Durian Treat, Selangor, MALAYSIA

I jumped at the invitation of my neighbour, Haji Jamaluddin to visit his durian orchard in Taman Melawati, close to where we stay. I have been looking forward to being at a durian orchard to sample the experience. It was the peak of the fruit season.

A solitary durian waiting to fall

To most South East Asians, durian is the king of fruits despite its strong pungent smell, much to the horror of those from the western countries. “Taste like heaven, smell like hell” is a popular remark by westerners, obviously trying to be polite to the locals.

It was a steep climb up the hill to reach the orchard. The dirt road was slippery due to the heavy rainfall the night before. The few villagers who lived there could still ride motor bikes on the road with ease. We met several people passing by carrying durian and other fruits down.

The orchard was on a steep hill-side about 1km walk from the foothill. It had an area of less than 2 acres and almost fully planted with durians of D24 variety and some jackfruit trees. Durian was the feature attraction. There were about 80 trees planted in 1983. It was purchased some times back when the price was only at a fraction of today’s cost. Haji Jamaluddin built 2 huts, one for resting and another acted as the collection centre. There was also a makeshift toilet with running water collected from nearby stream.

Haji Jamaluddin found 2 in the bush

On arrival, I could see durians caught at the lower end of the orchard at the bamboo fence. The fence was purposely built at the lowest point so that it would catch durians tumbling down the steep gradient. It worked like an automated collection point and saved the workers a lot of time looking for the fruits. According to the 2 workers, this year had been a bumper harvest.
A good pile of durians

We went around the orchard looking for fallen durians in the bush. We had to be careful as the thorny durians were still falling here and there from the tall trees. One missed Haji Jamaluddin by a few feet. In less than 2 hours we collected a big pile of fresh durians, about 50 ripe fruits. We sampled a few. Haji Jamaluddin told me that they would taste even better the next day when the flesh would ripen.

The good stuff

Cleaning away the debris

After piling up the durians at the collection hut, the workers would clean the fruits using the brush made from the coconut leaves. Otherwise, there would be too many things like leaves, soil and debris sticking to the thorns. Then they would grade the fruits according to size and perceived quality. Only experience could tell between a good and bad durian. Those that failed to make the grade would be separated to make “tempoyak”, another local delicacy.

You could see Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC) from the slope of the orchard

After spending about 3 hours at the orchard, we decided to leave. You could tell that a person had just had durians. He burped a lot and had that heavenly smell of the fruits that we love so much. To the westerners, they still smell like hell.

Golf in Manila, the PHILIPPINES

4/7/2007 (Wednesday)

John (a close friend from Sabah) and I left my house at 5AM to pick up Zack on the way to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). We had an early flight to Clark Airport in the Philippines on Air Asia flight AK32.

After checking in and paying for excess baggage, we went to have our breakfast at McDonald’s. Then we boarded our plane scheduled to depart at 7.20AM. The flight to Clark took about 4 hours. We arrived on time at about 11.15AM. Ramlan, an old friend of mine, now working in Manila, was at the airport. He was waiting for his wife and daughter who were on the same flight. He arranged for our transport to Manila. Together we got onto the waiting van driven by Romeo, one of Ramlan’s Filipino staff.

The drive to the Philippines capital on the highway was pleasant but the moment we reached the outskirt of Manila we were caught in a traffic snarl. Just like Jakarta, the traffic in Manila was heavy due to the large population. It was made worse by the indiscriminate stops in the middle of the roads by the many jeepneys and buses to drop their passengers off. There were also peddlers on the road selling things like mineral water and cigarettes. It took us a good 3 hours to arrive at our hotel, the Heritage Hotel located in Pasay City, at the city’s outskirt. It’s a four star hotel owned by Singaporeans and managed by a Malaysian.

After checking in, we went to look for some groceries at a store called Gold Rush. We bought some fruits, biscuits and drinks. Zack and I shared a room which did not come together with breakfast while John’s room came with breakfast. We paid USD85 a night for our room on line through AsiaTravel.com while John paid USD86 through AsiaRooms.com. We had to skip breakfast just because of USD1 and different booking websites.

That night we went to Dampa in Paranaque to have our seafood dinner. It was a place where you had to first shop for your food at the wet market and then choose any one of the restaurants around the market place to cook your dinner. Just as we were having dinner John asked me whether I noticed that there were no flies at the market. I did not notice any fly. John said whenever there was no flies meant that the fishes were injected with formaldehyde, the chemical used to preserve corpses. Oh Boy!

The Bangus fish looked very fresh and tasted really good. We finished 2 of them. Then they brought our next fish, the pomfret ordered by Zack. He took one bite and spit it out. It tasted bad. When we arrived at the hotel and figured it out about John’s comments, we realized that he could be right. There were no flies at the market, the pomfret looked fresh but tasted rotten, there was no ice to preserve the fish and yet they looked fresh. Oh Boy!

