I have to interrupt my Surabaya/ Bromo/ Ijen mega post with this breaking news!
I was at Sunway Pyramid yesterday, to meet Ah Tau who was having problem downloading his Surabaya/ Bromo/ Ijen trip photos from his camera. So, I offered to help him.
There was also a Visit Indonesia promotion going on at the concourse area at the mall. So, we check the booths out after I settled Ah Tau's camera problem.
I took the opportunity to collect tones of travel brochures from the booths. Both of us filled up the lucky draw coupons to win some prizes from the promotion.
To make the long story short, I ended up on the stage receiving the prize from the VIP from Indonesia Tourism as Ah Tau is too shy to go up the stage. The prize was - a free return ticket to Surabaya.
Isn’t ironic? We just got back from Surabaya a few days ago!
Ah Tau decided to give away his ticket. Any taker? No strings attached. Please contact me pronto. (My email at the side bar)
The ticket expire end of July.
The shoppers were treated with cultural performance and fashion show on the stage!
So, naturally, I took out my equipment to capture those wonderful moments. Heheh!
Aku suka Jaipong....
How low can you go? Watch all the bapaks' glasses steam up! LOL!
I think this dance has some Chinese feel to it.
A mesmerizing duo with stunning costumes.
Mooo....No prizes for guessing correctly where this dance is from.
Indonesian dances are such a delight to watch. The music is enchanting – with the degung (gongs) and hypnotic drums. The dancers move with such gusto and abandonment in their tight kebayas and hip hugging batik sarongs.
They twirl, shake and wiggle like there’s no tomorrow. LOL! Could easily give Shakira a run for her money....Don’t believe me? Check this out.
ENJOY!
Eyecatching fashion displays from Allure Batik were weaved in between the dances. I took some still shots while frantically switching between video mode and digital still shots mode.
I wish my camera has more depth of field for me to play with. Well...I guess I have to wait until I get a proper SLR with special lens to achieve that.
Here’s the video.
ENJOY!
Kudos to the Indonesia's Ministry of Culture and Tourism for putting up a great show at the promotion in Sunway Pyramid and bringing us beautiful glimpses of what the country has to offer.
If Malaysia is Truly Asia, Indonesia boasts the Ultimate in Diversity.
There are so much more to see and do in Indonesia. Love the food. Love the exotic places. It is cheap to travel and shop too. The only downside is I always have the fear of being swindled by the tour operator and taxi drivers. (Speaking from experience here)....
Where is my next destination? Thinking of Makasar...But if they have a marathon anywhere in Indonesia, I will be the first on to book my plane ticket there. Too bad, road races and marathon in Indonesia are as elusive as the Sumatran white Rhinoes. (Insert sigh here!)
On the second morning, we ordered “roti bakar” (toasted bread) from the eatery across the road from our hotel.
When our orders arrived, we got a surprise. The “roti bakar” was totally not the usual toast. I think it should be called “roti goreng” (fried bread) as it was pan fried, burger style! - Two slices of bread, drenched in margarine, cut into four pieces and decorated with colourful 'hundreds and thousands' sprinkles.
What a wonderful source of energy for the morning!
After our sweet breakfast, we continued our journey out of Surabaya toward east. Our first stop was Candi Belahan or Sumber Tetek as it is known to the locals.
This little unique ruin is located at the hillside of Mt. Penanggungan at Gempol district, East Jawa. The ruin is dated back to the 11th century. It is said that ashes of Airlangga King, the ruler of Jawa at that time was stored here.
There are two statues on the wall – one of Goddess Laksmi, holding her two erm…mammary glands, sort of like squeezing the water into the shallow pool (6x4 meter in dimension). The other one is Goddess Sri. Both Goddesses are symbols of fertility and prosperity.
According to the locals the water never runs dry from the two nipples even at the driest seasons. The locals use the water source for daily chores like bathing, cooking, drinking etc.
