Palau, Micronesia is one of the places on my wish list that I've always wanted to visit . Not only because of the beauty of the islands and pristine water, but mainly because of its fame among scuba-divers around the globe!
I remember two years ago I bought a book titled "Passport to diving the world: Limited Edition" by Australasia Scuba Diver and saw some photos of grey reef sharks that were taken in Palau, Micronesia. I flipped through the pages and marked some pages with my yellow sticky-notes. Those pages with the sticky-notes would be my next scuba-diving holidays targets :D .. and Palau was one of them! :)
And here I am... in Palau, Micronesia! Yeahhh!!! I spent a week in this beautiful place and spared a few days for scuba-diving. Among some of the famous dive sites of Palau that I went: Turtle Cove, German Channel, Sias Tunnel, Blue Holes, Blue Corner.... Ulong Channel was my favorite. I had such a great diving experience in this dive site!
Do you want to know why? Watch the video I recorded in Ulong Channel today:
See? Lots and lots of grey reef sharks!
Visibility was around 20 meters, water temperature was warm - 30 degrees Celcius. We went down to 21.4 meters below the surface and marveled around. At one spot, we hooked on a big rock and watched the 'show'. Here's some quotes on my log book:
"So many sharks!!! Wow!!! I LOVE this dive site! :)
Lots and lots of grey reef sharks, white tip and black tip sharks. Probably around 30 sharks or so. They're just cruisin' around...
We put our reef hook and enjoyed the show. That was really cool! The sharks were EVERYWHERE. It's like watchin' a TV show. Reminded me of the dive at Castle Rock, Komodo National Park, Indonesia. But this one was better since there were lots of big grey reef sharks!
I couldn't even decide where to look. I looked to the left, but suddenly there was a shark swimming right above me :D. It was such a really cool dive. Loved it! So many small fish, too. At one point, they looked like a big cloud and so tiny compared to the sharks who swam in between them! So damn cool!!!"
I loved grey reef sharks. Their size is bigger than black tip and/or white tip sharks. They look fatter :p. But sadly, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has assessed grey reef sharks as Near Threatened. Why?
Sharks have a slow reproduction cycle. A shark will need 12-15 years to be ready to mate!
And with this slow cycle, sharks have to face a lot of threats. The biggest threat is being hunt by humans and used for various products, such as shark fins soup! Bummer!!!
By the way, do you know that Indonesia is the main supplier for sharks fins for the world's demand, such as Hongkong, Singapore and China? How humiliating! And it is also known that Indonesia catch the most sharks compared to other countries in the world. In 2004, Indonesia caught 122,000 sharks! OMG!
What can we do to protect them?
If we're not sitting on the fancy chair in the authority and don't have the power to change the policy of this nation, perhaps we can start by telling everyone to stop consuming SHARKS FIN SOUP and other sharks dishes!!!
Anyway, back to my amazing dive in Palau, Micronesia... swimming with plenty of grey reef sharks, I only wish that none of them got caught and ended up in a soup bowl at a fancy restaurant... *sigh*
Swimming with Stingless Jellyfish in Palau
Stingless jellyfish?
Yep. This animal does exist! And there are only two places in the world known as its habitat: Palau, Micronesia and Kakaban Island, Indonesia :)
The scientific name of the stingless jellyfish is Ornate Cassiopeia. They live in a close environment, thus, they do not have any threats from vertebrates. That's why they don't need to stings to protect themselves :).
On my trip in Palau, Micronesia, I spent a good half of day swimming with these cute stingless jellyfish at Stingless Jellyfish Lake, located at the Fifth Island, part of the Rock Islands. To reach the lake, we had to go by boat and walked in a forest on a dirt and rocky path. The path could be slippery, so be careful! But, what we experienced after walking up and down the dirt path was something that I would remember for the rest of my life...
I recorded some videos of the stingless jellyfish. This one is for you :)
Once you're there, you wouldn't want to leave the place. It's so magical! Swimming in a green lake, surrounded by beautiful nature in the middle of nowhere... it was soooo peaceful! And... having to witness the stingless jellyfish lake that only live in two places in the world was indeed something special and memorable... :)
It was amazing to see thousands of jellyfish swimming all around me. Yet, they're not harmful! Ohhh... sooo cute!!! I loved it especially when I did 'free-dives' -- in which, I took a deep breath, hold my breath, and dove a few meters down. Suddenly, I felt like I was in a dream world. So surreal. Everything was green, with jellyfish dancing all around me.... It was indeed like in a fantasy world and I was there 'free-diving' happily like a five year old girl...
