DORA on the ROAD

Sipping on a cup of coffee N'yumba Lungo of Nescafe Dolce Gusto as I'm writing this post in my apartment. One word - It's MASARAP! Intense flavours and with a citrus kick at the end. Not a coffee lover but it's the only coffee drink I enjoy the most so far. Here comes the full - day guided Cirebon tour which I had been yearning for :D to unwind and had a taste of their local foods =p. First stop of our tour was in Keraton Kasepuhan located in the sub - district of Lemahwungkuk, Cirebon City. it was a great experience to be able to visit the facilities once utilized by the royal family in Cirebon, despite the blazing hot sun that cost us so much sweat and strength. Keraton Kasepuhan Entrance right behind me Hindu - styled split gate named Gapura Adi. Looks like I'm in Bali :D Pakungwati Palace, named after the daughter of Prince Cakrabuwana (the sultanate first ruler) built in 1446. Kereta Kencana Singa Barong. An old carriage influenced with artistic e...

Happy Sunday, peeps! It feels so awesome to eventually get to write up a blog post in the most peaceful and relaxing evening. A few days ago our school stumbled out of the hustle and bustle of Jakarta and into a quiet, beautiful, greenery lush and refreshing morning in Bogor, West Java for another inspiration field trip. We always like incorporating a bit of history into our field trips, so this field trip starts off with a visit to the Bogor Presidential Palace, the largest of the six presidential palace in Indonesia. Bogor Presidential Palace, known as Istana Bogor Istana Bogor is more than just a palatial building. It also played the vital part in the heritage of Indonesia and holds many political and international meetings such as the APEC Summit last 1994. Sadly, for security reasons, we're not lucky to take a closer look inside since it was currently serves as the residence of the Indonesian President. No chance to get in, unfortunately. Keeping the historical theme goi...

Yet another crater lake visit! Kawah Putih or White Crater of Gunung Patuha located in Ciwidey southern part of Bandung was mesmerizing. It was the most beautiful that we encountered in Bandung thus far. Initially, there were more places such as Lembang Floating Market, De Ranch to visit on our schedule, but it just seemed like mission impossible considering the average time we spent to travel from one place to another. It took us six hours from Jakarta to Ciwidey (4am to 10am) on a Saturday morning. Not to mentioned the road and traffic conditions on the way. The climate was very cold and refreshing though a sharp and acidic smell of sulfur dioxide filled the whole area. The acidity of the lake had painted the sand and the rocks around the crater with a white wash, making the whole scene charmingly mysterious. Good click, Pak Dedi! We're so lucky to have Pak Dedi who happened to be our driver, tour guide, translator and a photographer. I hit the jackpot isn't it? ...

I seem to be having wanderlust again lately and decided to spend some time today in quietude before the slew of school's activities. So thankful for these pockets of time to centre myself and align my thoughts. Kampung Naga is a small village that lies within the Neglasari village, Salawu District, Tasikmalaya, West Java Indonesia. It took us several hundreds of concrete steps to reach the place and encountered a wonderful 1.5 hectares village full of simplicity and beauty of nature. Approaching Kampung Naga Welcome to Kampung Naga What impacted me most were their persistence to cling to cultural traditions and way of life against the setbacks posts by modernization. A landscape of great beauty Photo by Uni Pomme A very nice lady making handicraft out of a bamboo. The magic of woodturning jobs The traditional Sundanese houses in Kampung Naga which is made up of straws or grasses (alang - alang, a type of wild grass) as a building materials. Each of the houses have...

Hi all! It's been a while, a long, long while since I last updated my blog. How's life? Here I am sitting in front of my laptop, blogging about my trip in Indonesia with my newly acquainted friends that I just met in Plaza Semanggi last week. There wasn't much planning involved prior landing our feet on this quaint and beautiful piece of historical land. Hiking at 3AM, the earliest amongst all. So funny to say that I'm just wearing a thin long sleeve shirt, skinny pants and a pair of flat shoes while my other friends are all geared up for it. Huh!I'm freezing to death during the trip seriously. :( Oh dear, my poor shoes. Huhuhu! We visited the Kampung Naga of Tasikmalaya in West Java. We somehow managed to explore the village which initially known as "The Dragon Village" and climbed 620 stairs to the Mount Galunggung early Sunday morning. We barely rested enough with just a few hours of sleep. The consequence is, I overstretched my leg muscles ...