Nha Trang's Sand Art

She was sitting under a shade at a corner at the Po Nagar Tower site. My curiousity dragged me to see what she was doing closer. She had glass tumblers filled with different colored sands, arranged on a tray. One colored sand in one glass tumbler. A small box made of glass was put on a rotatable round platform. But she let the top of the box open.

a sketch on each of vertical surface

one colored sand  in one tumbler

Soon, I realized that she was about to make a sand art. I heard about this on TV before, but it was for the very first time I saw somebody was actually making it right before my eyes.

filling in the glass box with colored sands

a rotatable platform was very helpful

She made a sketch on the vertical surface of the glass box by a pen. One sketch on one vertical side. On the glass box, I saw two different sketches on it's 2 vertical sides. Next step was filling in the glass box by colored sands by a tool, similar to very small spoons. She managed to fill different colored sands by using the sketch as a guide. Occasionally, she used a tiny stick to ensure that the surface of the sands follows the sketch lines.

ensuring the sand surface follow the sketch lines

She kept doing that until the box was fully filled by the colored sands. She carefull checked the content of the box to ensure that she didn't leave some empty space in the glass box. Then she covered the top of the box by a small plan glass glued by silicone glue.

voila!

This kind of art started in Petra of Jordan in 1920's or earlier. They packed multi-colored sands in bottles and sold it to tourists as souvenirs. No one recalls precisely who started it or when (if you're interested in more details, click here).

A Hindu footprint in Vietnam

I was blessed with opportunities to travel to a lot of places in Vietnam. I saw a lot of Buddhist / Confucianism temples all over the country. But when I saw this ancient Cham temple, I felt being alienated from Vietnam cultures I got used to. The temple was Tháp Bà Po Nagar (the Po Nagar Tower)

I got impression that I must be in Cambodia or Laos. Even the red bricks material reminded me to Bali. But hey..., that was the hint!. The common thing here was the Hindu influence.

With currently over 50,000 followers, Hindu community is a minority among 84-million population in Vietnam. Most of them are Cham ethnicity.

The Po Nagar Tower was one of the most important Hindu temples in Vietnam beside My Son in Quang Nam and Po Klaung Garai (Poklongarai) in Phan Rang.

To visit the tower was easy. It was located by the Cái river, not far from Nha Trang downtown. Plenty of public buses went passing by the tower, or you could take the xe ôm (motorbike taxi).

Menyiapkan Kopi a la Vietnam

Alat & Bahan:

penyaring atas, wadah penyaring, tutup (kiri ke kanan)

Penyaring kopi (dalam bahasa Vietnam: phin cà phê), cangkir, sendok, kopi bubuk kasar (coarse ground coffee)

Langkah 1. Masukkan bubuk kopi ke dalam penyaring

Biasanya penyaring kopi Vietnam terdiri dari 3 bagian: (1) wadah penyaring, (2) penyaring atas, (3) tutup. Wadah penyaring diletakkan di atas cangkir. Masukkan kopi bubuk sebanyak kurang lebih 3 sendok teh penuh. Ratakan permukaannya.

Takaran satu sendok teh penuh

Langkah 2. Tutup dengan penyaring atas, tekan dengan lembut

Letakkan penyaring atas di atas kopi

Letakkan penyaring atas menutupi kopi, tekan dengan lembut agar kopi lebih padat. Langkah ini bertujuan untuk mengurangi udara yang terperangkap di antara serbuk kopi sehingga air tidak mengalir terlalu deras.
  

Tekan agar lebih padat

Langkah 3. Masukkan air panas

Air mendidih lebih baik

Masukkan air panas perlahan-lahan sampai penuh. Disarankan menggunakan air mendidih karena akan mengekstrak kopi lebih baik. Air panas dari dispenser pun bisa digunakan dan hasilnya tidak terlalu mengecewakan.

Langkah 4. Tutup dan tunggu

Setelah air panas dimasukkan, tutup penyaring kopi untuk mempertahankan suhu air. Air panas akan mengalir perlahan melalui serbuk-serbuk kopi. Air yang jatuh ke cangkir sudah berwarna hitam dengan aroma kopi yang kuat. Citarasa kopi yang dihasilkan akan semakin kuat jika air menetes lambat dan suhu air tinggi.

