My journey back home

I didn't up date this blog for long time, no excuses other than busy. I have been visiting my birth country Indonesia. Of course there are lots of story I can write here but thought for this time I just want to write a litle bit about my journey back to the country where I was born.

Bitung-Manado-Tomohon

It’s been 3 years since my last visit, there are lots things has change, the public sectors has slightly improved, the road is getting a little bit wider but sadly there are lots of pot holes everywhere, more malls in Manado, more cars and more polluted.
I was impressed by the improvement of waste collection in Bitung, where the waste bin empty regularly every morning,and Bitung looks more cleaner, no more small traders selling on the pavements and the city looks more tidy,…Well done to the council.

What amused me was when I was in Minahasa region, I saw a huge banner for every region where the picture of Bupati (head of the region) or Walikota (the city mayor) display hugely on board welcoming the people who entering their territory, it made me thinking “are they genuinely welcoming people, or to let people know that they are in charge in their territory?”, hmmh… it’s funny …..here in UK I don’t even know the name of the city mayor here, I have personally met him and have dinner at the same charity event but honestly I don’t even know his name, and I think only his staff and certain people know that he is the city mayor…all I know was he had his golden metal thing around his neck to distinguish that he was a mayor.

Meeting with old friends at UKIT

I left my profession as a lecturer at UKIT (Indonesian Christian University of Tomohon) about 12 or 13 years ago, I had 5 years dedication there, during these years I had a very very good relationship with several friends, we were graduated together at the same uni and worked together also at the same uni, all together we had about 10 years (studying and teaching), so many beautiful memories we had together studying, reading, climbing, hiking, crying shouting, yelling, all the things that you have when you have a good true solid friendships, but we loved each other we were like family until we have formed our own family, I remember we telling off each other brutally if we don’t agree with each other’s boy friend or girlfriend, we advice what to wear or not to wear to attend a party, yes we involved in each other’s business and mind each other business…personal business.

The meeting was a surprised one to them, as usual I turned up unannounced like I did 3 years ago, so when I went in the dean’s office, I just walked in like I was working there, first I surprised was “J” our “pakakaan” means the oldest he is now held a position at the University, when I entered the hall they’ve just finished their mass, and someone pointed to Mr. John Mailangkay, he is talking to the Rector and few other staff, I went inside touched his shoulder, and he was speechless and very surprised like just seeing a ghost, imagine …you meet up with a good old friends that you did not see for 12 years? I was just like “hallo pakakaan, how are you” he was very pleased to see me again after 12 years (he did not see me 3 years ago), we were hugged each other tightly, then next thing he opened the meeting room…..surprised……surprised the meeting just about to start, the projector on, the slide on display….but it halt due to my arrival…ehmmm I feel like a VIP, everyone closed to me was there Nerni, Jeane, Royke, Denny (who is now became the dean of the faculty)…happily shouting my name to their shocked that I turned up there unannounced ..so again we hugged each other tightly and happily…and start to dig out the memories when we were still single students … how sweet to remember all the old days together with your old good friends….. ..but sadly I wasn’t stay long... I had to go…

Bali

This was my forth visit to Bali, not much change, the Kuta and Sanur beach are still busy and full of tourists. The small traders with colourful goods, shoes, bags, clothes are still there to live up the place but sadly these traders doesn’t seems make good business….and what really shocked me, in many of these souvenir shops I found there are lots of wood bottle opener in the shape of male genital display proudly by the owner and not only that, there are woodcarving have women and men having sex in many positions, it made me thinking "is that art or pornographic in art???", I don’t know how to distinguish this. In the several stalls I saw T-shirt with very rude word written, you know the F and F and F word, one T-shirt written F****-me, I’m famous, and when I politely said to the lady who own the stall “I think the words on that T-shirt is very rude, you should have not put that on display” and to my shocked she replied shouting …..”heyyyy don’t you know that is very important to the tourists”….I was like WHAT????is this what they think about tourist industry???? very sad if Bali already have this kind of reputation, I left the place in disgust.

One thing I most impressed about Bali is the new attraction "Garuda Wisnu Kencana" (GWK) is a private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia. Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness. The statue and its pedestal will be surrounded by more than 240 hectares cultural park which was once an abandoned and unproductive limestone quarry.
The idea was not without controversy, and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate, but the GWK looks very impressive to me.