Sailing Trip to Komodo (part 2)

I woke up in the morning, preparing for the next journey.

While we are eating our breakfast (crepes with banana and chocolate sauce, very yummy), we could see a ship approaching the hotel.

Our ship name is Fadaelo.

The welcome drink is papaya juice with milk.

Surprisingly, it is very delicious.

Me and my friend enjoying papaya juice

From Labuan Bajo, our first destination is Pulau Rinca. The port name in Rinca is Loh Buaya.

I'm not a biologist or an ecologist, so I'll say what I see.

Once inside the gate, what I can see is savanna, rock and sand. The weather is hot and dry, with only a small of plantation. 

From the top left, clockwise: Rinca habitat, a Ranger explained Loh Buaya map, me with the Komodo stick, ranger standing near a Komodo nest

We are accompanied by two rangers because our team consists of 9 person. Normally a ranger accompany 5 person.

The ranger brought a stick with two branch in the edge. Why? Since it is known that komodo are afraid with something similar with their branched tongue.

Komodo has an excellent smelling capability.

Women during period is prohibited to enter the Komodo National Park for their safety, because Komodo could smell the blood and locate you even from far away.

According to the ranger, komodo could run at 18 km per hour speed. I think that's fast, because I could only run with max 9 km per hour on the treadmill. :D (and the maker of this song "Macet lagi macet lagi, gara gara si Komo lewat" must have never known anything about Komodo!)

So you better hope that you don't have any open wound or during your period when you go there. A chase between you and a komodo surely would not be a pleasant part of the trip.

For myself, I'm thrilled when we meet a komodo in our trekking trail. I'm speechless, because I feel so frail.

Notes: if you want to see komodo, but you are afraid of doing some trekking, I suggest you to come there before noon. Many komodo will gather around the ranger's housing area, since they smell the cooking!

It is quite strange to see a group of Komodo laying below the house.

Laying under the ranger's hut, "waiting" for the lunch time

After Rinca, our next sailing target is Pulau Kambing. ( Kambing = goat)

If you love to snorkling or diving, you have to go there.

It is one the most beautiful underwater scene that I've ever seen.

I've ever been to several snorkeling points across Indonesia, and this is definitely one of the best.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my underwater camera while I snorkeling there. :(

I don't know why it is named Pulau Kambing, because I didn't see even one goat there. 

The next destination is Kalong Island. (Kalong = bat)

This is the last destination for in the first sailing trip, because this is the place where we'll watch sunset and spend the night.

The view is spectacular. 

Beautiful red orange sky with thousands of bats flying across the sky.

Unfortunately, I have a pocket camera only, and it couldn't capture the red beautiful sky. :(

After breakfast we continued the journey into Pulau Komodo.

This is the biggest island in the Komodo archipelago area.

The difference with Rinca is the komodo living in Pulau Komodo are older and bigger.

Rinca's komodo are younger and more savage caused by their agility.

The habitat itself is quite different.

It is more like a tropical forest. This is also a good place to do some bird watching.

From top left, clockwise: Sulphurea Hill Top, Sulphurea Hill Top, Komodo, Sea Dock 

Oh yes, and I'm lucky that I've got there before the permanent dock is finished. I think a wood dock is much nicer than a permanent dock.
I understand that Komodo will be a big part of tourism in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
But I really hope that the government won't forget that the main reason of making Komodo archipelago as a National Park area is for the animal reservation, not for tourism.

The next destination is Pink Beach.
Why it is named Pink Beach? Because the sand is pink.

Pink Sand

But that's not the only think that you can see at Pink Beach. It is also a beautiful place snorkeling. If you are not a water activity fans, you could do some trekking to the hilltop, the view is quite fascinating.

The last destination for our sailing trip is Bidadari Island.
It is a small island near Labuan Bajo.
This island also has pink sand, but it is more polluted than Pink Beach.
Pink Beach is a no man island and the location is quite far from the local people village.
Bidadari is close to Labuan Bajo, so the rubbish from Labuan Bajo are washed into this shore.
It's a shame, because the beach is pretty.

After two days of sailing trip, we returned to Wae Cicu Eden Hotel.
So long Komodo.... :)
Hope that I'll see you again someday..

notes: all the pictures aren't edited. I'm not a professional photographer, and I'm only using my pocket camera (Sony Cybershot W-570)

Labuan Bajo, a Step before Reaching Komodo (part 1)

First of all,

this journey happened on May 2011.