However, when I was observing the jellyfish, I spotted one or two of them heavily injured. One of them didn't even have a full body! And the other only had half body left! Ouch. I wonder why?
Then, I noticed that tourists are allowed to use fins when swimming in this lake. I don't think it's a good idea, since these jellyfish are very fragile. If we snorkel and use fins, it would be hard to control our fins as there were thousands of jellyfish all around. It would be impossible not to swipe them with our fins!
So, I think, putting a sign: "Please Do Not Touch The Jellyfish" is not enough. The authority should also consider banning tourists from using fins in order to protect the stingless jellyfish.
I could imagine if the number of tourists going to this lake were increased, how many stingless jellyfish got kicked from the snorkelers' fins per day?
Yep. This animal does exist! And there are only two places in the world known as its habitat: Palau, Micronesia and Kakaban Island, Indonesia :)
The scientific name of the stingless jellyfish is Ornate Cassiopeia. They live in a close environment, thus, they do not have any threats from vertebrates. That's why they don't need to stings to protect themselves :).
On my trip in Palau, Micronesia, I spent a good half of day swimming with these cute stingless jellyfish at Stingless Jellyfish Lake, located at the Fifth Island, part of the Rock Islands. To reach the lake, we had to go by boat and walked in a forest on a dirt and rocky path. The path could be slippery, so be careful! But, what we experienced after walking up and down the dirt path was something that I would remember for the rest of my life...
I recorded some videos of the stingless jellyfish. This one is for you :)
Once you're there, you wouldn't want to leave the place. It's so magical! Swimming in a green lake, surrounded by beautiful nature in the middle of nowhere... it was soooo peaceful! And... having to witness the stingless jellyfish lake that only live in two places in the world was indeed something special and memorable... :)
It was amazing to see thousands of jellyfish swimming all around me. Yet, they're not harmful! Ohhh... sooo cute!!! I loved it especially when I did 'free-dives' -- in which, I took a deep breath, hold my breath, and dove a few meters down. Suddenly, I felt like I was in a dream world. So surreal. Everything was green, with jellyfish dancing all around me.... It was indeed like in a fantasy world and I was there 'free-diving' happily like a five year old girl...
However, when I was observing the jellyfish, I spotted one or two of them heavily injured. One of them didn't even have a full body! And the other only had half body left! Ouch. I wonder why?
Then, I noticed that tourists are allowed to use fins when swimming in this lake. I don't think it's a good idea, since these jellyfish are very fragile. If we snorkel and use fins, it would be hard to control our fins as there were thousands of jellyfish all around. It would be impossible not to swipe them with our fins!
So, I think, putting a sign: "Please Do Not Touch The Jellyfish" is not enough. The authority should also consider banning tourists from using fins in order to protect the stingless jellyfish.
I could imagine if the number of tourists going to this lake were increased, how many stingless jellyfish got kicked from the snorkelers' fins per day?
Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Gardens) Now Have a Website!
Dear readers,
For those of you who want to know more about Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Gardens), small libraries that I set up in remote areas of Flores, Indonesia, please click here or visit our website at:
http://tamanbacaanpelangi.com/
We thanked our friends at Dag Dig Dug who have donated the website for us and also Andy Harvey for designing the website!
Thank you sooooo much!!! GBU yaaa!
And oh... you can also connect us on social media. Please join us at Facebook by clicking here or our facebook group here. And, don't forget to follow us on twitter @pelangibooks
See you there, guys! :)
Yangon, the city of Shwedagon Paya
Yangon, the city of Shwedagon Paya, as Lonely Planet called it.
It is so true. Visitors who come to Yangon would not miss the chance to visit one of the world’s most impressive Buddhist temples: Shwedagon Paya (Paya means Pagoda). It was actually my first reason why I decided to go to Myanmar. One day, I flipped through my friend’s photo album on the Internet and found a gorgeous picture of Shwedagon Paya. I was so impressed with its beauty and could not stop thinking about it ever since…
Shwedagon Paya’s dome is considered as the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar. It is made of gold and rises 322 feet above its base. Legend says that the stupa is 2,500 years old, but archeologists believe that it is built in between the 6th and 10th century. It is still old, anyway… and the fact that it is very well preserved and so beautiful really impressed me.
