The Journey to 3726 above Sea Level Part I (The appetizer)

This story is about five rookies in mountain climbing, trying to reach the peak of Mt. Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Among others, I have the longest distance to travel, from Bengkulu to Jakarta and then to Bali and finally to Lombok. Four islands, four airports, one hour time difference and many hours of waiting...yeah! that's how big Indonesia is...(Not to mention two harbors on my way back... :D... )

I'll start my story from my hometown on October 29. 

Bengkulu-Jakarta (29 October 2013)

My flight to Jakarta was the last flight on that day and during the day I still had to teach two classes in the afternoon which were completed at 4.40 pm...(while my flight was on 6.25 pm). Luckily, I have finished my packing the day before. One backpack and one camera bag for ten days' journey :)

I went to the airport (which usually takes about 20 minutes by motorcycle) at 5.30 pm and still made it on time, well, not exactly on time according to the rules of the airlines, but in Bengkulu, they'll wait for you until the last minute :p... and my flight was half an hour delayed :D

I reached Soekarno Hatta International Airports at about 8.00 pm. My friend said that she would pick me up at the airport and that I should wait for her. That night, I stayed at her house because my next flight to Bali was on the next day. Her work hour was extended that night which means that I had to wait longer...

While waiting, I felt something strange happened when I was making steps. When I looked at my shoes, I saw that the soles were crumbling down. I didn't see this coming. I brought no sandals with me and that shoes were the only means to cover my feet at that time. I sent text to my friend to help me solving this problem. She offered to borrow her friend's shoes which were a number higher than my size. I thought that it would be very difficult to climb a mountain with oversize shoes.I planned to buy a new one but I panicked a bit because I thought at that time my friend picked me, there would be no more stores open. So, plan B is to buy a new one in Bali or Lombok. 

My friend picked me at about 10.30 pm and she offered me to visit a traditional market near her house just in case some shoe stores were still open...and voila!!! I found one still open at midnight! Jakarta is amazing! It was a small store. The shoes were arranged in one big pile without any rack. I have to dig in to find the fitted one, but I didn't care...I found new shoes and I was happy. It cost me IDR.65K...a very cheap one to replace my €65  shoes.. :)

My old shoes would have to be let go although it was still fixable. But there is no way I could brought it with me on my journey. So, the garbage bin in front of my friend's house became it last resting place... :) 

Staying at my friend's that night, I tried accompanying her unpacking and repacking her back. She had a very early flight and had no plan to sleep and we planned to went to the airport together. I didn't realize that I was very exhausted and fell asleep. I woke up because she called me...from the airport!! She left me behind because I actually had a later flight than her and she thought that I could use some more minutes to rest. Well, thank you for the call...otherwise, I might woke up late and missed my flight! :)

Jakarta-Denpasar, Bali (30 October, 2013)

I met other "contenders" at Soekarno Hatta Int'l Airport that morning while waiting for our flight at 8.45 am. Some of the contenders I met during my previous journey to Ujung Kulon, West Java. Some were new friends,  a friend of a friend. We talked about our baggage, some are light traveler, some aren't :D. As rookies, we actually have very little idea of what to bring and how much and our interpretations of information provided by friends or blogs were shown in our size of luggage :p...

We reached Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali at about 11.35 am which was an hour ahead of Jakarta time. There, we had to wait for the next flight to Lombok. 

Ngurah Rai airport had a major renovation at that time so everything was a bit confusing. From domestic arrival to domestic departure, there were a lot of asking and walking involved. The flight to Lombok was at 1.55 pm so we still have time to grab some lunch. 

Denpasar-Lombok (30 October 2013)

The flight only took about 35 minutes and used a small airplane. This was my first time flying with small plane and considered my experiences with airplanes...let say  it was NO less worriying.. ;)

Luckily, the weather was very nice and during the flight I had a chance to see Bali island, the sea, and Lombok island in their "miniatures" :D

We arrived in Lombok Praya International Airport and met the other team members. After buying necessary logistics in Mataram city, we went to Senaru Village, the nearest village of Mt. Rinjani, by a rent car and stay there for one night before the real journey started....

