Indonesia - dropping by for a visit

When I met Tya last year, I did not think I will be dropping by for 6 days to her home city Bandung so soon.
And indeed. My last days of semester break I set off to Bandung (West Java) and spend with Tya, my ex house mate, few great days.

Firstly - Indonesia is different from what I have come through in SouthEast Asia so far. People are nice and very different in many corners of the whole country, because there are huge distances from one island to the other one (no AirAsia to ease the distance handicap). Basicly, there are still old tribes living in Papua (the naked ones we know from National Geographic:p), there are also university students using interent in Bandung and there are 21st century shopping malls and skyscrapers in Jakarta.
As soon as I exchanged Malaysian Ringitts I became a millionare, cause of the Indo currency! :) If only all these millions were not a Rupiah, but an Euro :)

What I liked was, that Bandung is very green city - many trees, light wind and dry weather (what a paradise compared to humidity and heat back in Malaysia). Bandung was main city for Dutchies, when they conquered Indonesia back in old times. I recommend to visit! (Great number of Factory outlets and best Brownies ever!)

I stayed with Tya at her place, we made several trips - to a volcano Tangkuban Prahu, that was still "steaming", to tea planations, to hot springs, just around-in and out- Bandung (all great places to visit) or just chill in J.Co donuts with friends.
Great experience was to see kids playing Anklung (musical instrument) - little poor kids are learning how to play Anklung and then they perform daily for foreginers.

We also made one day trip to Jakarta, where we saw National Museum. The most interesting was to see whole map of Indonesia (the whole archipelago) and the various people living there. The tribes in Papua, people from Aceh (province on Sumatra that was the most hitten by tsunami 2004), Javanese people, tribes from Sulavesi (Celebes) ... they all have different face features, but look simmilar.
In Jakarta we visited the Old town with Tyas friends. In Batvia Cafe I ordered a beer, that came in a tea pot (cause of Ramadhan i had to drink BEER from a TEA CUP!) Near Old Bank I saw a young Indonesian couple holding hands. That would be not possible at all in Malaysia. Perhaps the relegion there was not that strong.
Anyway, I really had a great time in Bandung and Indonesia. Thank you, Tya!
I am sure I will come back one day. I really would like to see Borobudur and Prambatan (Budhist and Hindu temples in Central Java) and of course see Tya again (Although its your turn now, gal!)
Dinner with Tya´s mum at a goreous place with a magnificent view on the whole 2million Bandung

Tangkuban Pragu, the Volcano

With wooden colourful puppets after Anklung exhibition

Buddy check, deep breath, jump, bubbles & entering a new world!

Scuba diving! My new passion and huge discovery!

My first encounter with scuba diving was about a year and half ago, when another intern, Janne from Finland, asked me, if I am interested in a scuba diving course. I said: Well, yes, why not... and i was not sure what does it all involve, this scubadivning. But now i am grateful for that decision.
After about a month lasting course (one lesson per week in a pool) we went for our first open water diving to the Redang Island on East coast of Malaysia. It was really cool, but after that I was thinking that I will just hide my PADI licence of Open Water Diver somewhere in a drawer and i am not gonna dive anymore, cause of the lack of opportunities...
BUT next time was it on Phi Phi Island with Eduardo, when we started with a night dive. That was an experience. To enter an underwater world, when everything around is black. We were going round one island and we were watching underwater world by night with a flash light - watching a moray eel and other colourful fish and corals.

When going scubadiving from a boat, you have to assamble your equpment on the shore, prepare all the important stuff, like a mask, fins, wet suit and tank with oxygen...
On the boat you just get into all that and do a buddy check (buddy is the person who is diving with you, in case you get out of air, he gives you his bit of oxygen, which happned to me also these days!) Buddy checks your equipment in 5 steps, if everything is allright and then just "Giant strike" jump in the water and slowly going deeper down and explore the unknown...

Just now I got back from the World no. 3 site for scuba diving - Sipadan Island. It is an island in Celebes Sea, East side of Borneo. This island is like a tower coming from the bottom strait up. A few years ago there was a lot of publicity made by J.J.Custeau - he explored the island and stated that place as a marine paradise.

And indeed it is. You have to buy a permit in advance to go there, since it is a marine park.
Our first dive in Sipadan was like entering a paradise. The island itself is a little green patch in a aquamarine sea, "kde se vzal tu se vzal":) White sandy beach... And when we juped out of our boat, the real uderwater paradise was yet to come. Beatiful colourful corals, rainbow fish - Clown fish in anemone (Nemo), sharks, water turtles (a plenty of them!)....
Our second dive we were not that lucky, cause we went on a spot called Barracuda point - a place where barracudas meet and creat a big cirles, but that happenes only when a big current comes. But we did not see them. Anyway as one diving place said "the worst day diving is still better then a day in the office", it was a great dive in the end :)

Second day of our diving in Sipadan was just great. We went along a wall full of colourul corals and fish. Suddenly out of nowhere a big sea turtle came and just swam a meter from me! Our divemaster (a person who comes with us to show us around) took us to a little cave, we swam also through a hole in the limestone, saw a shark about 2 meters ling, school of fishes swiming above us.... just great. When we saw one big fish out of nowhere another big one came!
An hour long break between dives (each day two dives on Sipadan) we spent relaxing on the island, just walking around with a cup of tea...

Scuba diving opned a new, unknown chapter of my discovery and adventure part of myself. If you ever wondered to try it, I can recomend it 100%. It is loots of fun!