So I would say I'm sorry if it is not really accurate.

What is Komodo?

From Wikipedia : Komodo is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar.

Komodo is listed in UNESCO World Heritage since 1991 and Natural Seven Wonder List since 2011.

So I'm actually lucky that I got an opportunity to visit Komodo before it is declared as one of the Natural Seven Wonder.

How to get there?
You have to reach Labuan Bajo first.


By air:

• DPS- LBJ: Trans Nusa (7x / week)
• DPS- LBJ: Wings Air (3x/week, TUE, THU, SAT) 

Points of interest:

- Labuan Bajo sea port : It smells fishy, but the view is beautiful. Blue sky tinted with white cloud in the sky. Traditional ships.

- The Lounge : a nice restaurant at Labuan Bajo, don't forget to try Komodo's Smile drink.

It contains Flores mint a.k.a Kemangi for Indonesian people.

(left to right) Chocolate Milk Shake, Watermelon Juice, Komodo's Smile

- Batu Cermin: (a.k.a Mirror Rock) : a limestone cave, with beautiful reflection of the ray light onto the wall.

- Paradise Bar: a bar, best known for watching sunset

- Wae Cicu Eden Hotel : owned by a Swiss and Indonesian couple. Located in the hilly side across Labuan Bajo.  

Fresh water and electricity is available. 

No air-con, only fan, but they provided mosquito net. The bathroom is clean enough for my standard. 

The cuisine is made with French style. I realized that once they served me grilled fish with thyme for dinner.

And for the breakfast, they served crepes (of course ala Francais , not dry like Indonesian crepe)

What I love the most about this hotel is the fact that they don't have a port.

Their commitment is to stay as natural as it can be. So the only way to reach this hotel from the sea is by using a small raft since the bigger boat couldn't landed on the beach.

As you can see on the picture below, there is no port in the front of the hotel.

Enjoy your stay in Labuan Bajo, because the trip to Komodo is still awaiting you.

continued to Sailing to Komodo...

Mengakrabi Ketakutan

Dua hari yang lalu, aku menonton Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter.

Tapi kali ini bukanlah bahasan mengenai film tersebut.

Hanya saja ada sebuah quote yang menarik dari film tersebut ketika seorang tokoh bernama Henry Sturges mengatakan hal seperti ini : 

Real power comes not from hate but from truth

Entah mengapa, kata-kata itu mengingatkanku pada sebuah dialog yang terjadi di meja makan keluargaku sekian tahun yang lalu. Kalau aku tidak salah ingat, sepertinya waktu itu aku masih duduk di bangku SMU.


Dialog yang terjadi seperti ini.
Ibuku bertanya, sebenarnya ada apa sih yang salah di Indonesia, katanya orangnya pintar-pintar, beragama, tapi kalau urusan korupsi juga jalan terus.
Jawabanku simpel.

Di sini, diajarkan untuk melakukan sesuatu di bawah ketakutan.
Manusia sebaiknya melakukan sesuatu karena manusia sadar bahwa hal itu baik, bukan hal yang merugikan.
Sama seperti manusia harus sadar bahwa suatu hal yang tidaklah baik, maka apalah gunanya dilakukan.
Jika semua orang sadar dengan segala perbuatannya detik per detik, maka tidak ada itu istilahnya khilaf, karena semua perbuatan dilakukan dengan sadar.

Orang yang melakukan sesuatu hanya karena takut, maka jikalau hal yang ditakutinya itu hilang, bukannya akan kehilangan makna dari pengerjaan hal tersebut?
Ada perbedaan kedalaman antara doing something only because you are afraid and because you know the real benefit of doing this thing.

Contoh sederhana..
Seberapa sering kamu telah mendengar kata-kata ini sepanjang hidupmu:

"Udah.. ga pa pa lagi begitu. Ga ada yang tahu juga kan?"

-> jadi kamu tidak melakukan itu hanya karena kamu takut ada yang tahu, terus kalau tidak ada yang tahu jadinya tidak apa-apa?

