3 Reasons Not To Go To Pulau Tidung

I was in Pulau Tidung recently and what a disappointment it was. 

Pulau Tidung is part of the Thousand Island (Kepulauan Seribu) archipelago that is located in the Bay of Jakarta in the Java Sea. 

When we were researching for the trip, many websites mentioned that the island boasts of clear, blue waters that is perfect for diving, snorkelling and fishing. We were enticed by the lovely photos of the island.

But when we saw the island with our own eyes, what a disappointment it was. 

Moral of the story: Don't trust all the travel photos online - they can be deceiving, especially with the emergence of Photoshop and dishonest people.

Here are 3 reasons why you should not go to Pulau Tidung.

1) Garbage everywhere

The island is literally covered in garbage.

The water is clear and lovely, but the huge amount of garbage on the shore (especially during low tide) makes it a horrible place to be. Thankfully there was no horrible garbage smell. 

From my observation, the reasons for the poor sanitary condition is because the island does not have enough rubbish bins and a proper waste management system, e.g. an incinerator.

I found it difficult to throw rubbish because there were no bins around. Whenever I had something to dispose, I had to hold onto it until I come across a bin, which is extremely rare on the island. Heck, there wasn't even a rubbish bin in our homestay room.

With the lack of rubbish bins and a proper waste management system, the islanders take the easy way out and dump garbage everywhere, even between the houses. Look at this picture: 

Garbage dump site between the houses.

I noticed that the local authorities had put up signages around the island encouraging the locals to maintain cleanliness and to inculcate a habit of recycling. But unfortunately the island is still dirty.


2) Poor lodging facilities

Despite being an island boasting of clear, blue waters, Pulau Tidung does not have any resort or even budget hotel.

Most, if not all of the lodging on the island are homestays with rooms like this:

Our basic room. Thankfully it had an air condition unit because the room had the potential of becoming a sauna, especially in the daytime. Note that they didn't provide blankets, simply because there's no need for it. It was so damn hot, even at night.

I didn't take photos of the bathroom because it was a shame. The bathroom had a squat toilet with no flush. There was also no sink and no shower head. 

Water (from a tap on the wall) was collected into a big basin. So we had to squat whenever we brushed our teeth and bathed. 

3) Rickety bicycles

We were given 2 rickety bicycles to ride around the island.

The bicycles had almost deflated tyres with no shock absorbers. 

The island had narrow and uneven roads like this:

The crowd was huge during the weekend that we went to Pulau Tidung. 

Put all these together: Rickety bicycle with no shock absorber on narrow, uneven roads and having to cycle amongst the huge number of cyclists, most of whom were also suffering like us, was indeed challenging.

My butt and thighs were aching at the end of the first day. It had been a long time since I subjected my butt to so much torture.

So better think twice if you're planning to make a trip to Pulau Tidung.

Despite encountering all the 'hardships' (as how Angie describes it) on the island, we had one of the most delicious seafood dinner on our last night there.

So at least we had one pleasant experience on Pulau Tidung :-)

The simple but delicious ikan bakar and squid.

Magnum Cafe at Grand Indonesia Mall

During my recent trip to Jakarta, I had the privilege of having a chocolate fix at the Magnum Cafe at Grand Indonesia mall.

Let me share with you my experience at Magnum Cafe Jakarta.

 Entrance to the cafe.

Red carpet welcome for guests.

This is where the goodies are prepared.

The weekend crowd. 

Since the place was crowded, we walked towards the back where there was an open air dining area ...

I presume this space is for smokers.

... with a marvellous view of the city and its skyscrappers:

After picking a spot where we could admire the views, it was time to order. 

When Angie told me about Magnum Cafe, I was wondering what sort of ice cream desserts would they have. Would it be chocolate and nothing but chocolate? Would they sell fusion stuff? Any savoury food perhaps? My questions was about to be answered here:

This menu holds the key to all chocolate goodness.

This is what we ordered:

Mont St Aubert (IDR 39,000) and Truffle Royale (IDR 39,000)

Mont St Aubert was flat, if you know what I mean. Truffle Royale had more kick.