The locals believe that when one walks inside the Shwedagon Paya complex, one should walk clock wise. Otherwise, it will bring a bad luck. At first, I forgot this “rule” and I walked the other direction. People stared at me with a strange look and I was wondering why. Then, I realized that I've made a mistake! Ouch! Of course I didn’t want to get any bad luck! Soon after, I was circling the stupa in the “right” direction, hoping that the good spirit “forgot” that walked in the wrong direction before :p. Hehehe..
One would need a couple of hours to marvel this stunning temple. Shwedagon Paya is not only big in terms of size, but also very elegant and pretty. The stupa itself is decorated with all kinds of jewels and gems. What a beauty! Around the main stupa, there are many Buddha statues and halls for praying. It is hard to not fall in love with the place. I even visited this place twice during my trip in Myanmar!
What also makes this pagoda beautiful is the fact that the locals still come from miles away to pray here. This pagoda attracts not only tourists, but also the locals. They come here to pray, some of them come here to meditate. The whole complex is always busy, yet it is so clean and spotless! Unlike many other temples where the floors are dusty, Shwedagon Paya probably has the cleanest floor, considering the huge size of the whole complex. Again, this small thing impressed me. I must admit that whoever manages the temple, really pay attention to the details :)
Like it or not, foreign visitors who wish to marvel the beauty of the Shwedagon Paya has to pay USD 5,- for entrance fee and another USD 5,- if one brings a professional camera (SLR). It is free of charge for the locals. And, thanks to my Asian look, I managed to get in free since the staff thought that I was Burmese! Yeah!!! If the money goes for the temple’s maintenance, I would not mind paying – of course, but according to my guide book, all the tourists’ entrance fees in the whole country will go straight to the military generals’ or government officials’ pockets. And, as a responsible traveler, of course I did not want to support such system! So, I was so happy that I managed to fool the government officials during my visit to Shwedagon Paya… twice! Ha!
If one does not want to pay entrance fee but still wish to visit beautiful Buddhist temple in Yangon, he/she can visit Sule Paya. The temple is located in the heart of the city, thus, after visiting the temple, one can start exploring the surrounding areas by foot. When I was in Sule Paya together with a German girl whom I accidentally met, two Buddhist monks approached me and said something in Burmese, which I didn’t understand at all. They were surprised when I told them that I was from Indonesia :). They have never met an Indonesian before... One of them asked me, “Do you want to be our friends?” Oooww… how sweet!
Apparently, they confessed that they’ve followed me since they saw me walking down the street. I was surprised. “Why did you follow me?”, I asked. They said, “Because we want to practice our English and you seemed like a friendly person. We thought you’re a tour guide of this German girl”. Hahaha!
So, I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon (of my first day in Yangon!) chatting with a German girl and two young Buddhist monks! We sat on a damp wooden chair, under a tree in a beautiful garden not far from Sule Paya. Win Win, a 175 cm tall with 2 silver teeth shining every time he smiled, spoke with broken English. Sondra, 28 years old, very skinny and tiny, spoke better English than his pal. We chatted about everything… from family, culture, monk’s life, rituals, and hobbies.
“Why did you decide to be a Buddhist monk?”, I asked Sondra
“Because of my Mom”, he said. He explained to me that one day, his Mom said, “If you want to make me happy, you should become a Buddhist monk. Monks life is good for you. A normal human life is not good for you. It is a hard life because you have to worry about money all the time, work very hard to live. You won’t be happy”.
Little Sondra wanted to make his mother happy, so he followed his mom’s advice by devoting his life for Buddha and live in a Buddhist monastery ever since.
“If your Mom didn’t ask you to become a monk, what would you actually want to be?”, I asked.
It is so true. Visitors who come to Yangon would not miss the chance to visit one of the world’s most impressive Buddhist temples: Shwedagon Paya (Paya means Pagoda). It was actually my first reason why I decided to go to Myanmar. One day, I flipped through my friend’s photo album on the Internet and found a gorgeous picture of Shwedagon Paya. I was so impressed with its beauty and could not stop thinking about it ever since…
Shwedagon Paya’s dome is considered as the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar. It is made of gold and rises 322 feet above its base. Legend says that the stupa is 2,500 years old, but archeologists believe that it is built in between the 6th and 10th century. It is still old, anyway… and the fact that it is very well preserved and so beautiful really impressed me.