5/7/2007 (Thursday)

In the morning we had 2 meetings with our business associates in Manila, Pronto Express Distribution, Inc. and Goetz Moving & Storage, Inc. After the meeting we were looking forward to playing a round of golf only to realize that golfing in Manila was quite a hassle. Most of the clubs are private, meaning the guests must be accompanied or checked in by members. Elias Maravilla from Goetz tried to arrange for us to play at Riviera Golf Club and the moment it was confirmed we headed straight to the golf course.

John looking at Zack's putting. I gave up after hitting the ball into the trees and lost my 2nd ball.

The Riviera Golf Club is located at Silang Cavite. It has two 18-hole courses, Langer Course and Couples Course. We tested the Fred Couples Course. The fairways are well maintained and it looked like the course was built on a former coconut plantation. There were coconut trees everywhere lining up the whole courses. The greens were a bit too slow. The 11th hole was quite a memorable hole. This 514 yard par 5 tees off across a deep ravine onto a distant landing area. Then, a cart will ferry the golfers across the ravine to the other side to continue play.

Hole 11, the Riviera

The weather was not on our side as it was drizzling with some lightning during our game. By the time we were on the green of the 12th hole, we had to call off the game due to the adverse weather condition. It was also getting dark. However, the Riviera is a beautiful course that we will play again given another chance.

We had a simple dinner at our hotel. After dinner we hit the casino trail, stayed there for a while and then off to bed. The long meetings and walking course at the Riviera took toll on us.

6/7/2007 (Friday)

We were supposed to have a meeting with Famous Pacific Shipping Group and the Malaysian Embassy in the morning but the meeting was changed to the evening. We decided to look for a golf course to play and checked out the Navy course. When we arrived at the place, dropped our bags and took a quick look at the course, we quickly loaded the bags back into our van and left the place. The course was not appealing enough.

Finally, after driving around to find a good course to play, we ended up in Alabang Country Club. The club which is affiliated to Zack’s Saujana Club in Malaysia enabled Zack to play but not us. John asked the poor lady at the desk to bend some rules and finally we got to play after a long wait. Like I said, golfing in Manila is such a big hassle.

Both Zack and I were really struggling with our shots today. It made higher handicapped John look good. We managed to finish only 9 holes before we quit because of our meetings.

Alabang Country Club is a reasonably good private club set in the neighborhood of Manila’s elite. Even the family of the Sultan of Brunei has a house in the area.

We had a meeting with our associates at Famous Pacific Shipping Group. After that we proceeded to our embassy for a meeting with one of Zack’s friend, Wan Jaafar, who works at the embassy. We met several embassy staff including the Trade Commissioner, Zahid and some key personnel.

John has been calling for some curry since the day earlier, so we decided to have our dinner at an Indian restaurant called Kashmir in the business district of Makate. The food was halal, good and reasonably priced. The mango lassi was really good. I had a double.

There was nothing much to do after dinner so we checked into the casino again. We won some, we lost some.

7/7/2007 (Saturday)

We were looking forward to playing a good round of golf today after 2 disappointing outings. Elias, the guy from Goetz had made arrangement for us to play at his brother-in-law’s club, Canyon Woods Residential & Golf Club located in the highlands of Laurel, Batangas.

The drive from our hotel to Batangas took more than 2 hours. We passed through the rim of the volcanic crater of Taal Mountain. It was a scenic drive through Tagaytay up to the golf club. The weather was a bit cooler than the lower lands.

When we finally arrived at the entrance of the golf club, we were held up for more than 15 minutes by the security guards at the gates. Security seemed to be a big issue at most places in Manila. The guards were all armed. After a few phone calls, we got the clearance to enter but had to wait for our escort. We were escorted all the way to the club house by 2 security guards on a motor bike. Elias and his brother-in-law, Raymund were already waiting for us.

Canyon Woods is a par-34, 9-hole golf course. It was carved on a steep hill side making it a very challenging course with narrow fairways and small landing areas. It calls for precicision game. It plays to very different elevation, from the tee box to the green. For example, the 143 yard par 3 hole 5 plays to about 120 yards due to the steep slope to the green.
Hole 5, Par 3. The green is the white patch in the middle

I had a good round with back to back birdies in the opening holes. Raymund was also scoring well on the tricky course. I wish I could say the same for the rest. Elias called the 451 yard par 5 Hole 6 the "Nightmare Hole". It plays over a steep slope to a landing area that doglegs left. From the landing area you have to cross another ravine. I had the nightmare of a double par score at this hole.

John praying for miracle at the "nightmare" Hole 6

We decided to end the game after 9 holes. We had a late start and the sun was getting hotter.