Antwerp Petite (IDR 45,000)

The combination of chocolate on the belgian wafer was good. 

To give a savoury taste to our chocolate drinks and the Antwerp Petite, we ordered a pizza:

Au Poulet (IDR 55,000). 

As a lover of thin crust pizza, this certainly agrees with me. The chicken, tomato sauce and melted cheese brings the whole pizza together nicely. I'm glad we ordered this.

Magnum Cafe also sells chocolate goodies like these:

 Good to buy as gifts.

I like the words on this frame:

After visiting Magnum Cafe in Jakarta, I was wondering why no one had opened one in KL. And now after about 2 months since my trip to Jakarta, Magnum Cafe is now in Mid Valley Megamall. Talk about coincidence!

I will certainly go to the Mid Valley outlet, but only after a few months when the the crowd has died down.

First Impressions of Jakarta

I was in Jakarta for a 3-day trip at the beginning of October - all because Angie got transferred there for a year. So lodging was free :-)

Eventhough I've been to other parts of Indonesia before, it was my first time in Jakarta. And whenever I travel to a place for the first time, I try not to have expectations to avoid disappointments.

Here are 3 of my personal observations of the city:

Traffic
One thing that people usually tell me is that the traffic in Jakarta is horrendous. One can get caught in a traffic jam for hours just to travel a short distance.

However this time I didn't get to experience the horrible traffic that Jakarta is famous for, simply because I travelled on a weekend. I heard that traffic is usually notorious on weekdays during peak hours.

Customer service
Customer service standards in Jakarta are relatively higher compared to other countries - even in KL where I live.

In Jakarta we walked into malls and shops and the staff would greet us like they value the business we're potentially giving them. Even if we don't buy anything, they would still smile and thank us as we walk away.

At the Sate Senayan restaurant in South Jakarta, there was a staff on duty in front of the washroom to greet and direct customers to the washroom. That particular staff also ensured that the washroom is consistently clean. I haven't seen such a thing yet in KL.


Malls, malls and more malls
When it comes to malls, Jakarta is in a league of its own. The sheer boldness in the way the city builds its mammoth malls is amazing. I think Jakarta has ample land and enough customer volume to sustain these giant malls.

We went to 3 malls during my stay in Jakarta - Pondok Indah Mall, Anggrek Mall and Grand Indonesia. Amongst the 3, Grand Indonesia lives up to its name as the grandest mall of them all. Can someone please tell me what is the biggest mall in Jakarta?

Review: Tea Spa in South Jakarta

I was in Jakarta early last month to visit Angie who has been transferred there for a year.

On my second day in Jakarta, we hopped into a bajaj and headed for our spa session.

 The bajaj is built for small sized people. We could fit 2 people at the back. But I don't think even one sumo wrestler can fit in there.

After riding around and getting lost, we managed to find Tea Spa on Jalan Gunawarman 9, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta.

The spa is locsted above a cafe that sells tea (what else!).

As we walked up the stairs we were greeted with this table:

I like this table with the 'Tea Spa' wordings at the top.

While waiting for the lady to prepare our massage materials, I went around snapping pics and took this:

 Interesting words ...

The lady led us to the room where I managed to snap a pic before the massage began:

We chose the 3-hour Perfect Contour Tea Treatment which is one of the spa's signature package. The package consists of a Tea Aromatherapy French Massage (for slimming), Herbal Tea Body Scrub, Herbal Tea Body Mask and Herbal Tea Body Wrap.

My massauer was good with her hands and placed just enough pressure.

After we finished the treatment and I had my super sweet ginger tea, the lady led me to another room for my half leg waxing.

This time the waxing was way below that of the quality I get back in KL.

First of all, they used poor quality wax. After the therapist applied the wax onto my legs and left it to dry, she had a tough time peeling off the sides of the wax to give it a good yank. When she finally could peel the edges, the wax tore away in small parts and she had to scrap away the remnants from my skin.

The end result was that it was not a clean waxing in the sense that there were still hairs on my legs and even tiny bits of wax still stuck to my skin.

Eventhough the massage was good but the waxing was not great at all and I would certainly not recommend you to do at Tea Spa.