When we arrived, there was a family having a picnic at the Candi. The air was filled with laughter from the kids, frolicking naked in the pool.
We stopped briefly to take some pictures.
I took one, posing just like this boy. (Too shy to be posted here).
The water is cool and refreshing, originating from the mountainous springs. I drank some too, straight from the source. It is erm...invigorating. Heheh!
This is the first of a series of posts for my Surabaya/ Mt. Bromo/ Ijen Crater backpacking trip.
I was roped in to join my friend, Ben and a bunch of his backpacker friends who planned this trip last year when AirAsia was having the zero fare promotion. My friend from Sabah, CK also joined the group after I told him about this trip.
Initially, there were supposed to be 8 of us. Ben had to drop out at the eleventh hour due to travel restriction by his company - no thanks to the recent outbreak of H1N1 virus. (Insert panic attack here!). But the trip must go on...
Thanks to our new "leader" and tour planner - James, we managed to add the Surabaya, Mt. Bromo and Kawah Ijen to our "been there, done that and bought the T-Shirt" list. :)
I have not travelled with the rest of the gang before (except for CK, who I expored Mt. Papandayan with last year). I am glad that we hit it off quite well.
Oh yeah! Because of this trip, I had to give up the inaugural Standard Chartered KL Marathon. The previous KL Marathons were usually held in March but when the new people took over, they pushed it to June - to a date that clashed with my Surabaya trip, much to my annoyance because I had booked the trip much earlier.
But from the nasty feedbacks that I heard from my runner friends, I guess I didn't miss anything at all for not running. Buahahahaha!
This is our adventure. Read on....
We arrived safely at Juanda Airport, Surabaya after a 2 Hours delay from the original flight.
These eerie looking figures are kids peering into the semi transparent glass wall at the airport. :)
I will remember this trip well because it is also the day when King of Pop died.
We stayed at this budget hotel, Irian Hotel. Somewhere near Jl. Kembang Jepun. This photo was taken the morning after we arrived.
Frankly, this is the first time I arrived at a destination without a hotel booking. I usually pre-booked my accommodation for my trip but with these guys, I just went with the flow....
The hotel was quite run down. Looked abit like an asylum. Or maybe a jail. Heheh!
After dumping our bags at the hotel, we went out to look for food. (Insert rumbling tummy sound effect here).
We decided to have a quick dinner at the roadside stall.
The menu, but where are the prices? It is always wise to ask for the price before ordering anything to avoid being "slaugthered".
Aha....the menu with price list. Now we can safely order...:)
Not really sure how to translate this to English but the slogan is funny! LOL!
Star fruit in our hotel's garden.
What a nice bowl of Soto Ayam (Chicken Rice Soup)to warm up the tummy in the morning!
Accident. If you have heart problem, please do not take the front passenger's seat! You would die of a heart attack! The drivers here are ruthless...
Kya Kya - The Chinatown of Surabaya.
The Jembatan Merah Monument, located near the Red Bridge.
The Catholic Church of Saint Virgin Mary. The oldest church in Surabaya. Beautiful glass panels and serene surroundings.
This is NO, I repeat - NO painted glass panel from a church! Heheh!
After the church, we snaked our ways through the busy streets of Surabaya to The House of Sampoerna, a famous label of cigarette in Indonesia. Inside you can visit the museum and see how ciggies are hand rolled by factory workers at amazing speed! Fantastic!
If love is blind, then what is the use of having bikini? This cracks me up! LOL!
The glass panels of the doors are decorated with the word "林" (pinyin Lín), the surname of the Sampoerna ciggie founder - Lim Seeng Tee, which incidently also my surname. Ahem!
Jagat Karana Hindu Temple....I didn't enter because of the hassle of wearing a sarong to cover my hairy legs...Heheh! Note to self: Next time, wear long pants if Hindu Temple is in the travel itinerary.
