout it for Pangkor Island. 

Thanks for reading. MMuuahhhh.

apekTRAVELS

Tantalizing Tana Toraja, Indonesia

I've been to Tana Toraja once on work trip. It's on South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Since it's an official trip, I didn't get to spend time exploring this cultured rich province. I've read about it and even saw documentary of the funeral rituals and processions, the elaborate feast and celebration of the death and what not. I know, it's a near missed not to visit and experience it. But work is work kan. You can't really venture into adventure on your own at your company's expense.

Map of Tana Torajam South Sulawesi

Anyhow, until I have the opportunity to re-kindle with Tana Toraja and its wonder, here's some useful info, pictures and VIDEO on Tana Toraja.

  

Excerpt from Lonely Planet (https://www.lonelyplanet.com/indonesia/sulawesi/tana-toraja):

Introducing Tana Toraja

A trip to Tana Toraja is like a cultural documentary brought to life. Sweeping and elaborately painted houses with boat-shaped roofs dot terraced rice paddies where farmers work the fields alongside their doe-eyed buffalo. It’s an island hemmed in by mountains on all sides and rich with traditional culture. Life for the Toraja revolves around death, and their days are spent earning the money to send away their dead properly. Funeral ceremonies bring together families who may have dispersed as far as Papua or even Australia. 

Some of the mannequins at the burial site

Buffalo and pigs are sacrificed, there is a slew of traditional dances and enough food and drink for everyone who can make it to the party. High-class Toraja are entombed in cave graves or hanging graves in the steep cliffs, which are guarded over by tau tau (life-sized wooden effigies) carved in their image – you’ll find these eerie yet beautiful cliff cemeteries scattered throughout the region.

The slaughter of the buffaloes in respect of the death

The biggest funerals are usually held in the dry-season months of July and August, but there are funerals (even big ones) year-round. During July and August the tourist numbers swell to uncomfortable proportions and prices soar. Outside these months, you’ll share this cool countryside with the locals and only a handful of foreign travellers. While most people consider attending a funeral a highlight, Tana Toraja also offers some great do-it-yourself trekking opportunities where you can explore the fresh and clean outdoors and meet some of the most hospitable people you’ll ever encounter.

The eerie sight of cave where the dead are finally buried. They were buried up high on the rock. The higher, the respected is the dead to the people

 *Disclaimer: images are courtesy of google images taken from various site. Video is taken from Youtube.

Til then, enjoy!

apekTRAVELS

Bali Kuno (Viewer's discretion advised)

This is the old video I've gotten from youtube. The documentary about bali long before tourism hits. I must say, it's very rustic, pristine and amazingly beautiful. Bali today is definitely not the same. Luckily the culture still thrive and closely guarded. 

So guys, enjoy! 

Postcards from BROMO, Surabaya

Amik guna Sony Z3 ye. No filter, no edit. Just as is. Lawa kan. Btw, that's Gunung Batok. Sebelah je dgn Gunung Bromo. Gunung Batok is an inactive volcano.

Cart selling food. Indonesian street food.

Ok, I don't intend to write much. 

As in previous post, I will let the photos do the talking. But of course, there'll be few descriptions, tips, secrets and trades here and there. 

Jadi, selain tengok gambau, haruslah membaca jugak. I promise, it's not gonna be lengthy ya. 

The 5 of us; fazli, me, mail, azrol, and yai

Basically, there were 5 of us in this backpack adventure. All my good friends way back from high school and MMU. Three of 'em reached Surabaya a day earlier while Fazli and I came the day of the trip.

TIPS: 

"TO SAVE COST, BOOK EVENING FLIGHT (PREFERABLY 2PM - 5PM FLIGHT). THIS IS BECAUSE THE TRAVEL TO BROMO WOULD BE IN THE EVENING AT ABOUT 10PM. SO, YOU'LL SAVE MONEY ON 1 DAY STAY AT THE HOTEL. INSTEAD OF CHECKING IN, THE DRIVER WOULD PICK YOU AT THE AIRPORT AND DRIVE STRAIGHT TO BROMO. YOU CAN KEEP YOUR LUGGAGE IN THE VEHICLE. IT'S SAFE (well, at least with my driver). YOU WILL ONLY CHECK IN AT THE HOSTEL / HOTEL ETC ONCE COMING DOWN FROM BROMO. JIMAT DUIT!"

So, my journey starts here. We flew via Airasia. The tix cost us RM410 for return trip. Ok la, considering last minute purchased. We reached the newly refurbished Juanda International Airport at about 6-ish pm. The last time I was at Juanda, the airport was old and you get the 80s vibe with it. I was told the old airport is still in used and it's just next door. 

Sampai2, supir dah standby. Perkara pertama: MAKAN. We requested for makanan asli Surabaya and the supir took us to PADIN - Fame for its nasi bebek (it's duck rice or itik in BM). 

they grilled it near the customer. dok jauh2 kalo xnak kene asap.

