Jarjarbink in Wonderland - Bali

Tadaaa. I went Bali on 8 March - 10 March 2010. I know, it is very short trip. I cant resist to buy the ticket also. Kinda cheap, I guess. So, I told my mom that i am going to Bali. And she shouted at me via SMS - WHAT!! TRAVEL AGAIN? hehe that was happening. Yeah, I told her that i am going. At first, I wanted to lie. But I just cant do it. I just said, aa yeah i am going. Mother, I'm sorry for the last minute but i just want to let you know. She said, Yeah ok. On the day I depart, she eventually gave me some IDR change - 80,000 IDR. She almost made me cry. She never did this to me. I think this is something cute, you know. Thanks mom, for letting me go. Like always, she looooveees to interrogate me on my departure. She wont say anything until my departure. Funny and wierd. Maybe it's just her style and i have to live with it for the rest of my life.

Day 1.

I woke up kinda early. My flight was at 1540hours. But, I made up my mind to go to the airport early. So, I hitched with Pn. Wawa to Taman Jaya Station. Arrived at KL Sentral around 0900hrs. Straight away to the Money Changer. I changed MYR260 and i got IDR700.000. Well, I just went there just 2 nights. It cant be that bad, right. I bought my bus ticket. It's Airport Coach. Green color bus. MYR10 one way. The journey took 40 minutes. And it is very comfy. And on time too. I was at the airport around 1100hours. Straight away checked-in. WTH!! The guy at the counter, AMIR. Can you just let me to check in. He asked too many questions. Eh, sorang je ke? Pergi mana? Kenapa pergi sorang? Eh, banyak songeh pulak. I was standing there like 15 minutes because something wrong with my itinerary. Amir asked do you have Enrich Card? No. So kenapa kat sini ada Enrich Card? Siapa punya? Im sorry, I really dont know. Now I feel scared. I was thinking he wont let me fly. Just because about the Enrich Card. Enrich Card is like the Bonuslink Card - collect points and redeem. I think I'm going to subscribe it but soon. Not now since I'm not going travel anytime near. Oh my! Langkawi trip is in April which is very soon. But, we've booked the tickets with Airasia 6 months back. It was like dirt cheap - RM78 return ticket. What the hell. So, after 15 minutes, I leave the counter. I didnt check in my bag - I just had only my backpack. I made my way to McDonalds. I found AG eating his American Breakfast. We just chat a little bit then off he go to his flight. I was alone. Not lonely. I got my book. At 1450, I boarded to my flight. I took a seat next to window. There was no one sat next to me. How I wish that Dom sits beside me. He actually really wanted to come with me to Bali. Oh well. The ticket was MYR500++ and it was very pricey. He said, he will meet me on Wednesday. So, I just enjoyed my scenary up there. Serenity. No pollution. Only white clouds - The Cloud Kingdom. And my mind suddenly be so creative. Start to imagine everything. The journey took 2hours and 50 minutes. As i reached Ngurah Rai Airport, it already sunset. Oh my! The sunset was Superb! The sun was fully in orange color just over the sea. I stayed at the airport for awhile to enjoyed it. Suddenly, I felt scared. I really dont know how or what to do next. I settled down my entry and head outside of the airport. It was already dark. So, I remembered LP said I need to get out of the airport area to catch a taxi. I looked around. I had an idea - find a buddy to share the taxi. Well, it didn't workout. I still walking, looking around and texting to AG where should I meet him. He replied - Please go to Mahendra Hotel at Poppies II. I will meet you in a second. Shit!! I really no idea where's the hell is he. Maybe he's with his friends or so. I just hopped into the Taxi and he charged me IDR150.000. Damn. To my surprised, the road intertwined in Kuta was really, really small road. It just can fit one car at a time. motorcycles, bicycle needs to stop and let the car go. Kuta is the nearest town from the airport. The taxi ride it just less than 20 minutes. And I shouldn't paid like IDR150.000. Crazy!!! So, I just checked in at Mahendra. A decent room with fan cost me IDR100.000 (MYR37). At the corner of the Mahendra's reception, there is a small bar selling cheap beers and alcohols. And they have loud music. I said to AG - This is going to be like hell.

