A FORTUNATE AMATEUR WRITER

That is me!
I wrote my first kid story after I heard the story of Zacchaeus and how he was changed after meeting Jesus.
And this story was translated into 3 languages, English, Italian and German, with the aids of my sweet friends: Teresa (in America), Sarah (Switzerland), Sissi (Germany), Michele and Annalisa (Italy). Except Sarah, actually I have never met the others in person. No, not yet. Yet they’re so dear to my heart because we’ve been friends and shared stories for so long. They are all my penpals with who I have corresponded for years.
And the final touch was also great. My ex-colleague in a book store where I used to work, Deasy, made some cool illustrations for it.
They all made me feel so fortunate, as an amateur writer.

FISH, SUPER SWEET TEA, AND CHAIN SMOKERS

After spending ten days going from island to island, visiting village to village, I was really sick of eating fish (not too often actually, but sea food is never my favorite), sipping super sweet tea they offered at every house we visited, and murdering myself slowly, being surrounded by chain smokers. Some of them said it would be better for him to break up with his love than to break his smoking chain. Oh, my!

But I took delight in the motor boat rides back and forth to the small island. It was not too short to be dissatisfied of wanting more to still float, but not too long to start feeling the sea sick. I loved feeling the wind blowing my hair, and the fresh sea water splashing to my face through the slightly open window. And I loved staring at the deep blue ocean around our small boat. Never seen any water so blue like that.

And I couldn’t help thinking about the tsunami victims. The sea had been their source of life, but then suddenly it hit them with death. Hundreds, even thousand of death. It took their belonging and beloved ones. I wonder how long it will take until the survivors can enjoy the sea again, without any trauma or sorrow.

It’s so funny how people in Java were in panic over the potential tsunamis or earthquakes that now seemed to be able to happen everywhere, and there I was, out in the sea, wishing I could be near it as often as possible, because it was so beautiful.

The following day I had another boat ride, it was longer, but still pleasant. The color gradation of the water really took my breath away. I was so amazed to see how direct the deep blue turned into light greenish blue when there were tiny islands with corals surrounding them. Very pretty.

I had to speak in front of lots of people who were gathered formally by their leader, some ladies kissed me when we said goodbye. They were the smallest village of all, yet they took us very seriously. I was sad to learn that in all the villages we visited, the local language we were surveying is dying, because Indonesian has been invading and replacing it more and more. One thing those villagers didn’t know was, that kids who grow up as bilingual or trilingual are usually smarter than the monolinguals.

As usual, we had to sleep at many inns and houses, and it was getting worse as we went further to the more isolated areas. In some beds, I was ruthlessly bitten by some invisible bugs. I have a very sensitive skin that gets irritated or itchy very easily, so it was torturing me. And as we went into many different bathrooms, we often asked each other, “is the bathroom civilized?” before going there ourselves (the sweet tea made our bladder short, of course). It is funny how our ‘standard’ of calling the place civilized went lower and lower. As long as there was a hole and relatively closed, we called it civilized.

Well, I’m not a city girl nor a Jane. And I prefer the freshness of the sea or the green forest to a polluted city of course, but after more than a week in the boonies I found myself missing Jakarta. And after a few weeks in the office working on boring reports, I usually miss the adventures. But I think I shall be happy living in a smaller city like Bandung, for example. Ohh, after too much traveling, I don’t really know where I belong now.

ON THE BOAT

I don’t have many pictures on my trip this time. It was my mistake. After taking the pictures of the plane, I stuck the camera in my backpack, and not in the equipment bag where I took it from. And because the following day we had to leave by a small plane with a maximum baggage not more than 10 kg, I had to put aside some stuff and leave it in Palu. And guess what, the camera was accidentally left within my backpack.
Ah anyway, I don’t usually get great pictures unless Sandra is with us.

By the way, we chose the small aircraft (with lots of turbulence and noise) because we didn’t want to risk losing our head, or letting any bullet pierce our heart. No, I’m not trying to exaggerate. If we went by land, we had to cross the supposedly most conflicted area in Indonesia where there might be lots of snipers, and where several people were beheaded.

Well, we finally arrived at a small town where we took a small ferry at 9 pm to float for 8 hours. We spent some time at the deck, staring at the dark night with cloudy skies. Still, many stars were sparkling, showing off their beauty up above. The darkness was so thick, so it was as if we were sailing through nothing but the emptiness. Kinda reminding me of Prince Caspian’s sail in one of the Narnia’s books, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” where they sailed to find the 7 lords. I felt like I took part in Eustace and The Pevensies’ adventure, or one of the famous five’s.