After the massage we went looking for the famous Sate Senayan:

When in Indonesia, always look for the word 'gratis' because it means 'free' :-) 

This was dinner:

Clockwise from top left: Sate Senayan, Sup Bontot and Nasi Complete. 

While enjoying dinner I was fascinated with these 3 wooden sculptures at the entrance of the restaurant:

Remembering the Bali Bombings

Despite the fun and sun that Bali promises, 12 October 2002 will forever be remembered as a day of carnage and sorrow where more than 200 people lost their lives in a bomb attack.

On that day, bombs ripped apart a popular pub area in Legian. The bombs were carried by a suicide bomber and also placed in a parked van. Islamic extremist group, Jemaah Islamiyah were believed to be responsible for the attacks and 3 of its members were convicted and sentenced to death for that despicable act.

When I was in Bali I asked a taxi driver to bring me to the location of the blasts, and this is where it took place:

Ground Zero

A memorial has been built on Ground Zero to remember the bombings and all who perished in it.

The names of all those who died are engraved into the monument wall:

Most of those who died were foreigners with Australians being the most. After this incident I make it a point whenever I travel to live and hangout where the locals do cause terrorists will usually attack places where there are many foreigners (read: Caucasians).

I also saw a banner near the area that remembers the incident:

Translation:

Now it is not the time to become sad again because teardrops will only reopen old wounds,

Hold our heads high to protect our beloved Bali with the spirit of peace,

Peace October now and forever.

Behind the monument is White Rose Hotel which has a prayer engraved at its entrance:

A prayer

I also pray and hope that incidences like this will never happen again anywhere in the world.

Tourists and travellers are innocent people caught in the crossfire of disagreements between certain powers that be.

3 Reasons Bali is "User Friendly" to Malaysians

I know of many Malaysians who seek the comforts of home whenever they travel. They prefer to travel to a country where they can communicate easily with the locals, where the currency is lower than the Malaysian Ringgit, where the food agrees to their tastebuds and stomach, etc.

Bali is one destination where Malaysians would feel at home, and here's why:

The Malaysian Ringgit Talks
The Malaysian Ringgit (RM) is accepted in most currency exchange and money changer in Bali. Eventhough the rates are lower compared to changing RM into Indonesian Ruppiah (IDR) back in Malaysia, it beats having to bring US Dollar or some other currency that's more widely accepted.

Bali is probably one of the few international tourist destinations where the RM is accepted in currency exchange. The other place I know of is Chiang Mai in Thailand.

                                                   So proud to see the RM at number five!
                                           (Photo taken along Monkey Forest Road in Ubud)



No Chicken & Duck Talk
Bahasa Indonesia which is the national language in Bali, is similiar with Bahasa Malaysia, so communicating with the locals is not a problem.

Malaysians don't have problems ordering food, asking for directions, choosing which spa treatment or even having a simple conversation with the locals about life in Bali.

            If you're Malaysian, you don't have to read the English translation to understand what's being said in this signage. (Photo taken at Tampak Siring).

And you would certainly understand this signage too:

Photo taken at Tanah Lot.

Hot & Spicy
Traditional Balinese food is spicy like Malaysian food.

(Note: When I say "Malaysian food", I'm referring to Malaysian Malay and Malaysian Indian food but not Malaysian Chinese food which is usually not spicy.)

Due to similiarities in cuisine, Malaysians would feel right at home during meals in Bali because the dishes would definitely agree with their tastebuds and stomach.

And if you don't know what to order, always go for nasi goreng (fried rice).

The first time I was in Bali I had nasi goreng for lunch and dinner for 3 days straight. You can't go wrong with nasi goreng!

(Photo taken at Jimbaran Bay) 

Travel Photo - Tanah Lot in Bali

When I first started travelling, my trusted Canon A80 was my travel companion. It was heavy and bulky, but it took great photos, just like this one here which was taken in Tanah Lot, Bali.

I thought the photo would be more interesting with waves in the background. So I squated under the hot, blazing sun to wait for the right moment when the waves crashed onto the shore. I also had to be careful not to scare the birds away with my presence.