The locals believe that when one walks inside the Shwedagon Paya complex, one should walk clock wise. Otherwise, it will bring a bad luck. At first, I forgot this “rule” and I walked the other direction. People stared at me with a strange look and I was wondering why. Then, I realized that I've made a mistake! Ouch! Of course I didn’t want to get any bad luck! Soon after, I was circling the stupa in the “right” direction, hoping that the good spirit “forgot” that walked in the wrong direction before :p. Hehehe..One would need a couple of hours to marvel this stunning temple. Shwedagon Paya is not only big in terms of size, but also very elegant and pretty. The stupa itself is decorated with all kinds of jewels and gems. What a beauty! Around the main stupa, there are many Buddha statues and halls for praying. It is hard to not fall in love with the place. I even visited this place twice during my trip in Myanmar!
What also makes this pagoda beautiful is the fact that the locals still come from miles away to pray here. This pagoda attracts not only tourists, but also the locals. They come here to pray, some of them come here to meditate. The whole complex is always busy, yet it is so clean and spotless! Unlike many other temples where the floors are dusty, Shwedagon Paya probably has the cleanest floor, considering the huge size of the whole complex. Again, this small thing impressed me. I must admit that whoever manages the temple, really pay attention to the details :)
Like it or not, foreign visitors who wish to marvel the beauty of the Shwedagon Paya has to pay USD 5,- for entrance fee and another USD 5,- if one brings a professional camera (SLR). It is free of charge for the locals. And, thanks to my Asian look, I managed to get in free since the staff thought that I was Burmese! Yeah!!! If the money goes for the temple’s maintenance, I would not mind paying – of course, but according to my guide book, all the tourists’ entrance fees in the whole country will go straight to the military generals’ or government officials’ pockets. And, as a responsible traveler, of course I did not want to support such system! So, I was so happy that I managed to fool the government officials during my visit to Shwedagon Paya… twice! Ha!
If one does not want to pay entrance fee but still wish to visit beautiful Buddhist temple in Yangon, he/she can visit Sule Paya. The temple is located in the heart of the city, thus, after visiting the temple, one can start exploring the surrounding areas by foot. When I was in Sule Paya together with a German girl whom I accidentally met, two Buddhist monks approached me and said something in Burmese, which I didn’t understand at all. They were surprised when I told them that I was from Indonesia :). They have never met an Indonesian before... One of them asked me, “Do you want to be our friends?” Oooww… how sweet!
Apparently, they confessed that they’ve followed me since they saw me walking down the street. I was surprised. “Why did you follow me?”, I asked. They said, “Because we want to practice our English and you seemed like a friendly person. We thought you’re a tour guide of this German girl”. Hahaha!
So, I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon (of my first day in Yangon!) chatting with a German girl and two young Buddhist monks! We sat on a damp wooden chair, under a tree in a beautiful garden not far from Sule Paya. Win Win, a 175 cm tall with 2 silver teeth shining every time he smiled, spoke with broken English. Sondra, 28 years old, very skinny and tiny, spoke better English than his pal. We chatted about everything… from family, culture, monk’s life, rituals, and hobbies.“Why did you decide to be a Buddhist monk?”, I asked Sondra
“Because of my Mom”, he said. He explained to me that one day, his Mom said, “If you want to make me happy, you should become a Buddhist monk. Monks life is good for you. A normal human life is not good for you. It is a hard life because you have to worry about money all the time, work very hard to live. You won’t be happy”.
Little Sondra wanted to make his mother happy, so he followed his mom’s advice by devoting his life for Buddha and live in a Buddhist monastery ever since.
“If your Mom didn’t ask you to become a monk, what would you actually want to be?”, I asked.
He was silent and smiled, “I don’t know. There’s no way that my Mom wouldn’t want me to be a monk. That’s all she’s ever wanted”.
Wow. This conversation made me think of how big his love to his mother is. He’s made his life decision based on his mother’s request. He didn’t even have his own will. Or maybe I should put it this way: his mother’s will has become his will?
The monks took us sightseeing and said goodbye just before the sunset. Yangon city could be as dark as an underwater tunnel at night, especially when the government decided to turn off the power in the whole city… Shops and food vendors closed at 7pm, I didn’t even know where to go for drinks in the evening. Local bars were full of men. Seriously. There was no a single woman in the bars. I wasn’t sure whether it was because of the World Cup or women didn’t go out at night.
