Here for the food……

Shichuan Fried Rice. Spoons work better than chopsticks in how fast you can eat your food. Price : 1.10 USD

Juicy roast duck over rice. Price : 1.75 USD

Like udon noodles, wheat flour and salty. Price : 50 cent

Uncle sams's food. Price : 2.5 USD

Panda's food. Price : free

Price : 1.50 USD .

Food stall around the temple, Chengdu.

Beef Noodles, hot spicy food. Price : 40 Cent

30 Cent each, best price trusted seller

Dico's, best fried chicken in town. Price : 2.50 USD

1. The best things are not always the most expensive things. It’s much better staying in a hostel than a five star hotel, you can have a better experience at a hostel. Most travelers actually happy if a stranger join at the dorm.

2. I learned patience. I never in a hurry. Waiting for tickets, bus and groups became no big deal.

3. Try it, maybe you will like it. You don’t know the things is good or not until you try it. You never have to try it again if you don;’t like it.

4. How to sleep  while u’re sitting up. If you have a neck problems, this style not good to be used.

5. I learned love is everywhere and in everyone. If you take picture of locals, dont forget to show the picture to them. Small things to show your love. 

6.  Afraid to talk with stranger is a problem. You just have to start talk in the beginning and do a lot of listening in the end. Listen to them. Thats an option to make friends.

7. Cigarettes not always bad. While your smoking, the smell of cigarettes can make you talk with the others. Especially the smell of Indonesian cigarettes

8. We are all basically same with the others. The more important things i found while travelling is everybody wants to happy. No matter where they are from, what education th.ey are, we are have same much things.

9.  There is a clean air in China. What you read in ur guidebook not always true, you can buy louis vuitton suit just a block away from your hostel. 

10. No matter how you organized your plan, the plan is going out of your control.  That Backpackers karma works.

11. Don’t forget your backyard. Others country is better than your country at your eyes, have you enjoy  your coffee at your backyard in afternoon?

12. Smile it, and it will smile you. I promise.

Singapore is still a wonderful place to food and shop. It’s green, clean, safe and street food won’t make u sick. I would share with you 5 things to watch out for in Singapore..

5. Cheap wine from 7-eleven to get drunk? Don’t ever think

Drinking a bad wine in a heat is not a good idea, can make real time hangover.

4. Wearing uncomfortable shoes

Having 10kg over your regular weight and walking half the Orchard Road in the middle of the day. Running shoes is better.

3.  Wear an Ed Hardy shirt?

Get ur real tattoo

2. SMOKE in air conditioned places

Yea, don’t ever do that. If you want to smoke, be sure you step outside a building. Stop smoking? That’s the best thing to do

1. Make conversation with any taxi driver

Each driver come with 10 minutes philosophy on his life. It’s your choice.

I must admit, I love traveling, and it is not likely to ease up this year. I am usually doing three until seven night stays, with lot of stuff  in just a standard sized backpack (an-old deuter 42l). I like this bag because it has a raincover, hidden pocket and an Alpine Distress Signal Instructions inside the bag (it can teach how to give signals to aircraft if you get lost at Isla Sorna).

Why backpack and not something on wheels? like stewardess excellent travel bag which has “rollerblade wheels” on it for free rolling, that my shoulders would thank me for it. Sure they are a bit heavier but you carry less.

Clothes and Packs

• 3 pair of socks ( low cut for everyday, medium for hiking )
• Fishing hat
• Sunglasses
• 5 T-shirts
• 3 boxers
• Cargo pants
• Jeans

Toiletries and First Aid

• Small pack towel
• Toiletry bag : toothbrush, toothpaste, razors, shampoo and liquid soap
• Band aid

Documents and Money

• Passport
• Photocopy of passport
• Extra photos (for visa)
• $80 cash (USD)

Miscellaneous

• iPod & AC adapter
• Notebook and Pen
• Gum
• Mini Flashlight
• Cell Phone

10. Borobudur Temple

Borobudur temple is located in Muntilan, Magelang and is about 2 hours (42 kilometres) from Yogyakarta city. The borobudur Buddhist sanctuary, moren than a thousand years old, it is the greatest Buddhist work of art existing in the world. Borobudur is recognized as one of the greatest stupa and World’s wonder of its kind in the world.