The hot, stinging rays were excruciatingly hot and my skin nearly got burnt. But whenever I look at this photo, a sense of pride fills me up. It was worth it.

Why I Didn't Like Jogjakarta

Jogjakarta is famous for two attractions that begins with the alpahabet "B" - Borobudur and Batik. Apart from these two attractions, there's practically nothing to see and do in Jogjakarta.

Many people use Jogja (that's the short form) as the base to visit Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. They also come here to shop for batik. But apart from that, Jogja has nothing else to offer visitors, at least from my experience lah.

Sure when you research about Jogja you'll read about places like Kraton, Water Castle and Benteng Vredeburg. But all these places are nothing to shout about. Some of it are even in a dilapidated condition.

Let's take a look at a few attractions:

Kraton is the palace of the sultan. I paid IDR3,000 to see a vintage cars, horse carriages, mannequins and exhibits that were dusty and as old as Jogja itself. And if you want to take photos you would have to pay another IDR3,000. Eventhough it's not much after conversion to Malaysian Ringgit, I still think it's daylight robbery.

The Benteng Vredeburg is an old Dutch fort that has been turned into a museum. I was not interested to go in so I can't tell you what's inside.

This monument is situated beside Benteng Vredeburg. I don't remember its name. Must be some monument built to remember those who perished whilst fighting for independence. 

There's also another attraction called Taman Sari or Water Castle. However, the locals told us that all the water in the Water Castle had dried up and the place was closed for renovations. How ironic.

According to a friendly taxi driver, Jogjakarta is known as a university town because there're many universities there. If you ask me,

Many universities = many students = human congestion = pollution

Just take a look at the number of motorcycles parked outside a shopping complex on Jalan Malioboro, the main shopping area in Jogja:

Motorcycles are probably the most economical and practical transportation option for university students. That's why there're lots of them on the road in every nook and cranny.

Everywhere you go you'll see people and more people. Sometimes this can be overwhelming. And when the heat and humidity got to me, I just wanted to return to my room and chill.

If you're planning to visit Jogja, make your trip as short as possible. Trust me, you won't miss much.

Budget Accommodation in Jogjakarta - Jalan Sosrowijayan

If you're looking for cheap and reasonable accommodation in Jogjakarta, look no further than Jalan Sosrowijawan (Sosrowijayan Road).

All the budget accommodation are located here and you won't have any problems looking for a hotel that will suit the depths of your pockets.

Jalan Sosrowijayan

Jalan Sosrowijayan is centrally located along Jalan Malioboro (Malioboro Road), the main shopping street in Jogjakarta.

Jalan Malioboro. If you can't remember the name, just remember "Marlboro".

I stayed at Merbabu Hotel which is situated in Gang 1, a small lane along Jalan Sosrowijayan.

Rates are IDR 95,000 for a private room with bathroom ensuite. Breakfast is also included. I was happy cause it was cheap and the room was clean.

Why do they call small lanes like these "Gang" in Indonesia? Feels like I'm walking into a triads lair where everyone is waiting to bash the other person up with silat (cause it's Indonesia) and kung fu (cause I like kung fu).

Guests at Merbabu Hotel have a choice of 2 types of breakfast which I can't remember the menu. All I remember is choosing the egg omellete sandwich and orange juice option for the 2 days I stayed there, and it was delicious.

There are many tour operators at the entrance of Gang 1. You can book tours or transport to Borobudur and Mr Bromo here.

Every evening many hawkers would set up their stalls along Jalan Sosrowijyan for you to pig out. 

Look at the menu on the stall. What's "Bihun Godhok"? Sounds like one kind only, man ...

These stalls sell a variety of food like Indonesian sate:

Indonesian sate is thinner than Malaysian sate. Even the sate sauce is different. Malaysian sate sauce is peanut based, Indonesian one don't know what based. But got lots of starch.

I wouldn't recommend eating at these stalls unless you have a strong stomach. I think Mat Salleh (Caucasian) tourists would give it a miss cause they are not used to such stalls.

As for a Malaysian like moi who have been trained at the mamak stalls back in good old Malaysia, it was not a problem at all.

Me sipping some ice lemon tea