Monday, April 29, 2013

Arriving Clark International Airport Alone

I was told not to proceed with my plans to Manila, Philippines. I bought the tickets cheap last year for about RM100 and I wasn't discouraged in letting it go.

And so I went.

Alone on my first solo backpacking trip for 2013.

How did I feel?

AWESOME! Haha!

Despite leaving behind loads of work at the office and also my last-minute planned itinerary at home. I arrived at Clark International Airport unabated and still full of enthusiasm.

I arrived with my small newly bought 35L backpack (bought by Lily from her recent trip to  Bangkok) with no map or plans whatsoever. I just came to experience and when I reached Clark it was around 1:00 am. Every store was closed and so I swallowed my hunger, found myself a bench and tried to sleep.

My first instinct as a female solo traveler was never to reach town during the dark. I decided to sleep at the nearly deserted with no WI-FI airport, figuring out on how to reach Manila in the morning. I didn't get a good rest though. Hahaha.

Later that morning around 6 am, I went out to explore the area in front of the airport. I spotted an empty bus, asked around and the guards told me that the bus ticket to Manila is 450 pesos. But after awhile, I was then shown to a jeepney that was nearby. The jeepney was sending people to the nearest bus station for 50 pesos. I decided to take that instead.

Once at the bus station, I was shown a moving bus that was heading to Manila, it stopped for me and I hopped on! I only paid 114 pesos to get to Manila. hahaha.

The best thing riding a bus early in the morning from Clark to Manila?

I get to witness a beautiful sun rise from the bus. :)

Sorry, no pictures of the sun rise but here's one for this entry. I was being careful with my stuff during the bus ride. :)

Yeahh!! I've been to Manilla!!! 

To be continued....

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

5 Places to Visit in Songkhla, Thailand

I went to Songkhla via Hat Yai last year. It was for a cycling event and no, I'm not a cyclist. Hehe. I was there only for a day trip and managed to visit the following five places as seen below in Songkhla.

It was intriguing to know that Songkhla or Singgora in Malay, was a city of an old Malay Kingdom of Langkasuka with heavy Srivijayan influence. After-all it was near the border of Malaysia. But it was under Thailand ruling since the 18th century. I wouldn't be surprised to meet some locals who can converse in Malay very well here.

Songhkla was previously a trading coastal port for the Indians, Persians and Arab merchants to exchange goods. It was named as "lion" after the lion-shaped islands at the mouth of the city's lake. These two islands are known as Ko Nu (Rat Island) and Ko Maeo (Cat Island). Now Songhkla is known as a fishing town.

1. Naga Head at Song Thale Park, Laem Son On, Songkhla City

Naga means dragon in Malaysian and Thailand language. I've learnt that this Dragon Head or "Nag" was constructed in 2007 and is a new attraction for Songkhla Lake. Interestingly, there are three parts of this dragon: - head, body and tail. The dragon head is situated at the estuary entrance to Songkhla Lake as pictured below, the body is at the park and the tail is stretching along the side way. This newly constructed Naga is said to symbolize wisdom and intelligence and is a major tourist attraction in Songkhla.

Hi, I'm Naga. I spit water. Not Fire. So beware!!! 
2. Reclining Buddha, Wat Phranon Laem Pho, Ko Yo (Yo Island)

There are two ways to get to Ko Yo Island. One via ferry and another one via the famous Tinsulanond Bridge. When I was there, we went there via ferry and stopped by the reclining Buddha found there.

The reclining Buddha, in her golden glory. 
3. The Songhkla Mermaid, Samila Beach

I thought there was a fairy-tale story about this bronze mermaid. But as I searched the net, there was none. It just says that a man saw a mermaid combing her hair on this very beach but his presence startled her and she dove into the sea. The man however waited for her return but she never did.

Thus in 1966 this mermaid sculpture was built.

Who wants to rub my breasts? And it has tits! 
I was surprised to see people (men, especially) taking their own sweet time rubbing and caressing this mermaid's breasts. I was disgusted at first but later I found out that there's a legend that if you do that, you'll get luck.

Errr... what kind of luck, I wonder? =P

4. Songkhla Lake

Take a ferry from the inland to Ko Yo Island. You'll be greeted with views of fishing boats and hillsides. Sadly I didn't take a lot of pictures as I was busy exploring the ferry instead. Muahaha!