9. Toba Lake

Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world. Located in northern Sumatra, the largest of Indonesia’s many islands. The lake water is warm, clean and perfect for swimming. A great way to explore the lake and surroundings is by renting a motorbike for the day. The roads are clear and safe and even a beginner can quickly feel comfortable zooming around the green hills and valleys of the Lake Toba countryside. Lake Toba is a four hour bus ride south of the major city of Medan. Air Asia now flies into Medan from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.

8. Komodo Island

Komodo island is located between Sumbawa and Flores islands, a small island of 280 square km. The sea surrounding the island offers vistas of sea life, crystal clear waters, and white sandy beaches. The only accommodation available is in simple guesthouses in the fishing village. The diving in Komodo Island is world class. There are some of the worlds richest and most beautiful coral reefs. Komodo Island is accessible from the sea only. Fly to Labuan Bajo, from where it is about 3-4 hours by boat to the island.

7. Mount Bromo

Mount Bromo, is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. I think it’s best view is from Mount Bromo to the sand sea below, and the surrounding volcanoes at sunrise. At Mount Penanjakan you can reach the viewpoint by foot in about two hours.

6. Bunaken Island

The island of Bunaken is rated in the top of best diving destinations on the earth. You can swim with dolphins, sharks, giant turtles and other colorful coral-reef fishes. Bunaken Island is just 60 minutes by boat northwest of Manado City. Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi province in Indonesia. You can reach Manado city by plane.

5. Sempu Island

Sempu Island is located about 60 km from Malang, East Java. Actually, this island is a natural  conservation area. No population in this island, except wildlife. Sempu Island have an exotic Lagoon. Bring ur food, water and tent here, and enjoy the natural nature of Sempu Island.

4. Bali

Bali is the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including sculpture, dance, painting, music and metalworking. Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture.

3.  Mount Krakatau

Mount Krakatau is located on the Sunda Straight between Sumatra and Java, it is a volcanic island and part of Indonesia. An eruption in 1883 blew the island apart and caused a tsunami that killed more than 36,000 people. Mount Krakatau is the most amazing Volcano in the world!

2. Raja Ampat

Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas arounr Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world. Raja Ampat includes the four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands. The archipelago is part of an area known as the Bird’s Head functional seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. The bay at Ayau Island, Papua.

1. People

The people in Indonesia are some of the friendliest, most pleasant people you’ll ever encounter. If you gain the trust of Indonesian people, they may be willing to open doors for you that you never imagined could exist. Indonesia has more pretty girls per square meter than anywhere else, with smiles that will melt your heart.

So that’s it, Indonesia and Ten good reasons to go.

]]> http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/ten-reasons-why-you-should-visit-indonesia/feed/ 0 avisoo borobudur lake toba komodo 101 bunaken bali krakatau raja-ampat http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/mount-bromo-part-2/ http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/mount-bromo-part-2/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:56:20 +0000 avisoo http://avisoo.wordpress.com/?p=226 ]]>

3.30 am : We tracked downhill with other 4 dutchmen at moon-light dark, headlamps did so well. Dust were all over flying our eyes. We reached ‘Segoro Wedhi’. The sea of sand.

4.10 am : We’re all like stealth walking at the distant dark, the smells, the persona, that feeling. We’re on the feet of Brahma, on the run. Chasing, chasing for Brahma’s sun to awake, to get the ace to the grace with Brahma’s head.

05.00am : Dehidrate. Stopped for liquid. Another stage. Upside walk. Minimal oxygen at 3000M above the sea. Skies getting dark cherry. Reddish and oranges. finally. We reached all stairs. A lot of people wait to merit the same joy, and it’s the Sun coming up.

