Sightseeing in Bali

Today was a rainy day, raining almost all day long from the moment we started our trip in the morning.

Bali is in the middle of the rainy season. The rain caused traffic to snarl almost along the way. The drive uphill to reach Kintamani took two and half hours. That was quite a long drive and luckily the kids were fast asleep most of the time.

On the bright side the route was quite scenic and the climb was gentle to reach the final elevation of almost 1500m high. Along the way the roads were lined with endless rows of shops selling local craftmenship from the famous Bali wooden furniture to silverwares to standard tourist items. We couldn't imagine how would they be able to sell all those items as there couldn't be that many tourists coming up here.

One of the most unique stop was to view a most spectacular paddy terrace on a hilly landscape. It's not the harvesting season otherwise it would look even more beautiful. To be here in the middle of this paddy terrace and in the cool surrounding hilly area does give quite a peaceful and ambiance feeling.

The most famous one known worldwide is the one in the Philippines which has been declared a world heritage site. This one could easily be considered for that as well.

We reached our destination, Kintamani, in misty and cold setting but as usual crowded by sightseers. This is supposed to be the most scenic view to experience in Bali, the sight of a large volcanic crater complete with a large lake. The last time an eruption occurred in Bali was quite awhile ago in nearby Gunung Agung in 1963 killing thousands of villagers.

All the volcanoes on the Bali island are still active, currently quiet waiting for the next time for them to suddenly become alive again. It can't be that long as some other active volcanoes in Java have came alive in the last few months along with many other volcanoes and earthquakes along the plate margins, signaling we are in the middle of an active period of plate motions.

A Tourism Brand called Bali

Bali...here we go. Most people would do the other way round. Bali first and then Bandung for shopping. Bali is a short hop, takes over an hour to reach, in what could be the busiest time of the year on the island.

Bali is probably the most famous tropical island in the world. Most Europeans, Aussies, Japanese and Koreans know or heard about Bali. It has grown into a real beach hot spot that the number of tourists have grown year after year. Last year alone over two million landed at the airport. And there are now over 30,000 hotel rooms available.

We are staying at a villa, a different concept of a holiday stay compare to the traditional hotel room or apartment.

Here one could rent a multi-bedroom villa equipped with its own pool, kitchen, a cook, wifi and so on. The price is quite variable, from those that are comparable to hotel to ones that are quite luxurious. Our place is called the Bali Dream Villa.

In Bali, we opted for van rental complete with the driver. One could get this on arrival at the airport and the van/driver is at your disposal all day long. For us it costs 350,000 rupiah which is about B$55 for 10 hours including driver and fuel - that is ridiculously a very good deal!

By the way, most villas provide free pick-up from airport (if you informed them early) as well as sending you off for the return trip.

Paris of Java

Third day in Bandung. Famous word from the taxi driver ...macet ... meaning traffic jam.

The past few days were public holidays here and people took the opportunity to go out and this was made worse by many folks from Jakarta driving all the way in their own cars to spend the long weekend here.

We passed along Jalan Cipaganti, an old-tree lined road, which contain quite a number outrageously luxurious houses. It is hard to imagine that these big houses, also along other famous roads, in their hundreds are to be found here. They are however mostly empty but guarded and with tall walls. They are owned by the upper classes who called these their second homes but live in Jakarta or overseas. Some of these houses are leftovers from the colonial era but renovated to modern design. Some are are converted to business, mainly restaurants and factory outlets.

Indeed during the early twentieth century colonial era, Bandung was known as "Parijs van Java" or the Paris of Java. The nick name was given because of the city's European atmosphere. That was the culmination of Dutch colonisation that lasted for some 350 years from the 17th Century.

"While the city still has some European heritage, the European feel has since then been replaced by more local colors. The name, however, is still frequently invoked to bring back the memory of the good old days when the city was a beautiful high land resort town of less than 200,000 population." Nowadays Bandung is a bit crowded, two millions to be exact, whereas the surrounding metropolis has an additional population of five millions.

Another favourite hunting place for shoppers is a place located in Sukajadi ironically called Paris van Java or PVJ. It has an European style market place. The place was crowded when we went there. There are plenty of restaurants and cafes to be found although the goods are more expensive compare to factory outlets.

City of FO's

The city of factory outlets. Bandung nowadays is the centre of shopping for Indonesians. Apparently it is also a favourite shopping spot for many KL city dwellers with many daily flights are now servicing the route.

It used to be only famous for its leather and shoe industry, but soon became the capital for jeans and now is the centre of almost everything. There are many outlets to choose, all are always packed with shoppers. The famous ones are along Jalan Riau, Jalan Cihampelas and many more.

The goods are mainly of export standard, with some still showing the export price tag. For comparison the selling price is a fifth to a tenth compare to the tag price! So they are real good value for money.