After settling everything, we went out for dinner. And looked for another guesthouse for the next day. So, we found a restaurant nearby. I screened the menu. Hell yeah - no pork. So, we just ate our dinner there. Next to our table, there were 3 people from Sarawak. I cant remember the names but one of them, he kept asking me to go for the Rainforest Festival in July. Hmm, now I feel like going also. Muahaha. Maybe next year. *cross finger* After dinner, we walked the whole town of Kuta. Phewww it was tiring and worthwhile. We got another hotel - LA Inn for IDR116.000 (MYR37) AC room with breakfast and a swimming pool. Yeay - this was the great deal of all.

I bought a few postcard. I've promised Farah to sent her from Bali. Then, we just headed to our room. Settle down. AG went out for awhile. I sat in front of the room, and started writing postcard. The music was blasting. The fan - erghhh. Not working properly. I started to laughed to myself. It must be like HELL tonight - definitely.

Day 2.

I cant sleep at all. Too hot. AG took the fan away to him ONLY. Too loud. I was like sweating like HELL. I saw AG sitting outside the room. Looking away from the planet earth. It was 9 a.m. I just took my shower. Pack my things. We're checking out from Mahendra and walked to LA Inn. Put the bags there and walked again. I saw a shop selling Magic Mushroom. I was like YEAYEAYEAY. I always wanted to get this stuff. I saw this movie The Adventures of Harold and Kumar. He saw a unicorn running. Oh my! This stuff must be good. I passed the shop so many times. I said, I need to buy this stuff. Maybe later. So, we walked again. AG needs to find a cheaper room for himself. Im leaving to KL tomorrow and he needs to stay a little bit longer for Nyepi.

Nyepi
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Ogoh-ogoh being paraded in Ngrupuk or The Bhuta Yajna Ritual. Nyepi is a Balinese "Day of Silence" that falls on Bali's Lunar New Year (in 2010, it will be on March 16). It is a day of silence, fasting, and meditation. The day following Nyepi is also celebrated as New year Gudi Padva in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India. Observed from 6 a.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning, Nyepi is a day reserved for self-reflection and as such, anything that might interfere with that purpose is restricted. The main restrictions are: no lighting fires (and lights must be kept low); no working; no entertainment or pleasure; no traveling; and for some, no talking or eating at all. The effect of these prohibitions is that Bali’s usually bustling streets and roads are empty, there is little or no noise from TVs and radios, and few signs of activity are seen even inside homes. The only people to be seen outdoors are the Pecalang, traditional security men who patrol the streets to ensure the prohibitions are being followed. Although Nyepi is primarily a Hindu holiday, non-Hindu residents of Bali observe the day of silence as well, out of respect for their fellow citizens. Even tourists are not exempt; although free to do as they wish inside their hotels, no one is allowed onto the beaches or streets, and the only airport in Bali remains closed for the entire day. The only exceptions granted are for emergency vehicles carrying those with life-threatening conditions and women about to give birth. On the day after Nyepi, known as Ngembak Geni, social activity picks up again quickly, as families and friends gather to ask forgiveness from one another, and to perform certain religious rituals together. First, The Melasti Ritual is performed at the 3-4 previous day. It is dedicated to Sanghyang Widhi Wasa and is performed at the beach to respect them as the owner of The Land and Sea. The ritual performed in temple near the sea (Pura Segara) and meant to purify Arca, Pratima, and Pralingga (sacred objects) belongs to several temples, also to acquire sacred water from the sea. Second, The Bhuta Yajna Ritual is performed in order to vanquish the negative elements and create balance with God, Mankind, and Nature. The ritual also meant to appease Batara Kala by Pecaruan offering. Devout Hindu Balinese villages usually make ogoh-ogoh, demonic statues made of bamboo and paper symbolizing negative elements or malevolent spirits. After the ogoh-ogoh have been paraded around the village, the Ngrupuk ritual takes place, which involves burning the ogoh-ogoh. Third, The Nyepi Rituals is performed with the following conditions:

Amati Geni: No fire/light
Amati Karya: No working
Amati Lelunganan: No traveling
Amati Lelanguan: Fasting and no revelry/self-entertainment
Fourth, The Yoga/Brata Ritual starts at 6:00 AM (e.g. March 26, 2009) and continues to 6:00 AM the next day. Fifth, The Ngebak Agni/Labuh Brata Ritual is performed for all Hindus to forgive each other and to welcome the new days to come.
Sixth and finally, The Dharma Shanti Rituals is performed as the Nyepi Day or "Day of Silence."

I should have stay longer you know. At least, I can experienced it. Ahaha. I already bought my return ticket. So, I'm going home tomorrow. We walked through Kuta again. Too many tourists there. Enjoying sun bathing on the beach. We had brunched at the beach. The sun was too hot for me. I was wearing only my fisherman pants and a string. I didn't realised anything until i went to my room. I was looking at the mirror - SHOOT! I was burned badly. Haiihhhh... how could i forgot my sunblock. It was very, very bad. I still had the lines, until now. So, i went to the pool to cool down. AG stuck at his laptop. Checking his mails, i think. I was low of energy. So, I went back to room. Counted my balance, hey I still had a few hundred IDR so, why the hell I was in my room - get up and get dress up. SHOPPING. So, I bought t-shirts for the kids, sorry mommies, I will get something for you guys from BKK okay. hehe. I bought a tie dye shirt for myself and I

Day 3

The alarm went off loud. Shit. It was 800am. I wished i had one more night here. I dont want to go home yet. WaiT!! Dom is waiting for me in KL. So, I took my shower and wore my dress. Went for breakfast and the taxi was there waiting for me. I paid him IDR30,000 and went to departing area. The guard didnt let me in. I was too early for my flight. Spent my time reading. at 1100hrs, I checked in. WTH!! I need to pay the service tax for IDR150,000 (MYR50). Luckily, I still had balance with me. I had to wait another 1hour more before departing. Hang around within the area. I met with this German old man. And we were in the same flight. He's going to Thai just after touch down at KL. When i switched on my mobile, I got a message from Dom asking my whereabouts. I told him I was at the airport still waiting for my checked bag. I told him that I will be in KL in one hour time. I told him to wait for me at China Town's McDonald's. But, he was at Jalan Silang's. Not a problem for me because I just need to cross the road. I rushed out for the Coach Bus and I was just in time. Paid for my ticket and hop off and the bus straight away made it move to KL. I reached KL Sentral. Got my Putra's ticket to Central Market. I'm unable to walk anymore faster. Im abit tired. Dom kept texting me. I cant reply him because my battery almost dead. I saw him from afar. A pale skin with a nice dread. who can missed this guy? I was so happy to see him. He told me that they ( Jeff, Faz, Elena + Dom and Peter) will go for dinner. I said Im not going. IM TIRED. And I dont have car. So, I cant go home late. They kidnapped me. Faz asked us to go Mid Valley. Surprisingly, Dom knew exactly how to go MV. What bus to go, where to find the bus? seriusly, I, myself, dont know about it. While waiting Faz to fetch us up, Me and Dom happily taking pictures at Alice In Wonderland Promotion set. It was fun. I enjoyed the moment. Faz came to fetch Dom. I need to wait for Lee. We went to a chinese restaurant - the Assam Fish was nice. I thought Dom will come with us for the burger, but he had to catch his bus to LCCT. Awww. I missed him. But, surely, he will come again..soon....We stayed at Steam Burger until 12am. I almost crying due my tiredness. But, I enjoyed Bali. I enjoyed MV. I enjoyed the dinner. Will always remembered these moments. Till next time.