Scenes from on the top of Mount Bromo

We meet. Greet. Chat. A lot of people with their expertise with same goal. Ate a pop mie and fruit tea for another energy. Its time to explore Brahma’s belly.

08.10 am : We’re downhilled. Observe the texture of frozen larva morphed into solid and sands.

Brahma’s belly were swept our mind compeletely. mystical place for a mystical being. it was a total redemption. priceless

11.10 am : and then.. We went back to the hotel to packed our stuff and check out. We had a Nasi Pecel with Lele Fish before. Shit. Best thing we ate. See you soon Bromo.

A classic ramen movie Tampopo teach me a proper way to eat ramen..  and here’s the steps..

1. Observe the whole bowl. See the seaweed slowly sinking, spring onions floating. Concetrate on the meat slices..  then hold the steaming bowl up to ur face and breathe in the aromas of ramen soup.. Do you smells pork? chicken? onions? Is there garlic in the soup?

2. Poke the pork/chicken / beef in ur ramen noodle. Just touch it and caress it with the chopsticks. Gently pick up the meat and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl. What’s important here is to apologize the pork by saying “see u soon”

3. Slurp the noodle, paying attention to the texture. There’s nothing worse than overcooked noodles. The perfect texture ramen noodles should be a slight resistance in the mouth when the noodles is chewed. Don’t forget to looking at the pork while slurp the noodles.

Notes : Slurping ur ramen is a must with the Japanese. In my city (jakarta), slurping is not polite, whatever the food. In Japan, it can be insulting to the chef if you eat ur ramen too quietly. The noises of slurping just make ur appetite grow.

3. Sip some soup three times. Be careful to not let any of the toppings get in to ur mouth when sip. Try to detect all the ingredients that go into making the broth. It’s ok, continue eat the noodles, it’s just to reaffirm ur first impressions

4. For the pork/beef/chicken meat.. soak the meat on the edge of the bowl and then pick up the slice of meat and watch the oily soup drip away for a moment before u bite the meat.

Caution : Eating a tofu, boiled egg or something soft in ur noodle is not the easiest thing in the world to do. The best way to eat, you must balance it on the chopsticks if u get what I mean.That’s the best scooping technique.

5. Hold the bowl up to ur face again and drink the soup until the bowl is empty. There’s will impression your friend that you a ramen master!

Buying packages of ramen noodles is an easy way, if u want to practice that steps at home.

Ready to be a ramen master?

Arrived at Nathan Road, I see the sale banner being plastered everywhere, and a lot of people thronging almost every shops. It’s like a never ending sea of people everywhere you go. After walking around about 15 minutes, i stop at the front of Mirador Mansion Building, and i saw cosmic guest house written on one board. I entered the building, and check in at Cosmic Guest House. I payed US $20 for single room with air conditioner, washtafel, free internet access, and colour tv. It’s cheap. First time enter the room, is it smelled like an old man’s room. The furniture in the room, the linens, the bathroom were so old. Overall is ok.

Mirador Mansion 54-56 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

As you can see from the MTR system map, (which you can click to enlarge) Hong Kong’s MTR system covers pretty much every area in Hong Kong. And there are machines in the MTR station to reload and check your Octopus card (Octopus card is a rechargeable stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong), also computers with free internet access for 15 minutes.  You can use the computers for free but there’s a 15 minute countdown once you begin. RECOMMENDATION : Buy a Tourist day pass at MTR station, it’s gonna save you more money and you get 1 day of unlimited train travel (except Airport express, Light Rail and East Rail Line First Class, Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau Stations).

Scenes from Hong Kong

The weather in Hong Kong has been really good, only at certain times it can get quite hot but at most times, it was just fairly sunny with cooling breeze. When travelling at night, it’s advisable for those who have low tolerance for cold and strong winds to bring a jacket, because the temperature can get quite low

OVERVIEW : Hong Kong was wonderful.  I did not have the time to partake of all touristy norms. But what I saw, did, and experienced in Hong Kong was clearly a taste (literally) of what Hong Kong is and the flavors it has to offer.

ADIOS!