Ni la nasi bebek. With sambal - boleh pilih type of pedas - kurang, pedas, sgt pedas, sampai la ke level setan

the pre-cooked bebek and chicken. they grilled or deep fried according to your request

same goes with the vege here.

The dinner is delicious and it cost us about RM8 ringgit inclusive drink (teh botol la apa lagi. but there are juices too). 

TIPS: 

"If you have weak stomach, be extra careful consuming iced drinks. Wise, request chilled drinks with no ice cubes. There's nothing worst than enduring painful stomach ache when traveling!"

1. The evening ride took about 3 hours from Surabaya. We left at about 9.45pm after fetching 3 three that arrived a day earlier at the hotel.

2. First stop was Sukapura, it was about 12.50am Thick fog welcomed us. I slept the whole journey, needed the energy for the activities later.

3. After light snack and coffee, the journey continued and we braved through Desa Jetak in the wee hours in pursue of majestic view of the sun shedding it's first light.

4. To get the best view of the sunrise over Bromo, we have to go through another peak; Penanjakan. Oh yeah, at Desa Jetak we changed vehicle to Jeep for the steep ascending to Bromo. The supir from Bromo waited for us at Desa Jetak with his Innova. 

5. The steep and treacherous road could easily make one puke. It was a helluva roller coaster ride.

 

6. You gotta give your hats off to the driver of Bromo for their ability maneuvering through this small and bumpy road. The ascending to Penanjakan is super crazy with 60 degree climb and if that's not challenging enough, the turn and swivel is 360 degree. GILA!

7. We finally get the reason why the supir insisted on arriving early at Penanjakan; THE SEAS OF HUMAN. If you arrive early, the Jeep could park near to the Penanjakan steps. If not, you will have to walk with ascending of about 35-45 degree. Masak oi. We managed to park very near, so no need to walk that far.

the walk.

jagung bakar!

the map of bromo and its surrounding at one of the cafe near Penanjakan

It's quite expensive here. But hey, dah dekat puncak, what do you expect kan.

And if you are too lazy to walk, there's Ojek (motorcyclist to take you up) with cost of about IDR35-50k one trip.

Tah apa yg si Fazli buat tu. Btw, tu la Ojek --- brader2 yg atas motor tu yg offer servis

TIPS:

"YOU GOTTA BUY THE BROMO TSHIRTS AND SOUVENIRS AT PENANJAKAN AS IT'S NOT AVAILABLE IN SURABAYA. WELL, I TRIED TO FIND IT AND TO NO AVAIL. BE SURE TO BARGAIN COS THE PRICES ARE EXPENSIVE HERE. TAK BELI NANTI MENYESAL."

8. When we reached the top of Penanjakan, there were plenty of people already. Yup, in Indonesia if they say not many people; trust me it's a lot in Malaysia term. 

Ni just a few ye. Ada lagi right and left and bawah belah sana. Bertabah lah.

Gua main redah and panjat the brick fences to get clear view.

9. The weather here at 2-3-4 am is very cold. Wear thick layer of clothes if you are not cold-friendly people. It's about 1-2 degree Celsius. 

10. Mail didn't wear enough layer I guessed that he resorted to rent the jacket from the curbside rental.The rental cost him IDR50k as opposed to IDR10k when we were at the parking area.

TIPS:

"IF YOU WANT TO RENT JACKET, RENT IT AT THE PARKING AREA, ON THE WAY UP. DO NOT RENT IT WHEN YOU ARE AT THE STEP OF PENANJAKAN. IT'LL BE TWICE OR THRICE EXPENSIVE FROM THE ONE OFFERED AT THE PARKING AREA"

11. We were unlucky that day because the sun is shy and the fog is very thick. Sedih.

Yup, that's just about it. It came out for a while and disappeared.

12. Nevertheless, all is not lost. We were compensated with majestic view of Bromo and Batok over Penanjakan when the sun shone and create this luminescent effect. (mcm photos kat bawah) Vain alert! heh.

Suka Mail. Nampak Bromo kt blkg. Time aku, ilang abis Bromo tu. Haih!

Yup, bkn aku je jakun. Everyone is!

Fazli acah2 natgeo photog. Bangga nau dengan Samsung tu!

The five of us

Dengan Fazli. Yang duduk kanan sekali tu tak kurang jelita. Eh.

13.  We spent about 2-3 hours at Penanjakan for sunrise and getting all hype about seeing Bromo-Batok-Tengger for the very first time. Bawah ni pulak, view coming down from Penanjakan... Aihhh every corner is so beautiful.

14. Next, the driver drove us down and we headed to Gunung Batok-Bromo. It's 20-25 minutes drive from Penanjakan that we finally saw how dangerous the road was. Masa naik gelap tak nampak kanan kiri. Gila lah.

