DORA on the ROAD

We woke up super early in the morning, 6 a.m. to be precise to enjoy a morning dip in the pool and to get ourselves ready before heading to Penang Hill. Waking up to a view like this.....priceless! So sunny that my eyes nearly blinded by the sunlight @.@ Earlier that day, we departed at around seven thirty in the morning to catch the fonicular railway to the top of Penang Hill as there'll be an expected massive tourists on the site. Tips: Make sure you go early during public holiday and weekend to avoid long queues. Yay! Got the fast lane ticket =) A group shot before we hop on the train. Train ride up the steep slope was fun. Everyone were freaking out throughout the entire ride up the hill, so steep and scary since we were seated on the front row of the train. But we did survive somehow =p The journey took around 5 to 10 minutes which is way shorter than the time we spent waiting for the train. Penang Hill is also known as Bukit Bendera in Malay which is located in A...

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'm back! Work has been keeping me busy, as usual and always. But here is the quick update from me. Happy to say that my husband was here for a vacation till December. (Gosh, love is in the air!!!) It's been amazing 10 years to marked in our calendar. We're far apart from each other, but distance doesn't count if there is love in between. It was the faith that brought us together. Inspite of having no children of our own..... we are blessed in so many ways and we are happy together. We do believe that Yahweh, our Almighty God, is really amazing and will open the doorways for us soon in His right timing. #decadesmore #fingerscrossed Instead of going for a routine of window shopping at Central Park, (the mall near the apartment), we brought ourselves to the Eco Park in Ancol for a sight seeing and photo - shooting experience. I supposed it would be nice strolling and shooting under the bright sunny weather and it indeed was! With Ms. Vika and Mr. Buwang happy...

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...