Yogyakarta, INDONESIA

March 21 – 23, 2008

On the flight to Yogyakarta

We were met at Yoyakarta’s Adi Sutjipto Airport by our guide, Sofian and driver, Taufik. They would be showing us around Yogyakarta for the rest of our trip. We wanted to check into our hotel at Novotel Yogyakarta but the room was not ready. It happened to be a busy holiday weekend in Indonesia. The Prophet Mohammed’s birthday was on the 20th. (Thursday) followed by Good Friday and weekend. Most hotels were full.

We left our bags at the hotel and went to have our lunch at a restaurant in the Palace (Kraton) area. Somehow, I was not that crazy on the Javanese foods.

TAMANSARI (Water Castle)

We were taken to Tamansari on our first tour itinerary, about 1km west of the Sultan’s Palace (Kraton). Tamansari presents ruins, pools, arches, and underground passages of the former pleasure garden of the Sultan. It was built by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I in 1758 as a rest house and pleasure park for the royal family. It was badly damaged by earthquakes in 1867 and 2006.

At the Water Castle Entrance

We were driven past the Pasar Ngasem Bird Market. Sofian told us that birds are a must have in every Javanese household for prosperity and good luck. We walked from the main entrance into the forbidden pleasure garden.

The Harem's Swimming Pool

The place is divided into 2 complexes, Umbul Binangu (swimming pool complex) and Pulo Kenongo. The swimming pool complex was meant for the Sultan and his wives/women. It has 2 swimming pools, one for the harem and one for the Sultan and his chosen consort. A 3-storey tower with the Sultan’s private bedroom separates the 2 pools. Pulo Kenongo was built in the middle of Tamansari. It has underground passages, place of worship, dining room and other amenities.

View of the Harem's Pool from the Sultan's Bedroom

Sofian told us that in the old days, the Sultan would throw flowers to his harem from the tower. Whoever caught them would be given the pleasure of joining the Sultan in his private pool and keeping him company.

On Top of the Water Castle Ruins with Yogyakarta in the Background

The place used to be surrounded by man-made lake but now the place is encroached with housing area.

KOTA GEDE

Kota Gede, often called Sargede, is located about 5km southeast of Yogyakarta. Since 1930s, it became the centre of Yogyakarta’s silverwork industry. Ton and I bought some silver jewelleries. Sofian took us to a place called Dagadu, selling t-shirts with humour motif. We were introduced to his wife, who happened to be either working there or the owner of the place. We bought some shirts despite the steep price tags compared to other places. A good marketing strategy!

PARANGTRITIS BEACH

It started to rain as we made our way to Parangtritis Beach. It is located about 27km from Yogyakarta. There were rocky hills at the backdrop, dunes with volcanic black sands. Parangtritis is also a sacred place where people come for meditation. The traditional ceremony called “labuhan” is performed here.

Ton on the Beach

Anas stayed in the van with Taufik, the driver while Ton and I made a quick photo stop in the drizzle. On the way back, it rained very heavily. We stopped for dinner at a nice Javanese restaurant. The foods were a bit too much for us. After dinner we headed straight back to our hotel. I was so tired that I felt asleep almost immediately. It had been a long day!

KALIADEM

I asked Sofian to take us to Merapi Golf Club on the way to Borobodur. I wanted to check out the place before deciding to come back to Yogyakarta for golf. The golf club is located at the foot of Mount Merapi, very much an active volcano. I could not tell whether the golf course was up to par but the greens looked good. It would be an adventurous golfing trip.

The Family in Kaliadem

I wanted to see Mount Merapi from close distance. I heard so much about it I just had to see it up close. The weather had been cloudy and it rained most evening. So, we decided to go to Kaliadem earlier. Mount Merapi was still buried in clouds as we made our way to Kaliadem. Sofian told me that if our intentions were good we would be able to see Mount Merapi.

An Old Lady Carrying Cut Grass Across the Lava Field

Kaliadem was a famous recreation site before it was destroyed when Mount Merapi erupted on June 14th, 2006. The massive clouds of hot ash, the pyroclasts, descended on Kaliadem and destroyed the site together with a few people. It is still the best site to watch Mount Merapi from a close distance, about 6km to its summit.

Where the River of Lava Once Flowed

Kaliadem (means Cold River in Javanese), is located about 40 minutes drive from Yogyakarta. When we got to the place, Mount Merapi was heavily blanketed by clouds. We toured the area where lava flow and hot ash destroyed everything in their path. The ruins of houses and bunkers were the remaining evidence of Merapi’s fury.

The Lava Flow Destroyed Anything in Its Path. One Person was Killed Here

Since we did not have much luck with the view, we decided to stop for a drink at a makeshift hut selling refreshment to visitors. Anas had been complaining of being hungry. I had a mug of ginger coffee and 2 free range chicken eggs. The lady owner was telling us that there were lava flows emitted from the top earlier in the morning.

