Indonesia beckons
In about ten days I will be off to Indonesia, and will have about ten days there. At the moment, I've made no plans of where to go or what to do.
Does anyone out there have any suggestions of how to plan out my stay? I'd like to get a flavour of the place, see some beautiful landscapes, enjoy some culture, eat some delicious food, get a bit active, and be a bit pampered. I'd also like to meet some interesting people.
I'm open to ideas - particularly from my visitors from Indonesia - I know you're regulars!
So, if you feel that there is something I should check out for my own personal enjoyment, or to report back on for wider interest, or people I should talk to, please let me know.
I'm also thinking about getting a camcorder, so I can capture the place and maybe even try my hand at vodcasting. If you have any particular model that you want to recommend, I am very willing to take recommendations. Please advise!
Does anyone out there have any suggestions of how to plan out my stay? I'd like to get a flavour of the place, see some beautiful landscapes, enjoy some culture, eat some delicious food, get a bit active, and be a bit pampered. I'd also like to meet some interesting people.
I'm open to ideas - particularly from my visitors from Indonesia - I know you're regulars!
So, if you feel that there is something I should check out for my own personal enjoyment, or to report back on for wider interest, or people I should talk to, please let me know.
I'm also thinking about getting a camcorder, so I can capture the place and maybe even try my hand at vodcasting. If you have any particular model that you want to recommend, I am very willing to take recommendations. Please advise!
Labels: personal
posted by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed at 11:04
6 Comments:
1. Mount Bromo - a volcano. You can trek to the top. I hired a donkey to do so not long ago. Don't know if it still available now.
2. Borubodur - you can't not go to this one!
3. If you want to shop for branded ex-factory items like shoes, clothes, handbags etc, go to Bogor.
4. There is also a small Orang Utan sanctuary in South Jakarta. Can't remember what it is called, though.
Foodwise - I love the bebek goreng (fried duck)! But if you want a very unique food experience, there is a restaurant in Cinere (South Jakarta), across the street from Cinere Mall and Pizza Hut. I think it is called Herbyz. The food is truly unique and cheap. They do a variety of healthy food like fried rice using the black seed and virgin coconut oil. And the Rosella juice is unbeatable.
But if you are very very hungry, try the Nasi Padang. They will serve you everything they have in the shop and they will only charge for what you eat / touch. It is like "eat till you die" kind of thing....
Well, i hope i'm, not too late to equip you with necessary equipments, sister ... :-)
You are in 'luck' ...! There'll be a week long Indonesia's annual Islamic Book Fair, ending on March 9, 2008. You can meet with interesting people there indeed ..., including the once jailed Abu Bakar Baashir -- if he is confirmed to be one of the contributors in one of the events there. It'll be at the Jakarta Convention Centre ...
Regarding food, well, Nasi Goreng is another local cuisine you can taste, but there are dozens or more kinds of this type of food. Well, i'm no expert but once in jakarta or other parts of indonesia i'm sure you can ask around ..
Don't forget to also capture the magnificence of contemporary mosques in Jakarta, if this is your 1st time. Try among others, the huge ones like At-Tin mosque and Jakarta Islamic Centre mosque ... besided the largest of all, Istiqlal Mosque, just accross an old Cathedral in centre of Jakarta ...
You can also pay a visit to some local madrasah's or 'pesantren' -- the indonesian tradisional islamic boarding school as well as the modern ones just to get the idea of how the old and new in indonesia's islamic education play a role in Dawah ...
Please make time to watch the recently released Ayat-ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) an indonesian islamic best-sellers novel based movie ... tho i know you won't understand a single word. It was supposed to be shot in Egypt, the setting of the novel, but instead it was done in India due to certain obstacles ... they say the movie can almost equal the 'quality' of the novel.
I wonder if i could get in touch with you once you are in indonesia?
salam ...
PS: the orang utan (and other big apes) sanctuary in south Jakarta is called Smutzer, which is in the Ragunan Zoo ... and not far from where i work ... :-)
Assalamu'alaikum Shelina.....
Last Morning, I saw your interview at Metro this Morning program at Metro TV. I hope you can enjoy to being here in Indonesia.
Maybe you can try to go to "Islamic Book Fair Jakarta" at Istora Senayan Bung Karno Jakarta. This event is starting since March 1 until 9 March 2008. There is a lot of program like talkshow, nasyid (Islamic song) competition etc. Beside You can see more of Islamic book there. Have a nice day :)
Wassalam'mualaikum
satriyo and rudiansen, thanks for your helpful comments. I will definitely try to make it to the book fair - i love books!
also - you were up early enough to watch metro tv? wow! do they have an online record, or do you have a recording?
thanks for your advise!
shelina
dear Shelina, I think it's too late for me to give you recommendations about Jakarta.. all I'm sure is you must be tired of the horrible traffic of it! :p
regarding the record, I think it is possible for you to have the origin record, all you have to do is to ask the producer to send it to you.. hope they don't charge you for it as it would embarrass me as Indonesian..:p
yes, i've requested the interview footage, and i'm now looking forward to getting out jakarta into the rest of the country...
Post a Comment
<< Home