Ke Indonesia Kita?? Kali ini ke Medan.

This is not a plan trip in term of the place. Originally, we were supposed to go to Luang Prabang in Laos. But unfortunately, Airasia had cancelled the route completely and for us to go there, we need to go via Vientiane (Laos) or Doung Muang in Thailand. With just 3 days I think it will not make any sense as transit time will be a waste and with two senior citizen & a toddler, I think it will be a hassle and stressful trip. So me & Rita decided to use the refund and bought ticket elsewhere, which finally we decided on Medan. So..that was how we end up in Medan, Indonesia.

Always ready for some adventure..my little travel buddy!

I did not have any expectation when I arrived in Medan but myyy...I was very impressed and surprised that the airport is very modern & nice. I actually expect it to be old and probably out dated. Boy was I wrong. hahaha..

As usual when I travel with my parents, I make sure I booked a driver..and here we are waiting for the driver to bring the car over. 

We stay at Roemah (pronounce as Rumah) 28. The place is cosy and quiet as it is situated within a housing area. One down side is that it is quite a distant to the town centre. The cafe's food is nice. But bare in mind that food in Medan is generally spicy. I am the only one who enjoy it very much. Not only they mix it with fresh chilies, they also give a generous spread of chilies flakes on your food! hahhaha...And Indonesian like their drink to be sweet (well at least here in Medan) that I need to constantly remind them not to add condense milk/sugar. On our first day, we didn't do much. Everyone was deprived of sleep since we all need to be at the airport before 7am so we took the chance to rest since we arrived in Medan quite early.

I realised that Medan town is very unorganised..I mean everything is everywhere. The eating shop, souvenir, mall, hotels, tourist attraction..they do not centred in one area. You really need to go here & there ..and even better to hired a 'supir' to really go around. Medan is a very busy town ..car everywhere..honking every minute..hahaha...my son don't really like it when they just can't stop honking. The honking remind me of China ..So since we do not hired any 'supir' for that day we just walking around aimlessly and just discover the place ourselves.

We slept early on our first night as we need to move quite early the next day for our trip to Lake Toba, Berastagi & Parapat.

I thank God that he is a morning person. We left the hotel at 6am and he woke up at 530am by himself to get ready for the trip. Well, of course he slept along the way...hahaha...

We left the hotel without breakfast so this is our first stop after 3 hrs of driving. What I love about road trip is the scenery & we get to see the small town that we pass along the way. 

Everyone is hungry at this point including the 'supir'..hahaha

This is Lake Toba. 

View from the top

Ok..here's the thing..we did not cross over the lake and go to Samosir Island. There are two reasons for that, the first one is because my mom is a bit superstitious. She learns that the island is the original place of the Batak people and historically, Batak people do not bury the dead..they literally it the dead so that they can continue on living inside them. Well..that was long...long..longggg time ago as now a majority of tha Batak people are Christian. But still my mum do not want to go there..hahaha..Second reason is the safety issue. There was an incident happened the year before where a ferry was capsized at the Lake which killed all the passenger. Why it happen? Overloaded of passenger and car, no life jacket and lack of maintenance of the ferry. At the same time, the ferry was still operating even though the weather was bad. Hence, me & Rita reluctantly agreed to skip the boat ride to Samosir Island and just satisfied by viewing the lake from above the cafe. Hahhaha...I cant possibly leave my parents at the other side while the three of us go to the island. 

This will do..hahaha...at least as proof that we did went to Lake Toba

This place call Sukarno museum. This is where Sukarno hide running from the Dutch army.

Look at that...with the cold breeze..I did not feel that I am in Indonesia..terasa macam di negara barat plak aku...feel2 di switzerland.  hahahha

Then off we go to Berastagi, which will take ard 2.5hrs of driving from Lake Toba. The scenery was breathtaking, it was beautiful, full of greenery, plantation, fruits farms and vegetable farms. We we passing from one small town and villages to another. I realised that the Batak people like to bury their loved one near their house. There are cemetery everywhere and it is really build within their house's compound. I cant help but asking our 'supir' why. He said that they just want to be near them even though they are no longer alive. My mom have to asked the question..Aren't they afraid of the dead? " Apa mau takut omma? Sudah mati. Engka boleh buat apa2. Yang hidup kita harus takutin."...