Our hosts, Raymund (2nd) and Elias (4th) at the edge of Hole 9

The view from the club house

We had lunch at Raymund’s club where we met his wife and son. It was a good spread of buffet lunch. The drive back to Manila took about 3 hours because of heavy rain and heavy traffic. We had a good rest.

We had dinner at Sea Food Wharf with Wan Jaafar, his wife, Melody, Ramlan and his family. It was a good sea food dinner.

8/7/2007

We left our hotel at 7.30AM to Clark Airport to catch our return flight at 11.45AM. It was still too early when we reached Angeles City where Clark Airport is located. We had some pancakes at Jollibee Restaurant. Jollibee is a popular restaurant network in the Philippines similar to McDonald's.

After checking in, we proceeded to the waiting lounge for our flight. Clearing the immigration was like at any other airports that we have been to. It was slow but smooth. However, I had some problems with the security guys. Apparently the scanning machine was out of order and the security personnel went through our carry on bags. After frisking me, one guard was asking for the money that was in my pocket. I had about PhP9,000 left and the limit was PhP10,000. I refused to hand over the money. Then I recognized one guy by his name tag who took away my Saigon Hard Rock Café cap during my last trip. He has similar last name with one of the former Presidents of the Philippines. He remembered me. I tried to get into conversation to get away from the guy who was asking money from me. Instead, the Hard Rock Cafe guy asked me to buy some liquor for him from the duty free shop. I had enough. I decided it was time to get out of the place.

The flight back was on time and I was asleep most of the way.

Golf in Melaka, MALAYSIA

27/6/2007 (Wednesday)

We had an appointment with a Singaporean colleague, Tim, in Melaka today. Instead of having Tim to drive all the way to KL or us to Singapore, we decided to meet half way at A’Famosa Golf Club in Alor Gajah, Melaka. We reached Alor Gajah in less than 1 hour despite several stretches of road construction works along the highway. Driving Zack’s super fast BMW made traveling on the highway an enjoyable experience.

It was still too early for Zack and I to proceed to the club house. So we stopped at a roadside restaurant for roti canai and coffee. Then, just before we reached the A’Famosa entrance, we stopped for some durians, buying from a lorry parked at the roadside. It was very good durian from the tembaga species. We bought some for Tim and his friend, Eugene.

We were met at the bag drop area by Filipino girl caddies. They were A’Famosa’s latest addition. Since they were too fresh, just one week on the job, to be of any assistance on the golf course, we decided to do away with caddies. Otherwise, we would spend more time teaching them than getting their help.

We started at the Rockies nine, hitting the first hole that has water running in the middle and dog leg left. Tim was the better golfer amongst us. He is a single handicapper. Getting pars seemed to be so easy for him while we were really struggling to score below double boogey. He reported a score of 40 and I got 49. I had good drives as usual but my approach shots were a big let down. The weather was super hot today. Eugene was really struggling in the heat.

Zack teeing off at Hole 9, Rockies Course, watched by Tim

We took a long rest after the first nine and then continued at the Crocodile nine. This nine has a more challenging layout and some holes could be really long. The par 4 crocodile hole demanded a long tee shot and a précised approach shot to the green. Both Tim and I had good tee shots but my second shot was short to the green and found water. This was the hole where a golfer was bitten by a crocodile while trying to retrieve his ball from an errant shot. I know this guy from a friend and we met a few times. Once, he even showed me the scar left by the crocodile’s bite on his leg.
Tim looking for his tee at the crocodile Hole 7

Tim had another good round of 38 for a total of 78. I just managed to stay belaow 100 but I had a good time. A'Famosa is dubbed as the best resort course in Malaysia. The course is well maintained and some holes give you that adrenalin rush. It is a strongly recommended golf course to play or stay for the family.

After the game and before shower, we had a durian feast at the parking lot. We went looking for the seller of the durians on our way back, but he must have left. So we stopped at another roadside seller and bought the whole lorry load of durians for our Singaporean friends. The durian season just started in Melaka.

Eugene, Tim & Zack having a durian feast at the parking lot

Wedding Reception, Perak, MALAYSIA

16/6/2007

After breakfast, this Saturday morning, we drove back to Ton’s kampong in Bagan Serai, Perak. We were to attend the wedding of Hafiz, my step auntie’s (Rohani) son in Parit Buntar. The drive back was a breeze along the North – South Highway. We stopped to buy some fruits at the Bukit Gantang rest area. It took us about 4 hours to reach my parents in laws’ house. Like many houses in the north, it was built by the road along the irrigation canal, in this case called Parit Mentara 2.

After lunch at the in-laws’ house and a short rest, Anas & I went fishing along the irrigation canal. We didn’t catch anything.