]]> http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/hong-kong-song/feed/ 0 avisoo coconut! must try :( http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/mount-bromo-part-1-7%c2%b056%e2%80%b224%e2%80%b3s-112%c2%b057%e2%80%b200%e2%80%b3e/ http://avisoo.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/mount-bromo-part-1-7%c2%b056%e2%80%b224%e2%80%b3s-112%c2%b057%e2%80%b200%e2%80%b3e/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:27:18 +0000 avisoo http://avisoo.wordpress.com/?p=58 ]]>

Mount Bromo, is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. I think it’s best view is from Mount Bromo to the sand sea below, and the surrounding volcanoes at sunrise. At Mount Penanjakan you can reach the viewpoint by foot in about two hours.

How to reach Mount bromo?

The nearest airport to Mount Bromo is at Surabaya (Juanda International Airport) it takes 3 hours by bus. Most visitors could access Mount Bromo  from Cemoro Lawang. To go Cemoro Lawang, from airport you have to take the Damri shuttle bus to the Bungurasih Bus Terminal, it costs 20.000 rupiah (US $2). From there, take the Patas air-conditioned bus to Probolinggo, it costs 25.000 rupiah (US $2.50). The journey takes about 2-3 hours.

At Probolinggo, take a old hiace and it costs 25.000 rupiah (US $2.50), it is another one hour to Ngadisari, a town about 6km northeast of Mount Bromo and the base camp for Mount Bromo trips. Another base camp is Cemoro Lawang, about half an hour from Ngadisari. You can get accommodation at Ngadisari so that you start off a little after midnight for the trip to MountBromo . Bring ur warm clothing, usually temperature can be drop to between zero and three degrees celcius. From Ngadisari, it is about half an hour to Cemoro Lawang.The foot of Mount Bromo is a 3-km hike from Cemoro Lawang.

Spiritual. Cold. Windy. Calm. Wide. Relaxing. Foggy. Blue. Magenta. Sandy.

The wind whispered a warm welcome, been hospitalized by vision. a grey enormous fog were like passer by traffic. I could feel their ammonia’s breathing heavily. a low to high pitched frequency. It’s Brahma Soldier. -abim

We stayed at Hotel Cemara Indah 2, it’s a nice hotel. Economy Room with 2 single bed, for 80.000 rupiah (US $8)/night.  You can see Mount Bromo when you go out the front door..   Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner? Go to warung sejatie tante tolly. It’s cheap. (part.1- end)

Macau is populated city. It has many bar, many restaurants, many casinos and many problems. After arrived at Macau International Airport, I take a taxi to Senado Square. Senado Square, is a paved area in the centre of the former Portuguese Colony of Macau, enclosed by the buildings of the Leal Senado, the General Post Office, and St. Dominic’s Church. You can see architectural and technological influences from East and West at Senado Square.

I stayed near Senado Square, the hotel name is San Va Hospedaria, located on Rue Da Felicidade 67 (5 mins walk from Senado Square).

This hotel has in use for shooting some scenes from Indiana Jones. The walls from rattan, iron beds and wood from old-fashioned era. It costs 70 Macau Patacas (US $10) for 1 night.

Get a tourist map at Macau Tourist Centre (Senado Square) for free. A-Ma Temple, Guia Fort and Ruins of St Paul’s is my recommendation to visit, but it’s a lot of heritage sites in Macau and you can reach it by bus.

Macau has displayed an atmosphere which made it different from the surroundig areas. Today it is still this mixture of the Chinese and Portuguese cultures harmoniously maintained by its people that makes this place a specific cultural entity.

I love scooters; whatever gas scooter, electric scooter or electric bike. Scooter have an exotic body.. At Macau, you can find a lot of scooter with  various brands, like Honda, Piaggio, and Kymco. The preferred mode of transportation in Macau is by scooter and they are everywhere in the whole island.

At the side road, i saw an old man fixing his scooter machine and his couple accompany him. Perfecto.

You didn’t find the scooter? The scooter found you!