A meal is not a meal in Indonesia if it is not washed down with Teh Botol...Well almost! :)
This photo is taken at Kalimas Traditional Seaport where human strength is still used to load and unloaded stocks at the port. No forklift here. Heheh!
Can you see the corn raining down? This guy was carrying a torn bag of corn from the ship to the lorry.
We visited the oldest Chinese temple in Surabaya - The Hong Tiek Hian Temple.
Another Chinese temple?....
No, it is a mosque! See the word "Alif Lam Lam Ha" that spells ALLAH at the tip of the pagoda?
This is Cheng Hoo Mosque build in memoriam of Cheng Hoo. Cheng Hoo (鄭和) was a famous Chinese Admiral who believed to be a Muslim and helped spread the Islamic faith to the Java Islands.
Who said mosques have to be in the shape of domes from the Middle East? ;)
In one day, we visited a church, a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple and a mosque. That's complete, isn't it?
This is the Submarine Monument or Monumen Kapal Selam...Made from a real submarine. You can even visit the inside of the submarine. Do check out the periscope inside. It still works! :)
We took refuge from the hot sun into a mall next to the Submarine Monument. I don't remember its name but the anchor tenant is Matahari Dept Store, where CK and I bought a towel each since we forgotten to bring ours from home. After that...Makan time.....
Bakso - Meatballs soup with noodle. Love the chili sauce.
Tahu Goreng (Fried Toufu). Eaten with prawn paste and raw chilis.
Our last destination was Bratang Flora & Fauna Market. A one stop place for your gardening needs....
Later in the evening, we checked into a budget hotel near the airport called Permata Hotel. Looked ok but the place smelled abit weird. Anyway, can't complain, it was cheap.
Had rice with Bebek Goreng (Fried Duck) at the roadside stall washed down with Es Jeruk (Lime Juice). Yum!
Now here the video....highlighting various tourist spots in Surabaya. I just noticed the pillars of the House of Sampoerna are in the shaped of cigarettes! :)
Also check out how we were "disinfectant-ed" due to H1N1 outbreak upon arrival at the Juanda Airport.
ENJOY!
Coming Next: Sumber Tetek - The Breasts Fountain @ Candi Belahan. ;)
As I was getting down from my bus in front of Sunway Pyramid, I heard load music was playing. Of course without delay, I took my camera out (never leave home without it) and went closer to see what was going on.
I was shocked to see a group of Polis Di Raja Malaysia in uniform dancing their butts off in unison to the band.
Wowow! It is not everyday that you get to see our law enforcers getting their grooves on like that....LOL!
Hmmmm....Our Malaysian Cops taking a break from chasing after Ah Longs, eradicating Mat Rempits and putting snatch thieves behind bars, to entertain us. (Insert eye rolling ceremony here!)
You just gotta see this....
ENJOY!
Note: Soundtrack: Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonce. I took the liberty to jazz up the cops performance with a little sex appeal. Heheh!
The original song was a dated Thai Cha Cha number. I hope I wont get arrested for this....LOL!
Who? Race Queens (Japan best's import since instant noodles)
It was a hot and wet day at Sepang. First it was hot. Then it rained. Then the temperature rose again when the Race Queens came up on the stage. I really enjoyed my last Sunday outing! Thanks to MBA for the free tickets!
If you were to throw a stone at the Sepang Circuit that day, you would definately hit a DSLR camera! So many photogs around....
These belongs to my shooting gang, obviously Nikon fanboys....
More than meets the eyes?
The gorgeous Rose Chan.
Wanna go for a ride?
Ma ma ma Yokohama! :)
Who is cuter?
A wholesome threesome?
Contestants of Miss Malaysia - Universe 2009.
Sexybacks.
The Singha Beer lady. Purrrrs.....
The car...Heheh! One picture only. The race queens make better shooting subject. LOL!
I got to take photo with these two Eneos Race Queen. :) The sweet and beautiful, Yukie Morikawa and Megumi Furusawa.
