Keeping A Journal

#kodakMOMENT

Well, hello there.

It's been  a while since I last write here. Been quite busy with work, life and yes! TRAVEL. I have just returned from Cambodia. It's a work + bp trip. Went for 2 days meeting and further extended my stay to explore the city of Phnom Penh. 

And no, I didn't get to go to Siem Riep and explore Angkor Wat. As much as I'd love to, it just didn't fit in with my schedule cos it's either Phnom Penh or Siem Riep. And I chose Phnom Penh. I had a jolly good time there. 

Ok, I'm digressing. Lari dari tajuk posting. hahaha.

Anyway, coming back to the topic. For avid traveller, season backpacker, constant flashpacker or whatever it is you wanna call yourself, I have this to say to you: KEEP A TRAVEL LOG. 

This. My mini travel journal. Small and easy to carry around.

Well, a travel log can be in any form that suits you. Never ever imitate or try to follow what others are doing. Just because what they did was awesome, it may not necessarily be good or fit in with your style. In the end, you'll end up NOT DOING IT. 

The best possible way is to just write it within your schedule. If you ask me, when travel I will always write a snippets and point form just to recall it during the writing process. 

If I'm on the and it's difficult to event write, then I'll resort to voice note in the phone. Later when I'm free or during coffee or in proper sitting position then only the writing process begins. Even so, I like to write in numerical order. Not some lengthy paragraph that will definitely bore me to death. 

To give you idea, just go to Tun Mahathir's blog (http://chedet.cc/). It's clear, cohesive, concise, straight to the point and very crisp. 

Senang je kan. 

One more thing that I love to do is that I doodle in my travel journal. That keep it interesting and excite me to write more. Well, if not more the doodle help me to reminiscent the event that happened. For my euro trip, I didn't write a lot, but I doodle in it and the doodle reminded me of the interesting stories behind.  

Below. My travel - doodle from recent trip to CAMBODIA:

I hope the above gives you an insight how to start writing. Remember, so much our memories kick-ass, one day it'll fail us that we will find it hard to remember the time you had when travelling. This will be your personal treasure. And you may share with your kids or grandkids. Better, publish it and share to the world! 

Ok, that's all for the time being. I'm yet to blog on Phnom Penh. Gimme time.  

See you later, alligator. Hehek.

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! 

Menghapus Jejakmu

Well.

We all have that one song that remind us the good (or bad) times we had while abroad. Mine, PETERPAN. Yup, there were this significant years where I traveled back and forth to Indonesia like nobody's business. Some work related, some personal and some in-between. 

I got to know this Menado girl whom I met at Starbuck near Sari Pan Pacific. The ones across the Sarinah. Yup. I was sitting alone, killing time and flipping through some magazines. Oh, I stayed at Sari Pan and I couldn't sleep and it was about 11-ish at nite. It was Friday night and Starbuck was packed with young hips and trendy. Across the sofa, there were this group of 3; a boy and two girls and one of 'em smiled at me. So, I smiled back and she came toward me and we had a very good chat for about one hour. Then, she and her friends invited me to see Marcell's live performances at this club - can't remembered anymore. 

On the way back in her friend's car Peterpan's song played on the radio. It was "Menghapus Jejakmu". Ok that's it. Not gonna write anymore. heh. enjoy the video peeps!

Terus melangkah melupakanmu
Lelah hati perhatikan sikapmu
Jalan pikiranmu buatku ragu
Tak mungkin ini tetap bertahan

Perlahan mimpi terasa mengganggu 

Kucoba untuk terus menjauh
Perlahan hatiku terbelenggu
Kucoba untuk lanjutkan hidup

Engkau bukanlah segalaku
Bukan tempat tuk hentikan langkahku
Usai sudah semua berlalu
Biar hujan menghapus jejakmu

Terus melangkah melupakanmu
Lelah hati perhatikan sikapmu
Jalan pikiranmu buatku ragu
Tak mungkin ini tetap bertahan

Perlahan mimpi terasa mengganggu
Kucoba untuk terus menjauh
Perlahan hatiku terbelenggu
Kucoba untuk lanjutkan hidup

Engkau bukanlah segalaku
Bukan tempat tuk hentikan langkahku
Usai sudah semua berlalu
Biar hujan menghapus jejakmu

Lepaskan segalanya
Lepaskan segalanya

Engkau bukanlah segalaku
Bukan tempat tuk hentikan langkahku
Usai sudah semua berlalu
Biar hujan menghapus jejakmu

Engkau bukanlah segalaku
Bukan tempat tuk hentikan langkahku
Usai sudah semua berlalu
Biar hujan menghapus jejakmu

apekTRAVELS