Heading to Ko Yo island.
5. Tinsulanond Bridge

This bridge is the longest concrete bridge in Thailand, with two parts. One part connects he coast of Amphoe Mueang Songkhla at Ban Nam Krachai to the southern coast of Ko Yo (1,140 meters long), and the second part connects the northern shore of Ko Yo to the coast of Ban Khao Khiao (1,800 meters). It was opened to traffic on 25 September 1986

The bridge viewed from Ko Yo Island.
The 2.6 km long bridge is also part of Highway 4146, which links Highway 407 (Hat Yai - Songkhla) and Highway No. 4083 (Songkhla - Ranot) with a starting point for the home area of ​​water distribution. (source)

I'm sorry I didn't have a proper trip around Songhkla as I was being toured by a cycling organization (Raub Reborn Cycling Club (KBRB)) thus tips on how to get there and prices can't be provided. Hehe. Sorry. But it is an amazing place and I don't mind going there again (self-paid). Ok bye!

Happy traveling peeps!
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

A Bloody Experience in Hatyai, Thailand

I was in Hatyai for a few days some time in October last year. I didn't know that a Vegetarian Festival was being held that very Saturday I was in town. I was with three other friends, roaming Hatyai town via foot. Setting our sights on streets stalls and shopping malls. Mostly to do window shopping since I only had 500 Bahts. Haha.

Then suddenly from afar I heard the sounds of drums beating and puffs of smoke appearing on the streets. I long have wondered why the streets seemed exceptionally car-less that day. It's because it was Vegetarian day.
Smoke started to appear on the streets of Hatyai
I waited in anticipation with all the other Thailanders there who happened to crowd the streets. No cars were in sight. The sounds grew louder, and the crowds grew bigger as it approached me.

It was getting closer. 
A big drum was being pulled from behind. And I saw a group of people in white advancing us. What were among the marching group in white that attracted such a large crowd?

This...

They had "things" pierced in their mouths! Bicycles umbrellas, lanterns poles, bed posts and weapons!
Pierced? What do you mean by pierced? Let's have a closer look, shall we?

See the rod going in from one cheek and going out from his mouth?
That wasn't all. I also witnessed some of these devoted lads whipping themselves to a bloody mess.

Standing bloodily tall and proud.
The religious Chinese devotees seemed to stop at every red shrine along the way to do some form of salutation. Some even tied red ribbons on kids they have meet along the way. I have no idea why as I was traveling without a guide (which is my traveling norm. hahaha)

We watched warily as the bloody devotees passed our way, dispersing the already thinning crowds that gathered earlier that day. It ended with three people lighting up traditional Chinese fireworks and then stomping on them.

They seemed to dance on fire
Yeahh.. that pretty much summed my Saturday afternoon in Hatyai. Haha.

The crowds dispersed as soon as the marchers left. I believe they were heading to other streets as well in Hatyai but I didn't follow them to find out. Having experienced this, I must say that this has certainly been one of the most random trip ever!

Keep traveling folks!

Other festivals in Thailand can be read here.




Sunday, April 14, 2013

Girls' Day Out in Semarang, Indonesia

I was staying at Imam Bonjol Hostel in Semarang sometime last year. It was the start of my first solo trip around Jawa since my travel mate bailed out and flew home due to diarrhea. I wasn't going to chicken out just then and decided to proceed without him. =)

After he flew back to Malaysia, I teamed up with a couple of Indonesian girls who were staying at the same hostel. They were all from Palembang and just came back from KarimunJawa. Since I wasn't due to Jakarta until next morning, I decided to tag along with them.

Here were their rough itinerary for the day for Semarang City Tour.
  • Sam Poo Kong temple with Rizma and her merry gang of Palembang doctors 
  • Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah 
  • Museum Ranggawarsita 
  • MURI (Museum Rekor Indonesia) 
  • Vihara Tanah Putih - Cityview above Semarang 
  • Vihara Buddhagaya dan Pagoda Avalokitesvara
  • Lawang Sewu (night time)
Unfortunately, all my pictures taken during these visits were corrupted and thus delayed this Semarang post. T__T

The ones I have left are the ones saved in my iPad. =)

First stop - Sam Poo Kong Temple

My Palembang travel companions for that day
Sam Poo Kong (三保洞), also known as Gedung Batu Temple, is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. (wikipedia) Aside from being a place of worship, today Sam Poo Kong Shrine is also one of religious tourism destination that is favored in Semarang. The complex is divided into two parts, the main plaza and shrine buildings. This is what we found in the main plaza. (picture below).