Holiday on Java Island

An early start to the day for a week long holiday. We set off at 5am in

what would be a whole day journey to reach our destination.

In the era of online booking and cheap fares, what was initially a well-planned iternary turned out to be a nearly non-starter as airlines started changing their schedule in the last minutes. In the end we managed to re-route our flights, not easy especially this is the busiest travel period of the year and seats are difficult to get. So we ended up flying to KK on RBA first, flew to Kuala Lumpur on MAS and finally on AirAsia to Bandung.

Bandung is the third largest city in

Indonesia, after Jakarta and Surabaya. So there are literally millions of dwellers here. Imagine there are more than 150 millions people living on the island of Java, cities like Bandung are where a large portion of these people could be found.

Bandung used to be the un-official capital and homes of the Dutch colonials in the last few centuries when they rule the country. The main reasons were this place sits up in the higher and cooler grounds, surrounded by extict volcanoes and there used to be a beautiful lake here. And it is not too far from Jakarta (or Batavia as it was known then) to escape the heat and the hustles and bustles of that commerce centre.

Nowadays Bandung has grown considerably, no longer quiter as it used to be, but it is still a favourite weekend or holiday destination for people from Jakarta. As like this time of the year, all the hotels are full and the place is packed with visitors, as well as tourists, going for the cheaper food and shoppings.

The Back Lane

It's the school holiday. Bumi Bertuah is awfully quiet these recent weeks ever since the holiday season started. Many folks are heading in droves to neighbouring towns to enjoy the year-end break and spend good times with families.

As usual the "visit our country" or KKK campaign seems more of an afterthought and not charming enough. And yet there are so many eco- or heritage sites here that could be turned into attractive locations to visit, if only the infrastructures are properly set up along with some sleek promotions.

One of those places is the place that I enjoy and frequented every weekend. Bukit Shahbandar is an idealic area for trekking, eco tours and setting up of chalets, mini shops and restaurants if one were to think big. These would be the normal set-up for similar spots in many countries.

On a different note, I knew there are many different trekking routes in Bukit Shahbandar but I have never ventured out beyond the normal 9-hills circuit and to try the back lane. Last Saturday I was invited for the umpteenth times to join other trekkers on the longer route. And for the umpteenth time again I politely declined because I wanted to stick to my normal schedule.

But suddenly it hit my mind the next day, after a year running around here I realised I have never ventured beyond what I know of the place. So there I was on my own, following my instinct to try out the lesser known trail. The route was surprisingly well set-up, quite challenging, and took about 45-50 minutes when running or up to 1.5 hours if one is just strolling.

There are no map board along the trail although plenty of signs could be found showing the directions. A few more simple things like the map board and proper resting places would help to spice up the place and hopefully prevent from people getting lost here which is becoming unfortunately a weekly event.

There must be more than ten peaks to climb with the higher peaks having assigned names. There are also a couple of wooden bridges crossing small streams and three real steep climbs to make the heart really beating hard. This route is now becoming my new routine. The entire circuit takes about 2 hours to complete.

Two Cities in One Night

A quick stop-over in Kuching, the last time I set foot here was 33 years ago. Although only an hour flight away there is nothing really hitting me to visit this place over those years.

One might say the same can be said for Bumi Bertuah for outsiders. So only if there are real attractions or purpose, then tourist will be hoarding in numbers.

Then hopped on the connecting flight to a familiar ground - Singapore. The place seemed to be at this time of the year in a festive mood. Decorative lights are everywhere, meant to make the place appealing and lively to tourists and shoppers alike. In fact nowadays there seemed to be more foreign faces than locals, especially in the business district. It is estimated that about one to two million out of the five million population here are foreigners!

Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah

A simple message from all of us -

Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah 1432. Semoga tahun baru ini memberi keberkatan dan dimurahkan rezki kepada kita semua.

A Journey Up River

Made a trip up the Belait River recently. One of the highlight was to see this sleepy crocodile who seemed to be enjoying the limelight of being photographed and talked about. The sight of this creature not too far from human dwellings was a gentle reminder that we are living very close to wild animal habitats. And so due respect and precaution need to be taken especially when one is going up and about on the river. In recent times there have been a number of fatal attacks by these creatures, but then this is their home and hunting ground.

The trip up the river was amazing. The sight of endless mangrove trees lining the river bank, singing birds passing by and watching slowly moving murky water of Belait river make this place tranquil and a very relaxing place.

The year 2010 is a year to remember for many of us. There are so many happenings, a good share of ups and downs. Just as we are having fun, the new year beckons. Wonder what 2011 awaits us.