After Maghrib prayers, we went to the auntie’s house to check on the wedding preparation. It was actually a shop lot in Parit Buntar. We had dinner there. After dinner we went back to the parents’ house in Bagan Serai where Ton’s sister and family were waiting for us. We had a small family gathering.

17/6/2007

It's Hafiz’s big day. The wedding reception was held at a hall, Dewan Merdeka in Parit Buntar town. We were early, had our meals first and waited for almost an hour for the bride and groom to arrive.

After the reception, we went back to rest and later in the evening drove back to Kuala Lumpur. We stopped at Ulu Bernam rest area for pau and coffee break. We arrived at our house around 9PM.

Shopping in Bandung, INDONESIA

Day1 (4-6-2007)

We woke up at 4 am to go to the airport to catch our flight at 7.35 am on Air Asia AK 966 to Bandung. When we got to the LCCT, the place was already crowded with travelers. It happened to be the mid year school holidays.

The flight took slightly more than 2 hours. When we reached Bandung, we met our neighbours, Rohaya and family who happened to be on the same flight. We were met at Bandung’s Husein Sasteranegara Airport by our guide, Riza Sakti from Bupa Tours (HP 62 81 220 55883, tel. 62 2270004163), who would be chaperoning us for the next 4 days. We went to check in our hotel, Arion-Swissbel Hotel located in the city area.

Our hotel, Arion-Swissbelhotel, "the best boutique hotel" in Bandung

After a short rest, we drove to Tangkuban Perahu, a popular tourist site to view volcanic crater from the rim. We had been to the place before and since we needed some photos for the blog, we decided to visit the place again. It took about an hour to reach the top. The road up to the crater was in deplorable conditions despite the entrance fees charged. There were far too many peddlers of all sorts of things at the place who turned out to be quite a nuisance to the visitors. They would harass the visitors all the way during the short stay at the place. After taking a few photos, we left Tangkuban Perahu. The road down the mountain was better than the one going up. We noticed that the volcanic crater was less active than when we were there 2 years earlier. The smell of sulfur permeated the air but the smoldering was noticeably less.

Ton, Anas and I at the rim of volcanic crater of Tangkuban Perahu

We stopped for lunch at Warung Ampera in Lembang, which is about halfway between Tangkuban Perahu and Bandung. The town was typical of any other Indonesian towns, crowded and disorganized. There were horse carriages called “dilman” plying the streets of Lembang and dirtying them as well.

Dilman in Lembang

After lunch, we headed back to Bandung straight to Rumah Mode, the more famous factory outlet in Bandung. Bandung has a host of factory outlets (we were told there were more than 40) selling branded items at factory prices. Shopping was the main agenda of our trip to Bandung and Rumah Mode was top on our list. It was also time to renew my wardrobe. I also checked out the neighboring outlet called Mode Plus and bought some Versace jeans. Ton had her hands busy shopping while we waited at the café in the premises. Rumah Mode was nicely presented in a huge one storey bungalow with very profound Balinese décor. Most other factory outlets in Bandung are found in single or double storey bungalow-style shopping premises. It was a different concept than the mall-style shopping outlets that we are familiar with. They have ample parking space and a place to sit and wait while your other half is busy buying out the store.

Ton & a tired Anas in front of Rumah Mode

The early morning flight, the trip up the mountain and the shopping spree were taking tolls on us. We decided to go back to the hotel for a rest. We took a short nap. When we woke up, it was almost dinner time. We decided to go to the more familiar restaurant called Cianjur. The foods were very much more to our palates and I would recommend this place anytime. After dinner, we decided to go for a tour of Cihampelas Walk, a brand new shopping mall. It was a nice mall but lacked the uniqueness of a factory outlet. We made a quick tour of the place and decided to go back to the hotel to catch on our sleep.

Day 2 (5-6-2007)

We were supposed to drive to Jakarta today and spend 2 nights there. The original plan was one night in Bandung then off to Jakarta for 2 nights and back to Bandung to catch our flight on the 5th day. I managed to convince Ton not to go to Jakarta as it would be more pleasant in Bandung compared to Jakarta. So we decided to go up another mountain to Kawah Putih for another visit to a volcanic crater.

I asked Riza to stop at Bandung Indah Golf & Country Club on the way to Kawah Putih. I wanted to buy logo ball to add to my collection. I had played at this golf course about 2 years back. Riza managed to find the place after stopping a few times to ask for direction. There was no logo ball.

We continued our journey along the country road passing through Kopo town and Ciwidey district. We passed through local villages that thrived on strawberry farms, terrace rice fields and small ponds of fish farms. This area was very scenic and we stopped a few times to take some photos. I also noticed that this place appeared to be very much self sufficient, unlike the normally poor rural villages of Indonesia. Even the houses have tiled roofs instead of thatch roofs which are more predominant in a poorer setting. Every household seemed to have a small plot of strawberries planted in poly bags in their front yards, rice fields and fish ponds.

