Puncak Gagoan in Solok, West Sumatra

Upon reaching Solok, it was time to look for something to do, or somewhere to go (other than the Danao Kembar in Alahan Panjang which I have been too already). I just really wanted to see the city, but if there is some interesting place, then that could be a bonus.

I remembered there is this friend who showed me a picture of a nice cliff in Solok, and looking at instagram posts too for Solok, shows the same pic.

At night, while having nasi goreng in one of the warungs, some nice lady gave us information, and even called a friend who can help us go to the place. However, we did not really want to bother anyone, especially seemingly a guide, so I told my friend to just get the contact details and we will call him in case we need some directions.

Even more fortunately, this friend I am travelling with has a friend in the village where the cliff is. We stopped at their house, and took his motorbike to go with us.

It was a total of less than an hour drive from Solok Town Center, through a dirt road, and some broken concrete. The slopes were, just like most of them here in Sumatera Barat, steep, but nothing is steep and dangerous enough to an Indonesian driver.

The view would have been very stunning had there not been the haze from the burning forests on the other side of the Sumatra Island. At the spot are also warung vendors earning a living from the flocking visitors. Of course, there were those random people too with buckets asking for money along the way, and the parking guys which seems to the staple job around.

Some of the rocks are marked with red X to caution as they risk falling.

There don’t seem to be any angkot going inside, and the commuting option might only be via ojek from the highway. The road plies the perimeter of the singkarak lake, plus the mini rice terraces on the side.

Upon reaching Solok, it was time to look for something to do, or somewhere to go (other than the Danao Kembar in Alahan Panjang which I have been too already). I just really wanted to see the city, but if there is some interesting place, then that could be a bonus.

I remembered there is this friend who showed me a picture of a nice cliff in Solok, and looking at instagram posts too for Solok, shows the same pic.

At night, while having nasi goreng in one of the warungs, some nice lady gave us information, and even called a friend who can help us go to the place. However, we did not really want to bother anyone, especially seemingly a guide, so I told my friend to just get the contact details and we will call him in case we need some directions.

Even more fortunately, this friend I am travelling with has a friend in the village where the cliff is. We stopped at their house, and took his motorbike to go with us.

It was a total of less than an hour drive from Solok Town Center, through a dirt road, and some broken concrete. The slopes were, just like most of them here in Sumatera Barat, steep, but nothing is steep and dangerous enough to an Indonesian driver.

The view would have been very stunning had there not been the haze from the burning forests on the other side of the Sumatra Island. At the spot are also warung vendors earning a living from the flocking visitors. Of course, there were those random people too with buckets asking for money along the way, and the parking guys which seems to the staple job around.

Some of the rocks are marked with red X to caution as they risk falling.

There don’t seem to be any angkot going inside, and the commuting option might only be via ojek from the highway. The road plies the perimeter of the singkarak lake, plus the mini rice terraces on the side.

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Overnight camping in Pesisir Selatan, Sumatra Barat

Upon my arrival in Padang, and meeting some locals, I have been shown of this place where there was a cliff dive. Heights have always been in my bucket list, and this coming Wednesday holiday, we thought of camping overnight from our dismissal from class on tuesday.

It was already around 3pm when we left campus. It was a little bit of a buzzer beater plan and so the friend who was in charge of the transport had a bit of a challenge finding a good deal. Nevertheless, as we are travelling in a big group of 11 people, he managed to get us a van from campus to the jump off place for the same price of the bus travel from city center to the nearest highway. 

It was almost 6pm already when we reached the jump off as we had to stop once in a while to buy food and stocks. The boat readied was also relatively small so it had to be done in 2 groups. As with our previous travels in this region of sumatra barat, we were again dealt with unnecessary interrogation from officials. Nevertheless, we all got to the island at a little past 7pm.

There were no cottages especially for guests in the island, although there were some warungs that sold food in the morning. Thankfully, we had some place to prepare our food that night.

....sleep! other than the bonfire, nothing much in the story that night though as alcohol was so expensive.  Nevertheless, there were plenty of planktons at a corner of the island.

