Jakarta - Tuk Tuk Siadong

I woke up on 5 am. It was Wednesday, July 27 2011. Getting myself ready, I went to SoeTa airport, starting my 5 days vacation in North Sumatra, Indonesia.

My flight departed exactly at 7 am. Spending almost two hours in the sky was not enough. My plane was on Medan's sky, while the pilot told us that we could not land, because there was an accident down there. So he took us back to Pekanbaru. Spending another two hours up above was sucks, really. And indeed, it ruined our plan.

I, and my friend, planned to catch a ferry to Gunung Sitoli, Nias at 8 pm. And it would took about 8 hours driving from Medan to Sibolga, where we would take that ferry. There are only 2 ferries depart for Gunung Sitoli a day. Arriving at Medan on 12 pm made us canceled our plan to Nias. So, we went to Parapat, instead. Sitting for another 5 hours in a car, with a careless driver, who drove like he had 9 lives, was exhausting. I spent 90K rupiahs for it. The driver dropped us at Pematang Siantar and made us transit to a 'angkot'. Damn!! I really suggest you to take Tobali Travel and make a reservation before.

Arriving in Parapat, we were amazed by its view. It was worth for almost a half day trip. It took one hour for us to get to Tomok, in Samosir island by a small boat, which cost us 4K rupiahs. The scenery was really great.

We stayed over night at Tuk-Tuk Siadong, and it was approximately 3 kilometers from Tomok. You'll be offered a 'taxi' for 50K rupiahs to get you to Tuk-Tuk Siadong, or an 'ojek' for 20K rupiahs. If you go there with a group consist of more than 5 person, it would be good to take that taxi. We chose to walk. It was pretty dark, coz there was barely lamp on the street, and it was 7pm. If you arrive at Parapat before 4pm, there are boats that directly take you to Tuk-Tuk Siadong.

Bagus Bay Hotel was our choice to stay there. A clean room for two, without breakfast, costed us 150K a night. There's Batak dance show every night on 8.30 pm at the hotel. It was quite quiet at night. Check my photos here. Flap more...

Being Single

"Kapan mau nikah? Udah pas loh umurnya."
"Ayolah, papa mama mu sudah pengen cucu tuh!"
"Cari cewek donk."

Marriage is somehow a must in this country, at least for the elders. I won't mind coming to wedding parties, I do enjoy family gatherings as well. There's a big BUT coming in.....

Lemme start with my simple question, when we ask someone (that is not really close to us) about his/her personal life, do we really care? Or are we just playing nice?

Though I don't like being asked about this kind of my personal life, I, well, try to be nice. So I smile and use this 'we-will-see' statement as a default answer.

I'm not saying I don't wanna be in a relationship. But I don't wanna be reckless. It's a lifetime matter, for my sake. Being single is an option, and for now I've chosen that path. I'm not ashamed of being single and I don't think it is an embarrassment for anyone.

The thing is I am happy now. You might ask what my parents think about this, whether they are okay with my being single or not. I tell you this, they understand.

I have been nice these times, but I'm getting tired being asked that foolish yet pretend-to-be-caring questions over and over. So, please, unless you can prove me that having a partner can make me happier than I am now, you'd better not ask me to find one nor worse, ask me when I will marry someone. Cause if you think you are nice by asking those, you are just wrong. Flap more...

A Moment We Shared

I could stay awake just to hear your breathing
Watch your smile while you were sleeping

Dentingan nada lagu Aerosmith itu mengalun di benakku. Baru kali ini aku mampu memahami maknanya. Memandangmu yang terbaring nyenyak di sampingku, mampu mengukir senyuman di wajahku. Tak lama, ku memelukmu dan terlelap.

Terbangun mendapati bibirmu menyentuh dahiku, kubuka mata dan melihatmu menatapku. Sempat terhenyak, kulemparkan senyum padamu. Kau pun tersenyum. Indah. Aku tahu yang kurasa dan aku pun mengerti rasa yang kau punya. Namun sayang, kantuk saat itu membuatku kembali menutup mata.

Campuran keheningan malam, dan pikiranku yang sudah tidak menyatu dengan raga, aku menyadari ini adalah yang pertama dan ini pula lah yang terakhir. Tapi aku tetap tersenyum. Tersenyum untuk momen ini. Momen yang pernah kita jalani

Entah aku bermimpi atau aku benar-benar mendengarnya, Michael Buble samar-samar bernyanyi..

You were my one more chance
I never thought I'd find
you were the one romance
I've always known in my mind
No one will ever touch me more
and I only hope that in return
I might have saved the best of me for you

Aku tertidur dalam kedamaian jiwa, menyambut esok dengan senyuman.

And we'll have no ending if we can hold on
and I think I've come this far because of you
could be no other love but ours will do


*inspired by a friend who just had a wonderful journey Flap more...