Typical village in Ciwidey district with strawberries, terraced rice field and fish pond

After about 2 hours driving, we reached Kawah Putih. Again, the road up to the top was in a sorry state. Somehow the money charged for entrance was not used to maintain the road. Kawah Putih was a more secluded place compared to Tangkuban Perahu. The climate was a lot cooler and we were the only ones not wearing any warm clothing. We went all the way inside the crater which was smoldering due to the difference in temperature between the hot water and the cooler air. The place appeared to be less developed than Tangkuban Perahu. Even the sellers were less aggressive in trying to make their sales. It was a better place to visit as far as volcanic crater is concerned. We met newlyweds who came to the place for photo session. Strawberries were cheap here, we bought some as well as jam and they even had strawberry dodol.

Anas & I standing on a mound inside the crater of Kawah Putih.

It rained very heavily as we were coming down from the top. We stopped at a hot spring called Cimanggu where Anas and I went for a dip. Then we drove back to Bandung for lunch. After lunch at the Pizza Hut, we went back to the hotel. I was beginning to develop a throbbing headache, a regular occurrence by now.

By 7.30 pm, we decided to check out the factory outlets along Jalan Riau. We went to Heritage first and then Cascade which adjoins Heritage. These places closed at 9 pm. We skipped dinner since we had late lunch. When we got back to our hotel, we went looking for a massage. Ton wanted to have a body treatment. Since the place was fully booked, we put up our names for the next day.

Day 3 (6-6-2007)

Today it was time to check out the Pasar Baru Trade Center. This is a comfortable shopping complex selling all sorts of things. Bargaining is a must. I prefer the more up market factory outlets. I waited at the food court on level 5 while Ton was doing her shopping rounds. We met our neighbors, Rohaya and her family. We had nasi timbel for lunch. It was rice rolled up in banana leaf served with fried chicken, salted fish, tempe, vegetable, sambal and sayur asam, a local favorite of Sundanese origin.

Nasi Timbel

After lunch we went to Jalan Riau where most factory outlets are located. We decided to leave Ton there. Anas wanted to go swimming at the hotel. I had enough shopping for one day. In the evening, I had a good massage by the swimming pool on top of the hotel building. Ton had her body treatment. I asked my masseur, Mona, to recommend a nice place for dinner. She suggested either Ampera or Cibiuk. We went to have dinner at Cibiuk. It was a disappointing meal so much so that I had to order food from room service on our return.

Day 4 (7-6-2007)

We went back to Pasar Baru to buy some batik shirts and other stuffs for the folks back home. After a short shopping round, we drove to the nearby golf courses, Dago Endah GC and brand new Mountain View GC. Both are located on top of the hill overlooking Bandung with cool weather and panoramic view. Unfortunately they did not carry logo golf balls. Anyway, it was a nostalgic trip to the golf courses as I was here a few years back.

Pasar Baru

We decided to go back to Rumah Mode for last round shopping before leaving Bandung. We had lunch at the café. Surprisingly, the menu catered more towards Malaysian taste. It must have been due to the throng of Malaysian shoppers coming to the place. I had Penang char kuey tiaw. Then off to Jalan Dago for more factory outlets. We stopped at a place to buy some brownie kukus to take home.

I asked the hotel receptionist to recommend a restaurant for us to have dinner. The receptionist, Nina, confidently recommended Bumbu Desa. She even went further to guarantee it. Bumbu Desa happened to be the best Indonesian restaurant in Bandung for the year 2006. The restaurant, set up with a nice décor serves pre cooked meals. After choosing your foods then the foods will be reheated. I always prefer freshly cooked meals like Cianjur. Apparently, Bandung’s best was not good enough for me. Anyway, it was a good dinner.


We went for a walk along Jalan Cihampelas, otherwise known as the Jeans Street. There were quite a number of things to buy here. I bought 2 oil paintings of rice fields for a meagre Rp50,000 (RM20.00).

Day 5 (8-6-2007)

We left early for the airport to catch our flight at 9.05 AM. We were asked whether we wanted to stay inside at a lounge for a fee by the sales girls at the airport. For Rp 15,000 (RM6.00) the lounge looked more of a better option than the waiting room. Anas could use the free internet.

To me Bandung is a nice place to come for a family vacation, shopping or golfing. The weather is cooler and the people are a lot more friendlier than Indonesia’s major cities. It is a beautiful city. The streets are lined up with matured trees giving that impression of a place that cares for the environment. I would rank Bandung as the top 2 destinations in Indonesia with Bali being the top. However, Bali is more for the western tourists as things are on the expensive side in US dollars.