The morning came and after breakfast, we tried some of the rides. It was only $2 for a ride, which would have been about $7 in my country, so I thought about trying it. Yet, imagining how much fuel was burnt to shake my nerves for a few minutes (when there are in fact some others who can’t eat)... probably no more next time for me.

A little past lunch, we went to the most exciting part... the cliff dive.

There is no docking area in the rock island so the boat had to be tied onto the rocks. From there, using some rope, we needed to climb up. There were 5 of us who climbed the cliff, but only 4 jumped. For me though, i’d rather jump than do down again on that rope. It was such a bad fall though; I had to buy menthol plasters and balm rub for the night.

From that island, we docked on the nearby island to have some snacks. There were plenty of garbage too around, and rather than just sitting the whole time, we thought about collecting garbage too. There were several monkeys in that island too who shared a papaya with me. J

Expenses:

Van from Campus to Jump Off: 30,000.00 ppx

Boat to Island, hops, and Back: 700,000.00/11=~64,000 ppx

Entrance Fee to Island: 0.00

Flying Fish Ride in the island: 30,000.00 (package of 3 rides including donut and banana boat available for 75,000)

Van from Jump off to Campus: 30,000.00

Food Share: 21,000 (including some extra we paid to the boat owner for lending us utensils, stove, etc).

Total: 175,000.00

Upon my arrival in Padang, and meeting some locals, I have been shown of this place where there was a cliff dive. Heights have always been in my bucket list, and this coming Wednesday holiday, we thought of camping overnight from our dismissal from class on tuesday.

It was already around 3pm when we left campus. It was a little bit of a buzzer beater plan and so the friend who was in charge of the transport had a bit of a challenge finding a good deal. Nevertheless, as we are travelling in a big group of 11 people, he managed to get us a van from campus to the jump off place for the same price of the bus travel from city center to the nearest highway. 

It was almost 6pm already when we reached the jump off as we had to stop once in a while to buy food and stocks. The boat readied was also relatively small so it had to be done in 2 groups. As with our previous travels in this region of sumatra barat, we were again dealt with unnecessary interrogation from officials. Nevertheless, we all got to the island at a little past 7pm.

There were no cottages especially for guests in the island, although there were some warungs that sold food in the morning. Thankfully, we had some place to prepare our food that night.

....sleep! other than the bonfire, nothing much in the story that night though as alcohol was so expensive.  Nevertheless, there were plenty of planktons at a corner of the island.

The morning came and after breakfast, we tried some of the rides. It was only $2 for a ride, which would have been about $7 in my country, so I thought about trying it. Yet, imagining how much fuel was burnt to shake my nerves for a few minutes (when there are in fact some others who can’t eat)... probably no more next time for me.

A little past lunch, we went to the most exciting part... the cliff dive.

There is no docking area in the rock island so the boat had to be tied onto the rocks. From there, using some rope, we needed to climb up. There were 5 of us who climbed the cliff, but only 4 jumped. For me though, i’d rather jump than do down again on that rope. It was such a bad fall though; I had to buy menthol plasters and balm rub for the night.

From that island, we docked on the nearby island to have some snacks. There were plenty of garbage too around, and rather than just sitting the whole time, we thought about collecting garbage too. There were several monkeys in that island too who shared a papaya with me. J

Expenses:

Van from Campus to Jump Off: 30,000.00 ppx

Boat to Island, hops, and Back: 700,000.00/11=~64,000 ppx

Entrance Fee to Island: 0.00

Flying Fish Ride in the island: 30,000.00 (package of 3 rides including donut and banana boat available for 75,000)

Van from Jump off to Campus: 30,000.00

Food Share: 21,000 (including some extra we paid to the boat owner for lending us utensils, stove, etc).

Total: 175,000.00

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Ice Cream sales fundraising in Andalas University

We, along with the other dharmasiswa (2015-2016) participants, planned to start this at lunchtime, but the ice cream arrived almost when the students are on their way back to their classes. I was getting worried if ever it will arrive; Then again, it was 300 ice creams, and with the local fascination for people with white skin, I was just so positive it will sell like pancakes; Though again, yes, it would have sold much more easily during the breaks.