Jarjarbink In Wonderland - Koh Lipe

Well, I know its been months away since i came back from the island. I was so busy. Work. Facebook. Couchsurfing big gath/private gossip group. It had been a busy days, weeks and months. And at least it keeps me not to bother about other stuffs. The very little things. Ok. First stop - Koh Lipe.

I asked Iwan to come with me to Thai. At first, he seemed not interested but on the day itself, he text me that he wanted to go. I felt so relieved. You know, I am alone if he was not coming. I started to feel abit scarred. But, i made others to believe that i could make it. So, i car-pooled with Faz because he wanted to go North also. 3 of us. Started the journey around 10am.

Day 1
First stop - Yik Mun Pau (very famous pau according to Faz). I called Hafilah to hang out with me for a drink. Yeeah she came around for 5 minutes. Thanks cousin. We started out the journey again. We need to be in Penang before 4pm. Because that was the last trip of the minivan to Hadyai. I'm abit worried because of the timing. At 3pm, we reached Butterworth, Penang (thank god)at the bus station, I just looking around for the mini-van services. Luckily, we got the ticket just for RM33. Cheap (i figured out it would be cheaper last ten years) yeay. Next, I told faz that I need to change my money. I asked the tourist policewoman, she said i could find the money changer at the KTM Station. I got so excited because I got the best rate. 100THB for RM9.50. so i just changed MYR400. it was RM10.60 in KL and i think that was the lowest. And Faz continued his journey up north. The ticket said we will be leaving at 3.45pm. But we leave around 4pm. The van was in good condition. I sat at the back of the van. Iwan sat 2 rows in front me. There was a couple from France. The girlfriend smoked too. I couldn't slept at all. The journey took around almost 2 hours to reach Malaysia's Immigration at Bukit Kayu Hitam. Then, continued another 20-30 minutes to Thai's border - Sadao Immigration. We got off to get the stamp. Fadil advised me to slip RM1 in the passport. Luckily, i did. Then, continued the journey to Hadyai City. We were greeted by the McDonald. Lol. we reached there around 830pm. I'm abit tired. We looked for any hotel. I need to change and showers. one day trip. and hungry too. We got cheap hotel and the room was satisfied. Big, clean, a/c, hot shower and no bedbug just for 400THB. Then, we went out for dinner. Salma Restaurant - a moslim restaurant. The food was okay. I couldnt finished mine. Big possibilities due to my tiredness. The Ice Lemon Tea was AWESOME. I love it.