Our cabin reminded me of the barrack at nazi’s concentration camp, maybe slightly better with colorful bed sheet and pillows and bolster and a fan. It was hard for me to climb to the top bunk bed and I spent the whole night trying not to fall as we swayed and rocked and shook.

To ease the sea-sick I was getting, I stood at the deck enjoying the cold winds. As I looked down to see the roaring white sea-foams below, I felt sad because I remembered The Little Mermaid and her tragic story, of how she turned into the foam because her love to the prince was unrequited. But looking up to the glowing stars, I felt consoled when I remembered The Little Prince and his best friend, and how one of them promised to smile whenever he sees the stars and remember his friend, who was one of the stars itself. Maybe it is so with this life. If we only see the dark side, looking down on our problems and anxieties, we will be saddened and weighed down, but when we try to see the bright side, looking up to the sky where help comes and hope sparkles, we will be comforted.

I’D RATHER FLY WITHOUT WINGS

“Fly is cheap” is their motto. I learned that it doesn’t really talk about the price (which is far more expensive than other domestic flights), but reveals their character in serving the passengers.

It was my first flight with Wings Airlines (and I hope the last one). The plane was late, and I was starving to death. I thought they would serve lunch because the flight was relatively long, and the ticket was costly. Other cheap flights would, at least, give some snacks. But this one apparently was too cheap to do so. They didn’t give us anything to eat, but a small cup of mineral water.

“Well, I’m surprised,” I said. “The fare is not cheap.”
“Not cheap, you said?” said a man seated next to me. “This is robbery!”

With my rumbling stomach (even after I had some Oreo Double Delight from my generous colleague), I tried to sleep. It was so cold and they didn’t have any blanket. I just wanted to cry. I was about to doze off when the stewardess nudged me, only to ask me to get my empty cup, and it was within her reach as well.

I got off the plane furious, and took some pictures to go along with this post. Well, they’re not good pics. Well, I mean, what do you expect to get done when you’re tired, sleepy, angry and hungry?

A DAY OF UNA TIFOSA ITALIANA (I MEAN, INDONESIANA!)

The first midnight in Jakarta (after Bengkulu trip), I was all ready to root for Italia…
Yea, vado pazza per ITALIA! Forza ITALIA!!! We love gli azzurri!

Vai Luca Toni, vai!!!!!! Sei bravissimo!

YEA, IT'S ALL WORTH IT!

And all the hustle bustle in finding that shirt, staying up til midnight until 5 am, the sores all over my body, the poisonous smoke of the cigarettes that I had to inhale, and the voice I was about to lose….were paid off, when Pirlo, Del Piero, Materazzi, De Rossi, and Grosso scored successfully in the penalty shoot out! (Sorry France, no support for the diving and headbutting experts!)

WELL DONE, MY FAITHFUL SERVANTS

So glad this tiring (but exciting) trip is finally over!

SOME INTERMEZZO ON THE ROAD

Hey, we also need a break!

Maybe to enjoy the dusk in the long beach, Bengkulu (first day)

Or take part in durian orgy…hmmm yummy! In Jakarta, durians are luxuries, but in the village, they are very cheap, and so we could eat it to our hearts’ content!
(cant help feeling sorry for those who cant stand it!)

I almost missed the bold and beautiful sunset on our 8th day (second Sunday)…Gina was distracted by the sugar cane seller, but I managed to rush and saw it before it disappeared, so fast! I tried several times to take picture while running, zooming and sighing. So, don’t give me credit for this one (it was taken by my colleague)

We also found a river with hot spring water nearby. The water was boiling, and the rocks were hot! Our driver put an egg in it and a minute later it was done! We had our lunch there, sitting at the rocks (not the hot ones) and playing with the water with our feet. On our way back, I slipped and fell (luckily I was not holding any camera and the water was not the hot one). I scratched my knee and skinned my finger.
(A minute before that happened, I still could smile and pose with Sandra)

THE FEET OF A DANCER VS OF A SURVEYOR

This is my right foot with nails neatly polished, and decorated with a friendship anklet Sarah gave me last year. And I started every dance using that foot….

But when I am surveying, I have to forget that pretty foot, because after wading in the mud, it became like that!

And oh man! How it became itchy witchy that I kept scratching it during the night after!

On the last day of Bengkulu trip, Sandra told me to rub my feet with the sand, hopefully they will be smooth again, and I will get my dancer feet back!

THE SURVEYOR’S STRUGGLE

To be a good surveyor, you need to be tough!