Next...

The Journey to 3726 above sea level Part IIa (The main course)

Interesting Things I Found on My Trips (International Version)

Let starts!

1. Delta Project Holland

This mega-structure was built to protect the country from the sea since most of its area is below sea level. This barrier was located on northwest side of The Netherlands and declared as one of seven wonders of modern world. It prevents the country from flood during high tides. No wonder the dutch came up with the saying "God created the world but the dutch created Netherlands"
The interesting part is, during the construction time, the budget for this dam was proposed less than the actual needed budget. The reason was so that the government would be agree to the budget. The actual cost for it was three times higher! How contrary it was with my country -sigh-

2.Castle Huis Doorn, The Netherlands

 The location is about 50-60 kms from Utrecht and we visit the castle by bike!

It was a castle the late German Emperor, Wilhelm II. The interesting part about the trip was, how it crushed my bones and tendon...hahahaha..kidding (Not!)

The thing about the castle is about who inhabited it. Yes! the Emperor....from the story told by the guide, The term narcissist should be "wilhelmist" as Wilhelm was far more narcissistic that Narcissus himself...A historian describe him as "desperate for applause and success,—he wanted every day to be his birthday—romantic, sentimental and theatrical, unsure and arrogant, with an immeasurably exaggerated self-confidence and desire to show off, a juvenile cadet, who never took the tone of the officers’ mess out of his voice, and brashly wanted to play the part of the supreme warlord, full of panicky fear of a monotonous life without any diversions, and yet aimless...What a man!!!

3. Hundertwasser village, Vienna

Hundertwasser Village, Vienna

Vienna is the city of art. For that I'm sure...

The city of music for its Schubert, Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven...

The city of psycho-analyst for its Freud...

The city of no straight line! and that is Hundertwasser village

4. Barcelona, Spain

This city is so colorful. Gaudy sure did that to Barcelona and most of its art forms. Compared to Madrid (its nemesis :p ...), Barcelona obviously is more attractive and lively, lots of streets...La Ramblas! The interesting thing is (beside others), this city is also full of pickpockets! I sure knew that..da*n well :). This city also gave me an experience of sleeping in the bus station and sleeping in the airport with my bag as my pillow...(well, I did that in Madrid too...)

5. Bratislava-Slovakia and Prague-Czech Republic

 Actually, the interesting thing that I most remember about Bratislava was how it taught me that you didn't need to understand the language to communicate...most of the people we met didn't speak English and we managed just fine... hehehehe, the city is beautiful though, beyond our expectations, Lots of free stuffs!! Prague was regal...It was interesting that a guard of a castle attracts more tourists that a castle itself...including me :)

6. Paris, France

Paris told me that to eat pizza, you need to go to Italy!!!

We spent a sum of our traveling budget just to pay our dinner (pizza) in Champs-Elisees Ave. and to spent around 15 Euros just to see a picture of an unknown in 77x53 cm dimension behind a bulletproof glass was a bit to much :p (sorry Monalisa ...). Paris IS expensive!!

7. Morocco

Fez and Marrakesh were two cities that we visited. Since it was my first time stepping foot in the land of Africa continent, everything is interesting!!But one interesting thing there was, especially for me with slit eyes, people would greet you with "konichiwa, nihaw..." though I'm pure Indonesian...do Asians really look alike?

8. Berlin, Germany

If we speak of Berlin then we speak of Berlin's wall. Well, sometimes stories did gave amazing effect on simple stuffs. Berlin wall is just a wall, and not a very good one at that, albeit the story behind that. My reaction of the wall was similar to my reaction of Monalisa's. Interesting thing is, people really absorb by it that they are willing to pay for a small chunk of the wall. Five Euros for a questionable stone? I don't think so....