We had the ice creams available at around 1, and from there, we went to our designated locations.

One big box went to the business center (University food court), another to the Library, and ours went to the Fakultas Teknik.

It was quite easy selling to Ibus (elderly staff of the university) especially knowing that it is for fund raising. Along with the ice creams, we handed out thank you cards with our contact numbers for those who would have pre-loved toys and clothes for the boys in the orphanage.

all ice cream sold in Fakultas Teknik in 2 hours

In no time, we were running out of ice creams. I have called the other groups, and they are almost closing the box. After 2 hours, we met back in the Business Center.

Approaching the table, a man, along with some others, and some Ibus from the warungs are with the other classmates and are looking for the person who started it all.
Just when i wanted to rest my throat, and legs, and shoulders, here I am over to an explanation.

Apparently, one warung have called local community officers and told them that some students have been selling ice creams and in the name of an orphanage (oh well....).
They have asked me where this orphanage is, and told them (and sketched) the location. I also showed them some pictures of the orphanage and some shots of the way to it. Then again, they don't completely understand what I am talking about, and so had a local friend translate for me. I gave them the number of the person I spoke to in the orphanage, and we called them.

Later, they advised us to seek a stamped letter from the institution on future projects.

Overall, we made 844,000 IDR in 2 hours which, not too much, but will be enough to feed the 25 boys for one sunday afternoon on 24th October.

Post coming later about the outreach.

meeting after the sales about the food and activities we are doing on the agreed date, 24th October

We, along with the other dharmasiswa (2015-2016) participants, planned to start this at lunchtime, but the ice cream arrived almost when the students are on their way back to their classes. I was getting worried if ever it will arrive; Then again, it was 300 ice creams, and with the local fascination for people with white skin, I was just so positive it will sell like pancakes; Though again, yes, it would have sold much more easily during the breaks.

We had the ice creams available at around 1, and from there, we went to our designated locations.

One big box went to the business center (University food court), another to the Library, and ours went to the Fakultas Teknik.

It was quite easy selling to Ibus (elderly staff of the university) especially knowing that it is for fund raising. Along with the ice creams, we handed out thank you cards with our contact numbers for those who would have pre-loved toys and clothes for the boys in the orphanage.

all ice cream sold in Fakultas Teknik in 2 hours

In no time, we were running out of ice creams. I have called the other groups, and they are almost closing the box. After 2 hours, we met back in the Business Center.

Approaching the table, a man, along with some others, and some Ibus from the warungs are with the other classmates and are looking for the person who started it all.
Just when i wanted to rest my throat, and legs, and shoulders, here I am over to an explanation.

Apparently, one warung have called local community officers and told them that some students have been selling ice creams and in the name of an orphanage (oh well....).
They have asked me where this orphanage is, and told them (and sketched) the location. I also showed them some pictures of the orphanage and some shots of the way to it. Then again, they don't completely understand what I am talking about, and so had a local friend translate for me. I gave them the number of the person I spoke to in the orphanage, and we called them.

Later, they advised us to seek a stamped letter from the institution on future projects.

Overall, we made 844,000 IDR in 2 hours which, not too much, but will be enough to feed the 25 boys for one sunday afternoon on 24th October.

Post coming later about the outreach.

meeting after the sales about the food and activities we are doing on the agreed date, 24th October

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Fundraising for Panti Asuhan Muhammadiya in Pasar Baru, Padang, Indonesia

Going to Indonesia was not just learning bahasa Indonesia, travelling the country to a wider extent, understanding its people and culture, but also do the same things I have started doing back in my home country.

As soon as I got to Padang, I have been on the lookout for cause oriented groups which I could join, and perhaps cooperate with for community development projects. Meantime, I have not found the appropriate group just yet, so along with my other classmates in the scholarship program, we decided to start a small one on our own.

I have been asking some new acquiantances here to help me get to the orphanages (Panti Asuhan) and thankfully, a Padang Couchsurfer helped me get to one.