Biarkan air menetes habis

Di Vietnam proses ini dilakukan sekali sehingga air kopi yang dihasilkan sedikit tetapi sangat kental. Saya biasa menambahkan air panas sekali lagi setelah air yang pertama turun semua karena masih banyak citarasa kopi yang tertinggal di dalam serbuk kopi.

Untuk sebagian orang di Indonesia, proses menyiapkan kopi a la Vietnam ini terlalu lama dan ribet dibandingkan menyeduh dengan memasukkan kopi bubuk dan gula ke dalam cangkir, masukkan air panas dan mengaduknya. Tapi percayalah, rasa kopi yang dihasilkan sangat mantap, nendang! 

Langkah 5. Nikmati kopi a la Vietnam

Kopi a la Vietnam

Kopi anda sudah siap. Orang barat biasanya meminumnya langsung tanpa penambahan gula atau creamer. Katanya kalau ditambah gula, bisa menutupi rasa kopi aslinya. Saya pun terbiasa tidak menambahkan gula, tetapi kadang-kadang saya tambahkan 1 sendok teh gula pasir.

Tips

• Gunakan bubuk kopi dengan butiran agak kasar. Kopi bubuk yang tersedia di Indonesia biasanya terlalu halus sehingga mudah lolos dari saringan. Saya biasanya membeli kopi yang masih berbentuk biji, kemudian digiling dengan blender (atau coffee grinder / miller).
• Orang Vietnam menggunakan sedikit gula pasir yang dicampur belakangan sesuai selera. Susu kental manis juga populer digunakan sebagai campuran. Biasanya susu kental manis sudah dimasukkan ke dalam cangkir terlebih dahulu sebelum kopi.
• Kopi ini juga enak dikonsumsi dalam keadaan dingin dengan cara menambahkan es batu. Cà phê sữa đá (cà phê = kopi, sữa = susu, đá = es batu) sangat populer di Vietnam terutama di musim panas.

Telaga Warna

This is the second part of my trip story to Dieng plateau, the first one is my previous post Sunrise Above The Clouds.

Observing the sunrise from the top of Sikunir hill requires you to get up early at 4-am and climb the hill for 25 minutes, if you stay in Dieng village. But if you stay in Wonosobo, you need to leave the town at 3-am. The "show" would last till 6.30-am. Still early for a breakfast. Then you have time to do something before having breakfast. Telaga Warna is just right there for you by being located between Sikunir hill and Dieng village.

Telaga Cebong in the shade

I was surprised when I saw a lake from the point I started climbing Sikunir hill that morning. I knew I was there before, and been told there was a lake there. But it was to dark to see anything. It was Cebong lake, named after its tadpole shape ((ke)cebong is tadpole in Indonesian). I was not sure if its shape really looked like a tadpole or not. That was not important, the lake was nice. Hiding in the shadow of ajoining hill. Taking its picture was difficult since its extreme contrast. After taking some pictures I continued my trip to Telaga Warna.

The main gate to Telaga Warna

The high roof main gate to Telaga Warna make it seen easily. The car park was at the main gate's opposite side of the road. I came in at 7-am after paying the ticket. Visiting this lake that early gave me huge advantage, no crowd! As soon as I enter the gate, the strong sulfuric smell hanging in the air just like at many other places in Dieng plateau.

The green colored water of Telaga Warna

 The water was green, I couldn't see anything in it. No small fish, no waterbugs, it just lukewarm acidic water. Some birds were swimming in the lake, they must be taking a bath. I believed it was called Telaga Warna due to its green colored water.  I walked further following a con-block pathway around the lake. It led me to a statue. It was Gajah Mada statue in golden color, with a closed cave by it. It was a sacred meditation place. I soon found out that Telaga Warna site not only had a lake, but also 4 caves/places for meditation: Batu Tulis, Gua Semar, Gua Sumur, and Gua Jaran (Gua is cave in Indonesian). I was not sure if they were still used currently, all were closed.

Gua Batutulis, guarded by Gajah Mada statue

Gua Semar entry

A statue at the Gua Sumur entry

All of the mediation caves were located in a kind of dyke between Telaga Warna and Telaga Pengilon. If Telaga Warna gave me a sterile impression by not having fishes in it, Telaga Pengilon was rich of life. Fishes, bugs, tadpoles, more birds and... fishermen. It had brownish colored water.

I wished I could get to a higher place for a better view on the lakes. God answered my wish, even though I had to punish my lung and legs for a climbing a hill for the second time that morning..... and the view was amazing! Telaga Warna, Telaga Pengilon were there. Mount Sindoro in the background was a big bonus.