Interesting Things I Found on My Trips

Some places keep their uniqueness that attract travelers to visit.
During my trip to several places, I found that these places have things that quite attract my attention....let see some:

1. Manado
This place is famous for its beauty under the sea. Some of you must have heard of Bunaken, under water national park . Thought , I miss my chance to visit it :(
Manado is also famous for its foods. Yummm! is the word to describe them :-) and the interesting thing about Manado is related to its food. Spicy, spicy and spicy...all food are connected to chilli. They call it "rica" . And since chilli plays major part in Manado's cuisines, chilli price can cause an inflation to this city's economy. Good news for chili farmers though :)

2. Bali
The island of gods. Paradise on earth. One of the most beautiful places on earth...and many more praises are addressed to Bali, Indonesia's one of most famous tourists' destinations. Every tourists' destinations must've something interesting on them. After all, that's what attract tourists to them. What Bali has? well...lots...but the interesting part is...what Bali doesn't have. Which is.... an appropriate public transportation!!! to get to anywhere, you need to take a taxi, rent a car/motorcycle, or walking... strange...

3. Ujung Kulon.
Ujung Kulon literary means "the western tip" which is very suitable for its location is in the exact tip of western Java (The tip of Java Island). In Indonesia, Ujung Kulon also means rhinos (and by means I mean related to :p )...as this place is the last known location for Javanese rhinos inhabitance. The interesting part of this place is, although it is famous for its rhinos, meeting one is almost impossible, even for the 'Jagawana' (forest official guard). Rhinos avoid human interaction as far as they can. So, during my visit there I only found, rhino's "bathtub", rhinos' story and rhinos' photos....I meet lots of mosquitoes though ;p

4. Belitong Island
Located in Bangka-Belitong Province, Belitong surely is one of my favorite place among other places I visited so far. Clear beaches, natural coral reefs, ancient stones and delicious food and uhmm...nice coffee :)
The interesting thing is, this place is unknown before it is used as main setting for an Indonesian movie, Rainbow Troops (Laskar Pelangi). The movie tells a story of the struggling students to get a proper education in a very poor school, but the beauty of the setting that catch the eyes.  Too bad that its movement toward one of tourists' destination in Indonesia is threaten by mining industry.

5. Tikus Island
This 'mouse island' is located about 2 hours by boat to the south of Bengkulu province. It is a very small island with no spring water source. This island is inhabited by two families. One of them is a  lighthouse guard family and the other is a fisherman family. What so interesting?....well, besides this two families, the island is also inhabited by lots of CATS...mouse island inhabited by cats?? I don't think that it is a coincidence...hehehehehe

#This version is the domestic version, I'll try to come up with the international one :p...

Beda, Unik, Tak Sama

Haruskan seseorang itu mengikuti mainstream? gak tau ya kalo ikan yg kerjanya melawan arus itu dagingnya lebih enak?#maklum jam makan siang sodara-sodara..hihihi 

Menjadi beda itu aneh tapi menjadi unik itu keren? halah... ini kan cuma sekedar semantik saja (#lirik orang bahasa #nyengir #ngabur...) 

Sering kali kita (maksudnya saya :p) harus berkerut kening ketika bertemu orang yang sulit menerima perbedaan. Contoh kasus: saya dianggap aneh karena tidak suka dengan durian :p, padahal kalo mau di lihat persentase, jumlah yang suka durian dengan yang tidak suka pada populasi jagad raya kita ini (Alien is excluded), yang tak suka justru jauuuh lebih besar... Who's different now huh?

Terkadang kita diperdaya oleh istilah "generalisasi" (#lirik orang bahasa lagi #generalisasi = meng-umum-kan???). 

Don't you know that there is not a single couple in this world who has the same fingerprint pattern. The generalization is only to the extend of those patterns in our finger are called fingerprint. 

Menurut saya, menjadi beda, atau unik, atau tidak sama dengan orang lain itu sesungguhnya merupakan proses penyeimbangan secara alami. Bayangkan kalo semua ikan hidup di hilir... 

This is dedicated to my best friend's birthday...a unique one :)

Kilas Balik 2012

Berhubung 2012 dah mau berakhir, maka dirasa penting untuk membuat tulisan berikut:

Judulnya "How PLN Coloured My Life a.k.a my FB page"


Dec 16: Padahal dah mau cinta lagi sama PLN karena dua hari ini aman jaya sentosa, eeh..dikasih pemadaman lagi…yo wis! I hate you consistently juga deh… 

Dec 13 : Padam untuk yg kedua kali, biasanya sih paling nggak tiga kali….#PLNsucks!