I would make Bandung top of my shopping destination for the family. With so many factory outlets, make sure you bring extra bags. Air Asia flies direct from Kuala Lumpur to Bandung, the only airlines to do so. Just look out for the never ending bargain air fares and head straight to friendly Bandung.

Golf in Jakarta, INDONESIA

We booked a tour package to Jakarta comprising separate arrangements for air tickets by Air Asia and ground handling by Aneka Kartika Tours , our regular tour arranger in Indonesia. There were 5 of us including my regular traveling, golfing and business partner, Zack; Shahrul, another partner; Shah and Ayob, our Sarawak and Sabah Regional Managers respectively.

DAY 1 (23-5-2007)

As usual, clearing immigration at Jakarta Airport had its own thrill and adventure. The officer demanded some “oleh-oleh” (gifts) referring to money from both Shahrul and I. We pretended not to understand the meaning of the request. Shahrul even indicated that we would certainly buy some “oleh-oleh” on our return trip. Tired of our pretense, the officer asked bluntly for some Rupiahs. We just told him we had not changed the currency yet. He asked for Ringgits. We bluntly told him that we were not about to give any money. He gave up and let us through. Welcome to Indonesia!

We were met on arrival by Pak Ambo, our tour guide and Pak Sofian, our driver. I got to know both of them from our previous trips to Indonesia. We were driven straight to our first golf course, Riverside Golf & Country Club located in Cimanggis, Cibubur, Bogor. We decided to stay and play in Bogor just to avoid Jakarta’s traffic chaos. We had, during earlier trips, spent many hours getting stuck in the jam.

We reached Riverside just in time to tee off at 1.30pm. As we were unloading our bags at the club house we realized that Zack’s clothes bag was missing. He must have forgotten (what I normally teased him as having his “senior moment”) it at the airport when everybody was busy with a lot of bags to carry. Each of us carried a clothes bag, a golf bag and a carry on bag. He had no choice but to buy whatever things needed to enable him to play golf.

The caddies at Riverside

Playing at Riverside was a true challenge. This 6536 yards (from blue tee) par 72 course designed by Greg Norman was never boring. The course was well maintained, the greens were undulating and difficult. We could reach the greens in regulation but 3 putts were common. Except for the scores, we had a very satisfactory introductory first game in Bogor. As in most other courses in Bogor, the caddies were pretty and good at their jobs. Anak, my caddy, was no exception and without her help, my score would be horrendous.

Greg Norman got a double par at this challenging hole. I tripple boogeyed.

This above average golf course had one setback. We stopped at a drink hut for a few drinks and snacks. We missed our lunch and Shahrul was uncomfortably hungry. For 3 bottles of mineral water (for the 3 caddies), 2 Gatorades (energy drinks), a can of nescaffe and 2 boiled bananas we were charged Rp 220,000 (RM88). Even at the best and most expensive golf course in Malaysia, that kind of a treat wouldn’t cost more than RM30. It was a slaughter house. The tough course took tolls on our scores. Zack, Shahrul and Ayob reported above 100 scores while Shah and I barely managed to get 98 and 99 respectively. Shahrul also had a bout of flu that was bugging him for the past few days.

On the way back to our hotel we stopped for dinner at a Sundanese restaurant called Pondok Bambu Kuring. The food was good and we really enjoyed our meal probably due the fact that we missed lunch. After dinner, we decided to shop at Giant for some groceries (energy drinks, fruits and snacks) for tomorrow’s game. We felt cheated by the exorbitant price charged for refreshment at Riverside and did not want to go through the same experience again. Then, we proceeded to check into our rooms at Novotel Coralia Bogor . I shared room with Zack. By 9.30pm, we were already asleep. So much for Jakarta night life!

DAY 2 (24-5-2007)

We were up by 5am. It must be due to the early bed time and longer sleeping hours. Everybody was really looking forward to playing at Klub Golf Bogor Raya , famous for its pretty caddies.

This is the golfing mecca for Malaysians.

No Malaysian golfer would miss playing at this club while in Jakarta. It is widely known in the golfing circle of the high standard imposed by the golf club in selecting its caddies. It worked for business. The golfers keep coming back.

They are pretty and they are good caddies.

The golf course itself was ranked as the 4th best course in Indonesia by Golf Digest Indonesia in November 2003 and won the Indonesian Tourism Award in 2006 as “the best service on golf”. This 5970 meters (from blue tee) par 71 course was designed by Graham V. Marsh.

18th Hole, Bogor's signature hole.

Its locker room looked exquisitely grand set in true Balinese style. It boasts as the largest in Indonesia with 242 lockers. Of course, you could find pretty girls everywhere; pro shop, drink huts, restaurants.

