The Beauty of Batik on Rainy Jakarta

November rain still pour almost anytime of the day. Jakarta is in bleaky color pallet. Deep in the city, when the traffic jam is inevitable. The wilderness portrayed in the nuance of oldies sepia photos. The crowd and mud.  Between the dimly of twilight, few shocking color spread. Unnatural. Shocking red, green, and yellow neon lights. Where was the sight of red asoka flower, green shade of bamboo, or the yellowish frangiapani?  I bet most of us craving for beauty in any form on this sepia-colored situation.

There's a term for winter depression in the northern country. For me, rainy days in chaotic rush hour traffic of Jakarta is miserable. To tackle the gloomy ambiance I wear vibrant colored batik for my busiest day. Batik is Indonesian traditional fabric made from cotton or silk, dyed with wax-resist technique. I collect few of central java classic motif called "parang". These days, I wear most of my "batik pesisir" collection that genuinely come from the coastal area of northern java. This type of batik come in shade of vivid color tone. The "pesisir" motif usually more organic in design. It feature flowers, animal, and folklore in the pattern design.

Batik Parang Motif

People have their own way to connect with their inner-self. The child in us seek for pleasure in the real life of our adult body. In my case, the strategy to rise above the gloomy mood on rainy season is to wear something vibrant, artistic, and organic. What is more convenience than wearing vibrant colored batik in a moderate dose on your working days.

Rain can soothe your mood or irritate your plan. In this case, rainy season arouse the needs of beauty in vibrant colors. I found it in the Indonesian heritage, batik. Lets enjoy rainy Jakarta in the colorful tone of batik!

Rest a while from the traffic jam.
I wore pink "batik pesisir" from Pekalongan 
with butterfly and flower motif.

Photostoria: Some Kind of Wonderful

First sight on the first dive at 20 feet deep

Buddy, photos of Sigit and Ima

Me, Ima, and Wildan under the salty splash

Almost Angler spotted on night dive. — at Rubiah Sea Garden.

Giant red crab, perhaps a spooner kind, crawl on night dive.
— at Rubiah Sea Garden.

Fimbriated dragon moray eel.

Blue-spotted Ray under moss-green coral. — at Batee Tokong.

Me and Isfan the kinky dive master :p

Lunch time for anthias. — at The Canyon.

Red lion fish

Orange colored Anthias on green coral

Giant Moray Eel spotted on the busy social life of Bartlett's Anthias

Blue ribbon eel pop out from its homy hole

Saya Bangga Jadi Tumblerarian!

Jujur saja sepuluh tahun sebagai vegetarian, sampai saat ini saya belum sepenuhnya pemakan sayur saja. Masih lakto-ovo vegetarian, makan telur hayuk, produk susu juga nggak nolak. Malah udah beberapa tahun ini kadang makan seafood. Tolong jangan sodorin saya kerang dan salmon, bisa habis dalam sekejap.

Sama aja jadi pengguna wadah tempat minum alias tumblerarian juga belum sepenuh kuasa--walau niat sudah sepenuh hati. Kadang kala, ketika sedang melanglang berpetualang kepentok dengan keadaan di jalan. Tidak bisa isi ulang air minum dari keran, jadilah isi ulangnya dari botol air minum kemasan juga. Walau begitu, saya tetap bangga jadi tumblerarian! Lebih sedikit botol plastik, untuk dunia yang lebih baik.

Tumbler gendut saya yang setia menemani

Ini ada cerita dari petualangan saya di Jalur Sutra bulan Mei kemarin. Bermula di suatu toilet super bersih di Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Demi niat menjadi tumblerarian yang berdedikasi, saya isi tumbler dengan air dari keran wastafel loh. Habis, waktu saya cicipi airnya cukup enak  dan jernih. Lagian setelah itu saya campur dengan satu sloki Gin sih, sebagai penetralisir dan desinfektan. Airnya jadi tambah segar dengan bau herbal ala Inggris dari air suci saya. 