Dec 13 (Chaul Rafflesia wrote) : Hehehe hehe. Bahkan kita saja susah konsisten dak Ra :D Pindahlah, mumpung lah ndak abis kontrak tu.. Mendekati titik nol kota Bengkulu lah… Biar dekat sama baru koto wkwkwkwk…

Dec 13 (Lutfi Firdaus Wrote): Ehhmm,,,PLN malam ini bagaimana kinerjanya Bu…? :D

Dec 13: Selama pemadamam oleh PLN masih konsisten maka status saya masih akan terus "menyentrum"…

Dec 12: Mungkin saya harusnya kagum dengan PLN, konsisten sekali…

Dec 11: *ah PLN…ai lop yu pul deh…* #meramu santet…

Dec 10: OK, now this pisses me off!!! Who should I contact to SUE this so called State Electrical Company?.....

Dec 9: *the battery is getting low, recharge phone soon to keep using it*….dijemur aja bisa gak? LISTRIK PADAM LAGI SOALNYA…

Dec 2: Ini PLN maunya apa sih? Mo mati ato idup…sakit mata tau!

Nov 28: Headline besok: Pemadaman Listrik saat Laga Timnas, PLN Kena Batunya…Literary

Nov 28: Nasionalis yg dihambat Negara itu ketika lg asik mendukung TimNas eh lampu mati…

Oct 13: mati lampu…saatnya ngantor…

Sep 10: O givin' up already you ***** electrical company!! It's almost two hours…#gadget diambang kolaps semua

Jul 14: *dan seperti biasa, Sabtu jadwalnya untuk…eng ing eng…yup! Mati lampu…*

Jun 28: *well, this is sucks!! #yes, it is to you PLN…*

Jun 23: *menahan diri utk tdk mengomentari mati lampu hari ini…#gatot…PLN sucks!!*

Jun 13: yaelah..kembali ke mode lama…mode mati lampu ON eh OFF eh…#maraimumet…

Jun 6: Mati lampu..iya lagi #baru diprotes eh nyala…. :p

Jun 4: *berasa kembali ke zaman prasejarah, ditemani lampu darurat dan buku how starbucks save my life* #iyamatilampulagi…

May 31: *on the quest of electricity…#ngantorpagipagi…eh-gak nemujuga

May 30: Bengkulu adalah prov. Yg taat dg anjuran presiden utk menghemat listrik -sigh- #maungamuktapigelap

May 30: *they say we'll sleep better in the dark..#kebetulan-pulang-kerja-mati-lampu :p

May 22: Lah, mati lampu meneh tho? #pura2kagetpadahalemosi

May 21: PLTA: Pembangkit Listrik Takut Air/Angin #yup! Another blackout…

Mar 31: Earth hour 8.30 pm? Pemerintah daerah kami paham betul itu, jd gak cm jam itu aja, 5.30, 6.30, 7.30…dst #nadanya gak nyante loh

Mar 29: Yep! Mati lampu lagi…yuk mari kita sabar o_o

Mar 19: yak! Mati lampu lg, ternyata bumn ini benar2 merugi…merugi-kan banyak orang..

Mar 12: ada yang salah dengan tombol ON/OFF nya PLN? "cangkul" gw bias sekarat kalo kayak gini terus…emang ada yg mo tanggung-jawab? #status-emosional-episode-2

Mar 10: Another blackout, it IS like living in the jungle, only I'm still paying the BILL!..

Mar 10: Blackout…again!! Who should I blame? The electrical company?the gov? or the bunch of idiots who sit on what so called a house of representatives? #status edisi emosional…


What about Jan and Feb? Karena libur , jadi tak terekam, soalnya kalo gak di rumah emak , ya...melancong.... :-)



*that 's how PLN coloured my life...if you call FB page a life :D *

Lesson Learned from Learning a Lesson

Today (because I save this writing as a draft quite some times ago, then it means once upon a time... :), I give a lesson to my student on Thermodynamic subject. The lesson is about the stability of state due to its energy level. The lower the energy level, the more stable its state will be. In the opposite direction, when the system's energy level is increasing, its stability will be in jeopardy. The same goes in life, the higher your rank is, the energy (effort) needed is also bigger in maintaining the level/position, and according to Thermodynamic concept, the stability becomes less. There are lots of things we can learn from one chemistry concept, because, after all, everything is about chemistry.