Day 2

I woke up early. 630am. I couldnt sleep, again. Showered, watched TV and HUNGRY. Iwan happily snoring. i wouldnt want to wake him up. I went for breakfast alone to Salma's. The waiter remembered me. He was asking about Iwan. Haha. The guy actually can speak Malay. I mean Kelantanese slang. Which was good you know. I went back to the room. Iwan still sleeping like a baby. I let him be for an hour more. Sunset at Pak Barra Elena text me again saying that she almost here so i had to wake Iwan. While waiting Iwan to get ready, I packed my backpack. And Mr. Bobob too. I cant leave Bobob alone at home. I took him everywhere I go. He cant missed out my i mean OUR adventures. We went to Salma's again. The waiter just gave me a big smile. It was Saturday. Elena was not around yet. So, we just went to the mall. Hey, there was a flea market. Most of the items are handmade. Very cute little things. There's one corner, this guy sells painting on canvas. and he's making a handmade wall clock. Super awesome. I wish I could buy something from him. But, I was on BACKPACK so i need to hold myself from buying anything first. Elena arrived around 10am. We took tuktuk to the bus station. Bobob enjoyed his ride. So we all did too. We paid 100THB to the driver. We had small complication - LANGUAGE. Iwan on Longtail Boat We were bargaining for the best price for the minivan to the pier. I saw another single traveler. A lady from France. I just asked her, may I know where are you going? She said, to the Pier. I said, Pak Barra? Hey, come and join us. We are bargaining for cheaper price. So, we are now in a group of 4 people. We just paid 200THB instead of 240THB. We had to wait for the van to arrived like 2-3 hours. The journey from Hadyai to Pak Barra took 2 hours. Elena and Iwan slept all the way. Linda and me, non-stop talking. Linda is the lady from France i mentioned ealier. She's married but traveling alone. The husband was in Bangkok. She was very well traveled. 2 big backpacks and one daypack in front. Can you imagine Iwan, Jaja, Lynda & Elena how can she managed to take all bags? She'd been traveling quite sometimes. 2 months plus in SEA - Siem Rep, Laos, Thai. She's got alot tale to tell. In Pak Barra, we tried to bargain for the best price. For the boat transfer, and minivan to Hadyai. And we got 900THB for the whole transfer. I think that's the cheapest. And off we go on the boat. we stopped for 15 minutes at Koh Ngai. The island is like deserted but full of nature beauty. Untouched. White sands and turqoise blue clear water. Aaa the cold water phewwww. it took another 30 minutes to reached Lipe. We chose to be on the sunrise beach. Which is queiter, less people and quite cheap. After check in the bungalows - Varin Beach Bungalows (600THB) we rushed out to the sea - snorkeling. this was the first time for me. Well, it was easy since i knew how to swim. Luckily, I brought my goggles along. I saw alot of small fishes - many shapes, colors, sea cucumber, corals - i just love being underwater. I think I was like in the Wonderland!! I must get my scuba license soon. Iwan, Elena and me walked to another small island there. Rescued a few sea cucumber to the water back. And we walked to Pattaya Beach. Hey, this is not that bad island. It's quite happenings here. Alot of bookshops - you can just swap with your book. Brilliant idea. We had dinner here. there was a fire poi. It's fun to watched them. Apparently, there is one shop offering a class how to be a fire poi. 300THB for one hour. After dinner, we walked back to our beach. A lot of shops selling everything there. From ice-creams to braided hair. Postcards to fridge magnets. We just sat on the beach and enjoyed Fire Poi the night. It was windy. The moon looked to low that night. It's just that we were apart by the sea (lol). Finally, we got rest after a hectic day.

Day 3

We just had to go now. We had to go back to the KL city centre. The holiday was over. I just hate when everything has to end too soon. So, we, just 3 of us leaving. Lynda still dont know where to go yet. I said goodbye to her and walked over to Pattaya Beach. The longtail boat will wait over there. Well, we spent a little bit more to snap pictures. Had coffee and some croisants and doughnuts. We're on time - there was a boat waiting. Bye-bye Lipe. I'll come over soon. Off we go with the speedboat to Pak Barra. As we arrived there, I thought there was a minivan waiting for us. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Musree told that we need to call them earlier for the minivan. ayayayai~~So, we need to wait for another van which was around 1530hours. Shoot. Our bus will leave at 1800hours. Pak Barra to Hadyai is 2 hours journey. We just crossed our finger. While waiting, Elena and I just stroll around the area. I saw what i want see. FISHERMAN PANTS. Yeay. I bought 2 pairs. Elena bought 1 pair for her. Ok, I can sleep happily after this. Hehe. I spent sometime with Bobob. Took pictures of him. He looked so happy - BOBOB went international. Ahahaha. Could you see Bobob's face? Yeah..me too. We arrived in Hadyai 1740hours. Thank god..we're on time. We had bad time management. When they said, 1300hrs, it means 1500hrs. Get it. We managed to have our dinner. And the lady said we need to get the other part of the town. Bus waited there. She gave us a free tuktuk ride. WOW. We got a double decker Coach. Super comfy. On the ticket it was stated RM78. But I paid like 500THB. And I felt guilty. hehe. We arrived KL around 5am. I Need to go to work. That's all my Thai trip. I'm coming to Bangkok soon. June 2010. Bangkok - Here I come!!

Dear Bobob, I missed you so bad. I hope you doing fine. I hope you travel more. Hope our path will cross, someday.

2007 - 2010