Before reaching Berastagi, we make a pit stop at Sipiso Piso Waterfall. This is actually a river which end up at a hole at a stony hill..hence, that how it become waterfall. You can actually go all the way down but I did not go because my son will surely want to follow. From Sipiso Piso, it will take less than 2hrs to reach Berastagi, which is very popular for its fruits market. We stop by for lunch at a padang restaurant. The food is spicy but nice.

 In Berastagi, we took a climb (via car..haaha) to Gundaling Hill to view the two majestic mountain, Mount Sinabung & Mount Sibayak. Being on top of the hill the air feel fresh, clean and cold with occasional smell of horse poop. Hahhaha.. 

The view is to die for. The place is so peaceful and quiet..no wonder there are few people who just spread a mat and sleep there. Once you on top of the hill, you can see the whole town and farms everywhere. On our way down to Berastagi, the 'supir' decided to use the scenic road..I didn't even sleep because there are so much to see. The fruit market was huge but we reached there almost 5pm so most of the seller has gone home. But we manage to get good price for avocado, strawberry, mango, buah salak and oranges.

Although it was an unplanned trip but it was a great one. Medan actually offer a lot of outdoor activities and for those outdoor junkie, this place is highly recommended. I wish I have time for the hiking, trekking, waterfall, river etc but we only have 3days. You can skip the town as there is nothing much to offer. Just go to the outskirt of Medan and you won't regret it.

We are off to KL but we'll be back to Indonesia soon! I like to go to Indonesia because there are a lot of places to explore and discover. Furthermore, it is near to home as my parents are not so fit anymore to endure long flight hours. Next trip Jakarta-Bogor-Bandung! Yeahh..

Kota Yogyakarta

The trip was 2 years ago but I haven't got the time to write anything on it. I know many has went to Yogya and I think the places we went will not be any different than the places that others went to. Since this is my first trip to Yogya, I thought that I will go to the tourist attraction that is considered as a 'must' if you go to Yogya. We went to Kraton..

The whole 'clan' is here...my son, friend, nephew & parents.

Then we also covered Prambanan Temple. Unfortunately, the budget is not quite there to include the night Ramayana Show at night. But I'll be back and this time I'll make sure boleh cover tgk the show.

After Kraton, we visit the Taman Sari or Water castle since it's just nearby. But honestly, nothing much and the place look so run down & there's no water in the pond. Luckily the entrance is less than RM5 so it's ok. Janji aku tengok.

 We also managed to go for a jeep ride to the Merapi Mountain, which erupted less than 10 years ago. The jeep ride although quite pricey was worth it. My son really enjoyed it so much and so do I. However my mom was not so happy after the ride as it hurt her back she said. Hahhaha...and she was so scare when we were at the mountain as she afraid that it might erupt anytime while we're there. Our 'supir' told us that his house was one of the houses that got destroyed when Mount Merapi erupted ...rumah nya keberantakkan...I quote...but it's part & puzzle of living here he said.

There we were, at the top of the bunker. It supposed to be a refuge for the villager when the volcano erupt. Unfortunately, some have died while waiting for someone to open the bunker's door.  

And of course, we did visited the majestic Borobudor. The one place that I have always wanted to go ever since I know its existent. I think this is one of the most significant places I visited after Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Not so much of people that day..probably because we visited the place on a weekday.

What make it more special is that I get to visit Borobudor with my son. He was just 2 years old during this trip & he managed to go all the way up to the top of the temple. We been on the road the whole day and never did once he complaint or whining about how tired he was. But that night he did slept early and soundly.

My parents also enjoyed the trip and love the place very much. 

I always wanted for my son to travel and see the world. I am willing to work hard to make sure I can afford to bring him to see places & expose him to people from different cultures and background. I am hoping that he will be able to learn to respect and appreciate the differences in others through all these travelling. 

Personally, I love Yogyakarta and I do hope that I will have the opportunity to go there again and this time, probably visit some of the places that I don't get to see during this trip. I learn to admired the beauty of the Indonesian people and their resilience through time of distraught and how the find the courage to fight back and rebuild their life after a natural disaster. I also found out that sustainability really a practise in Indonesia. As my mom said, if you are not lazy, you will always find a way to live in this land, which I do agree.