Statue of Admiral Cheng Ho at 10.7m, the tallest in Southeast Asia
The place itself made us feel like we were in China. Behind the iron fence, there is a Shrine building which should only be entered by visitors who want to pray or to read their fortune, known as ciamsi. We only came to visit so were able to visit the main plaza only. Hehe.

Second stop - Masjid Agung Jawa Tengah

This makes my second visit here and the first for the Palembang girls. The difference?  The girls sure know how to take awesome pictures at the mosque. Hahaha! We pretty much made quite a scene near the entrance of the mosque by taking pictures like below. =P.

Picture taken via Rizma's iPhone. So dramatic! Haha!
Third stop - Museum Ranggawarsita and MURI (Museum Rekor Indonesia) 

I can't find any pictures for these two. I remembered that the museum houses the biggest stuffed elephant with very long tusks and MURI displays all the record breaking events or activities done by Indonesians. For example, the longest banner, the biggest cake, or something like that. It's a place that archives all the record breaking things with pictures and trophies. =)

Fourth Stop - Vihara Tanah Putih - Cityview above Semarang 

The driver of our rented car had difficulty in finding this place but once he did, the view was breathtakingly beautiful! We had to climb some stairs to reach a wide stoned area and from above we could see the whole town of Semarang!

I didn't realize that many of the houses of Semarang were built on the sides of hills, making it a very picturesque housing area on hills! Too bad my pictures were ruined and I can't show them to you. :(

This photo was taken from Rizma's facebook account since I didn't have any pictures to show. Ampun ya Riz! 
Last Stop - Vihara Buddhagaya dan Pagoda Avalokitesvara

Pagoda Ayalokitesvara is noted to be the TALLEST pagoda in Indonesia. I guess Semarang is really a center for spiritual places in Indonesia. You got Masjid Menara Kudus in the East. the famous Mekah look-alaike mosque of Masjid Agung, Sam Poo Kong Chinese temple in Semarang and now this tallest pagoda, located south of Semarang

Pictured on the upper right is the Goddess Kwam Im Statue. The tallest pagoda is depicted on the bottom right . And this is also pictures taken by Rizma.
We ended our Semarang city tour with Lawang Sewu before we went back to our hostel rooms. =)
Finally, a picture of mine.

My last time with some of these girls before they fly back to Palembang the next day. T__T
I left out some details of some of these places as I might want to blog about them in an individual post. Well, that's a "maybe" and I don't know when. Haha.

Till then, happy traveling guys!
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Friday, April 12, 2013

When Islam meets Hindu at Masjid Menara Kudus, Semarang

My journey to Northern Jawa started with Semarang and ended in Kudus. Kudus is a regency in Central Java, located 51Km to the east of Semarang. I was told that Kudus was the Jerusalem of Jawa. It houses one of the oldest mosques in Indonesia, built at the time of Islam's spread through Jawa. Built around 1549, Menara Kudus Mosque is also known as Al-Manar Mosque.

This mosque preserves the tomb of Sunan Kudus, one of the nine Islamic saints of Java (the Wali Sanga), and it is a popular pilgrimage point. It was before a Hindu temple, but when Islam arrived, it converted into a mosque. Hindu architecture is still visible to this day and they don't allow cattle slaughter within the compound to pay respect to previous Hindu believers.

The old Masjid Menara with brick minaret dated back to the early days of Hindu in Indonesia.
As the name suggests ('kudus' means holy), the town Kudus itself reflects Islamic influences. Some source says that it’s derived from al-Quds or Jerusalem.

I was with three other Indonesian girls that day. All three of them were doctors from Palembang currently on their Jawa trip. They allowed me to join them and we shared rental for a full-day car trip to places at the outskirts of Semarang. Kudus was one of them. =)

In and about Masjid Menara Kudus. 
We actually stopped here for Zuhur prayers and also for lunch. And we did actually visit the many tombs of Sunan Kudus's family situated at the back of the mosque.

People come here to pay respect to Sunan Kudus. The tomb which is veiled under white belongs to him.
There were actually more people visiting the tomb than at the prayer hall. Hahaha!

The doorway into the tombs at the back of the mosque.
We ended our trip to Kudus by tasting the famous local dish there called Garang Asem, a traditional dish that is currently rare. This traditional cuisine is derived from the province of Central Java. And among the cities in Central Java that has this are Demak, Kudus, Pati, and Pekalongan.

