A Fine Morning

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Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:33:27 +0700

"The first step - especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money - the..."

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:00:38 +0700

“The first step - especially for young people with energy and drive and talent, but not money - the first step to controlling your world is to control your culture. To model and demonstrate the kind of world you demand to live in. To write the books. Make the music. Shoot the films. Paint the art”

- Charles Palanhuik (via sweetcheeksaremadeofthese)

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Sat, 25 May 2013 10:54:27 +0700

travelingcolors: Mount Bromo, East Java | Indonesia (by Yaman...

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:22:56 +0700

travelingcolors:

Mount Bromo, East Java | Indonesia (by Yaman Ibrahim)

Audio

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:07:39 +0700

travelthisworld: Casa Batilo ♦ Barcelona, Spain | by YoungDoo...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:09:16 +0700

travelthisworld:

Casa Batilo ♦ Barcelona, Spain | by YoungDoo Moon

travelingcolors: Colorful Umbrellas Installation in Águeda |...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:37:28 +0700

travelingcolors:

Colorful Umbrellas Installation in Águeda | Portugal (by Patrícia Almeida)

Lovely!

beingindonesian: SUBMISSION: ritahasta. Thank you. Menara...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:30:57 +0700

beingindonesian:

SUBMISSION: ritahasta. Thank you.

Menara Siger, Bakauheni, Lampung, Indonesia

travelingcolors: Climbing Castle Hill, Budapest | Hungary (by...

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:37:18 +0700

travelingcolors:

Climbing Castle Hill, Budapest | Hungary (by John & Tina Reid)

What I Love the Most from Traveling

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 11:26:00 +0700

I might not (yet) be one of those cool travelers that have visited so many various places in the world. I am not even sure that I could be called a traveler if the number of places becomes the standard. Yet, places that I have visited always give me so many lessons and somehow enrich me. Before I forget to write them down, here are three things that I love the most from traveling.

Meeting many interesting people. Traveling enables you to meet with many people that come with their own background stories that totally can give you new insight. Either you meet them on a plane, in a hostel, on the road, anywhere.

One time in Kuching, I met someone from Eritrea. Never heard of it? Well yeah at the first time, I was just as clueless as you. He told me he’s from Eritrea, I just could ask ‘where is that?’ and that made me feel so bad. Eritrea is a country in the Eastern part of Africa. It was first a conflict area. After years of war with Ethiopia, they got their independence in 1993. It’s still a teenager. I told him sorry for my bad geography. He said never mind. He then went on telling me the war and the history of the country. So you see, you can get a history lesson at the same time, a kind that probably you can’t get in class. You can see here for more info about the country.

On the other time, I met a young Moslem lady from the Philippines. She told me that she’s traveling around Southeast Asia while doing some voluntary jobs right after her graduation. She’s maybe like 2-3 years older than me. What shocking me the most is that she has converted to Islam on her traveling, so her parents back on the Philippines haven’t known that, and in one week she would be back. She’s just converted for like 6 months and has already worn Hijab. I applauded her for her such a brave decision. Her story touched me a lot.

Getting to know the local’s life. I am an observer. I like to take a long walk and see around observing what people do on their daily basis. This doesn’t only give a pleasant feeling, but this also gives me a glimpse of how locals run their life and let my mind to compare and contrast them to with the way of people in my region run their life. It doesn’t have to be in other countries. Regions in Indonesia are diverse enough to get the sense of this.

Visiting souvenir sellers is one of my favorite things to do. There, you can get to see authentic things from the region and let the sellers tell you a story about the locals. Eating local food is also one of my favorites. There is always a sense of surprise every time I try the local food. If you see my body, you might not believe it, but yeah I’m such a good eater, especially eating food that I haven’t tried before.

Knowing local’s life enables you to understand and feel inspired. You will find yourself realize that this Earth is so rich in diversity, and we still breath the same air. Talk to the locals and listen the most interesting stories from them.

Getting to know yourself more. A friend of mine once said, “Wherever you go, you’ll always find yourself.” and yeah that’s true. In every trip you take you get to know yourself more. You even can discover some things that you might have not realized yet from yourself. You will know your real values and limitations. How far you can go and tolerate things, and how far you cannot. For me, every trip is a form of accomplishment where I get to know myself and other people better.

For example, I used to believe that I am a very spontaneous person because I don’t like to stick to the same routine every day, and therefore, I like to do some random things sometimes. However, when it comes to travel, I found out that I am actually a planner type. I tend to organize things in detail.

Traveling together with your friends is also one of the most effective things to know your friends well. Just go travel with them for a week, and you’ll know them better than just casually hangout on normal days.