And walking in the darkness, Sondra’s voice echoed in my ears, “I want to live as a Buddhist monk for the rest of my life…”
…
I felt very safe strolling down the streets of Yangon by myself. People were so nice and never disturbed me. There were a lot of Indians, who have sharp and scary looks but appeared to be very friendly and sweet, selling some snacks in the food vendors on the streets. You would not have to worry of feeling starving here. There were plenty of snacks to nibble in every corner of the city! Spring rolls, samosa, fried vegetables (tempura-like, but without the soya sauce, we call it “gorengan” in Indonesia) were some of the locals’ favorite snacks. Someone had warned me that the Burmese food was oily. But being an Indonesian, I was so used to oily food. In fact, I loved it! :D
One day, I visited Chaukhtatgyi Paya, a home to one of Myanmar’s most beautiful reclining Buddhas. The huge reclining Buddha smiled peacefully. Despite the impressive size of the Buddha, not many people visited this temple, surprisingly. The complex was not packed, there were only a few people sitting down in front of the humongous Buddha statue, praying and meditating… Some women fell asleep in front of the Buddha statue. Perhaps they were taking a break in between their meditation.. :)
The compound was very peaceful and quiet. There were a number of monasteries, housed for around 300 monks. I got a privilege to visit some of the monasteries in the area of Chaukhtagyi Paya and chatted with the monks there. Even though most of them didn’t speak English, the kept on talking to me in Burmese language, hoping that I would understand them, somehow.
Wow. This conversation made me think of how big his love to his mother is. He’s made his life decision based on his mother’s request. He didn’t even have his own will. Or maybe I should put it this way: his mother’s will has become his will?
The monks took us sightseeing and said goodbye just before the sunset. Yangon city could be as dark as an underwater tunnel at night, especially when the government decided to turn off the power in the whole city… Shops and food vendors closed at 7pm, I didn’t even know where to go for drinks in the evening. Local bars were full of men. Seriously. There was no a single woman in the bars. I wasn’t sure whether it was because of the World Cup or women didn’t go out at night.
And walking in the darkness, Sondra’s voice echoed in my ears, “I want to live as a Buddhist monk for the rest of my life…”
…
I felt very safe strolling down the streets of Yangon by myself. People were so nice and never disturbed me. There were a lot of Indians, who have sharp and scary looks but appeared to be very friendly and sweet, selling some snacks in the food vendors on the streets. You would not have to worry of feeling starving here. There were plenty of snacks to nibble in every corner of the city! Spring rolls, samosa, fried vegetables (tempura-like, but without the soya sauce, we call it “gorengan” in Indonesia) were some of the locals’ favorite snacks. Someone had warned me that the Burmese food was oily. But being an Indonesian, I was so used to oily food. In fact, I loved it! :DOne day, I visited Chaukhtatgyi Paya, a home to one of Myanmar’s most beautiful reclining Buddhas. The huge reclining Buddha smiled peacefully. Despite the impressive size of the Buddha, not many people visited this temple, surprisingly. The complex was not packed, there were only a few people sitting down in front of the humongous Buddha statue, praying and meditating… Some women fell asleep in front of the Buddha statue. Perhaps they were taking a break in between their meditation.. :)
The compound was very peaceful and quiet. There were a number of monasteries, housed for around 300 monks. I got a privilege to visit some of the monasteries in the area of Chaukhtagyi Paya and chatted with the monks there. Even though most of them didn’t speak English, the kept on talking to me in Burmese language, hoping that I would understand them, somehow.
I met a young monk who spoke very good English, better than any monks I met during my trip in Myanmar. He’s 30 years old and lived in one of the monasteries attached to Chaukhtagyi Paya. In his “room”, located on the second floor, he kept all his English books. I was surprised to see his books collection! He has a glass-bookshelf full of thick books on “How to Learn English”. Wow! He explained that he learned English by himself, from the books and also from a series of English-language CDs. He was so determined to master English language, so that he could study abroad. He wanted to study in Thailand, if he could. Then, after getting his degree, he wanted to return to Myanmar to teach English to others. As a monk, or not, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think I asked him this question. I was too impressed with his English and his books collection!