Garang Asem Kudus.
This traditional dish is made from chicken that has been cut into small parts, such as breasts, wings, and head. Then it is wrapped in a banana leaf with seasoning and water. After that it is steamed for about 45 minutes.

The taste? A bit hot but delicious nonetheless. I want more!!! :)

Other Source: here.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

A Day Trip to Solo, Indonesia

I went down to Solo on a Sunday morning during one of my Jawa week long trips last year which involves Jakarta, Semarang and Yogyakarta (all blogged before except Semarang. Hikss). I took a bus from Semarang and went to Solo

Alone.

The main road Jalan Slamet Riyadi was closed for Cars Free Day. (Click here for bigger map)
I reached Solo (or also known as Surakarta) by 8:30 am and was surprised to be greeted with closed roads.   Why did I go to Solo? Well, Solo is considered as one of the two major centers of Javanese culture (the other being Yogyakarta) in the island of Java. A week to Java means nothing if Solo is not visited. Hehe.

And then here I was during Cars Free Day in Solo. Solo Car Free Day happens every Sunday from 6 – 9 am. Jl. Slamet Riyadi (as denoted in the yellow green line above) is closed for all cars and motorbikes and becomes a giant open air sports ground. There are several aerobic groups you can join for free and it has become a major social event with hundreds of people showing up and having fun.

I wanted to head to Kraton and so decided to walk there. Didn't realize how far it was until I reached there almost 2 hours later. hahaha!

From right : A notice on what not to do and do and "Pesan, Harapan dan Cinta" banner where people can write about their hopes and advises
As I was strolling down Jl. Slamet Riyadi, I noticed that many people brought mats and placed themselves all over the place as if on a picnic. Others were cycling or rollerblading down the road. Mostly in big groups or with families. It became such a cheerful and healthy environment because no cars were in sight!! I wished I had a bicycle too!

Another thing to note were the MANY, many food stalls at the sides of the roads!! I, too, decided to try some myself. :) 

I forgot the name of this snack. But it's made from grilled potatoes. And marinated with special sauce. 
I didn't eat much because I still didn't know if I was heading to the right direction to Kraton. I had a map with me but I still needed to ask for directions. Haha.

And so I finally arrived... around 10 am. By FOOT! Arrived a bit late because I stopped by Museum Radya Pustaka first but unfortunately it was still closed. So I walked further down the street and found Indonesia's famous book store, Gramedia! I immediately entered the store while the workers were singing to the national anthem. Hee *baru buka rupanya*

The many buildings I passed along the way to Kraton.
I rested outside the Kraton complex before entering as I was already sweating like a pig. And I was very thirsty! A cart driver next to me asked me why I looked so tired. Hahaha. I told him I just walked from Musuem Radya Pustaka to Kraton and he was shocked! =P

Kraton Surakarta is an 18th-century palace with an European and Jawa influence that once housed King Pakubuwono II and his royal court. It is now a museum.
I was a bit disappointed with this place. Haha. It was a bit run down and unkempt but it sure has a lot of cultural antique stuff in it. It just lacks information, maybe? So after some time spent here, I didn't know where else to go. An uncle came to me and offered to show me around. I quickly agreed since it was only 2 pm. He brought me to eat Nasi Pecel at some stall, and then to see some bulls at alun-alun Kraton at the back and the last place was to some batik places. I didn't buy much. I was more on browsing the art of batiks and see how the designs are different from Malaysian's batik designs.

In truth, nothing much to do in Solo except if you're interested to shop for Batik or become a dancer. (Which I'm not.) But I came, I visited and what-ever because now I know how Solo is. =)

Unfortunately all my pictures after Kraton and the ones taken during my first day in Semarang the next day were corrupted. Thus the reason I decided to blog about Jakarta and Yogyakarta first. T___T

Semarang will be next.... will make do with photos I still have. :'(
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Pak Ateng, Prambanan and Alun-alun Kidul, Yogyakarta

I'm gonna blog according to these three subjects. Hehe. After cave tubing in Goa Pindul, our supir (read : driver) drove us to Prambanan which is situated an hour and half from Wonosari.

Pak Ateng

Remember this entry? The one I blogged about the three guys I fell in love with? My guy friends were forever guessing and all of their guesses were wrong. None mentioned Pak Ateng. Haha. Why him?

