It was my second time in Paris, after my first in 1998. Paris, La Ville-Lumière, The City of Light. The spring was sunny and breezy. And it was full of love, that makes it impossible not to fall for the city.

There are too many beautiful things in Paris. It is nearly impossible to explore even half of its main attractions in a visit. I always prefer to do it in slow motion, feel and memorize the atmosphere, the vibe of the place. But I can suggest and share you some simple things to do in Paris.

Have lunch at unbeatable French bistros, such as Le Comptoir de Relais at Saint Germain. Enjoy the romance on Pont Neuf, the famous bridge crossing Seine River. Pray and feel at peace at Notre Dame cathedral. Just wander and get lost in the Latin quarter and take a nap in one of its little parks. Admire the glorious Eiffel tower from many spots of the city; wait until its thousands of lights start flashing, glittering your dusk. Go to the Louvre, seek Da Vinci’s Monalisa. Shop till you drop on Avenue des Champ Elysées. Watch Moulin Rouge and be amazed. Dress uniquely, as it is the capital of fashion.

Once I asked a favor from a man to take a picture of me on Pont Neuf. He was apparently a poet, whose origin was Peru. Through our little chat, I was told that he had been living in many places in the world just to discover more and more about life. One simple thing he said, to feel joy and happiness, we have to open our hearts to sorrow.

In the city of love, wisdom comes in many wonderful ways. Paris oh Paris…

Chateau de Chambord

It was a lovely spring in Loire Valley, the Garden of France, the Cradle of the French Language, Vallée de la Loire…

Never really like French car

My trip started at Avis rent-a-car in Paris (Rent a car! It’s the best way to explore Loire). Driving on the right lane of the road was quite frightening, as I hadn’t done it for years. After 2 hours trying-not-to-kill-ourselves driving, I and my girlfriend reached Loire Valley and checked in at a beautiful small châteaux, Chateau de la Villaine, for 120 euro per night. It is owned by a retired Dutch couple, Joke and Adrian (She’s not a joke, call her Yo-ke). What you get is worth every euro you spend. Good hospitality, nice room, beautiful chateau, huge surrounding land, plus delicious cookies with your afternoon tea. Life is good in Loire.

Nice house to have!

If you wish to add 35 euro per person, you then can have dinner at the chateau. Joke is an excellent cook. And the food is of course French. We decided to have it once, together with another two guests from South Africa. It was such a nice dinner and Adrian never stopped pouring the wine.

Loire Valley is famous for its wine. You will find many wineries along the way, and feel free to stop by and taste the wine. I tried it once in Touraine, and found its rosé exceptional. I am not a wine expert, but I love having my every meal with wine, especially whenever I travel to Europe. But remember not to drink and drive, unless you are willing to drive 35 km/hr along the country road.

The main attraction is the châteaux. Numbering more than 300 in the area, there are several unbelievably big ones that you have to see. I decided to go to Chateau d’Azay le Rideau, Chambord, Chenonceau, Ussé, and Amboise. I like Chateau de Amboise the most. It is up on the hill with amazing view to its surrounding town. I also learned that Leonardo da Vinci lived, worked and was buried here, under the Chapel of Saint-Hubert, adjoining the Château, which had been built in 1491–96. His house, which is located in the nearby Clos Lucé (it’s a lovely house! I wish a photographer like me can afford it), connected to the château by an underground passage.

It must have been nice to be a French nobles, I thought, as some of the châteaux (with hundreds of rooms) were even only for summer holidays, or a gift for their wives (as long as you have a hundred servants to take care of you and your property).

Street Market in Loches

I would also suggest you to go to the small towns in the area, like Loches, to feel its local atmosphere. Go to the street markets, town squares or just walk exploring the city.

Last but not least, the food (I love eating and I can talk about food for hours. But since it is a photo/design blog, I’m sure it’s not your best interest ). For food lovers, French might be the best. For food lovers who also love arts, French is definitely the best. It will satisfy not only your tongue, but also your eyes (and ears, as the waiters/waitresses sound very sexy). Bon appétit!