Telaga Warna with Telaga Pengilon and mount Sindoro in the background

I took some pictures and gave my lung and legs time to recover before I went down for a breakfast and another destination in Dieng.

Another view to the lake

Click here for more pictures.


Iman
Pemalang, June 13 2010

Sunrise Above The Clouds

Arriving late in Dieng Plateau that night (11-pm) didn't give comfortable options in choice a hotel. I did checked "Bu Jono" (mean Mrs. Jono), a hotel in Dieng mentioned by backpackers in the internet. It didn't impress me, and no one was inside. That led me to another hotel just by its side. Again, nobody answered to the door bell. Yeah..... I was the one to blame. I believe not many visitors come to Dieng that late.

A local approached me offering his service to find a hotel to my preference, later on he became my guide. He took me to another hotel few hundreds meter away from "Bu Jono". After checking the room, negotiated the price then I decided to take this "Flamboyan Hotel". Sharing a clean room, twin beds with hot water shower with my driver for Rp. 150,000/night (USD 16).

I asked my guide the best place to observe the sunrise in Dieng. He suggested a place in Sikunir. I didn't have a problem with that but the time. He would wake me up at 4-am to climb a hill a half an hour later. That was the problem!

We drove a car from the hotel to Sikunir hill for 15-minutes. It was dark and cold. Dieng Plateau was at 2,000 m plus above sea level. Even in the tropical area, that height will give you a cold weather. In August it's normal to have a frosty morning in Dieng.

Pak Wikno, my guide, told me it would be a 25-minutes climb. That was not a big deal, I thought. But soon I felt that 25-minute climb took forever. Thank God, I still had strong foot. But I could hardly breath. It was crystal clear that I had to stop my 2-years hiatus of aerobic exercises.

Finally I made it, and sat on a rock on the top of the hill to catch my breath back. It was still too early for a sunrise. I still had time to recover my ego from being beaten down by that 25-minute climb. Pak Wikno suggested me to stand here and there to get the best sunrise view. I ignored him, my top priority was to breath.

The sun then started to show up but the cloud between my eyes and the sun was there, blocking the view. I was disappointed a bit, but the overall view was really awesome. Being above the cloud gave me an extraordinary feeling.

Panoramic view of the sunrise

I started to take pictures as many as possible. Thanks to the digital technology, I didn't have to worry to run out of negative film anymore.

Gunung Sindoro stood beautiful, covered Gunung Sumbing from my view ("Gunung" is mountain in Indonesian). From the distance, I could see Gunung Merbabu and the infamous Gunung Merapi. The white clouds cover the villages and potato farms below.

Gunung Sindoro, can you see Gn. Merbabu and Merapi in the distance?

I just stayed there as long as possible to enjoy the magnificent view in front of my eyes until the sun was too high. I thought that was the end of the golden time, when the sunlight made everything turn to gold color.

I still have an unfinished business: went down the hill. I hoped it would be easier than climbing it up.

Click here for more pictures.

Roda-Roda Gila

Pernah melihat truk trailer 18 roda yang biasa menarik kontainer? Ada satu yang saya lihat dan menarik perhatian saya, antara takjub dan kesal. Takjub karena tidak membayangkan ada truk yang nyaris semua bannya gak ada yang bener. Kesal sama sopir (atau pemiliknya?) kenapa bisa begitu lalai atas keselamatan dirinya dan pengguna lalu lintas lain. Heran juga kenapa bisa lolos uji KIR oleh DLLAJR (kalau ini pura-pura gak ngerti ;-) ).

Mari kita lihat:

Melihat penampilan fisik, sepertinya ini adalah truk bekas yang diimpor. Body cockpit sudah miring, tapi kata sopirnya : "ini gak apa-apa kok!".

Coba kita lihat semua bannya satu persatu, dimulai dari ban depan kiri ke belakang memutari truk, sampai terakhir roda depan kanan:

Roda #1

Roda # 2 & 3

Roda # 4 & 5

Roda # 6 & 7

Roda # 8 & 9

Roda # 10 & 11

Roda # 12 & 13

Roda # 14 & 15

Roda # 16 & 17
Roda # 18

Bagaimana? Saya sendiri jadi ingat lagu jadul milik Bangkit Sanjaya berjudul "Roda-roda Gila".

