Another Warning!

Sisi diriku yang kebanyakan 'cinta' membuatku suka menebar rasa yang berlebihan ke teman-teman..

Itu mungkin kelebihanku, tapi itulah yang sering menjadi senjata makan tuan, yang akhirnya menjadi 'kekuranganku yang terbesar'..

Just give your 60% Umi... You will be ok if something happened...

Ubud, The Healing Place

'It’s about 6AM, and I was stunning there, alone at Campuhan Ridge…’

Ubud, about one hour drive from Kuta, is very famous village for international travelers, but not for Indonesian. Why? Because most of Indonesian likes shopping! Not me of course, that’s why when I stayed at Ubud, they will guess that I’m Malaysian. I love Ubud!

I went to Ubud alone, this time. After attending on my best friend’s wedding at Kuta, I rent a motorcycle and drove it to Ubud! I didn’t know why, I really wanted to reach Ubud as soon as possible, just one stop to buy a gift for my friend’s new daughter who lives at Ubud.. landed Ubud.

Check in to Rojas Home stay at Jalan Kajeng. This home stay was recommended by Budi, one of my travel mates. I wanted to try because the location was just about 5 minutes walked from Ubud Palace. The room that had given to me had one double bed and one single bed, room for three. The cleaner and better room was fully booked. But the neighborhood was nice. There were many flowers and trees around. There were two kinds of breakfast, bread or noodles, with the compliment of egg and hot tea/coffee.

After a little break, I decided to go to Tegalalang, the famous rice terrace, for picturing. I drove slowly, enjoy the scenery, the moment, the ambience. Like usual, when I arrived at Tegalalang, many tourists there. Picturing, picturing, and picturing… Had an idea to go to the other rice terraces, but meeting a friend who lives here and just got a new daughter was my priority, so heading to Penestanan Village!

Penestanan Village, has many art galleries, local warung, and and some quiet accommodation. I really enjoyed walking around the village to find my friend’s house. The house was built between the rice fields, but my friend’s house was on the little alley which full of houses. The house was typical of Bali house, with a lot of Bali’s ornaments, an unique gate house, and of course, a beautiful small park in front of the house. Watching all these scenes made me dream having a house at Ubud!

My next stop was Kokokan Village, the home for hundreds or maybe thousands white herons (kokokan in Balinese, blekok in Javanese), but but by looking the bird itself and some sources from the books, this bird catagorized as egret. The best time to visit is 5PM, when the birds flew back to the villages. They were everywhere! Flying across the street, up the rice fields, eating in the roadside, in the rice fields, in front of the houses, everywhere… and at the point, none of them!

At this point, was located a small post for a voluntary donation to aid the protection of the bird. The villagers now have been preparing a jungle for all the herons, so they can move and stay there. The reason why they live at the village, is because they didn’t have a place to stay anymore. So it was a good decision.

‘Kecak Dance’ was my last itinerary that day, but it was rain, downpour! Still, this rain didn’t got me down, I walked to the open stage Balinese Temple, but the performance was moved inside the temple. About 70 tourists sit around the show area, and I’m the only Indonesian. The dance was about the story of Ramayana. Rama, a warrior and rightful hier to the throne of Ayodya, is exiled with his wife Sita to a faraway desert. There, an evil king spies Sita, falls in love with her, and sends a golden deer to lure Rama away. Sita is captured, and Rama rounds up his armies to defeat those of the evil king and rescue her. Rama is the man in green dancing in the center of the circle, the golden deer is in yellow in the back.

The music was come from male voices whose sit around and gave a hand dance to the story, they were about 50 men. It was like hearing a male choir, the light was just from one bonfire. At the end, they gave a ‘Trance Performance’. The old guy that talked to me before the show was the actress. And I didn’t know why, but I was sad to see him got trance. The ember was got into his body, he ate coconut, and walked at bonfire. The tears came out from my eyes.

On my bed that night, the words came out from my heart, and the written was uploaded to my personal blog. Yes, I brought my laptop and a modem to company me. It was wrong, companied by gadgets, not a person. Ah, what a world…

Wake up at 5AM was the hardest part that day, but for welcoming the day by trekking Campuhan Ridge was worth. It was still dark when I opened the door. I met the cleaning road person, she swept away the leaves in the street, stopped for talking to her, continued my walking.
If you never go to Campuhan Ridge, this is the directions :
1. Find ‘Ibah’ Villas & Resto, located on the right if you walk from Kuta Market, before Antonio Blanco Museum.
2. Just walk down to the bridge, take the right way, beside the bridge to the trekking path.
3. You’ll find the way, the ridge, and the savanna then…

I was alone. The green of the savanna was refreshing my eyes. I came too early, the sun hadn’t risen yet. The sky started to become light blue.. I chose a point to sit, and waiting for the sunrise, and then, voila! I took my breath for being the witness of God’s creation. When I pictured the view, I saw the hill across the ridge, full of villas, and there it was, the sun reflected on the windows! It was gorgeous! The eyes of God!

Ubud is never let me down, a place you can find peaceful and be healed …

Info dari Tangkahan

Pembangunan Semesta
Bis yang melayani rute Medan - Tangkahan, berangkat jam 08.00 dan 13.00 dari Terminal Pinang Baris, 20rb rupiah, perjalanan memakan waktu kurang lebih 4,5jam. Di perjalanan kita akan ketawa2 karena supir dan kondektur bis ini sibuk membelikan titipan orang-orang di Tangkahan, termasuk beras, gas, bahkan menerima titipan motor, sofa, kasur, dll. Sebenernya jaraknya tidak terlalu jauh kalau diukur dengan kilometer yaitu 93km, tapi karena kecepatan bis yang lambat, jalan yang rusak, dan sabar menunggui penumpang, jadilah perjalanan menjadi sangat panjang. Yang paling menyeramkan, bis ini melewati jembatan-jembatan yang sebenernya tidak layak untuk bis besar.