According to him, the government didn’t like it when monks spent time chatting with tourists. Perhaps the government worried if monks/locals shared stories on how bad they treated its people. I heard many tourists were followed by a spy. But during my stay there, I didn’t feel that anyone followed me. Apart from the two Buddhist monks I met in Sule Paya! :D Perhaps even the spy thought that I was Burmese. Hihihi…
If you’re into shopping or want to buy some souvenirs, the perfect place to go is Bogyoke Aung San Market. This market has everything you need for souvenirs, from long-yi (Myanmar’s traditional sarong), scarf, bags, t-shirts, etc. The building is also clean and cool. I thought it has an AC to cool off the whole building, but apparently it hasn’t! Apart from the shops, it is actually a perfect place to escape from the Yangon’s heat.
Like in many other countries, Myanmar also has a Chinatown. A Chinese Buddhist temple stood elegantly by the street, with the rooftop decorated by dragons’ statues. It is also worth to visit this temple if you have enough time in Yangon. When I was there, some elderly Chinese locals gathered together in two different roundtables, right after the huge red entrance door. They all spoke in Burmese language :)
For those who love spending holidays in big cities, Yangon might not be the right place to go. Even though Yangon is considered as a big city in Myanmar, it is far from the image of big cities with skyscrapers, modern buildings, fancy restaurants, cinemas, and all those modernization thingy. Yangon is a very down-to-earth city, with old and cramped apartment buildings, food vendors scattered in each side of the main streets, and abandoned old colonial houses all around. The city is not pretty, but the streets are surprisingly clean. And don’t forget, the people are nice. Even when you’re in a shopping mood in the market, they won’t push you to buy their stuff. They will leave you alone, as if they don’t even care whether you will buy something from them or not! :D And oh, when we bargain for the price, they will only smile at you if your bid is too low and won’t even try harder to make you buy their stuff. Funny!
Getting around the city, one can hop on a “smurf” car (small pick-up car in blue), rickshaw, crap taxi (yes, the taxis are all crap and falling apart), and/or public bus (always packed and the drivers imposes crazy driving style!). I tried everything and my favorite was taking the rickshaw! Even though I felt bad for the rickshaw driver at times :(.
So many stories, so many impressions, so many temples. I’ll try to share a bit of my experiences with you in my other posts about Myanmar… the land of monks and gorgeous Buddhist temples…
According to him, the government didn’t like it when monks spent time chatting with tourists. Perhaps the government worried if monks/locals shared stories on how bad they treated its people. I heard many tourists were followed by a spy. But during my stay there, I didn’t feel that anyone followed me. Apart from the two Buddhist monks I met in Sule Paya! :D Perhaps even the spy thought that I was Burmese. Hihihi…If you’re into shopping or want to buy some souvenirs, the perfect place to go is Bogyoke Aung San Market. This market has everything you need for souvenirs, from long-yi (Myanmar’s traditional sarong), scarf, bags, t-shirts, etc. The building is also clean and cool. I thought it has an AC to cool off the whole building, but apparently it hasn’t! Apart from the shops, it is actually a perfect place to escape from the Yangon’s heat.
Like in many other countries, Myanmar also has a Chinatown. A Chinese Buddhist temple stood elegantly by the street, with the rooftop decorated by dragons’ statues. It is also worth to visit this temple if you have enough time in Yangon. When I was there, some elderly Chinese locals gathered together in two different roundtables, right after the huge red entrance door. They all spoke in Burmese language :)
For those who love spending holidays in big cities, Yangon might not be the right place to go. Even though Yangon is considered as a big city in Myanmar, it is far from the image of big cities with skyscrapers, modern buildings, fancy restaurants, cinemas, and all those modernization thingy. Yangon is a very down-to-earth city, with old and cramped apartment buildings, food vendors scattered in each side of the main streets, and abandoned old colonial houses all around. The city is not pretty, but the streets are surprisingly clean. And don’t forget, the people are nice. Even when you’re in a shopping mood in the market, they won’t push you to buy their stuff. They will leave you alone, as if they don’t even care whether you will buy something from them or not! :D And oh, when we bargain for the price, they will only smile at you if your bid is too low and won’t even try harder to make you buy their stuff. Funny!Getting around the city, one can hop on a “smurf” car (small pick-up car in blue), rickshaw, crap taxi (yes, the taxis are all crap and falling apart), and/or public bus (always packed and the drivers imposes crazy driving style!). I tried everything and my favorite was taking the rickshaw! Even though I felt bad for the rickshaw driver at times :(.