Sidewalk Coffee Break

Half way through the meals, Sofian was shouting at us to look at Mount Merapi. The clouds had cleared and gave us a good view of the mountain. We could even see the smouldering smokes coming out from the mountain top. What luck! Our trip to Kaliadem was not in futile after all.

We had good intentions!

BOROBUDUR
At One of the World's Wonders

From Kaliadem, we made our way to the top attraction of our visit, the Borobudur. It had always been my dream to visit as many Wonders of the World as possible before I die. It was high noon when we reached Borobudur. A local guide took us on tour of the monument.

Throng of Visitors Going up the Borobudur

There were a lot of visitors that day partly due to the long weekend. The guide took us around the monument bypassing the crowd. We went up the 10 levels of Borobudur.

From the less crowded side

This 9th. Century Mahayana Buddhist monument is located in Magelang, Central Java. It comprises 6 square platforms topped by 3 circular platforms and is decorated with 2672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. Unfortunately some of the statues were headless. They were stolen when there was no proper security at the place.

Headless Buddha

A main dome is located at the centre of the top platform. It is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas.

Our Guide Explaining the Writings on the Wall

In one of the stupas, there was a Buddha statue said to bring luck to anybody who managed to touch the Buddha’s hand. We did not try to touch it, we were non-believers in stuffs like that.

The Stupa with the Lucky Buddha

On the 9th level

Anas & I with Buddha

Ton & Anas coming down the monument

In the Background is the Shape of a Person Sleeping. He was Said to Have Built the Bor0budur in One Day & was Dead Tired and Fell Asleep.....Until Today.

When we reached the top, Anas was already complaining of the midday heat. He was wearing long sleeve shirt. On the way back to the car, we were swarmed by vendors of all trinkets. They proved to be quite a nuisance.

Ton Being Harassed by the Vendors

A lady vendor who followed us all the way to the car finally broke down when I told her we were not buying her balsa wood fans. I ended up buying a dozen at about 7 times the usual price.

The Borobudur

PASAR BERINGHARJO

From Borobudur, we went straight to this popular market selling extremely cheap stuffs. According to Sofian, this place sells anything under the sun from A to Z. It was far too crowded and we were already too tired from the day’s itinerary. We also discovered that the prices we paid for some of the souvenir stuffs cost only a fraction at this market. We have been had!

The Entrance to Beringharjo Market

MALIOBORO STREET

After some rest at the hotel, Sofian gave us some choices for dinner for our last night in Yogyakarta. Bakmi Kadin sounded too good to be missed. According to Sofian, the noodle was served to President Suharto’s guest during his stay in town. To me it tasted just like our instant Mee Maggi.

After dinner, we went for a stroll along Malioboro street famous for its street vendors and night street food. The ‘warong lesehan” is where people have their meals by sitting on the floor. Again, the place was crowded with visitors. After buying a few stuffs that we did not actually need we went back to our hotel.

KRATON

At the Kraton's Entrance

We checked out early, around 8.45am in order to get to the place selling local biscuit called “bakpia”. Sofian wanted us to have it fresh from the oven. However, the place was jam packed with people waiting for the freshly baked bakpia. It is a biscuit with green beans filling. I loved the taste. We decided to skip the long queue and bought from the shop across the street.

The Gamelan Hall

We had about an hour before we had to go to the airport. We decided to visit the Kraton, the Sultan’s Palace. It is a walled city within a city with luxurious pavilions and in which the current Sultan resides.

Inside Kraton

The Kraton is Yogyakarta’s main attraction. It is located between Winogo River and Code River. It was built by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I in 1755. It houses a collection of gamelan music instruments, antiques and heirlooms. It is now the dwelling place of the current Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Inside Kraton

Inside Kraton with Our Guide

Sofian with an 80-year old Relative of the Present Sultan. He Collects Stamps & I Promised to Send Him Some

After a short tour of the palace, we left for the airport. Yogyakarta is one place that I would recommend to anyone to visit. We may come back for more.

Bangkok, THAILAND

March 12 – 14, 2008

We took the mid morning Air Asia flight to Bangkok. Shahrul and Haji Amir were on the same flight. Datuk Iskandar left earlier on Malaysia Airlines. When we arrived at Bangkok Airport, Datuk Iskandar was already waiting for us.

As usual, without wasting any time, we made our way to Krungthep Kreetha Golf Club, located quite near to the airport. We did not even stop for lunch. Boy! We must be one heck of crazy golfers!

KRUNGTHEP KREETHA GC

The fivesome in a flight

Syed Bakri, an official with the Malaysian Embassy joined us for golf. In Thailand, up to 6 golfers can play in 1 flight. We were joined by caddies too old to be called caddies. In fact, one of us remarked that our caddies were grandmas having at least 14 grand kids. Most of them were Muslims.

The golf course was just average but well maintained. As with other Bangkok’s courses, the topography was flat with a lot of water fringing the fairways. I was taken aback by the steep fees charged by an average course. The green fees plus buggies and caddies came to BHT2,500 (about RM250). For that kind of money I would expect a more reputable course.