Budget for Vietnam

The bugdet was for three persons from Dec 8-11, 2011

December 8, 2011
Taxi + Bus + airport tax :205.000 IDR
Taxi (sharing of 6) : 116.500 VND
Dinner @VN Halal Saigon : 308.000 VND
Mineral water : 30.000 VND
Sleeper Bus to Mui Ne :600.000 VND
Ngoc Linh Hotel (triple room) : 24 USD
Cu Chi Tunnel & Ca Dao Temple Tour One Day : 21 USD
Juice : 30.000 VND
Total : 1.084.500 VND + 45 USD
Personal expense : postcard 40.000 VND + 205.000 IDR

December 9, 2011
Admission Fee for Cu Chi Tunnel : 240.000 VND
Tips for guide : 20.000 VND
Lunch : 195.000 VND
Dinner @Taj Mahal Restaurant Saigon : 135.000 VND
Seater Bus (Mui Ne - Nha Trang) + Sleeper Bus (Nha Trang - Hoi An) : 990.000 VND
Total : 1.580.000 VND

December 10, 2011
Hot drinks in the morning : 45.000 VND
Jeep for tour : 25 USD
Tips for driver : 40.000 VND
Baguette + omelet : 60.000 VND
Dinner @Mughal House Nha Trang : 220.000 VND
Mineral water : 10.000 VND
Total : 430.000 VND + 25 USD
Personal expenses : 15.000 VND + 17,67 USD
Internet access : 10.000 VND
Shoes deposit : 5.000 VND
Sleeper Bus (Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi) : 17,67 USD

December 11, 2011
Breakfast 'mi guang' : 60.000 VND
Rambutan fruits : 20.000 VND
Admission Fee for Ancient Town of Hoi An : 270.000 VND
Lunch, Hot Pot Seafood : 126.000 VND
Fried bananas : 30.000 VND
Hop Yen Hotel (triple room) : 378.000 VND
Orange fruits : 20.000 VND
Snacks : 11.000 VND
Dinner : 140.000 VND
Total : 1.055.000 VND
Personal Expenses : 180.000 VND + 2 USD
Raincoat : 30.000 VND
Traditional cap : 40.000 VND
Pants (2) : 110.000 VND
Lanterns : 2 USD

== Total for three : 4.149.500 VND + 70 USD, per person : 1.383.200 VND + 23,5 USD
Personal expenses : 125.000 VND + 19,67 USD + 205.000 IDR
Total 'til Dec 11, 2011 : 1.618.200 VND + 43,17 USD + 205.000 IDR

December 12, 2011
Breakfast : 20.000 VND
Xe Om around Hue : 150.000 VND
Admission (Khai Dinh Tomb, Tu Duc Tomb, Citadel) : 165.000 VND
Local cap : 25.000 VND
Fund raised : 10.000 VND
Dinner @French Cafe : 37.000 VND
Total : 207.000 VND

December 13, 2011
Hanoi Backpackers Hostel 2 nights at Female Dorms : 260.000 VND
Lunch Pho @Nisa Restaurant : 45.000 VND
Bus (3x) : 9.000 VND
Admission for Ngoc Son Temple : 10.000 VND
Admission for Temple of Literature : 10.000 VND
Temple of Literature's leaflet : 5.000 VND
Coca Cola : 20.000 VND
KFC, seafood snackers : 27.000 VND
Stamps : 26.000 VND
DVD : 70.000 VND
Water Puppet Show : 60.000 VND
Souvenirs : 90.000 VND
Total : 632.000 VND

December 14, 2011
Cake : 10.000 VND
One Day Ha Long Bay Tour : 19 USD
eggs : 1 USD
Dinner Pho & Hot Lemon Tea @Nisa Restaurant : 45.000 VND
Total : 55.000 + 20 USD

December 15, 2011
Shuttle bus from Hanoi to Airport : 40.000 VND
Bus from Saigon's airport to Benh Tanh Market, return : 16.000 VND
Sugar cane : 10.000 VND
7Up : 8.000 VND
Xe Om : 10.000 VND
Internet access : 22.000 VND
Souvenirs : 49.000 VND
Coffee : 30.000 VND
Dinner @Lotteria : 50.000 VND
Total : 235.000 VND

Taxi to go home : 135.000 IDR

Total : 2.747.200 VND + 63,17 USD + 340.000 IDR = 2.111.042 IDR

Tickets :
Jakarta - Ho Chi Minh by AirAsia, return (+15kg baggage for HCMC-Jkt) : 663.000 IDR
Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh by JetStar : 1.434.000 VND = 624.000 IDR

Rate :
1 USD = 9.100 IDR
1 USD = 20.900 VND

Info dari Hanoi

Jika anda mendarat di Hanoi, anda bisa menggunakan shuttle bus yang tersedia tepat di depan terminal kedatangan, tarifnya hanya 35.000 VND atau sekitar 20.000 IDR. Shuttle bus milik Vietnam Airlines atau JetStar ini bisa digunakan untuk umum, daripada naik bus tapi nunggu penuh yang pastinya lebih lama nunggu bus penuh daripada 'elf' ini penuh.

Jika anda dari Hanoi mau menuju bandara, shuttle bus Vietnam Airlines bisa ditemui didepan Kantor Vietnam Airlines yang letaknya di St. Joseph Cathedral bagian Jl. Trang Thi, tidak jauh dari Hoan Kiem Lake, bisa jalan kaki dari Old Quarter atau kalau barang anda terlalu banyak sebaiknya menggunakan taksi atau xe om atau cyclo.
Bis ke bandara juga bisa ditemui disini, tapi nunggu penuh baru jalan.