 During our visit, Indonesia going to celebrate their independent day and everywhere we go, we saw people putting up string and poles full of small colourful flag. When we asked the 'supir' what is it for and who actually instruct them to put it up? He said..it's just a way for them to celebrate their independent and they put it up because they want to and no one paying them anything for it. Make me think..such spirit has long gone in my own country. Thank you Yogya for the good trip and adventure for us and we will sure to come back.

A trip to Legoland Malaysia

Yes..Malaysia Legoland has finally open. So, I was excited to pay it a visit because I been to the original Legoland in Billund, Denmark a few years back and I am eager to see how this one look like. When my sister asked whether I will be in KL on that particular date..I apa lagi, ON!

We left KL on Friday after lunch so we arrived in JB around 530PM. Luckily it was not that difficult to find the hotel where we stayed and nasib baik, the place also very nice. Siap ader breakfast and dekat dengan banyak tempat makan and a mall. So, I have nothing to complaint. We went to Legoland on Sunday as we decided to go to Singapore & spend the whole day there, just jalan2 and do some shopping.

It took around 45minute drive to Legoland from where we stay. Tengok jer the sign, my niece already very excited. We arrived just 10 minute before the opening time. We got our ticket (RM110 for children w/o water park & RM140 for adult, w/o water park). Very expensive if you ask me. 

 It was a Sunday so mmg assume akan banyak org. Tapi since we came very early, the crowd was not so bad.

 Tempat ticket pun masih kosong.

I guess ni memang singature pintu gerbang Legoland because the one in Billund also look like this. As you enter the gate, you will pass the gift/Lego shop and then you will see the miniature city. Kat bawah ni...err..apa entah building ni, x ingat plak.

 Then there this mosque in Terengganu (also I x ingat exact name)..sorry yer..kena la you all google.

 And Putrajaya pun ader

 Ni tasik kat Putrajaya tu..where normally people go for the boat cruise

 Shop lots near Petaling Street

 This one is the only KTM station (train station)

 Of course, must have..The Twin Tower

 This is Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (the court house yang lama)

 KL Tower

 This is KL SEntral and banyak lagi. The miniature city (Mini City) also ader some of the major attraction from various Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmmar, Singapore and Vietnam.

Since we were there very early, the crowd is just OK..so we decided to go for the rides before orang memenuhi the place. We go from one ride to another and we were so happy that the queue ...almost takder. Heheheh...so since some ride x boleh bawa camera, I can't displayed it here ya. Sorry..I guess you kena pergi sane to see it. Heehh...yang I x naik I can post here though...

 First ride I think is this...again, I forgot what it is called but it is a dragon roller coaster. My nephew love it so much that he requested that we went for a second round. Well, since there are not much of people, why not...hehe

 Then we're off to Imagination (different area have different name it seem)..Nothing much here (at least for me)..but we did naik the replica of the Taming Sari rotating ride (kat Melaka) just because we wanted some ac!! Hahah..walaupun awal pagi, it is still very humid! Can't imagine bila dah tengahari..I'll be roasted!

 All smiling because of the ac..hehe

 Lepas tu we did went for a few other ride and I think we went to this part of the park bila dah nak balik. This ride I knew I do not want to be a part off because I went to similar ride in Sunway Lagoon with a friend and we end up soaking wet! So, no more ....this time, I jadi photographer jer.

 Tengok cam ok jer kan..

 Masa naik slow giler..

 Bila turun laju and then...BASAH!!! Hahaha...

 Then we stop by a few ride for kiddy and I think lps tu we went here. Adventure of the Pharaoh..something cam tu la. Kira cam main laser tag. Syiok juga main ni..heheh

 Ni bagi yang malas nak stay jauh you can stay here tapi mlm2 bosan giler la because this place it totally out of no where! Hahah..tempat makan pun xder.

So, that conclude our trip to Legoland. I know my blog don't tell so much about the whole theme park but I hope it will manage to give a glimpse of the place. Kalau nak tau detail, siler2 la google the website or best lagi, go there! But I must say, for a small part, this is a very expensive one. I mean, we were there literally for 1 hour and that show ...Legoland Malaysia is not so big.