Shahrul at a par-3 with an island green

By the time we reached hole 18, it was getting dark. There were 3 flights waiting to tee off at that hole. We decided to finish our round by teeing off at hole 9. At least we made it in time before it became too dark.

CILI PADI RESTAURANT

We had our dinner at Cili Padi Restaurant in Silom. It was opened for business 6 months ago. It is run by an acquaintance of Datuk Iskandar, Sabri. The foods were lavishly prepared for our arrival. It was far too much for us to handle dspite having missed lunch. They were hot & spicy and above excellence. I would recommend the place anytime. Its telephone number is 026342839.

ALL SEASONS SATHORN BANGKOK

We checked into our hotel, All Season Sathorn Bangkok (http://www.allseasons-sathorn.com/). It is located in the embassy row next to the Malaysian Embassy. It is a bit out of Bangkok’s shopping districts or entertainment centres. It is what Shahrul called “ the Air Asia Hotel”. It did not even provide coffee making facilities usually made available for a hotel of that price range (about BHT1,800).

Anyway, I had a good night sleep. Must be the extra heavy meals!


CHUAN CHUEN GOLF CLUB

The Foursome on Second Day. Syed could not make it.

We left our hotel very early. We skipped breakfast as it was not ready yet and we wanted to avoid Bangkok’s infamous rush hour traffic. We got out of the city with ease but spent one and a half hour searching for the golf course. Our driver was lost and we were losing precious time. We wanted to continue playing another 18 holes at Pinehurst after Chuan Chuen. After going around and around for what seemed like an eternity, we finally made it to Chuan Chuen.
The closest that we came to Augusta

Chuan Chuen (http://www.golfcoursethailand.com/) is typical of Bangkok’s golf courses with flat terrain and waters fringing the fairways and in play at most holes. This 6747 yard course was just another average course for me. It was a pity to travel so far and played at just an average course. At least here the caddies were younger than yesterday’s course!

Shahrul approaching the Club House

We finished our round behind schedule and decided to skip Pinehurst. We had lunch at a Muslim restaurant in Silom. The cat fish salad was extremely delicious and a must try.

PRATUNAM DISTRICT

After a short rest and a nap, we decided to go look for a place for Thai traditional massage. It was during the evening rush hour. The taxis were reluctant to take us into the city. We managed to hail a taxi that promised to take us to a good place for massage. It was another let down. He drove us to several places which were not up to our expectation. Every time after we paid him, we had to climb back into his cab to look for another place. He must have enjoyed taking us to the wrong places and getting paid for it. Finally, I decided to go to Pratunam area where I knew one good place for massage. The place is located along the shopping area of Pratunam near to Pratunam Park Hotel and Baiyoke Hotel. I normally stayed in the area during my earlier Bangkok trips. It was a good 2 hour massage.

It was a late dinner for us hosted by Cili Padi Restaurant’s owner, Sabri. I learned that Sabri was a musician linked to a famous band in the 60s. He and family ran the restaurant.

After dinner we took a walk around the night bazaar along the streets in Silom. It was typical of any night bazaar scene in Thailand with cheap imitation stuffs paraded along the sidewalks. I bought myself a Bangkok Hard Rock Café t-shirt to replace my old worn shirt. We had ice cream at Haagen-Dazs before taking a cab back to our hotel.

THE ROYAL GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

The final day at a beautiful course

This was our last golfing day in Bangkok and the Royal GC was the best of the 3 golf courses that we played. The course was beautifully landscaped despite the flat terrain. Even the caddies were wonderful. At last!

The Beautiful RGCC

Syed at a par-5 hole

The course was excruciatingly long. Playing from the black tee boxes (7123 yards) did not help either. A par-4 hole looked like a par-5 to reach. I had to use 7 wood for second shots most of the time. Even that left a good 50 yards short. I was hitting well for the first nine and played embarassingly bad for the second. My usual standard with 2 pars to show!

Shahrul Getting Out of the Water. He made It!

It was a real pleasure to play at this course despite the poor score. I would strongly recommend this place to anyone coming to Bangkok for golf.

National Election, MALAYSIA

March 8th, 2008

The Melawati Roundabout

The date was chosen by the Prime Minister as his lucky date for an election. Somehow it was a disaster for the ruling party, losing 5 states to the opposition as well as losing the much guarded two third majority in parliament. It was a win without glory for the ruling party. It was Malaysia's 12th. election after independent.

Ton & Anas finding out where to cast votes at the ruling party camp

The run up to the election date was hectic for the candidates and fun for us, the people. The political parties still employed the same tactics used decades ago to woo voters. Poster and banners were everywhere. There were polical talks at various places. Mudslingings were common. It was election Malaysian style.

The Opposition Camp. They later won the election

Political topics were the coffeeshop hot talks. Gauging from the sentiment of the people during this time I knew that the ruling party was in for a tough fight. Come election results, the opposition parties had a field day trouncing the incumbent candidates. The states of Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan went to the opposition. Some big names like ministers were hit by what analysts called political tsunami. The ruling party was left with big wounded pride.


Poster Wars


Who did I vote for? The winner of course!