Kalap dan Lahap

Kalap di RM Padang

Beginilah jadinya kalau buka puasa di rumah makan masakan Padang yang namanya Sederhana namun sangat berbeda dari kenyataannya. Kalap dan lahap!

Hamdalah :)

Bunaken, here I go!

nenek moyangku seorang pelaut, gemar mengarungi luas samudera...

November 2011

Minggu lalu saya dan rombongan (ber-9) snorkeling ke Bunaken dan Siladen. Mau berbagi cerita mengenai pengalaman saya, semoga bisa menjadi referensi perjalanan buat para pembaca.

Kalau dihitung-hitung sih biayanya masih terjangkau. Rinciannya berikut ini:

Naik kapal ada kacanya (bisa intip ikan-ikan) dari pelabuhan di Marina Boulevard (deket Zero Point). Kapalnya lumayan bisa muat 15-20 orang tapi yang ikut di rombongan 9 orang (ditambah 2 orang supir + pemandu) jadi ga terlalu sesak, apalagi bawa barang kayak pindahan.
sewa kapal Rp 850ribu
biaya parkir kapal di pelabuhanRp 50ribu (biasanya ni kapal parkir di pelabuhan lain yang letaknya jauh)
biaya asuransi penumpang Rp 4ribu/orang

Naik kapal otw ke Bunaken (sekitar 30-45 menit ga berasa karena sibuk foto-foto di atas kapal)

Sampai Bunaken sewa peralatan tempur (bisa pilih sesuai kebutuhan dan nego aja):
- wetsuit (lengan panjang-pendek) Rp 50ribu
- google glasses + alat snorkeling yang buat nafas itu Rp 30ribu
- kaki katak sepasang Rp 30ribu
- kamera bawah air Rp 350ribu
- biaya masuk Bunaken Rp 2500/orang
- biaya alat untuk pemandu (ga perlu kasi tip untuk pemandu)Rp 110ribu
- pinjem pelampung/life jacket buat jaga-jaga Rp 0 alias gratis

Disarankan oleh penduduk sana buat ke Siladen dulu karena letaknya lebih jauh dan kalo kesiangan arusnya udah kenceng

Naik kapal ke Siladen (sekitar 20 - 30 menit, masih foto-foto di atas kapal)

Sampai Siladen puas-puasin snorkeling. Masih sepi dan ikan + terumbunya subhanallah..

Jangan kelamaan karena masih ada spot selanjutnya di Bunaken. Yang di sini pemandangan bawah lautnya sampe ane ga rela ninggalin tempat itu.

Berdasarkan pengalaman panik sampe minum air lautnya, air di Siladen lebih asin dibanding Bunaken (ga penting ya..)

Di Bunaken terumbunya lebih banyak dan luas. Ada aturan juga kalo harus hati-hati ga boleh injak/berpijak di terumbunya karena itu wilayah konservasi.

Setelah puas silaturahmi dengan berbagai jenis ikan, balik lagi ke pelabuhan Marina. Alat-alat yang udah disewa tadi nitip dibalikin sama supir dan pemandu. Jadi ane ga perlu balik lagi ke tempat sewa alat selam.

Di pelabuhan Marina bisa bilas dan ganti baju di toiletnya, bayar Rp 2ribu.

Luar biasa indahnya bawah laut Indonesia.

Isi formulir asuransi sebelum berlayar

Fitting sepatu katak alias fin

Snorkeling di Siladen

Ga pake jaket pelampung lebih bebas, kayak kecebong :p

Banyak yg pemula (termasuk ane) jadi ngeri ngambang di lautan

Ten Things That Freaked Me Out About Traveling

nemu artikel bagus nih
hal-hal yang sempet kepikir sebelum Mayday Project, alone..
alhamdulillah saya baik-baik saja, sehat, dan semakin bahagia setelah traveling :)
saya tambahin komen-komen berdasarkan kisah nyata, hehe..

Call it experience; and maybe a little added cynicism. Whatever it is, there are certainly things about travel that were once a huge problem to the novice me, but which have now paled into insignificance after many years on the road.

Some fears you learn to conquer – others you realise were never a problem in the first place.

Here are 10 of the big ones.