Little I knew about this, when we just set out to walk along the beautiful paddy fields on that lovely morning.

I even managed to turn around and pose for Sandra, the best picture taker I’ve ever known.

Then one challenge started…. (balance..balance..balance…)

And then another…….. (it’s kind of fun, though)

And I felt like in the fear factor show (if only there had been crocodiles in that river!)

And ah! Finally, the pictures of me working! (thanks Sandra and Kristina!)
Remember, the process also counts, not only the result!

GAJAH….GAJAH…AND GAJAH……!

How cute and smiley those big animals are!



I have decided that gajah (elephant) is my fave animal. One of my Mom’s fave story about my childhood is when they took me to the zoo for the first time, and they lost me. I actually don’t remember being lost in the zoo, but Mom and Dad recounted that story many many times, of how they panicked and started searching for me, only to find me squatting in front of the elephant’s den, staring at them with bulging eyes. Amazed.

Never thought I would ride on their back someday, though it was always one of my childhood dreams.

During my trip to Padang, we dropped by Bukit Tinggi and saw a zoo with a big board saying: Horse ride Rp. 5000, Elephant ride Rp. 3000. Sandra and I were rushing to the officer to ask about it, and we were stunned to learn that the elephant had died. Maybe too much being ridden.

The first time was in September last year, when I went to Thailand with my colleagues. I made a mistake of spending the rest of my baht to join a tour (that was a fiasco and didn’t include elephant’s ride), and that night I was very sad to think that I would miss the opportunity to ride an elephant while I was in Chiang Mai. Fortunately smart Sandra offered a solution and there we were….riding my fave animal in the drizzle.


I told myself that though it was very exciting, I actually wanted to sit right on their back, and not in a chair like that.
God listened to my secret wish. Watch this!

On my first day in Bengkulu, I was surprised to see a couple of elephants roaming around along the beach, taking the kids on their back, and it was very cheap (less than a tenth of the elephant ride in Thailand).
The elephants’ names are Dino and Natasya, the pets of the owners of the cottage we were staying. I told Kristina and Gina that I wanted an elephant as a pet, but I wanted it to be forever small (to save space). When I learned about how much it cost to feed an elephant, I changed my mind. I don’t think I can afford it. Anyway, we made friends with the owners and they invited us to come and feed them. They usually go to the school every morning, to learn the trick and also learn how to play football. Maybe someday there will be a World Cup tournament for the elephants and I bet Indonesia will win.

The next Sunday, we were at the same cottage again, after touring the area. And the elephants were still there, tempting me to ride on them again. But this time, fatigue defeated my desire, as I just wanted to sleep. Sandra arrived that day, she came late because she had just gotten back from visiting her boyfriend Daniel in the US. I told her about the elephant, but never thought we would get a chance to have a ride.

But we did!
The next Sunday (They’re only available on Sundays, by the way), we were there again, and it was our last day in Bengkulu. Sandra had been expressing her desire to ‘naik gajah’, but we doubted if we could because they’re only available at 11, and our plane was leaving at 12.
We spent the morning worshipping as a group near the beach, and as Sandra and I walked towards the cottage, we saw Dino and Natasya again! And it was only around 10. We were scared if there would be a long line, but when I asked the guides if we could ride, they let us right away. Sandra was about to hop on Natasya’s back, but she was gracious enough to let me taste the ride with her now, because I had ridden Dino before.

Just a minute before the ride was over (and time to catch our plane back to Jakarta!), the guide asked me to pose on Dino’s foot, and here’s the result (It’s not that I needed to go to the bathroom, but he flapped his ear and it hit my head!)

SHY SUNRISE AND NAUGHTY WIND AT SANUR BEACH

My schedule in Bali was so tight that I only had time to explore either early in the morning or late at night.
So one morning I woke up early and went to Sanur with a hope to see a beautiful sunrise.
But alas!
The weather was not too friendly. The wind blew hard and the flying sands hurt my feet as I shivered along the shore.
The sky was cloudy and the sun was timid. Still I wanted to pose.

And I found some white flowers we call Kamboja here (usually found in the funeral, but Balinese wear them behind their ears), laying on the ground. I picked one and tried to pose like Balinese girl, but the wind was so naughty. It took my flower away, and I kept chasing it like a fool. Every my time reached out for it, it just went further. So I gave up and picked another one. And it stayed in my ear long enough until the camera clicked.

VIVA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!

Right now I am too tired to write anything, but I am sooooooo happy and thrilled because Italy won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Viva Italia!!!!!!!!!