15. The driver parked right in front of Batok and it's 1.5km walk through the dune from here. We were a bit lucky as it rained the night before and its a bit damped thus making our walk easier as no sands affecting our vision.

Jeep2 yang sedia berkhidmat

yang belakang tu la Penanjakan

16. If you do not want to walk, there are horses for rent. 

TIPS:

"TO RIDE HORSE, YOU GOTTA DEAL VERY CAREFULLY. THE RATES ARE DIFFERENT FROM ONE OPERATOR TO ANOTHER, DEPEND ON THE DISTANCE AT THE POINT YOU RENT. IT RANGE FROM IDR50K TO IDR250K. AND, DO NOT PAY IN ADVANCE. PAY ONLY WHEN YOU ARE RETURNED BECAUSE THE RENT IS FOR RETURN TRIP, NOT ONE WAY. OTHERWISE, YOU WILL END UP WALKING DOWN. SO, HATI-HATI."

 17. Nevertheless, semalas mana pun korang, the horse will only take you as far as the step of Bromo. Kat situ, TETAP kena daki ye. It's about 55 degree climb. With thin air (you are on top of mountain yea), climbing up can be challenging. Kena fit la sikit. 

18. There are about 240 steps before you reach the top of Bromo. The mystic behind it, no one can get the exact number flight of stairs correct. It vary from one person to another. So said the driver. hmm.

Memang menyirap kalo tgk.

19. At this point, I was actually cut off from others. Mail Fazli and Yai was up front walking while Azrol and I was talking behind. We didn't realize they went for toilet break. Azrol decided to ride the horse while I wanted to walk. So, I was like all alone from the steps to the top. I reached the top quite fast only to realize nobody's there. After 20 minutes or so then I saw Azrol. Then only Fazli, Mail and Yai appeared one by one from below the steps of Bromo. Aihhh. 

The very much active Bromo.

20. This is the view on top of Bromo. Still very much active and way bigger than Tangkuban Perahu in Bandung. 

21. The top of Bromo is kinda elongated and form a shape of a ring around it with not much space to walk and very steep. Imagine with plenty of people on top of it. Pheww, a bit nerve wrecking. Not a fancy thing for those whose afraid of heights. 

Well hello there!

View from the top of Bromo. The building is a Temple dedicated for the spirit of Bromo. There is an annual prayer for Bromo which falls on the 1st of Muharam (coincide with Ancient Indonesia Hindu calender). The procession is leaborated and mystical. You may want to come during this celebration.

22. Kitorang turun bawah and headed to one of the makeshift stall for coffee and breakfast. if you are Muslim, be cautious here as most villagers here are Hindus. We ordered for cup noodle, just to be on the safe side. 

Kenyang perut hati senang. 

23. Once done, the drive took us to Teletubbies or Savannah. Very much different from the dune of Batok and Bromo. Savannah offers lush greenery and beautiful scenery. We spent about 30 minutes or so for some photographs, by some, I mean a lot. hahahaha. The sun was so bright and kinda hot but the cold wind brushed it off and made it pleasant. Ni pix kat bawah tuuuuu:

our ride!

one for the album!

hahahaha mcm2 perangai si fazli nih.

24. Last stop was PASIR BERBISIK. There's a movie named after this place which starred Dian Sastro (melting), Christine Hakim and Slamet Raharjo. Link kat bawah ni:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE6aOsWNImc

25. Pasir Berbisik or Whispering Sands got its names from the breeze of wind gushing to the black sands and forms the whisper-like hiss. As if someone is whispering to you.

26. To really experience it, and to really enjoy this area, you gotta go with small crowd with less jeeps and vehicles so that you will get to hear the whispering sands. Otherwise, you'll be staring blankly and start to wonder the fuss is all about here. hmmm. 

27. It is here that I was able to capture the formation of cloud just few hundreds meter away. It was breath taking since you are actually on top of mountain of a mountain. Cool. Pix as below:

ONE LAST HURRAH

28. We came down to freshen up at Desa Jetak where Pak Zainul (the supir) waited for us diligently. It was about 11 am that we made our journey back to Surabaya. 

29. We initially planned for hiking and waterfall at Mardakaripura but was strongly advised against it by Pak Zainul and the jeep driver because of the terrestrial raiN. They afraid we might be trapped when the heavy rain from the mountain flood the area. So, we cancelled it. 

30. Remember, when you go for Bromo trip, please go to Mardakaripura waterfall! 

31. We slept the whole journey and since we have times to spare due to the cancellation of Mardakaripura waterfall, Pak Zainul took us around for food and sightseeing in Surabaya.

Well, that's gonna be another entry to tell. Yea, together with the budget for this trip as well. I spent RM500++ for good 4 days 3 nights which covered lodging, food, taxis, Bromo packages and some shopping.

Ciao.