Terrorists

I know, I know, terrorists really are a threat, and if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time it would be a disaster. And that's something you worry about to start with. But you soon figure out that the chances of actually being caught up in a terrorist attack while you're travelling are about as remote as being hit by a bus that's being driven by a shark. Bad things do happen – but they probably won't happen to you.

Berhubung negara saya terkenal dg teroris, jadi ga terlalu worry about this. Lagian negara tujuan traveling termasuk negara aman.

Dirty restaurants

First time you hit a country with hygiene standards that are a little below Australia's, you panic. I'm going to die! There's meat lying out in the open, grime everywhere, a cat roaming around under the tables, and a chef who looks like he could use a polite introduction to soap. But you know what? It's those places that usually do the best food. And if it's popular you're unlikely to get sick.

Udah biasa makan di warung selama di Indonesia, perut udah terlatih selama ga jorok parah sih.

Mati gue, mau pesan apa ini?  ~at Samila Beach, Thailand

Foreign languages

I'm no linguist – I'm the first to admit that. But I no longer have the old fear that I used to of trying foreign languages, and of travelling through places where English is rarely spoken. After a while it's obvious that a smile and a little sign language will go a long way – and any attempt at the local lingo, no matter how embarrassingly bad, is appreciated.

Bahasa tarzan! Kalo negara tujuan ga pake English, pelajari sedikit bahasa negara tujuan. FYI saya cuma belajar bilang Thank You in Thai...sampai sana eh udah lupa gimana cara bilangnya. Jadinya perhatikan orang-orang kalo turun angkot trus bilang ke sopirnya, Kob Khun Kaa..

Long-haul flights

You always hear people moan about getting to Europe and their DVT or their leg cramps or whatever, and you start to worry. Just how bad is this going to be? But I don't mind the long-haul flights – watch a few movies, eat some food, listen to some music, close your eyes for a while and you're there, in another continent, ready for an adventure.

Perjalanan panjang saya mostly lewat darat, berjam-jam di bus. Udah biasa sih kalo di Indonesia naik bus atau kereta buat mudik. Kebetulan saya ini tipe pelor alias nempel molor. Buat yang susah tidur di perjalanan coba pake travel pillow supaya lebih nyaman tidur sambil duduk.

Homelessness

It's a strange feeling when you give up your home for long-term travel, when you hand back the keys to your apartment, pack all your things into storage and realise you no longer have a place to call your own. It's daunting. But after a while you start revelling in the freedom of it. No strings attached.

Berasa banget yang ini sampai di tujuan saat dini hari. Toko, masjid masih tutup. Jadilah nunggu di terminal atau duduk di resto. Ternyata banyak juga yang senasib, numpang tidur di KFC. Jadinya berasa bukan homeless tapi ya ini rumah saya, sedunia ini luasnya, mau tidur di mana kek terserah :D

Dire financial straits

Being broke sucks, don't get me wrong. But it's not the end of the world. A life of travel inevitably means a lack of Australian financial touchstones like Holden cars and quarter-acre blocks and fat superannuation accounts, but you soon get over that when you're having fun on the other side of the earth.

Duit mepet, ada yg tibatiba pinjem duit pula..ga jelas kapan mau balikin. Some people rely on Credit Card. Kalo saya, cash is the king! (berhubung ga punya CC). Andai memang kepepet banget, siapin tarik via ATM meski biaya sekali tariknya lumayan juga tuh. Malah kalo long trip gitu prefer numpang kerja di penduduk lokal. Bisa dapat tumpangan gratis, syukur-syukur dapat duit.

Americans

Ask any traveller – they get such a bad wrap. Americans are loud and obnoxious and annoying, according to most people. So that's what you expect when you meet your first American tourist. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that the obnoxious American is a lazy cliché – sure, some exist, but you'll also meet some great people who hail from the land of the free.

Belum pernah ketemu yang begini sih. Setiap kenalan dg sesama traveler jadi cepet akrab karena berasa senasib. Bisa sharing pengalaman juga. Syukur-syukur bisa dapat host kalo kita trip di negeri mereka.