Amboise

Amboise

Chenonceaux

Boats at Chambord

Raigny Ussé

Wild flowers

Pines

Strawberry sold in street market

You can see I was busy taking photos

Joseph, Jerry, Vera, Jeff, Adri, Gina, Frieda

I will start the story with Gorontalo: 5 days diving trip, 8 diving freaks, 1 new year’s eve, 20 fireworks (1 flew straight into our hotel terrace, almost a disaster!!), 1 wedding engagement and too-many-to-count great moments. My buddies (as usual) were: Adrijani Lim, Darwin Wibowo, Joseph Liemonta plus my girlfriend Veronica Djapardy, my brother n sis in law (Jeffrey & Regina Wirianta) and Frieda Dharmawan. Too bad, our best buddy, Dewi Wardjojo canceled joining us at the very last minute because her family was very worried about the repeated earthquakes in Sulawesi (we got so many, didn’t feel a thing and survived . And also my dearest buddy Meta Rostiawati, who also canceled due to her grandma sickness. Next time, Dewi and Meta dear…

We dove with Miguel Dive Centre (www.miguelsdiving.com), basically ran by an American, Rance Allen Wadley, who spoke perfect bahasa Indonesia. We got a good deal as a group. Each person was charged Rp 3,500,000. It includes 5 nights at Oasis Hotel (bed & breakfast), 11 guided dives, lunch, airport transfers and good hospitality. I suggest you to bargain hard to Rance, he’s a nice guy. Very knowledgeable, safety-goes-first kind of guide and has a true love to the marine life. My man! (He has published his own book about Gorontalo underwater.. a very very nice one).

Sandbowl

Sandbowl

Japanese Wreck

Sand Castle

Gorontalo is a province in North Sulawesi. It’s capital, a town with an area of 64.79 km² and population of about 140,000, also has the same name. Less popular to Manado, it is still a fascinating dive destination. Most of the dives were easy, average visibility, a bit choppy sea. Our starting point was 10 minutes from our hotel, by the river. We reached most of our dive points in more or less 15-40 minutes.

Darwin and Salvador Dali sponge

The coral was: a w e s o m e. I saw it as a tropical forest under the sea. The most amazing one was Salvador Dali sponge (Rance said he’s a businessman, so he decided to give a unique name instead of making it Rance sponge). Macro stuff were also plenty. We also saw 17 mabula rays, which really made my day. Rance promoted that he saw 5 whales, only 25 metres from the beach, on his very first day trying diving in Gorontalo, back in the 90s.

Tanjung

Traffic Jam

Try ‘bentor’, bendi motor. It as so much fun. It is a modified motorcycle with 2 seater front passenger cabin. And try misolu. It’s basically a corn soup mixed with vegetable, only cost us Rp 5,000 each. I liked Gorontalo food in general. It was spicy, pretty much like Manado food.

Bentor rules!

Misolu

I was not pleased to see the development of the tourism though. Most of the interesting places were developed in such poor taste, spare the functionality. The government usually tries to absorb the modern look of the western coutries, combine it with its (beautiful) local culture, and comes out with a total disaster design. I wonder when they start consider to hire specialized people who understand more on how to do it.

Fort Otanaha

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Now, about Toraja . It was my second trip to this beautiful place. We flew to Makassar from Gorontalo and had to drive for another 8-9 hours to get to Toraja. But we of course didn’t miss konro soup and grilled ribs Karebosi, plus some very nice ba pao (sorry, forgot the name) before leaving.

Konro and ribs

We stayed at the Novotel hotel in Toraja, which was the best in the area. I liked the hotel very much and highly recommend it.

Novotel Hotel

The word toraja comes from the Bugis language, to riaja, meaning “people of the uplands”. The Dutch colonial government named the people Toraja in 1909. Torajans are renowned for their elaborate funeral rites, burial sites carved into rocky cliffs, massive peaked-roof traditional houses known as tongkonan, and colorful wood carvings. Toraja funeral rites are important social events, usually attended by hundreds of people and lasting for several days.

We organized our trip with a local guide, called Agus, who guided us to see a fascinating funeral ceremony and a cozy hiking through the paddy fields and small villages. The funeral ritual usually goes on up to 7 days, depending on the status and class of the family. It is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults.

Another component of the ritual is the slaughter of water buffalo. The more powerful the person who died, the more buffalo are slaughtered at the death feast. Buffalo carcasses, including their heads, are usually lined up on a field waiting for their owner, who is in the “sleeping stage”. Torajans believe that the deceased will need the buffalo to make the journey and that they will be quicker to arrive at Puya if they have many buffalo. Slaughtering tens of water buffalo and hundred of pigs using a machete is the climax of the elaborate death feast, with dancing and music and young boys who catch spurting blood in long bamboo tubes. Some of the slaughtered animals are given by guests as “gifts”, which are carefully noted because they will be considered debts of the deceased’s family. I also saw lots of pigs too, as they were cheaper than the buffalos.

Apart from the funeral, the burial were equally as fascinating. There are three methods of burial: the coffin may be laid in a cave or in a carved stone grave, or hung on a cliff.