Aku tidak akan mengatakan bahwa tidak ada gunanya ketakutan.
Ada beberapa hal yang aku takuti, dan menurutku itu ada gunanya sebagai alarm buat diriku sendiri untuk tetap mawas diri.
Tapi aku mencoba mengakrabi ketakutan itu.
Apa penyebab ketakutan tersebut, dan apakah yang bisa kulakukan untuk membuatku bisa mengurangi rasa takut itu?

Mungkin akan ada yang bertanya, terus apa hubungannya antara ketakutan, kesadaran dengan quote-nya Henry Sturges itu.
Menurutku ketakutan lebih dekat dengan kebencian, ketimbang kesadaran dengan kekuatan.

Siapa yang suka berada dalam ketakutan?
Kita tidak suka rasa tidak berdaya ketika kita ketakutan.
Tapi jikalau manusia sudah sadar apa penyebab ketakutannya, maka itulah yang akan menjadi kekuatannya.

Fifty Shades Trilogy

Actually, I'm reluctant to review this Fifty Shades of Grey's trilogy.

Since it's like opening up your dirty secret.

Why...?

You don't want anybody know that you read erotica fiction, do you?

Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Definition of EROTICA:

1. literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality
2. depictions of things erotic

Enough of definition.

Why do I want to read this trilogy?
Maybe you've already read my previous blog entry regarding Kobo.
I mentioned that I saw this trilogy in some bestseller list.
Of course I do some research before deciding to buy this bundle.
Most shown up terms are : erotic, fan-fiction, BDSM

Fifty Shades of Grey is originally a fan-fiction of Twilight.
Just add the erotic and (sometimes) hyperbolic touch.
Don't expect a deep story.

The main characters are Anastasia Steele (later Grey) and Christian T Grey.
Anastasia is a recently graduated young woman.
Christian Grey is a very rich businessman with a darker side (in his own term "fifty shades fucker").
Both are madly attracted into each other.
At the beginning, it is mostly the sexual attraction, but the more they know about each other, it will get into a deeper relationship.

My point for this trilogy is 6.5 out of 10.
If you don't know anything about BDSM, this book will give you some insight about this world.
Good for your knowledge maybe (?) :P
The story itself is addicting, but the story lack of depth.

Notes:
This book is not available in Indonesia. I guess the theme is too risky.
If you are a regular visitor at Kinokuniya, you must be familiar that they always put the NY times bestseller list on their bookshelf.
This time, they don't.
I guess this is because that the top number 1,2 and 3 is taken by this Fifty of Shades Trilogy.

Amed Beach - Bali

Last weekend, I went to Bali for company outing.
My first reaction was "Bali"?
I stop counting my visits to Bali since a long time.
Maybe because I've been there more than 5 times, nearly once a year (twice last year, because my flight to Komodo depart from Bali).
What makes difference for this time is the destination.

The destination is Amed.
Located on Karangasem area, on the east of Bali island.
It took 3.5 - 4 hours from Kuta by bus.

On the way to Amed, you can stop at Goa Lawah, Pesinggahan, Tirta Gangga.
The last "city" before Amed is Alampura.
The view between Amlapura into Amed is surely breathtaking.
You can enjoy the view of ricefield across the valley on your side and the blue sea in the horizon for the background.
At another point, you'll see the beach below your way, with several jukung boat laying on the sea-shore.

Unfortunately, because of the flight delay, we didn't have enough time to see the sunset.
I spent the night at Coral View - Hidden Paradise.
I was lucky enough to get the Family Suite to shared with my friends.
It is a two level villa.
The room downstairs provide two single bed, the room upstairs provide one queen bed.
There is one bathroom downstairs , located outdoor (Don't worry, the wall is high enough, unless someone climb the wall, nobody will peek you naked)
Hot water is provided, also the toiletries. (The shampoo and conditioner is well enough. It didn't dry my hair even after I soaked my hair in the pool and the sea. But you can't take it home, because it is stored in a big stone bottle)

Amed is actually a small fishing village.
You can see plenty of jukung boats on the sea-shore during the time when the fisherman are not sailing.
Oh yes...I almost forgot.. Amed is a black sandy beach with sunrise view.

April(e) in May

How about the white sand lovers? Will they be dissapointed?
Of course they won't.
Below the sea-surface, the view is quite beautiful.

Try to snorkeling while you get there.
Or if you are a certified diver, try to dive there. There is a japanase wreck in Amed.
If you don't feel enough, you could arrange a dive trip to Tulamben (30 minutes from Amed). You could find the wreckage of U.S.S.R. Liberty.