So many stories, so many impressions, so many temples. I’ll try to share a bit of my experiences with you in my other posts about Myanmar… the land of monks and gorgeous Buddhist temples…
24 Days in Myanmar, the land of the unknown...
(Myanmar trip, June-July 2010)
Myanmar, a country where freedom of expressions is non-existent, the fear of the people over the government’s regime dominates the air of their breath, a place that is untouched by any means of modernization -- be it in the form of iphone, blackberry, Starbucks, Mc Donald’s, skyscrapers, etc, and yet… a place where sincere, genuine and warm smile of the locals can be found in every corner…
I spent 24 days there.. going from one place to another, spending time chatting with the locals, marveling the beauty of some of the world’s most beautiful Buddhist temples, making friends and hanging out with Buddhist monks, being invited to sleep in Buddhist monasteries and wake up very early in the morning, sipping uncountable cups of hot green tea served in every tea house, people’s house and monastery, witnessing traditional festivals that have been around for years, and.. the most important was.. spending time with myself, trying to listen to my heart with lots of distractions from my crowded mind…
Myanmar, a country where freedom of expressions is non-existent, the fear of the people over the government’s regime dominates the air of their breath, a place that is untouched by any means of modernization -- be it in the form of iphone, blackberry, Starbucks, Mc Donald’s, skyscrapers, etc, and yet… a place where sincere, genuine and warm smile of the locals can be found in every corner…
I spent 24 days there.. going from one place to another, spending time chatting with the locals, marveling the beauty of some of the world’s most beautiful Buddhist temples, making friends and hanging out with Buddhist monks, being invited to sleep in Buddhist monasteries and wake up very early in the morning, sipping uncountable cups of hot green tea served in every tea house, people’s house and monastery, witnessing traditional festivals that have been around for years, and.. the most important was.. spending time with myself, trying to listen to my heart with lots of distractions from my crowded mind…
In those 24 days, I spent a week in Yangon and Kyaikto Mountain, a week in Mandalay and ancient cities around (Sagaing, Amarapura, Inwa, Pyin U Lwin), five days in Inle Lake and five days in Bagan. It was nice and perfect. Of course it would have been nicer to spend more time in Myanmar, but the tourist visa only allows visitors to stay 28 days maximum in the country and I had to fly to Indonesia to open 3 more “Taman Bacaan Pelangi” (Rainbow Reading Gardens) in three remote villages in Flores… So, even though there were still many places to explore, I had to say goodbye to the lovely people there. But, I would like to use the the idea of “haven’t explored the beaches in Myanmar” as an excuse to return this interesting place…
I learned many things about life during this trip. I learned about patience, flexibility, the art of giving, happiness, and also trusting my inner feelings. It is amazing that I learn more things about life in such a short travel journey than a-two-months of living in a big city and sitting in front of my laptop in the office. I am also always fascinated by the fact that so many things happen when I go on holidays compare to the same amount of time I spent in the office. I think when we work full time, time passes by just like that *snapping my fingers*. We wake up early in the morning and before we realize it, it’s already bed time. We do not have enough time for ourselves to contemplate, to listen to our inner self, to listen to our heart that it is unnecessary to buy those material things that we do not actually need, only to buy a “temporary happiness” to substitute our dissatisfaction, etc etc… We are too busy to even sit still, do nothing and think, “Where am I in this life? In what stage I am now?”
This is why I love traveling so much. And traveling alone enables me to explore more of not only the places, the people, the culture, but also… myself.
And with regard to my trip in Myanmar, I also learned that the dictatorship of the government regime, the cruelness, the meanness and the inhuman treatments practiced by the military officials to its people do not make the people of Myanmar lose their sense of humanity, their sense of loving every living being on earth, and their sincerity and purity… Every people I met during my trip there has been so kind, greeted me with their innocent smile and treated me with their warmest heart. Despite the ill treatment they received from the people who hold the power, the people of Myanmar continue to live their simple life with a big heart, continue to be friendly to everyone who crosses their life paths, while keeping their hope that one day everything would change. They’re looking forward to the day when they could breath the air of freedom. And I wish that their flame of hope will always glow… even though sometimes it is only a dim… but at least it is still there… Again, this trip taught me a lesson on how to keep my hopes alive… no matter what the circumstances are…
Just like one of Bon Jovi’s songs… “Keep the faith!”. My heart goes for the sweet Burmese people out there… keep the faith, keep the spirit, and keep your hope alive!