Two days ago, we visited the Panti Asuhan Muhammadiya in Pasar Baru, which is just a few kilometers off campus. The center has 25 boys, aged 9 to 17, who were turned over to the center even from other provinces of their parents or relatives. A few are complete orphans, while some were from single parents or underserved families.

This coming tuesday we will be selling ice cream in campus (Andalas University) to fund a feeding and activity on the 24th October in Panti Asuhan Muhammadiyah.

If any reader in Padang is interested in handing out pre-loved items for the boys, Hubungi: 0813 1860 0294.


read here for article for the actual fundraising project.

Going to Indonesia was not just learning bahasa Indonesia, travelling the country to a wider extent, understanding its people and culture, but also do the same things I have started doing back in my home country.

As soon as I got to Padang, I have been on the lookout for cause oriented groups which I could join, and perhaps cooperate with for community development projects. Meantime, I have not found the appropriate group just yet, so along with my other classmates in the scholarship program, we decided to start a small one on our own.

I have been asking some new acquiantances here to help me get to the orphanages (Panti Asuhan) and thankfully, a Padang Couchsurfer helped me get to one.

Two days ago, we visited the Panti Asuhan Muhammadiya in Pasar Baru, which is just a few kilometers off campus. The center has 25 boys, aged 9 to 17, who were turned over to the center even from other provinces of their parents or relatives. A few are complete orphans, while some were from single parents or underserved families.

This coming tuesday we will be selling ice cream in campus (Andalas University) to fund a feeding and activity on the 24th October in Panti Asuhan Muhammadiyah.

If any reader in Padang is interested in handing out pre-loved items for the boys, Hubungi: 0813 1860 0294.


read here for article for the actual fundraising project.

Read More »

The Yakan Weaving Center in Zamboanga City

I have been in and out of Zamboanga, but with every travel, I am mostly interested with natural attractions and leaving all others on my time bussing.

There is no real destination in this trip other than there is a flight available, and took it. Today, the plan was actually to revisit malamawi beach in Basilan, but as we woke up late to make it to the last trip to Basilan, we decided to go around town.

In brgy Caliraan in Zamboanga city, a community of relatives from the Yakan tribe of Basilan has kept the culture of weaving. If not today, I would have not known that apart from the Tausugs, and Badjao, another set of Muslim tribe is around (in the BaSulTa area) . Their language is different, for one.

The center is no more than a residential compound with a frontyard display of the by-products they make out of the weaving; There are also other products on display traditionally from the yakan tribes of Basilan (as well as other products from other tribes and places such as the pisyabit of the Tausugs, and traditional mats made by the badjaos).

To get to the weaving center:

From Zamboanga Town Center Public Market, take the jeepneys bound for Upper Caliraan; Ask to be dropped in the weaving center. Fare as of posting (July 2015) is P10/head.

Yakan Woven Clutch Wallets

Yakan Woven Eco Bags

22" Kris Sword

Go to the Shop to purchase these products online.

I have been in and out of Zamboanga, but with every travel, I am mostly interested with natural attractions and leaving all others on my time bussing.

There is no real destination in this trip other than there is a flight available, and took it. Today, the plan was actually to revisit malamawi beach in Basilan, but as we woke up late to make it to the last trip to Basilan, we decided to go around town.

In brgy Caliraan in Zamboanga city, a community of relatives from the Yakan tribe of Basilan has kept the culture of weaving. If not today, I would have not known that apart from the Tausugs, and Badjao, another set of Muslim tribe is around (in the BaSulTa area) . Their language is different, for one.

The center is no more than a residential compound with a frontyard display of the by-products they make out of the weaving; There are also other products on display traditionally from the yakan tribes of Basilan (as well as other products from other tribes and places such as the pisyabit of the Tausugs, and traditional mats made by the badjaos).

To get to the weaving center:

From Zamboanga Town Center Public Market, take the jeepneys bound for Upper Caliraan; Ask to be dropped in the weaving center. Fare as of posting (July 2015) is P10/head.

Yakan Woven Clutch Wallets

Yakan Woven Eco Bags

22" Kris Sword

Go to the Shop to purchase these products online.