What amazed me the most was the hospitality. I found the villagers were very kind and sincere during our 4 hours hiking through fascinating paddy fields and small villages. I have visited many places in Indonesia and I only remembered a few places that can match Toraja. There were three village kids who accompanied us for almost a kilometer, offering shaking hands again and again, beside their wide and bright smiles. Sweet little things that I would never forget.

Last but not least, do not forget one thing that makes Toraja world famous: its coffee. I bought a blend at a local market on my last day and enjoyed the whole incoming week in Jakarta with the best thing you can get to start your day with: its fine aroma, full body an strong bitterness.

Last but not least, some very fun things we found on the trip:

A restaurant called 'Erotic Mountain' on our way to Toraja..

..bakso babi (pig meatball)..

..pa pi'ong, pig cooked with spices and vegetable in bamboo..

... and some warung banners showing the owners' photos!

Awesome!

I spent most of my time at the city hall. It’s a very interesting complex. The nightlife was also fun. Lots of bars and clubs are located on ____ St (damn, I forgot!!) and the atmosphere was so vibrant. I loved it! Oh ya, don’t forget to try Amy’s Ice Cream.. it’s homemade, very tender and BIG.

There is one ultimate reason why we should go to the Bahamas: the water. It is definitely one of the clearest I’ve ever seen. Even the harbor was clear.

Some notes:

The Bahamas is not cheap. Better bring a lot of cash guys.

WAITING is always part of the deal. I’m telling you guys, these Bahamians are slooow…. You can easily wait for 1-2 hours before your food lands on your table.

Prepare a lot of tips, because the locals don’t like to move their a**es without it, but they surely like the US$.

Taxi has no meter. So, bargain hard. Starting from $2 – $30, depends on where you’re going, and your luck. You might want to rent a scooter instead, which starts at $65.

You’ve got to love the sea to enjoy the islands: sailing, jet-skiing, parasailing, diving, kayaking. It’s the right place! Go sailing with Sail Nassau, to experience the race between two of the ex America’s Cup sailboats ($100)…..

….. , or dive with Carribean Reef Sharks with Stuart’s Cove (believe me, it’s worth it) for $145. Jetski is $60 per 1/2 hr, but you can bargain for $40.

The big guy in front of me

I am the 4th from left

The food is terrible! Sorry guys, but the Bahamas is just dissapointing in this department. Not mentioning that many places are overpriced too. Well, you can’t have everything, can you?

I liked the drinks. Try the Bahamian Coffee. It’s a mix of 3 different rums and a little part of coffee. They would burn the drink, pour it from one glass to another over and over, caramelizing the sugar. It’s served warm. I also tried coconut water with gin, called sky juice. The daiquiri, Bahama Mama.. so many tropical cocktails you wouldn’t want to miss!

Cheers!!!

I stayed at Playacar Hotel, one of the Palace hotel group. A good deal they offered there. Once you checked-in, you’ll get a tag in your hand, showing that you are a hotel guest. You are allowed to do whatever you want in the hotel area, no charge at all (nice!). You name it: drinks, food, swimming-pool, mini-bar, all in. I paid $400 per night, regardless the number of people you have in one room (even better!!). And it has in-room jacuzzi too! Every night, they have a special performance. I like the fire dance the best.

For diving freaks, you’ve got to visit the Cenotes, the longest fresh water tunnels underground. Bring your wide-angle lens. It’s quite dark down there, but the view of the caverns was just fascinating. You can also see the border between salt and fresh water. It’s like seeing another water surface in the water. Incredible.

Go to Cozumel Island. You can snorkel for $45, or go diving, or just walk around. Diving is also quite nice in Playa del Carmen area (but not as good as in Indonesia

One of the world wonders, the Mayan pyramid Chichen Itza is also a must-go. It’s such an incredible architecture. If you stand in front of it and clap your hands, it will generate a ‘boink’ echo. The building itself is a calendar, one of the most accurate even in this modern world (according to the guide). Once a year, he explained, there was a football game whose winner would had been killed at the top of the pyramid. Getting his heart taken-out is a symbol of pride; it was a short way to heaven. Nice rewards for a winner!

Swim with the dolphins. You can touch, take photos, do actions with them. The dolphin’s skin is rubbery and smooth. Such friendly mammals they are. But you have to get $100 out of your pocket for this.

Explore the 5th street. I found it nicer in the evening, as there were many bars and street performances going on. Some open until early morning. Once you decided to drink, there is one thing you have to do: Tequilaaaaa! As Mexico is famous for their tequilas, you can buy a bottle from $10 to $1000. You decide!