I learned many things about life during this trip. I learned about patience, flexibility, the art of giving, happiness, and also trusting my inner feelings. It is amazing that I learn more things about life in such a short travel journey than a-two-months of living in a big city and sitting in front of my laptop in the office. I am also always fascinated by the fact that so many things happen when I go on holidays compare to the same amount of time I spent in the office. I think when we work full time, time passes by just like that *snapping my fingers*. We wake up early in the morning and before we realize it, it’s already bed time. We do not have enough time for ourselves to contemplate, to listen to our inner self, to listen to our heart that it is unnecessary to buy those material things that we do not actually need, only to buy a “temporary happiness” to substitute our dissatisfaction, etc etc… We are too busy to even sit still, do nothing and think, “Where am I in this life? In what stage I am now?”This is why I love traveling so much. And traveling alone enables me to explore more of not only the places, the people, the culture, but also… myself.
And with regard to my trip in Myanmar, I also learned that the dictatorship of the government regime, the cruelness, the meanness and the inhuman treatments practiced by the military officials to its people do not make the people of Myanmar lose their sense of humanity, their sense of loving every living being on earth, and their sincerity and purity… Every people I met during my trip there has been so kind, greeted me with their innocent smile and treated me with their warmest heart. Despite the ill treatment they received from the people who hold the power, the people of Myanmar continue to live their simple life with a big heart, continue to be friendly to everyone who crosses their life paths, while keeping their hope that one day everything would change. They’re looking forward to the day when they could breath the air of freedom. And I wish that their flame of hope will always glow… even though sometimes it is only a dim… but at least it is still there… Again, this trip taught me a lesson on how to keep my hopes alive… no matter what the circumstances are…Just like one of Bon Jovi’s songs… “Keep the faith!”. My heart goes for the sweet Burmese people out there… keep the faith, keep the spirit, and keep your hope alive!
Always The Real Thing: Coca-Cola Supports the Rainbow Reading Gardens!
Coca-Cola is now running a campaign, titled "Happiness Goes Around". This campaign relates to the "Expedition 206", in which three bloggers (Tono, Kelly and Tony) will travel to 206 countries in the world in 365 days! The good news is... they will also visit Indonesia on May 4th, 2010!Coca-Cola wants their visit to Indonesia to be meaningful and help spread happiness to others.
And, for Indonesia, the campaign "Happiness Goes Around" will be dedicated to our Rainbow Reading Gardens (Taman Bacaan Pelangi)! Yayyy!! How does it work? Coca-Cola asks everyone to share their happiness others by:
1) Submitting your happy faces pictures (you can submit more than one picture) through Facebook on their facebook wall here
2) Or submit the pictures through twitter and add hashtag #jktx206 or through Tumblr at
http://jktx206.tumblr.com/
For 206 pictures that Coca-Cola received, they will donate 100 books for Rainbow Reading Gardens (Taman Bacaan Pelangi) in Flores. Yiippeeeee!!!
So, let's contribute to this campaign and help us bring more books for children in Flores!
Deadline for submission is Monday, May 3rd, 2010.
As "Buka Semangat Baru" wrote on their facebook page: by contributing to this campaign and share your happy faces, your happiness will also be happiness of the kids in Flores! Your smile will be theirs soon! Yayyy!!!
Rainbow Reading Gardens (Taman Bacaan Pelangi) thanked Coca-Cola and everyone who has participated and will participate on this campaign for the support and good will to help our little brothers and sisters who live in remote areas in Flores, Indonesia. Big thanks and let's spread our happiness around!
Rainbow Reading Gardens is on TV!
The Autralia Network (or known as the ABC News) runs a story on Rainbow Reading Gardens (Taman Bacaan Pelangi) and the news airs today ;).Kerri Ritchie, the journalist who works for the media, interviewed me on April 23rd, 2010 at Pasar Festival. We decided to meet there at a book fair, a perfect set for running a news about books and education.
I also gave her some video footage and photos that I took of Rainbow Reading Gardens in Flores, Indonesia. Apparently, she used some of them! Omigod... the kids would be so happy if they saw their happy faces on TV! I also got a lot of responses from my friends around the globe, such as in Singapore, Australia, also Indonesia, who happened to be in front of TV and watched the Australia Network channel when the story was on. They said they felt touched to see the kids' faces and thought that this Rainbow Reading Gardens project was a great idea.Curious to see the news? Click here or check out the news at http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201004/2882687.htm :)
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