Waisak 2011

 Location : Borobudur temple

Date : may 17 2011 when Waisak

With Technology.....

Location : Borobudur temple
Date : May 17' 2011 when Waisak

A Trip to Semarang #1

In May ‘5-6 2011, I went to Semarang with my classmates. We went to Semarang for hunting photo session (again), but this time was different for me because this is the first time we went hunting together without our lecturer and went to other city. Fyi, Semarang has a place in my memory because I ever study in college for the first time here so I got ‘nostalgic feeling’ went I arrived here.

We started the trip at 12.00 a.m, I went to my friend’s home and waited other friends here. We used our friends car as accomodation and tottally needs four car. It was a fun trip – for me – even my health was not good that time. I’ve got flu for 2 weeks and yesterday, my condition dropped again but I really enjoy the trip because my friends are funny^^ and they really understand about my sickness hehehe....

Semarang is capital city of Central Java Province, about the detil information you can click here or here for goverment information (Indonesia version). This city has some interesting place to explore and of course, take picture if you like photography. You can go to ‘Lawang Sewu’ or ‘Kota Lama’ if you love colonial building. It’s like ‘Kota Tua’ in Jakarta. You can go to Diponegoro University, Semarang State University in Ungaran, or other university in Semarang if you interested to study. Sam Poo Kong Pagoda, , ‘Tugu Muda’,  Vihara of Watugong, Gedongsongo Temple, Bandungan, and a lot of other choice to explore.

But the traffic maybe can make you mad because traffic jam almost everywhere. I suggest you to go Semarang by bus (not economic bus except you ready to explore and backpacking, so I recommended tourism bus so you can feel comfort) or by your own car (and with guide) as accomodation. If you don’t want to get mad because traffic jam, you can go Semarang at night or midnight – just in case if you don’t want meet the traffic jam and be careful because you can meet a lot of street corner.

We need three hour to got there. Maybe it’s because we used our own car and drove at midnight so the traffic wasn’t like day traffic which ussually full of car, bus, or motorclycle. If we used bus, maybe we need four hour from Jogja (but if we used economic bus, we need four hour more).

First destination was Gombel. From here, we saw city landscape of Semarang here. We all tired so we stopped at a parking place of a restourant. We didn’t know if we should pay here, so just a few of my friends pay for used restourant’s toilet even the restourant was closed (we arrived ad 3 a.m). We take a rest and waited for sunrise here. It’s a perfect place to saw Semarang’s landscape. You can enjoy view from restaurant, villa, and hotel. I saw some hotel and restaurant here. I didn’t take picure here because my condition has dropped, my flu was comeback and my temperature so high. I choosed to take a rest for a while when few of my friends enjoy the landscape.

There was two Gombel in Semarang, actually this is name of a place. I saw the landscape in Gombel Lama which is the street better than Gombel Baru, but you should be careful. The street in Gombel Lama is a (tikungan). Don’t forget to check your car if you don’t want your car or bus break down.  

Morning sky (Gombel, Semarang)

I woke up at six a.m, I feel better when woke up. Unfortunetly, I lost chance to (take) sunrise. I just took picture of morning sky . And after six a.m, I turn my radion in my cellphone to listened my favorite show in my favorite radio at Semarang. Morning Zone at Trax FM Semarang. I loved that show because that show was really funny, I listened their show every morning from my first time I arrived Semarang four years ago untill I graduate a year ago. And finally I listened their show again yesterday when I arrived in Semarang^^.

Next, our destination was place for breakfast. We could had breakfast in our first place because the restaurant was open in night ! So we looking for a place for breakfast. The choice was pecel and Soto Lamongan in roadside. Nasi pecel is food  that consist of rice, some vegetable, and seasoning called 'bumbu kacang' – a seasoning from nuts, palm sugar, chili, and salt (please corret if I’m wrong). Then, 'Soto Lamongan' is one of various Soto – a food that consist of  rice, vegetable, chicken meat, seasoning, sauce, and koya (that’s the different of Soto Lamongan with other kind of Soto). Koya was srhimp cracker powder - at least that information from my friends.

<To Be contined >

Nb. I just post 1 picture because I only got this picture before next destination. Hope I can post more photo soon...

Along Code River

This is my first post with English, ussually I write in my language - bahasa Indonesia. So, I'm really sorry for my 'broken' English because I didn't use English for few years and now I learn basic English (again) in my new campus. Yes, I learn about tenses, grammar, etc. I learn again because I had trouble with my tenses and grammar since I didn't use it XD.

Btw, have you ever heard about Code river ? I'm sure you ever listen this name if you live in Indonesia, especially live in Central Java or Yogyakarta or maybe if you ever came to Yogyakarta and maybe you listen the name after Merapi eruption some months ago. Yes, it's name of a river in Yogyakarta. This river is so popular in Jogja (sometimes people said Yogya is Jogja for more simple) because the river is in the town (please correct if I'm wrong because I'm newcomer in Jogja) and more popular after Merapi eruption. It's because lava from Merapi pass the Code and cause flooding ussually called cold lava flooding. Why cold ? I'm sure you ask that. The answer is because the flood bring material from Merapi like water, sand, and stone - not hot lava because Merapi is okay right now.

This is one of the house where a little close with river. Flooding caused some houses in edge of Code river was damaged.

 This is the house which the owner still survive there. You can see place where the woman sit, that something like obstacle for anticipation if water come. Behind her is the house door. She said that water still in to her house if flood came, it's maybe because they didn't build leeve yet.

Many people live at edge of Code....okay, I still confused the english for 'bantaran'. I mean, they live at edge of Code. So, if you out from their home, you can see the river. So, am I right to use that word ?

Back to topic. If the flood come, many houses go under by flood. Not all home, but only houses that really close with river.  The flood left not only water but also sand from Merapi, that's why they called the flood : Cold Lava Flooding.

And because of some reason, me and my classmates got hunting photo session in that location as our campus assigment. Yes, we walked along the settlement to get 50 photo every person. We're not going there together, but we devided into some group, each group are 5 person. Every person should get 50 photos, that means 250 photos every group. We go to each location which devided by groups. I got 2nd group and started from before Kewek bridge.

For the first time, I got photo hunting session with my friends in Code and I could see how society's life in Code. How they build levee for their defense to face flooding together, how they live and survive from the flood, and so many side that I never got before. I can say : It's a interesteng place to explore but not a good choice if you want just hang out. The society so kind and nice, they so welcome with us - newcomer who intersted with their daily life and other aspect from their life. They're not angry if we take their photo, but we should tell them first - of course.

I got this photo in location 2. They build levee together. You can see their togetherness to anticipating flood 

in Code.

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The photo above I got in location 3, it's after Kewek bridge. They made levee by themselves (society)   and  in this settlement, they more lucky because their levee is higher than society in my hunting photo location before. Some people draw at their wall. You can see picture or painting on walls along Code river. Sometimes, children painting, batik motif, or just a simple motif like photo above (but I'm sorry, I dont have the photo).

If you come to Jogja, Code river can be another option to explore. It is a interesteng place to know the society life - for me. But don't go there alone if you're not sure, you can go with your friends. And please, be careful because not all place will save for you especially for woman or girl except you go there with your boyfriend, husband, or your family. As long as you polite, they will polite too (I think, it's a rule everywhere =)).  

I love this kind of hunting photo session, I wish I could hunting photo again with my friends like this.