Dalam perspektif global, pada tahun 2004 kecelakaan lalu lintas menempati peringkat 9 penyebab kematian global. Peringkat ini diprediksi WHO akan naik menjadi peringkat 5 pada tahun 2030.

WHO mengeluarkan Road Traffic Deaths Index 2009 Rankings. Kali ini, nama Indonesia tidak tercantum di papan atas. Di dalam laporan itu, Indonesia menempati peringkat 91. Di antara negara ASEAN, peringkat Indonesia lebih baik dari Malaysia (peringkat 58), Myanmar (60), Filipina (70) dan Thailand (73). Tidak dijelaskan angka kematian akibat lalu lintas di Indonesia yang lebih kecil dari negara-negara tersebut tadi apakah karena disiplin dan kondisi sarana lalu lintas yang lebih baik atau karena intensitas penggunaan yang lebih rendah.

Ayo lihat ban mobil kita. Ada yang sudah tipis kembangannya? Benjol? Retak? Sudah terlalu banyak tambalan? Seyogyanya kondisi ban menjadi prioritas lebih dibandingkan dengan perangkat audio mobil, misalnya, karena menyangkut keamanan dan keselamatan berkendaraan.

Julang Jaling

Malam itu saya dan kolega ditraktir bos makan malam rumah makam padang. Berawal dari salah satu menu yang dicampur irisan jengkol pembicaraan beralih ke jenis-jenis makanan "hardcore", seperti jengkol dan petai.

Hampir semua sepakat bahwa jengkol yang paling bau, kecuali satu orang yang "keukeuh" bilang ada yang lebih bau dari jengkol dan petai. Namanya? Sayang dia lupa, tapi bentuknya kecil, hitam dan lebih bau dari jengkol. Dia pernah makan sekali sewaktu berada di salah satu desa pesisir di Lampung Timur.

Setelah kasak-kusuk bertanya ke teman-teman orang Lampung, diperoleh informasi ada buah yang lebih bau dari jengkol. Konon, baunya adalah kombinasi bau jengkol dan petai. Dahsyat! Namanya julang jaling.

Akhirnya saya bisa mendapatkan julang-jaling dengan bantuan teman yang membelinya di pasar kaget di daerah Tanjung Bintang, Bandarlampung.

Ternyata reputasi julang-jaling yang saya terima berdasarkan info teman-teman benar adanya. Baunya campuran jengkol dan petai. Secara fisik julang-jaling berkulit hitam kecoklatan (seperti jengkol) tapi warna dagingnya hijau (seperti petai). Segenggam julang-jaling segar yang belum diapa-apakan mampu menyebarkan aromanya ke seluruh ruangan dalam hitungan menit!

Julang jaling (Archidendron microcarpum)

Secara ilmiah julang jaling ini lebih dekat ke jengkol, mungkin itu sebabnya warna kulitnya mirip jengkol. Pohonnya saya belum pernah melihat langsung. Untuk penjelasan rinci, silakan kunjungi laman Wikipedia yang tautannya ada di bagian bawah artikel ini.

Teman saya biasa memakan julang jaling dalam bentuk segar dimakan bersama sambal. Ada juga yang digoreng terlebih dahulu. Ada juga yang dijadikan campuran kacang-teri.

Biasanya yang membuat jengkol dan petai dimusuhi adalah baunya, terutama setelah dikonsumsi. Mulut bau, nafas bau, juga tidak "toilet-umum-friendly". Untuk dua "bau" yang pertama saya sudah menemukan cara jitu untuk menangkalnya, dan sudah terbukti. Setelah mengkonsumsi jengkol atau petai, makanlan mentimun segar paling tidak satu buah.

Untuk julang jaling, saya belum pernah jajal keampuhan mentimun. Julang jaling yang saya dapatkan di Lampung bulan Maret 2010 lalu, sampai sekarang masih saya sembunyikan di kulkas, di kompartemen sayuran dan dibungkus plastik 3 lapis. Karena konon baunya dahsyat, sampai sekarang saya menunggu saat yang tepat untuk jajal julang jaling, saat libur panjang di rumah! Khawatir jadi repot juga kalau bepergian dengan aroma julang jaling.

Informasi lebih lanjut bisa dilihat dengan meng-klik tautan-tautan berikut: sherryfreddy atau Wikipedia.


Iman
Pemalang, 19 Mei 2010