Read on to find out. =P

The stout Pak Ateng.
1. He knows how to sing! Haha. He had youthful Indonesian music being played in his van and he sang to all of the songs. I think the other guys were singing also but I didn't notice which "soulful" voice were theirs. We bobbed our heads rhythmically to the music through out the whole ride back. And it made me fall in love with the song "Ya Sudahlah" by Bondan Prakoso & Fade to Black.  (youtube link)

2. He knows how to crack jokes that I actually LAUGHED out loud to. And I mean it, my laugh was LOUD. For instance, he'll tell me to look out of my left window and say in Indonesian language, "Hey, that's where our ancestors live!". I totally thought he meant some sort of cemetery  But when I turned to look, I saw Yogyakarta's Zoo! Hahaha!

I answered in return, "No, Pak Ateng, they are your ancestors only. Certainly not mine!" That cracked the guys at the back though. Hehe.

It doesn't take much to tickle my fancy, eh? Besides, I don't have a type. If I like you, I like you. :)

Prambanan

That day was the day I had one of those bad hijab day. My hair was wet from the recent cave tubing activity and I resorted to putting my sarong as my temporary head cover. I tried as much as possible to avoid being pictured in any of my guy friends cameras... until this one got loose. At least my entrance ticket only costed me  Rp 30,000 (local price). Hehe.

Fauzan, me (bad hijab day!), Helga and Singgih. Picture from Helga's camera.
Well, they didn't escape my camera though. So here's my share of pictures taken at Prambanan.

Aren't they sweet? Jumping for my camera. hehe.
Prambanan is considered as the largest Hindu Temple in Southeast Asia. While the Borobudur (which I didn't get to visit) is a Buddhist temple. Seeing how close these two temples are to each other shows how Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully together in Jawa, 

I read that Prambanan is also called as Roro Jonggrang which comes from a local folk lore called "slender virgin". From the legend, a powerful man named Bandung Bondowoso wanted to marry the beautiful princess, Roro Jonggrang. Since she didn't love him, she asked him to build 1,000 temples in one night before sun rise and the crowing of the roosters. Then only that will she accept him. He did just that but Roro had women in the village to pound rice to make roosters crow earlier to fail Bandung's attempt. This enraged Bandung gravely and he turned her into stone. :)

Oh ya, besides Prambanan (Roro Jonggrang) is the so called Candi Sewu which means a thousand temples. Bandung was said to successfully built only 999 temples. I guess the 1000th temple would be Roro as the stone slender virgin also known as Prambanan.

The slender virgin?  
Folk lore aside, Prambanan was built in the 9th century. the biggest temple is dedicated to Shiva (the destroyer with the height 47 meters tall ) and the two smaller ones are dedicated to Brahma (the creator) and Wishnu (the sustainer). 

By the way, let me formally introduce to you Fahmi from Solo. He's the shirtless lass I blogged about from my previous entry here.  And NO, I don't have a picture of him shirtless but you can google "shirtless Taylor Lautner" to get my meaning. Haha!

Fahmi, a friend of Helga.
After spending some time at Prambanan, my hair was starting to get dry so during our ride into town, I managed to put my hijab on within the sarong. Haha. Thankfully Pak Supir and the guys weren't able to see my hair. 

Alun-Alun Kidul

Alun-alun also means big open grassy area. If you go to Alun-alun Kidul in Yogyakarta during the night, you could see all these colorful lit motorized cycle carts... errr... whatever you call them, all over the place! Some of the carts even have DVD players with mini screens on them! And I spotted some kids sitting on top of the carts.

Traffic jam in Alun-alun Kidul.
I have no idea where the carts were bringing their customers to. Haha. Maybe just going in circles. Unfortunately, our time with Pak Ateng was nearing to an end and I had to catch a bus back to Semarang the same night. 

What happened next was blogged before in this entry, where I got involved in a road accident. :'(

Guess that ends my trip to Yogyakarta. Hope to come here again for Jomblang and Borobudur! 
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Monday, April 1, 2013

Cave Tubing in Goa Pindul, Yogyakarta

I woke up with a start. When my eyes started to focus on the things around me, I noticed the sudden maleness feeling of the room I just spent the night in. The faded jeans and checker-box shirts hanging on the wall, posters of rock bands plastered on one part of the wall and the smell...

...then it hit me. I'm in a house full of men! Hahaha!

I grabbed my toiletries and rushed to the bathroom situated outside the house. My guy friends were strewn all over the floor of the living room, still very much asleep. So I quietly tiptoed over them. Haha. Just to get out of the door to the bathroom outside.

Rise and shine everybody! Let's go cave tubing!