My Teachers..#imported from MP

I have a lot of teachers of course since I was in elementary school, but the teachers that I'm about to mentioned are the ones at ELS Language Centers, Jakarta. Why them? simply because I have their caricatures hehehehehe...okay..lets begin

Mr " argan" Arief

He is our listening teacher and yet so eager to speak :) . He was very keen to help us to improve our skill and willing to gave us extra time. So dedicated! A fun learning by music or movies is one of his way. He even lent me a full series of Friends CDs and I think I can proudly say that because of that CDs sir, I  got an almost perfect score ;). We call him "Mr. I have to say something" simply because he always comments on everything! He's even bragging about his new shoes in front of the class..hahahahaha
We'll never forget you sir! thanks for being such a kind teacher for us
PS : argan = arief ganteng (you wish!..hehehehhe)

Next.....

"The pirates"Andy

He is a Canadian (The Pirates of Canadian..hmm..cool!) and our structure teacher (one of ELS policies is that the structure section must be taught by a native).
He is one of my favorite (along with SSG I guess, rite gals?hehehehe). He is the teacher with a lot of mottoes. "Garbage in garbage out" is the top on the list. That is the motto for every TOEFL test you take. Take it and then throw it! The other motto is "Don't think!", he feed us with techniques and strategies for the test, and trained us like a soldier. So at the test he ordered us not to think, just do it! you think to much you failed to manage time, 'cos TOEFL basically is a war with the time.He also has an Indonesian motto "setiap kata", for us to identify every word in a sentence. Hard time but worth it. One thing that I will always remember about what you've said sir. "If you can't do it today then you can't do it tomorrow, 'cos learning is a process that takes time". Also thanks for teaching me the beauty of the song "Glory of Love" from the structure point of view. 


Next...





. "Master of the games" Sakti

He is our reading teacher, and many times with him there were always games in the class (we asked for it..we are such a naughty student! but hey..he approved it..hahahahahaha).

The sentence he says at his caricature pretty much gives a picture of how the class runs. I don't blame him cos at reading section it was WE who supposed to READ ..hehehehehe. But reading sometimes bores us (ok..ok..most of the time!) that's why we desperately needed the games! Anyway, congrats for your new baby sir! 

 Next...Ms. Diah "the asking-for-agreement-lady"

"Do you agree with me" is flowering almost every sentence she said. That's what I would called "character"..hehehehe, you are different from the others rite?.
She is actually our substitute teacher replacing Ms Yuli who has to go somewhere else during our course period. She handled conversation class which is nothing to do with TOEFL (old version) test. So, class is always about fun. Games, games and games were our daily activities. Well, conversation is about communication rite? so as long as you keep "mumbling" and the others understand you then it will work out..I guess..hehehehhe
The answer from the question she asked at the pics is defenetely our style, the-trouble-maker-yet-willing-to-study-students ;)....it soooooooo us.
Forgive us Ms, for giving you such a hard (but fun) time..hehehehe and thanks for all those encouraging advises.


Last but not least...Mr. A*#^@ "The demonic angel"

Well, he is actually the director of EAP (English for Academic Purpose) program, not our teacher (uughh..Thank God!). The one with a very unpredictable mood. Do not try to guess his mood, cos you might be wrong and you end up hearing all his f******* s#%@d vocabularies...hehehehehe.

But we are not just some ordinary students who would do nothing for him in return, so the caricature above is our 'precious' present for him, the one whose name cannot be mentioned.
PS 1 : he actually believe that we consider him as Mr. Angel..duh!
PS 2 : FYI, he still works at ELS after several times braggs to move out...hmmm


Here they are in incomplete form (minus Mr. Arief and Mr.Sakti) with our presents...hope you all like it teachers..


Credit for the caricatures goes to Reni's friend from elementary school...