I’m currently in the process of moving to Bali. The blog will be back after I finish settling in. Thank you for reading folks :)
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Kuala Lumpur: A Meeting After Eight Years
Bhumy first trip overseas, the boy excitement at 12.30 AM
I haven’t seen my ex-housemate, Bebe, after eight long years. Or even more. I just remember the first time he met his now-wife, Ili. The stormy process of their love and suddenly photos of their first daughter, Sidra. And when I had my own son, Bhumy, they had theirs, Atari. Then not long after, Bima. I saw all the process of their family through pictures, facebook and blogs.
Then suddenly we’re doing our own gardening in our own lawns, his in Selangor – Kuala Lumpur, mine in Nitiprayan – Yogyakarta. Skype chats suddenly involves the updates of our latest garden design and trying the latest experiment based on the permaculture principles. We share ideas and updates on our kids, daily in the social media.
Excitement came when the Yogyakarta – Kuala Lumpur new routes are getting as cheap as going to Jakarta or Denpasar. So it was decided that in the end of March, we will have our reunion. There is also an international street art festival happening in KL which we could see while we are there. I had to take care my son’s first passport and it is our first trip overseas together. Things went well, preparations was simple.
It was just the three hours flight delay that makes Ili and the boys pick us up in the airport at the most ungodly hours especially for the children. Somehow Bebe looks the same, accept with the very fact that he is a punk dad with the additional three kids. I remember Ili with the long hair, but nowadays she cut it short. I guess I agree with Bebe, that this trip felt like a dream, or a long wake after a dream. The long years that separate us seems make the distance feel far away and unreachable physically. But then, we are here. Me and Bhumy together.
Suddenly the trip to KL felt like a time machine. Suddenly we are all above thirty and our kids are already knocking as our next generations. Suddenly our interest met with our hope of the future: our children’s lives. We talk about raising kids, domestic issues, healthy food, recipes to cook, urban gardening, permaculture, our old friends, art scene in KL, politics in general (blah), sustainable living and basically the latest update on anything.
The next five days felt so short but it create something huge. Time always passes by. But moments are eternal. Despite all this technology convenient mobility thing, meeting your old dear friends and family is always become the best thing that we always treasure.
Our first morning: Munching roti canai in the garden
Our kids play together, share foods and toys while us the parents sharing all the stories of our lives. I didn’t develop the interest to explore KL that much this time, accept more to seeing Bebe and Ili. While Bhumy joining the Gang Chaos: Sidra-Atari-Bima. We also have the trip together with the kids to the Padang Jawa: Street Art Festival. The children are excited to take the bus and train. Play on the streets and under the rain with the kids in Kampung Padang Jawa. It’s a refreshing side of KL. It is the other side of urbanisation never advertised in any tourism pamphlet on Malaysia. But things feel connected, the reality is real, our problems are familiar and our discussions are to search the solutions together.
Bhumy and Atari at Padang Jawa
The boys practicing body surfing under the rain of Padang Jawa
Taking the bus trip with Gang Chaos
Bhumy being nice with the local kids
Sidra, the big sister :)
Sidra and Bebe in the garden after a moning rain
I somehow change my perspective on visiting Malaysia after this trip, the joyful trip to Kuala Lumpur this time really makes me to look forward for further of the many trips to the home of my dearest friends and their kids :) Miss you all!
Resting in the Garden
Making raised bed in my garden
At this point, as once in a while a traveler need to take their balance by going nowhere. By trying to grow some roots in the place where I come home the last 11 years. It’s been a fantastic 3 months of beginning 2013, meeting old and new friends, making connections and most of all, making gardens together!
I’ve been enjoying making 3 gardens, including my own. Being addicted to permaculture and the concept of sustainable living, which I’ve wanting to do since a long time. I guess I have to say, here is the time when everything falls into places. Not only watching things grow, but also growing things.
More information for our activities: http://www.permablitzjogja.net
Like us in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Permablitz-Jogja/437369166340458
Yogyakarta: One Billion Rising
“ONE in THREE WOMEN would be RAPED or BEATEN in her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION too many! STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN!” #OneBillionRising
We’ve been waiting for this day. Of all rising. 14th February 2013. This is the One Billion Rising against Violence towards Women. In Yogyakarta, people starting to gather in front of the Inna Garuda of Malioboro Street. We were going to have a V-Rally along the street at 4 PM. People talked whether it was going to rain soon.
And the rain storm did come, with a slight of hard wind. It took us around 10 minutes to decide, the heck of it, let’s go dancing through the rain. Let’s celebrate ourselves, women, the mothers, the daughters and sisters within ourselves! LET’S RISE TOGETHER! Saying out lout to STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN!
We dance under the rain, being blessed by mother nature for such a beautiful and inspiring day. FIGHT, DANCE and RISE! With all the love from Yogyakarta to every single of you and the rest of the world!
All photo credits to Lingga Tri Utama, the complete set can be seen here. And the One Billion Rising Jogja album. We are also being covered by the Guardian here.
Rise with me, Rise with Us #OneBillionRising
I’ve read their stories for years.
I’ve experience what they experience.
I’ve share my own stories.
I’ve feel what they feel.
And I feel I have had ENOUGH!
NOW, I’m rising with them!
I’ll see you ALL on 14th of February 2013!
JOIN US! More information:
Yogyakarta: https://www.facebook.com/OneBillionRisingJogja
Indonesia: http://www.onebillionrisingindonesia.org
The Globe: http://onebillionrising.org
Imogiri: A Visit to Bumi Langit Permaculture Center
Mas Salas carrying Safia and explaining to Labodalih about the waste water garden
It was a sunny Saturday morning to start with. It was a date with my regular organic vegetable seller- the Bumi Langit Permaculture guys- and my favorite guys: Asabhumy (me son), Labodalih Sembiring and Paul Daley. Mas Adri was waiting for us in Milas after the organic market finish at 12 PM, Mas Salas end up taking us up to Imogiri under the slight drizzle not long after we had our motorcycle drive. Despite Paul having a flat tire and we had to stop for some tea/coffee, the way up to Imogiri worth the best excitement and amazement of my son pointing in to whatever directions of the green surrounding landscapes. We even have not arrive yet.