You don't like to snorkling or diving?
You can still walk around the village.
It is a quiet village, so if you want to feel a different side of Bali, this is a nice place.
I really enjoy my morning walk there. It is so calm and refreshing.

7:00 AM at Amed village road

You like to enjoy spa? (Balinese massage is quite famous, isn't it?)
From the hotel information, they recommend A-Spa and Puri Wirata Spa.
I didn't have enough time to go to those places, but I was lucky enough that I found a masseuse near the pool.
I paid 150k IDR and I get 60 minutes body massage.
I think the price is reasonable, considering that Amed is only a small village.
(You'll forget about the price once the mbok's hand is in your back, and you could hear the wave sound as the background)

Last, don't forget to eat some fish.
The grilled fish is so awesome. :)

Building my Reading Life with Kobo

I'm a bookworm.

I love the smell of paper. I've already had two large cupboard for my books collection.

That's why it's really hard for me to consider buying e-book.

In the past, reading an e-book was valid for me only if I've already bought the actual copy of the book.

But a few days ago, I made a decision, "Let's try buying an e-book".

50 Shades of Grey is listed in Goodreads, Bookdepository, NY Times Bestseller, etc. Since the original format for this 50 Shades Trilogy is an e-book, so I think, okay then, let's try. 

First of all, I search into the Google Play for some e-book reader app.

After browsing through some apps I decided to try Kobo. 

I like simplicity, and I could sync between desktop, Android, Apple devices and Blackberry. (I only have the 1st gen iPod Nano and I'll never buy a Blackberry, so it's not really important tough)

It also compatible with some e-book reader. Kobo itself have a product named Kobo-eReader.

The files format supported: Adobe DRM and e-pub.

The other reason why I choose Kobo is ..... I like to collect awards. :D

Kobo has Reading Life features.

It provides some collectible award such as:

• Reading Life: Your digital Reading Life has just begun
• I love my Library: You've started to build a digital library with Kobo
• Once Upon a Time: You started reading a new book

etc....

You could see the default awards are already available in the Reading Life.

Some of the other awards are hidden at the beginning, and it will show up according to your reading habit.

So far I've unlocked Page Turner (2H), Primetime, Better in Bed. 

You could check the complete list on Reading Life Awards .

Mine?

some of my Reading Life Awards

Other features:

• sharing into Facebook timeline
• sharing into Kobo Pulse
• custom reading setting 
• appearance: Classic (white background, black text), Sepia (beige background, black text), Night ( black background , white text)
• font size and font style

Snapshot from my LG L7:

Kobo

Kobo Home

reading a book

IMAX 3D in Gandaria City

Hi hi..... 

just want to share a short update. 
Since two weeks ago (4 May 2012), the IMAX 3D is officially open in Gandaria City XXI. 
The ticket price is mentioned as below: 

• weekday (Monday-Thursday) : 50k IDR
• Friday or a day before a holiday : 75k IDR 
• weekend or holiday: 100k IDR

Update!

Since the end of July 2012 (I didn't know precisely since when, but when i want to watch The Dark Knight Rises), the ticket price is:

• weekday (Monday-Thursday) : 60k IDR
• Friday or a day before a holiday : 75k IDR 
• weekend or holiday: 100k IDR

The good news is that the tickets are available for purchased on M-Tix. 
Just make sure that your account balance is enough before transaction ;) 


Enjoy the movie..

me, my bf and his friend 

oh yes, of course you need the review.

I watched The Avengers.

In my opinion, it's rare to see a nice real action 3D movie.

My best experience with 3D movie was How to Train a Dragon.

I watched Iron Man 2, Captain America, Harry Potter 7 part 2, Avatar, Transformer and so many 3D film and yet, the best 3D movie is How to Train a Dragon.

But my opinion has changed when I saw The Avengers in IMAX 3D.

The effect is nice, you could really feel the pop-up effect in your eyes.

I think, if you want to see a real action 3D movie, IMAX 3D is worth for your money. 

But if you want to see animation 3D movie, Dolby 3D is more than enough.

I forget something.

Do you wear glasses? Unfortunately, IMAX 3D only provide one size. Don't worry, it's wide enough for your glasses, but I would really like to have two option for size like Dolby 3D provide.