Wading through the Flood

Today was an early start for the weekend ritual morning run at Bukit Shahbandar. I knew the Bukit Shahbandar challenge was happening today but I wasn't expecting the crowd to be already quite thick at 6.10 am. So there I was, one of those little people, had to park my car quite a distance away along the highway.

The run was only starting at 7 am, I decided it wasn't worth a wait and started my own run rather been intimidated by a crowd of non-seasonal runners. As I did my second round I got myself in the mix of the those runners. So there I was, unofficially participating in the Bukit Shahbandar challenge.

Later in the morning, I brought the kids to see the flood in Ulu Tutong. I was telling the kids that I used to walk and wade the flood for miles and miles when I was a kid in order to reach my grandparent's house. But the kids weren't interested to know. The road trip through the flood is like a joy ride for them, watching brownish water all around whilst staying dry and cool inside a 4WD.

The flood in the Ulu area this time around has been quite persistent. Even though there were hardly any rains, but apparently because of the high tide and more intense rains in the interiors, the flooding hardly ever receded for days and weeks and is becoming an acceptance in life for those people affected.

The roads are at least still accessible as most have been sufficiently elevated quite a while ago. Nonetheless the police posted an observation post as part of the main road to Lamunin seems to be flooded more severely than others.

Preserving Culture Through `Rediscover Brunei Race'

Bandar Seri Begawan - Twenty-one teams consisting of 63 participants from Sixth Form Centres and Jerudong International School put their wits and physical endurance to the test in the Rediscover Brunei Race 2010 held at Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan.

The second place winners, Group `Nangka' from Jerudong International School comprising Farah Azyan binti ali Umar Safri,19, Nur Ahlina Haziqah binti haji Hamdani,18 and Hafizah binti Haji Azhar,17, said that they were surprised to have done so well at the event. They said that this was their first time participating in such an event. "It was great, we had fun, we had to think really hard on each challenge. The kite-making under the hot sun tested us physically and the ketupat-making needed a lot of concentration." They said they had very little preparation and were very intimidated going into the race but had lots of fun and learnt a lot from the experience.

Borneo Bulletin.

Day of Sacrifice

A busy day for the villagers, in a communion, to prepare the slaughter of seven buffaloes and distribute the meat to the needy and the volunteers. That took place in our mosque today to mark the Hari Raya Aidil Adha, a very auspicious day once in a year where it seems everybody, young and old, would come and converse to the mosque to give a helping hand.

And across the countries, in probably a hundred locations, the rituals are repeated.

To all Muslims, we wish a "Selamat Hari Raya Aidi Adha" to all.

Once a Fishing Village

I am quite impressed with what I saw of Oman even though only from a short span of a few days. From the moment of driving along the 3-lane Sultan Qaboos Highway to the cleanliness and well organised city and urban areas, this place has taken itself very well.

The Sultan Qaboos Highway is top notch, with maximum speed limit of 120 Km/hr, reminds me of the great motorway network in Europe. This highway serves as the main artery of Muscat, linking it with other regions but also between the suburbs of Muscat.

A cursory glance at the road traffic during peak hours provides enough proof about the increasing volume of traffic on this highway. Still, I must say, Muscat is a better city to drive than many cities in the world. As with other aspect of infrastructure and nation building, the country could not be accused of being caught napping. It has taken a prudent start of planning for the future.

Downtown Muscat

Today was about having a wander downtown. I wasn't planning to do a whirlwind tour of the whole Muscat as I only got the morning before catching the flight home. Having a look through the taxi's window was already good enough to give a good first hand impression of the place. I made a stop at the Muttrah Souq, a small souq with its own unique characters.

The most evident character is the smell and burning of frankincense and perfume oils. There seems to be plenty here and the prices are quite

cheap. The other interesting aspect of the souq is the displays of Omani silvers, pots, paintings, hookah pipes and framed knives. One could also find many stalls selling gleaming white dishdashas and embroidery. Overall a very fascinating place. Of course for size, the Al-Hamidiah Souq in Syria and the Grand Souq in Istanbul are much larger and got more variety.

On the way back while stopping over at a supermarket to buy some dates, I was startled when a familiar face spoke to me from behind. He was a fellow Bruneian who lives here. Apparently the 20 or so Bruneian families here are having a function at the nearby Ambassador's resident.

As for the Eid next week they are sacrificing a number of cows and a handful of goats - that's a lot and definitely need a lot of help. But that is not a real issue as there is a very close-knitted Bruneian community here. As for the experience of living in this place, those that have or are currently here got nothing but real praise and enjoyment of this place, some even contemplated to continue working for a number of years or even forming own company here.

A Fort in an Oasis

On the way back to Muscat, we stopped over at a small town called Nakhal and had a touristic diversion to our programme.

Standing on top of a small mount is a fort that has been re-furbished quite recently. Apparently this is a popular spot for tourists as it is the most prominent and historical structure in the area.