Entering Bumi Langit you could feel the change in the air, the slight mist and the smell of fresh rain on the ground. All the oxygen you can feel coming to refresh your lungs from the city pollution. You feel you are relaxed on your own skin. And mother nature says hi.
Bumi Langit Biogas Tanks
While waiting for Khrisna to finish doing his things, Mas Salas carry Safia (Khrisna’s youngest sister) and took us for a tour in Bumi Langit. We went first to the waste water garden (well literally things grow above your septic tank :D) next to the biogas tanks. Then into the pool of ducks, where the filtered water create a little ponds.
Duck Pond
This is where Bhumy getting so excited and he even pee near the pond. This area reminds me of my childhood. We used to raise chickens and my dad make the farm above water, putting the chicken in bamboo huts where their discharge fall into the water to feed carps. We had a great harvest back then. It is great to see Bhumy being comfortable running around the place and being friendly with the animals. It’s tragic and sad to see many city kids todays being so unfamiliar with nature. It feels so unnatural for a human being to be disconnected with nature. It is such a loss to our future generation to lost this kind of relationship with the earth. Our home. Our own mother.
The view of the permaculture farm
Khrisna finally join us in the middle of our little tour. We walk and talk while seeing the amazing surrounding and the permaculture system set up in Bumi Langit. Khrisna took us for another tour, while the clinging Safia is forbidding Mas Salas to go home. Let’s the photo speak from now.
Bhumy going up the stairs
Put plastic in the right bin
The view of Jogja sky from Bumi Langit
A few days old lamb, photo taken by Labodalih Sembiring
Khrisna and his cows, photo taken by Labodalih Sembiring
Bhumy on his way up again
Papaya tree on the wall
Lushful mints and basil
Khrisna new site
The view from Khrisna’s house
Amaranth seeds, 80 % protein and high antioxidant, very easy to grow
End up cooking meals for the guys and family of Bumi Langit
Late night talks and discussion on permaculture and near future plans, photo taken by Labodalih Sembiring
At the end of the day our experience with Bumi Langit really lived its name. Bumi means Earth, like my son (just different spelling) while langit means sky. It feels like you are among the earth and the sky while you are here. Appreciating the nature and being amaze with the ecosystem. Khrisna father’s, Iskandar Waworuntu, started this place with his own family and communities. While his eldest son and Khrisna’s older brother, Tantra, is based in Bali in a similar sort of setting and permaculture set up. There is a lot to learn in one day and we will definitely coming again as regular visitor. Do visit when you are in Jogjakarta area :) It is such an inspiring place to live in. Great and amazing people. Vibrant and positive energy for the planet.
Bogor: Hometown Street Food Series #1
Gedung Dalem street food stalls
I was back at my hometown Bogor last weekend. Despite the short trip, I manage to get parts of my craving on hometown cuisine. I might as well would do some series in my short trips to Bogor every now and again. Anyway, like always, Bogor always, ALWAYS rain! It’s the famous rain city of the archipelago after Pontianak, second highest rate in this country.
All of people coming to Bogor always hunt for the famous Asinan Gedung Dalem (basically pickle) and Roti Unyil Venus (small cute bread in various of flavor and toppings). The asinan divide into two types, the fruity sweet ones and the semi salty vegetable ones. I like the fruit ones the best. I would not post about those two famous things here. But I would post about the Gedung Dalem street food just in front of the Asinan Gedung Dalem stores.
People trying to decide to get the many foods in this crammed stalls
Before they move to a newer building and having a few branch in the city, this area is famous for their traffic jam in the weekend, because everyone and everybody crammed for buying the famous asinan. The traffic jam lessen in this area now, although Bogor is still packed with weekenders from Jakarta every bloody weekend.
Anyway, basically the street food stall in front of the store made to be a small alley, despite the rain do sit and enjoy the varieties food that they offer here. Here’s are my favorites from the area:
Lumpia Basah Gedung Dalem
This is my old time favorite and also my mother, I usually buy the one on the right corner stall. Despite there are options of buying fried ones, the specialty of this place to offer is the wet lumpia (springroll) or famously known as Lumpia Basah Gedung Dalem. Per piece is only 7000 IDR. Served hot with their own sambal. The guy made the filling, stir fry on the spot with fresh bamboo shots, eggs, dry shrimp, garlic, tofu, bean sprouts. Super delicious, wrap with soft spring roll skin and banana leaves. A delicious treat!
Wet Springroll, still warm!
While going just across the street, you will find RM Sisca. This small restaurant is famous for their Nasi Pepes Ayam. It is basically rice steam with coconut milk, chicken, jambal dry fish, indonesian basil, chilies, petai (stink beans), wrapped in banana leaves. The sambal here is special too. Trust me you will finish two portion in one go.
Best with sambal!
As a child I always love when my family made the nutmeg syrup. That’s why I lurvveeeee the ice nutmeg syrup they have and serve with slices of the nutmeg fruit! The yummiest thing ever :D And yeah, in Gedung Dalem stalls they come with other variety such as Mango and Soursoup.
Nutmeg, mango, sour soup ice drinks
Another area for famous street food is the Kesatuan alley via Suryakencana street. I’ll take more picture next time, but here is a little peek on the famous ice nutmeg sellers of this street. It’s one of the best in town!
Nutmeg slices in nutmeg syrup, the best in a hot day!