6 Reasons Why Singapore is Best for Your First Backpacking Trip

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:38:00 +0700

I haven’t traveled that much. However, I’m so looking forward to travel more often, and since I am still a college student with limited budget I prefer to travel on budget. Two months ago, I went to Singapore and had some kind of a roller-coaster-experience. That was also my first trip with only a backpack to carry. As a person who lives in Indonesia, I pretty much think that Singapore is the best place to start a backpacking trip for beginners. Here are why I think so.

The location. The flight ticket from Indonesia to Singapore is not that expensive. There are many budget airlines that do a promo for this destination. You can even go there by boat from Batam which costs less than IDR 200K.
The size of the country. Singapore is not that big, so you quite can get the sense of it. Its city is also very walk-able. The sidewalks are great. You can get one area to other areas by walking, so you don’t have to spend so much on public transportation. Walking down the streets while enjoying the view of the city can give you a great feeling.
Good transportation system. Singapore has a pretty good and organized transportation system. They have MRT and buses that can get you around the city. It’s a good first step to learn the way they are run before going to Europe or other countries that have similar transportation system.
Affordable hostels. For accommodation, you don’t have to worry. There are many affordable hostels in many different locations. You just need to choose. Many of them have websites, so you can book them online.
They speak English/Singlish. Yup, for you who want to practice your English, Singapore is a good place to start. The locals mostly speak in English with Singaporean accent, of course. Plus, there are many foreign tourists there.
It’s super safe. Singapore’s criminal rate is not even 1%. There is barely no policemen in the streets. My friend who is a local Singapore once told me that there’s no worry to walk around at night because it’s so safe. So, yeah, there’s no worry if you get lost, you will find a way to go back.

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Thu, 10 Jan 2013 00:08:38 +0700

travelthisworld: Dubai, UAE | via Happy Travels & Amazing...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 23:45:03 +0700

travelthisworld:

Dubai, UAE | via Happy Travels & Amazing Destinations

Cable Car. San Francisco. June 2009.

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:30:00 +0700

Cable Car. San Francisco. June 2009.

Wow, kingdom of clouds! They look so puffy.

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:17:19 +0700

Wow, kingdom of clouds! They look so puffy.

Been here three times, but have never got to see this epic view...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 13:22:00 +0700

Been here three times, but have never got to see this epic view in winter.

travelthisworld:

Tahoe Sunset ♦ Tahoe City, California, USA | by Anirudh Rao

Lost in Singapore II

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 19:50:00 +0700

Ini sambungan dari postingan sebelumnya - Lost in Singapore I

Jadi akhirnya kami menghabiskan malam di bandara. Peta-peta gratis yang kami ambil serampangan di booth-booth brosur maupun yang disedain travel agent dibuka dan dipelajari dengan saksama. Merasa gregetan aja, masa seharian tadi bisa hilang orientasi gitu. Jadilah semalaman kami mempelajari peta, jalur MRT, dan letak halte bus. Mengenali simbol-simbol di peta dan mebuat rute yang akan kami tuju. At least, kita ga bego-bego amat seperti hari pertama.

Merlion Park

Keesokan paginya, kami menitipkan ransel di bandara dan menumpang bus ke Merlion Park. Sengaja milih bus biar bisa liat jalan-jalan di Singapura dan kehidupan paginya. Walaupun hari kerja, jalannya ga macet. Banyak taman hijau juga ternyata. Suasana di bus sangat khidmat, ga ada orang yang saling ngobrol. Semuanya sibuk sama diri masing-masing. Saya dan Ran jadi yang paling ribut di bus, hahaa. Kami turun di halte yang tidak jauh dari Merlion Park. Tapi berhubung ga ngerti jalannya lewat mana, kami nanya lagi, dan banyak ga tau. Tanya sana sini, akhirnya ada yang ngerti dan menunjukkan arah yang tepat. Hari kedua ini judulnya berjalan kaki. Dari satu spot ke spot lain jalan kaki.

Sesampainya di patung Merlion, ternyata banyak banget turis. Ini bukan weekend dan tempat ini penuh. Turis yang saya liat kebanyakan berasal dari Cina dan berusia separuh baya. Mereka datang dalam jumlah yang gede dan semuanya berfoto dengan pose yang sama, tangan terbuka sehingga seakan-akan air dari mulut si Merlion jatuh ke tangan mereka. Racun banget ini tour guidenya mah. Mereka juga rata-rata menenteng kamera DSLR keren. Perkiraan kami, mereka bisa motret lah ya. Tapi pas kami minta foto, eh ga ada yang bagus hasilnya. Kepala kami ke-crop, ga fokus, Merlionnya ga keliatan, dan sebagainya. Salah satu kakek yg kami minta tolongi bahkan gayanya jauh lebih heboh dari kami yg dipotret. Saya dan Ran akhirnya harus puas dengan foto seadanya.