Read More »

I give these 7 reasons why I overstayed Lanuza, Surigao Sur

The town which I just want to check out in passing, took 4 days of my trip. Sleepy towns are my favorite destinations as they keep my nerves calm and my sanity intact. You'd barely want to think about anything, including what to do next. Then again, more than that, there are other things that kept me in this town for a few days.

1.       Running water, coming from streams of mountains, is cold and is perfect for the summer heat. You barely want to finish taking a bath.

2.     Sleepy town with no breaking eardrum sounds of passing vehicles. It is a perfect place to practice biking. It might be just as safe to camp on the road.

around Lanuza town center

3. The surrounding is very moist. There are several decade old trees around the Plaza, with mossy vegetation in their trunks to prove how cool the climate is. You never get irate about anything too, which goes to show how cool the place is.

4.  I was impressed at how much the local government is investing in tourism, and how well it is valued. At the surf camp, several buildings are setup for visitor accomodation.  Considering that there isn’t much people visiting the town (at least compared to other areas such as siargao, or bislig), yet the town has prepared itself well. The Marine Sanctuary for instance has a cafe, whereby behind is a viewdeck. You can sip your P15 peso coffee either in that viewdeck or in the umbrella seats provided with a highway view.

the LGU built Guest Accomodation fronting the surfng area in Lanuza

Lanuza Surf Camp

Compared to Cantilan which has more heritage houses, Lanuza has a century old house that is well maintained and ready for future.

The Century old house in Lanuza, Surigao Sur

5. The perfectly scenic shades of green of the hills, coconuts, and ricefields from the highway. In the future, I am hoping to see restaurants or cafes just on the highway.

6. Affordability. Entrance to the marine sanctuary is P5. Coffee in the Surf Camp is only P10 and Sanctuary (instant) is only 15. Strong wifi provided in the surf camp, so you can hangout for just your P10.

Notice to the Entrance of the Sanctuario, Lanuza, Surigao

The town which I just want to check out in passing, took 4 days of my trip. Sleepy towns are my favorite destinations as they keep my nerves calm and my sanity intact. You'd barely want to think about anything, including what to do next. Then again, more than that, there are other things that kept me in this town for a few days.

1.       Running water, coming from streams of mountains, is cold and is perfect for the summer heat. You barely want to finish taking a bath.

2.     Sleepy town with no breaking eardrum sounds of passing vehicles. It is a perfect place to practice biking. It might be just as safe to camp on the road.

around Lanuza town center

3. The surrounding is very moist. There are several decade old trees around the Plaza, with mossy vegetation in their trunks to prove how cool the climate is. You never get irate about anything too, which goes to show how cool the place is.

4.  I was impressed at how much the local government is investing in tourism, and how well it is valued. At the surf camp, several buildings are setup for visitor accomodation.  Considering that there isn’t much people visiting the town (at least compared to other areas such as siargao, or bislig), yet the town has prepared itself well. The Marine Sanctuary for instance has a cafe, whereby behind is a viewdeck. You can sip your P15 peso coffee either in that viewdeck or in the umbrella seats provided with a highway view.

the LGU built Guest Accomodation fronting the surfng area in Lanuza

Lanuza Surf Camp

Compared to Cantilan which has more heritage houses, Lanuza has a century old house that is well maintained and ready for future.

The Century old house in Lanuza, Surigao Sur

5. The perfectly scenic shades of green of the hills, coconuts, and ricefields from the highway. In the future, I am hoping to see restaurants or cafes just on the highway.

6. Affordability. Entrance to the marine sanctuary is P5. Coffee in the Surf Camp is only P10 and Sanctuary (instant) is only 15. Strong wifi provided in the surf camp, so you can hangout for just your P10.