Originally the Nakhal Fort was built in the 17th century and was the base of one of the more re-known and powerful tribe and at that time was considered a real fortress. And standing on top of the fort offers splendid and panoramic view of the surrounding oasis and section of the nearby mountains.

The greenery of the area is such a big contrast to most part of Northern Oman. There seems to be endless stretch of date palms surrounding the fort. These are only possible because the place is sitting at the mouth of the incoming wadis which obviously carry plenty of water above and below the surface.

Desert Tent

What a great hospitality awaiting our group, in the middle of nowhere was a big tent set up to serve us a hearty lunch. After the whole morning roaming around like a headless chicken in the shadows of big rocks, there is nothing better than to have a traditional Arabian meal and coffee.

The great danger in such a dry land is dehydration. One need to continually replenish the body with fluid and drink plenty of water. Today was not that hot in the mountain and wadis. Imagine being here in the middle of hot summer where temperature easily exceeds 45 Deg C.

Back in Time - 700 Million Years

Today we drove some 200 km westward towards the mountains, along well-built roads deep into the interior and finally along dry river beds or the wadis. It is clear that the government has poured a lot of money on building infrastructure such as raised roads from the flood prone wadis and encouraging more of the population to settle far from the urban areas and make the areas here and on the outskirts of the mountains their homes. And yet without any obvious employment and visible farm land, one would question how sustainable is the scheme.

From the coast, the Omani mountains dominate the skyline of Muscat and the northern coastal strip, reaching to 3000 meter in height. Here in the higher altitudes the weather can be quite cold and windy. The mountains are cut through by many wadis and only approachable by 4WDs. The wadis are currently dry. There has not been much rain in recent years. However, there are still occasional floods especially during the wintry months when rain water from the mountains would rush with ferocious force carrying stones and rubbles down the wadis. One has to be aware of this danger as sudden flash floods might be triggered by heavy rains far away in the upper reaches of the mountains without one realising it.

Today was about looking at the rocks. Here some of the oldest rocks could be found, as old as 700 million years old. As we progressed and discussed through the rock sequence, the whole things came back rushing in my head, after all I spent three years in my previous job studying similar rocks.

Jewel of the Persian Gulf

Now and towards the end of the year is probably the best time to visit the place because of the pleasant weather.

The place is well developed, sustained by the huge amount oil produced but more importantly helped by a forward thinking leadership.

The place I stayed, Grand Hyatt, is quite a place if that is not an understatement. Similar in a way to the Empire hotel, its 280 rooms are mostly outlandish in size. The place was full helped by the over 100-strong Chinese delegation staying over as part of the Chinese vice president entourage.

I have not had the chance to venture anyway beyond the hotel parameters yet for the last three days but looking forward for venture out once normal business is done.

I had the chance to have dinner with an Omani friend whom I used to work together with and last saw him 6 years ago. Indeed as he said things are more liberal here than some would like it to be. It seems that the whole place in the Persian Gulf are competing against each other for tourism that clubs and bars are becoming common sights.

Heading Westwards

On the road again. Arrived in Dubai or sometimes known as the Oasis City of the Persian Gulf at unearthly time of 2 am in the morning after what seemed to be an hour of waiting and circulating around in the sky before the plane was allowed to land. The airport although large and ultramodern is not really user

friendly, requiring long walk, is cramped and lacking real concept. The sights are also quite mixed. There are many transit passengers sleeping on the carpet floor which does not jive with the flashy surrounding. Nonetheless the temperature has been kind, at 26 Deg. C is a far cry from the last time when I was here in the middle of a hot summer when the temperature was beyond 45 Deg. C.

Got on a flight for the next leg to reach Oman. This is my first time ever to the city of Muscat, a place where many of our countrymen called their second home, some are even working full time for a few years now. Such is the maturity and capability reached by our countrymen that many are able to work internationally. The next few days though I won't be able to explore beyond the walking reaches of my hotel. But really looking forward towards the end of the week when I will be going off to the mountains.

Seeking the Blessing of Al-Mighty

Last night was something special. I was in the midst of ninety seven extraordinary students who are stuying at the Tahfiz Institute. After Maghrib prayer, a short speech by yours trully regarding the purpose of the event, a hajat prayer, then it was reading of the whole Qur'an in three groups to make three khatams in all.

Indeed as a new project is being embarked, I sincerely wish that the outcome will be positive and that it will bring new sustenance to our beloved land, Bumi Berkat, Bumi Bertuah, Brunei Darussalam.

“Ya Allah, jika rezeki kami di atas langit,
Engkau turunkanlah;
Jika dibumi, Engkau keluarkanlah;
Jika jauh, Engkau dekatkanlah;
dan jika sedikit Engkau banyakkanlah”

Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.