We were joined by a Malaysian friend, Masri who works in Jakarta. I played a good round of 43 for the 1st nine helped by my beautiful caddy, Yune and good putting. I managed to chip in a birdie from the apron and sunk several long putts. I wish I could do the same for the 2nd nine and ended with a 92.

Yune, my caddy.

The course was well maintained and the workers were extremely friendly. The greens were a lot easier and flatter compared with Riverside and other courses that we played after. Anyway, we got good companies.

We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Restoran Bale Kabayan. The food was ok. We were scheduled to play 36 holes today. So we proceeded to Sentul Highlands Golf Club . It was previously known as Mentari. I decided to take shower when we arrived at Sentul Highlands just to refresh myself before the next 18 holes. This 6041 meters par 72 course may not be as famous as Bogor Raya (at least to Malaysians) but it was nevertheless very challenging.

Sentul Highlands' caddies.

We were perplexed by the small plots of paddy field flanked by the 15th and 16th holes. We came upon an “island” green on a par 3 hole surrounded fully by bunker designed to wrap around the green. We had a hilarious time on the green of 17th hole. I inadvertently gave out several big farts as I was putting for par and I holed the putt. The caddies were reeling with laughter and called it “par kentut” (fart par).

We had dinner at a restaurant called Bakul Bakul. It was not as good as the restaurant the previous night. Again, the 36 holes of golf in a day took tolls on us. Zack and I went for a traditional massage at our hotel and it was not that good. Zack was already asleep as I was writing my travel stories and soon I followed suit. It was barely 9.30 pm.

DAY 3 (25-5-2007)

It was 4 am and I was already wide awake. I stayed in bed trying to force myself to sleep. By 5 am Zack was up and I decided to get ready for another round of 36-holes golf. We looked forward to playing at Rancamaya Golf & Country Club since we heard so much good comments on the club but never played there.

Rancamaya's 1st Hole tees off from an elevated position.

Rancamaya is a private golf club for the Jakarta’s elite. Somehow, our travel agent managed to slot a space for us to play. Later, we discovered that the club is now affiliated to our club in Malaysia, Staffield Country Resort. Playing at Rancamaya in the future would be easier.

As expected, it turned out to be a class of its own. The course was well manicured and maintained. It was not as crowded as the others. The fairways were quite narrow at some holes and the greens were real killers. They were small, undulating and definitely tricky. Somehow I lost my swing this morning and struggled most of the time with my shots. I managed to post a score of 96. Each hole carried its own name such as Volcano for Hole 1, Terraces for Hole 2, etc. It was a truly satisfactory experience to play at such a magnificent course.

You got to go under the water fall to get onto the 9th green.

On the way to the next golf course we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Warung Gumati. The service was slow and the food below average. It was Friday prayers time and Pak Ambo excused himself to go to the mosque. We boarded Masri’s car to Bukit Pelangi (Rainbow Hills Golf & Country Club). To get to the club we drove on meandering rural road which by Malaysian standard was very small.

Bukit Pelangi Golf Club is located in the hills of Desa Cijayanti, with a very scenic rural backdrop. This 27 holes-course was designed by J Michael Poellot Group. We tested the 5895 meters par 72 eighteen holes and they were full of challenge and troubles. The greens were undulating and 4 putts were strong possibilities. I was paired with Shah and Masri, the 2 long hitters in our group. Fortunately, I managed to get back my swing. After 2 holes and several solid shots from the 3 of us, my caddy was asking whether we were single handicappers. I told her to wait for the score and see for herself.

Bukit Pelangi's Club House at the back of this magnificent hole.

The 463 meter par 5 hole 4 is listed in Jeff Barr's “1001 Holes You Must Play Before You Die”. I hit into the fairway bunker and hit another bunker out of the first. The fairways branches into 2 and dogleg left reaching a small elevated green. I got away with a double boogey.

One of the 1001 holes in the world you must play before you die.

The par 5 Hole 13th was another memorable hole. The straight fairway breaks to the left by crossing a pond. After a good drive, you have the option of putting it on in 2 for an eagle try. That was what Masri and Shah did. Masri’s shot found the pond and Shah managed to get on the green in 2. I just lay up before sending my 3rd shot into the greenside bunker. Both Shah and I par the hole.

We decided to go back to Bambu Kuring for our dinner.

DAY 4 (26-5-2007)

We checked out from our hotel rooms and by 8.30 AM we were on our way back to Jakarta. Shahrul wanted to go to a place selling imitation leather products called Pasar Ular. It turned out to be more of a run down bazaar in make shift huts of a shanty town. There were some good leather stuffs and I bought 2 pairs of “branded” shoes.