Dari Merlion Park, kami ke Chinatown lewat Raffles Road. Lumayan kakak jalan kakinya. Kawasan Raffles ini kawasan perkantoran semacam Sudirman-Thamrin di Jakarta. Banyak kantor pusat gitu. Sepanjang kami jalan, para pekerja kantoran berlalu lalang. Ada yang sambil nenteng kopi, nelpon, ngobrol ma temannya, dan semuanya jalannya pada cepat. Pakaiannya pada rapih membuat saya dan Ran seakan-akan berasal dari zaman lain karena selain kucel, kami berpakaian sangat kasual dan semacam berantakan.

Chinatown

Tidak lama kemudian akhirnya kami sampai di Chinatown. Haha, ada perasaan bangga dalam sanubari bisa menemukan daerah ini hanya dengan bermodalkan peta. So proud, haha. Berdasarkan hasil googling, Chinatown ini tempat beli suvenir termurah dari kawasan lain, seperti Bugis Street atau Orchard. Berdua dengan Ran, kami patungan buat beli gantungan kunci 36 pieces seharga SGD 10.00. Kalo dihitung-hitung, jatuhnya IDR 2300/pieces. Disini, pedagangnya pada nawarin harga beda-beda, jadi pastiin dapat yang termurah. Entah mengapa, saya merasa Chinatown ini oke: punya tourist attractions, ada masjid yang disampingnya ada restoran bersertifikat halal, dan dekat dengan stasiun MRT dan halte bus. Selain itu, banyak hostel yang cukup affordable.

Ngomong-ngomong soal hostel, kami sempat numpang mandi di salah satu hostel di kawasan ini. Cuaca terik abis bikin gerah dan kami ga mau ngeluarin duit lagi buat mandi di bandara. Akhirnya di tengah pencarian, kami menemukan A Beary Good Hostel. Ini hostel lucu banget logonya beruang. Letaknya strategis dekat stasiun MRT dan ga terlalu mahal. Kami memberanikan diri buat nanya apa ada fasilitas shower aja. Ternyata ga ada. Tapi akhirnya, ngobrol-ngobrol sama mbak yang jaga, akhirnya dia ngebolehin dan dikasi gratis pula. Kami ga perlu bayar. “It happens to me, too, when I travel. I understand,” kata mbaknya dengan penuh senyuman. Gila, baik banget. Terharu :’) Selesai mandi, kami ngucapin terima kasih yang sebanyak-banyaknya dan berjanji buat rekomendasiin hostel dia. Baik banget, padahal sebelumnya kami sempat nanya ke hostel lain dan ga ngebolehin. So, guys, A Beary Good Hostel is a very good hostel to stay when you’re in Singapore.

Satu lagi yang berkesan saat kami di Chinatown. Pas lagi di masjid, kami ketemu seorang lokal, wanita kantoran yang masih muda, ramah, dan cantik. Percakapan kami bermula ketika setelah sholat kami menanyakan nomer bus yang bisa ke bandara, dan dari situ kami ngobrol dan tukaran email dan nomer ponsel. Nah, dari hasil ngobrol kami, ternyata dia adalah seorang muallaf. Dia udah setahun jadi muallaf dan sangat ingin ke Bandung. Sampai hari ini, kami masih saling memberi kabar.

Puas mengitari Chinatown kami balik ke bandara untuk menjemput penerbangan ke Kuching. Hari kedua mengitari Singapura cukup puas. Kami berhasil mencapai titik-titik turis tanpa kehilangan arah yang berarti plus mendapat teman baru lagi :D

Bonus: Semacam Bollywood di atas jembatan penuh bunga

San Francisco. February 2009.

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:43:00 +0700

San Francisco. February 2009.

travelingcolors: YeePeng Festival, Chiang Mai | Thailand (by...

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 00:30:00 +0700

travelingcolors:

YeePeng Festival, Chiang Mai | Thailand (by Chattakan Kosol)

Need to see this festival someday

beingindonesian: SUBMISSION: itravelnesia. Thank you. This is...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:22:27 +0700

beingindonesian:

SUBMISSION: itravelnesia. Thank you.

This is Africa d’Java, Baluran National Park, Bayuwangi, East Java, Indonesia.