Flying solo

Anyone who doesn't get a little nervous when they first set off on a big overseas trip alone must be some Terminator-like machine. It's frightening, taking on the world on your lonesome, with no one to rely on but yourself. But it's also hugely rewarding – not to mention free of arguments that include the phrase "but I wanna go here"...

nervous but I wanna go there, ini saya banget. Bonek lah! Anyway, did I look like Terminator machine?

Public transport

Not public transport at home, that's always been fine. But when you're in a foreign country and you don't know the routes, you don't know the ticket system, you don't know the language to ask for help, it can all be a little daunting. After a while though, you learn to accept the stuff-ups, assume you'll get on a wrong bus or wrong train at some point, and just go with it. (Oh, and take a photo of the route map when you find one - that way you'll always have it with you.)

Perhatikan, baca petunjuk, cetak peta, dan nikmatilah yang namanya kesasar. 

Being robbed

This goes along with the terrorism thing. You always kind of assume that putting yourself out there as a traveller in strange, dangerous lands will also open you up to the very high possibility of being mugged at knifepoint, whether that's in Nairobi or New York. But you know what? Don't spend so much time worrying about it. In my experience, take a few precautions and relax – it'll probably never happen.

Alhamdulillah aman aja saat saya solo traveling. Teman saya ranselnya dibongkar karena ditinggal gitu aja di depan masjid. So, jangan tinggalkan barang-barang tanpa pengawasan.

What used to freak you out about travelling?

SUMBER alias SOURCE 

Follow Ben Groundwater on Twitter @bengroundwater
Email: bengroundwater@gmail.com

Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Pieces of Paradise in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

Butuh waktu enam belas bulan untuk menyadari dan mensyukuri keindahan alam di Sulawesi Tengah.

Iseng bikin puzzle ini ternyata membuahkan kemupengan dari rekan-rekan di pulau-pulau lain.

Hey, pasti lokasimu juga keren, bahkan lebih keren dari ini! Karena kamu tinggal di Indonesia!

Coba explore dan bikin media promo untuk makin mengenalkan komplitnya wisata outdoor di Indonesia.

Allah Maha Adil, Indonesia itu Indah.

note:

pics di atas kompilasi koleksi pribadi @helenamantra dan @rivalfact

Flying Without Wings - Paragliding in Matantimali

I have a new experience with Maleo Paragliding in Matantimali, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

are you ready to fly?

Flying without wings

Setahun lalu aku diajak teman buat coba paralayang alias paragliding di Matantimali yang tingginya hampir 800 dpl. Pengalaman terbang pertama yang seru! Tandem dg instruktur bernama Mr Asgaf Umar yang udah coba terbang di mana-mana. Karena sibuk deg-degan terbang, ga ambil banyak foto deh.

Setahun kemudian (baca: 8 Juli 2012) aku dan beberapa teman kembali ke Matantimali. Kali ini aku sama Nik buat foto-foto. Dua orang temanku yang terbang tandem, this is their very first flight!

Kami bersepuluh naik mobil bak. Aku duduk di belakang beralaskan tas parasut super gede, lumayan empuk apalagi buat jalanan terjal yang kami lalui ke atas gunung. Sepanjang perjalanan foto-foto pemandangan yang subhanallah cantiknyaaaa Indonesiaku ini.

Lumpur Lapindo pindah ke Palu

Palu from above

Hampir sampai tempat buat take off, jalanan becek bekas hujan semalam. Jadinya para lelaki tangguh itu menggendong tas parasut seberat 18kg naik naik ke puncak gunung. Jago!

Udara yang pas. Anginnya lembut. Tidak terlalu panas.

Flight pertama, solo para-glider, dia terbang naik turun menguasai angkasa.

Flight kedua, tandem Kiki dan Pak Asgaf. Sepatunya Kiki jatuh keinjak Pak Asgaf, apa kabar mereka kalo mendarat, hehe..

Flight ketiga, tandem Ival dan Mas Aco. Itu fotonya ada di "flying without wings"

Balik dari Matantimali, kulit saya mendadak eksotis, hoho.. worth to try!

Enjoy some photos here. More than words I can say :) 

@helenamantra

safety first

siap terbang

Pengarahan sebelum terbang

Hello from the sky

flying above me!