Next we went to Mangga 2, a famous shopping spot in Jakarta. Ayob wanted to get a telekung for his wife. This place was a lot better than Pasar Ular and the items on sale were reasonably priced. At least we had air conditioning. I bought Hard Rock Café t-shirts to add to my collection. We had lunch at a nearby nasi padang restaurant.

We made our way through the traffic jam to Jakarta Airport. Our flight was delayed by almost an hour.

After so many trips to play golf in the region, golfing in Jakarta is highly recommended. Head straight to Bogor and skip staying in Jakarta. You may miss the night life but you can play more golf. Like other places it has its pluses and minuses.

+ The courses are all well maintained with their own characters.
+ The club houses are luxuriously designed, huge and the locker rooms are grand.
+ The caddies are very pretty, professional and not demanding but can be playful.
+ The courses are well patrolled by security guards. Each hole has at least one guard stationed there. They also look out for your balls in case of errant shots.
+ The weather is a lot cooler in the high lands of Bogor.
+ The hilly area is very scenic

- There are peddlers of all sorts (golf balls, fruits) at the tee boxes.
- Drinks and foods at the club houses and half way huts are ridiculously priced. It is a good idea to bring your own.
- The authorities at the airport like to demand for pocket money. Try to ignore.
- Jakarta is a heavily populated city. Traffic jams and congestions are quite normal.

Whatever the minuses, I would still come back for more golf in Jakarta.

Perth, AUSTRALIA

In early February this year we had to send our only daughter Nina off to Australia to pursue her studies at Curtin University in Perth. She had finished her diploma at UITM in Shah Alam and would continue her bachelor degree in Curtin. Perth happens to be the nearest place for us to send our daughter. The fees looked affordable.

On 8 February 2007, we took a Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight to Singapore for a connecting flight on Qantas to Perth. That was the most economical arrangement for our trip at that time. Taking MAS direct flight would cost a bomb. Upon arrival in Singapore at Terminal 2 we had to catch a sky train to Terminal 1. We had about 2 hours before our flight.

The Qantas flight was almost full with Aussies returning home from holidays. It was a pleasant 5 hour flight. We were served Muslim foods. We arrived at Perth Airport almost 2AM. After going through the immigration and custom, we reached Good Earth Hotel at almost 4AM. Since it was late, we went straight to sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, I went to check around to rent a car. It’s cheaper to drive in Perth as taxi will cost about AUD20 per short round trip as compared to AUD30 car rental per day. I met another Malaysian, also looking for a rented car. Later I found out that he was a deputy minister from Sabah.

Since we had a few days before Nina had to register for her classes, we decided to go on tour around Perth. Rottnest Island was on top of the list as it was ranked number one attraction by Yahoo. So we drove to Fremantle to catch a ferry to Rottnest. The island used to be where the early settlers produced salts for consumption. Now, it is more of a rustic place for the local people to come and unwind. We hired bicycles to go around the places on the island. After about one hour of riding we decided to call it quit and waited for our ferry back to Fremantle.

By now I was getting good at driving around Perth. After all, Perth is not a big city. If I thought I was lost I just headed towards the tall buildings in the city centre where I would get my bearing back. Australian drivers were much more tolerant as compared to Asians. They would stop in the middle of the road just to yield to you to change lane. How’s that KL drivers?

We went to Harbour Point where the factory outlets were. There was nothing much to shop. We bought some stuffs for Nina’s use later. We also went to Fremantle Market. This place is good for shopping for local produce. I liked Australian mangoes so much that I bought them all the time. The flesh was succulently smooth and non fibrous. It was very sweet and I swear that it was the best mango I have ever tasted. It was also cheaper at around AUD5 per big fruit as compared to RM20 in Malaysia.

We also visited AQWA, Aquarium of Western Australia. It is located 20 minutes north of the city at Hilarys Boat Harbour. It is Australia’s largest aquarium and underwater tunnel. It is just like the Underwater World in Singapore and Sea World in Langkawi. It was worth the trip. Hilarys Boat Harbour is also a very scenic place.

One late evening we drove to Swan Valley where the wineries and vineyards of Western Australia were mostly found. It was a bit late in the evening, they were closed. We also took a drive up north to Jondaloop looking for Australia’s number one golf course. Again it was a bit late, we couldn’t find the place. I wanted to buy some golf souvenirs.

By now, Nina had already registered for her classes. She had moved to her house in Bentley, within walking distance to campus. Nina managed to get a room with attached bathroom. From that day, we had to commute from hotel to her place driving our rented car. By then I had known several routes to go to her place from the hotel.

Foods were not a problem in Perth as there were several halal restaurant, some run by Malaysians. We tried almost all of them during our 10 day stay.

Finally, the day came when we had to say good bye to our daughter and left her in Perth on her own. On 17 February, we took the 12 noon flight back to Singapore and reached our house that night. We brought back some nougats and of course, Australian mangoes.