Notice to the Entrance of the Sanctuario, Lanuza, Surigao

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Getting to Buluan Marine Sanctuary in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay

Perhaps the only (open) tourist destination of the 79^th (by chronology of creation) province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Currently, there is no airport service in the province though a runway is in place in Ipil, the provincial capitol; the nearest commercial airport being Zamboanga City (2-3 hours). From the city, you can take a bus (P210) or van (P200) from the Guiwan Terminal. If coming from Zamboanga, ask the driver to drop you off in Buluan/Surabay. From there, you can either wait and flag a tricycle to the jump off,or just do a 15 minute walk to the shore. If you are coming from Dipolog or Pagadian and want to head straight to the island, you may get a Zamboanga bound bus, ask the driver to do the same. Fare for Pagadian to Ipil is +/- P160 or Van, P150 or P200 for Express Services (New White Nissan Vans in the Integrated Terminal in Pagadian.)

From the jump off point, there is a boat that services the island for P50 per pax return, though the boat don’t move until filled with minimum 10 passengers. We were able to haggle a loop of the island inclusive for the P500 fare since there is only 2 of us.

There are masks and snorkel for rent in the island for P100 per set. There is no designated price for the snorkelling guide; we gave an additional P100 on top of the gear rentals for the 1 hour snorkelling.

During snorkelling, we were brought to a few giant clams and spotted a small turtle. The sanctuary is as abundant, though not as enormous as the coral gardens in Anilao, Batangas. Our guide said there is another area where they have about 100 giant clams.

Back when we were in town, when we were asking for instructions on how to get to the island, we were told to stay away from the place as it is a muslim area. Informant adds that they themselves who are locals don’t intend to go there. Don’t mind such reports... it’s but normal. Then again, remain courteous and humble so not to trigger any trouble.

There is 1 sari sari store in the island selling coffee and instants and coconuts. Nevertheless, rather bring your own water.

And we spotted a turtle too :-)

Contacts:

Trike Service Ipil/Buluan – Roberto Saison 0905 143 6341

Boat Service – Rosalie 0936 528 1923

For nearby destionations, check out Aliguay island in Dipolog, or Merloquet Falls in Vitali, Zamboanga City, or 11 Islands in Dita, Zamboanga City. 

Perhaps the only (open) tourist destination of the 79^th (by chronology of creation) province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Currently, there is no airport service in the province though a runway is in place in Ipil, the provincial capitol; the nearest commercial airport being Zamboanga City (2-3 hours). From the city, you can take a bus (P210) or van (P200) from the Guiwan Terminal. If coming from Zamboanga, ask the driver to drop you off in Buluan/Surabay. From there, you can either wait and flag a tricycle to the jump off,or just do a 15 minute walk to the shore. If you are coming from Dipolog or Pagadian and want to head straight to the island, you may get a Zamboanga bound bus, ask the driver to do the same. Fare for Pagadian to Ipil is +/- P160 or Van, P150 or P200 for Express Services (New White Nissan Vans in the Integrated Terminal in Pagadian.)

From the jump off point, there is a boat that services the island for P50 per pax return, though the boat don’t move until filled with minimum 10 passengers. We were able to haggle a loop of the island inclusive for the P500 fare since there is only 2 of us.

There are masks and snorkel for rent in the island for P100 per set. There is no designated price for the snorkelling guide; we gave an additional P100 on top of the gear rentals for the 1 hour snorkelling.

During snorkelling, we were brought to a few giant clams and spotted a small turtle. The sanctuary is as abundant, though not as enormous as the coral gardens in Anilao, Batangas. Our guide said there is another area where they have about 100 giant clams.

Back when we were in town, when we were asking for instructions on how to get to the island, we were told to stay away from the place as it is a muslim area. Informant adds that they themselves who are locals don’t intend to go there. Don’t mind such reports... it’s but normal. Then again, remain courteous and humble so not to trigger any trouble.

There is 1 sari sari store in the island selling coffee and instants and coconuts. Nevertheless, rather bring your own water.

And we spotted a turtle too :-)

Contacts:

Trike Service Ipil/Buluan – Roberto Saison 0905 143 6341

Boat Service – Rosalie 0936 528 1923

For nearby destionations, check out Aliguay island in Dipolog, or Merloquet Falls in Vitali, Zamboanga City, or 11 Islands in Dita, Zamboanga City. 

Read More »