Ishimatsu Queens: Tokyo’s Girls - Marie & Sanko. Looking pretty in pink!
The Field Bomex Ladies – Emi, Aika and Megumi. Boom! Boom! Wow! They bring sexybacks to the circuit! Check out the last photos.....to see what I mean.
Another crowd's favourite - The Zent Sweeties (Mayu, Chika, Junko & Kaori)
Not sure what team are these but they sure look hot in black!
The GT Queens...Sweet, bubbly and sooooooo adorable.
Raybrig Race Queen – Mai, seen here giving away an autographed T-Shirt.
GMA Kondo Racing Team Queens – Kana, Chika, Yuko, Motoka. I could not help cracking up when I heard the name Motoka....Sound like Motorcar! Vrrrroooom! :)
Weds Sport Race Queen - Mika.
Sayonara! Bye Bye, The Field Bomex Ladies! Please come BACK next year!
And now the videos.....
Part 1
This video is compilation of clips taken around the mall area at Sepang, highlighting various leng luis from various booths and sponsors.
Soundtrack: Umbrella (Reggae Remix) – Rihanna. I was inspired by the umbrellas that the girls were carrying at the circuit.
Reloaded with Boom (Bimbo Jones Club Mix) by Anjulie.
Part 2
This one is exclusively of the world famous Japan-mali RaceQueens. Gorgeous gorgeous girls in super hot costumes! (Insert nosebleed here!)
Their English are limited but they are not here to impress you with their oral ability, aren’t they?
ENJOY!
Click the link for my Picasa Photo Gallery. If you download anything, do say thank you in the comments. Your feedback is appreciated.
I was in Ipoh last weekend. Not for The Star Walk though but for Mr. Perak 2009 and some makan and photo shooting trip.
Arrived around 1 pm at Ipoh Parade, just in time to catch the competition.
The "Terminator" pose. :)
Let it rip! This was my second time shooting a body building event. So, I more or less understand the flow of the event and the various compulsory poses that the contestants had to show.
Competition categories: Novice, Junior (21 YO below), Master (45 YO and above), Bantam Weight (65kg below), Light Weight (65kg – 75kg), Middle Weight (75kg – 85kg) and Heavy Weight (85kg above).
The Champion of the Champions.
A final showdown by the 4 winners from the various Open categories, vying for Mr. Perak title.
A different angle for a different pose.
Salute, MR. PERAK - Faizal Hassan from TLDM.
I think the songs selection for freestyle posing were ridiculous. Obviously the DJ was not prepared and had no sense of music at all. The songs he played belong either to a "joget lambak" or a fun fair.
Malaysian Body Building deserves better MUSIC! And we do not need "Wind of Change" to be played like ten thousand times during the freestyle posing!
Among the hilarious song choices were "Cindai" by Siti Nurhaliza..(???) and a song by a now defunct Euro techno group, "Smile" - Butterfly, that goes..
Ai yai yai
I'm your little butterfly
Green, black, and blue, make the colours in the sky
I've been searching in the woods
And high upon the hills
Just to find, to find my samurai
Someone who won't regret
To keep me in his net
Yes, I need, I need my samurai....
LOL!
Anyway, check out the video I made....with a thumping soundtrack. No more Wind of Change, Butterfly...or Cindai! LOL!
Managed to squeeze a 5 hours event into an 8 minute video. Check out the "Terminator" freestyle pose at the start! Very very creative! Too bad they do not have a prize for best poser.
ENJOY!
Note: Soundtrack - A Mash up of The Power (SNAP!) vs The Final Countdown (Europe)
Click the link for my Picasa Photo Gallery.
If you download anything, do say thank you in the comments. Your feedback is appreciated.
This is a virtual invitation for you to RUN WITH ME in most road races all over my beautiful country, MALAYSIA and also in oversea places that I have visited.... Don’t run in front of me, I do not want to chase you. Don’t run behind me, I don’t want to be pursued. Run beside me…and share my PASSION.