Harap resep ini jangan ditiru kalau tidak bermental nekat, hanya dalam keadaan khusus. Hasilnya, saya masih terbukti sehat walafiat loh selama lima hari kemudian minum dari botol dengan cara begitu, hemat dan nggak nyampah botol plastik. Hidup air keran dan Gin!

Mongolian Steppe Riders

Horse is the most important animal in the cultural history of Mongolia. The vast landscape of 1,564,000 square km , inhabited by population about more than two million people, making it as one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world. Therefore, no surprise that most of the free spaces occupied with horses for more than two and half million population.

From the context of socio-ecology, the relationship between man and horse has shaped an entity that is quite incomparable anywhere else in the world. No Mongolian nomads are happy going on foot. They are horse rider. It is a normal situation between the nomads in the steppe to witness small children sat on the horseback before they can even walk. They were born from a woman, but they surely live with horses for the rest of their life.

In the steppe, we can easily find saddled horses tied to the rope or left to graze unsupervised next to the ger. This animals are so dear in the heart of the Mongols, that it has always have a name and people share the story about their horses among acquaintance. This is particularly true for the Mongols, for whom the horse is still a fundamental part of life, a symbol of status, and a trusted friend.

Wrestling Pal for Edi

Edi or Edward V is a bachelor from the city of Archduke, Vienna. His height around 1,87 meters and has baby face on Samson posture. Tall, sturdy, smiley face, with long brown hair, and Wookiee voice-- he really was a human incarnation of Chewbacca. That was the moment he got his nickname, Chewie.

Chewie sleep over the vast steppe.

Just like these-day Vienna young inhabitants, his true interest was in the art of mocking and sarcastic praise. He called me 'Princess' to tease my hygiene habit and good manner words. So there we were, the Princess and Chewie,  driving the horseland in the Planet Steppe. All we need to find was the Jedi. Defeat  the bumpy road, three days with minimum size of beer, and a painful introduction to the intellectual demands of group's life philosophy, Edi need a pal to release his frustrations. Wrestling field was the answer.

As one of my companion during the Mongolia trip, Edi has shared a lot of his brilliant wisdom about shamanism. As well as his vast knowledge about the way they got "high" or trance in a manner way, and his beautiful skeptic mind toward the spirits world. I was sure Edi realized that it took more than cute big grin to survive in Mongolia, and it included wrestling.

Photostoria: Bagan with Thousands Pagoda

note: click the image to see slideshow and larger view.

The Beatles di Ladang Mulberry Ferghana

Jejak musim panas yang masih muda terlihat di sepanjang jalan dari lembah Ferghana menuju perbatasan Kirgizstan di kota Dustlik. Gerombolan bibit tanaman kapas tampak menyeruak dari ladang-ladang. Semua itu begitu hijau bersandingan dengan jalur-jalur rambatan tanaman anggur yang masih menyembunyikan buah mudanya yang masih hijau untuk dipanen di musim gugur nanti.

Setiap pohon, setiap semak penuh dengan bunga. Tidak heran jika ada orang yang berharap dapat berubah menjadi kupu-kupu untuk mencicipi nektarnya. Kalau saya pribadi sih, mimpi berubah jadi Thumbellina, si gadis seukuran jempol yang suka tidur di dalam kelopak bunga. Seru sepertinya tinggal di padang bunga musim panas, apalagi dalam bentuk lebih mini.

Nuansa warna fuschia dan salem pada mawar musim panas

Lembah Ferghana sejak berabad-abad yang lalu adalah provinsi di Uzbekistan yang sangat terkenal di jalur sutra karena industri pemintalannya. Berada di lempeng Eurasia, provinsi ini dipeluk oleh lengan panjang pengunungan Pamir di selatan dan Tian Shan di timur laut. Kurang lebih daerah ini berbatasan langsung dengan Kirgizstan di kota Dustlik dan Tadjikistan di kota Khudjand. Secara historis oase subur ini menghubungkan Cina dengan wilayah Mediterania.