Helga managed to rent an 8-seater van for the cost of 250k rupiahs per day for the trip. And Fauzan, our couchsurfing host decided to join us as he shamefully admitted that as a Yogyakarta local, he has never been to Goa Pindul before! *shocked* We had some cakes and 3-in-1 drinks in Fauzan's house before starting the journey.

Our driver was a stout kind of a man who talked and sang a lot (I should know, because I was sitting in front with him). I couldn't figure out his age but maybe he was nearing his 50's. Nonetheless, he had loud rock music blaring from his car's radio. Haha. Youthful soul, eh uncle? The ride from Yogyakarta's town to Goa Pindul located at Desa Bejiharjo in Wonosari  was a long one. Almost two hours! I really didn't know what to expect but I knew it would involve going into water and have brought extra pair of clothes for that.

The signboard above the ticketing and waiting area of Goa Pindul.
There were a lot of locals already waiting for their turns to start cave tubing. It seemed we were late and will be waiting along with all the rest. Hehe. Pak supir parked his van in an allocated parking area and the boys decided to change into their swimming wear... inside the van,

I didn't bother. I was going into the water with the clothes I had on. Hijab and all.

Fauzan (our host) looking on as people were loaded into open trucks to do some water rafting at Sungai Oya.
Desa Wisata Bejiharjo had three main activities in the area. They were Cave Tubing in Goa Pindul, Caving Goa Glatik and then Rafting Sungai Oya. I didn't see any foreign tourists at this place so it was basically swarmed by local tourists only.

I suddenly felt lucky to be with these guys.

I felt..... ermm... LOCAL. hahaha!

Rp 30,000 per head. That's dirt cheap!! Equivalent to RM10 !
The area has some bathing and changing rooms available for a price which Rp2,000 per usage. They also sell soap, shampoo and bathing clothes for those who came unprepared. A small mushollah (praying facility) was also provided. 

We had to wait for awhile for our turn and every one seemed excited that they decided not to eat first. Little do they know, my stomach was already doing the "krucukkk.. krucukkk" sound. T__T

Clockwise from upper left : My guy companions that day (Helga, Fahmi, Singgih and Fauzan), the big signage slab, Singgih trying to keep his electronic devices dry by putting it into a plastic, and the signage in front of the ticketing booth.
When suddenly, "Mbak Helga" name was called by the operators, we quickly came to the counter to retrieve our life jackets and black tubes!

And off we go with tubes on our backs, walking into the unknown to the place where the starting point of tubing will happen. We walked and walked through mud and small meadows to reach the place below. Mind you, we only had slippers on during this ordeal. So it was a slippery ordeal indeed.

Pictures from above : The starting point where we'll enter the water, the guys with their tubes (hehe) and the picture below is where our tubing ends once we get out of that hole in the wall!
You know, the most funniest thing happened once we hit the water. It started RAINING!! And heavily too!
So as a guide with a torchlight guided us through the calm waters into the hole in the wall (read: cave), we actually could hear the loud rain pelts from outside! 

The tubes we were sitting on were lined up in long rows. Each row had their turns into the dark cave with one guide. I couldn't understand much of what the guide was saying as he was speaking in thick Indonesian language. haha. But I enjoyed the freaking experience floating in the dark cave while holding hands of the guys from both sides of me (ehem, darurat). 

Then at one point, the cave opened into a wide area with a big hole above! Rain was pouring in on us and this is when the guys got crazy. No picture were taken as it was raining heavily! 

They jumped off from their tubes and started climbing the high hedge (in the cave) and starting JUMPING into the water! I wanted to join them but I had a non water proof camera in my pockets and I couldn't risk the damage. The link between the tubes were broken and I was floating aimlessly in the dark. Hahaha.

Thankfully Singgih swam over to me and helped drag me in my tube towards the light outside. And then to the rocky shore. *my hero! sobs* It was still raining heavily when I reached ashore and also still raining as I head back alone to the ticketing area. Singgih swam back to join the other guys. But I didn't wait that long. hehe.

Afterwards we had Bakso at the shop across the street. Fahmi just happened to get shirtless during this time and people around us was actually gawking at him. Well, he did have a very toned body of that of Taylor Lautner. Lulz. But with shirtless him sitting next to me in the shop and hot, delicious bakso in front of me... bakso eventually won me over! =P

And so ends my very first cave tubing experience! Next stop is......... (next blogpost)

Note: Other blogposts on Goa Pindul made by Indonesians can be read here and here.