Italy

   

Travel is Interesting

• Well Traveling is really interesting
• Why is it interesting ?
• It is really interesting, because you will see new views, cultures, panorama sights which are really very useful
• By traveling to many new places it will for sure widen your horizon
• by traveling it will be a therapy for your mental behaviour
• you will know better upon the world that you live in
• you will respect and be grateful for the live that you had been experiencing
• you will admire the signs of the greatness of GOD that are scattered around the world
  
• you will no longer be short sided when you know other cultures of other ethnics
   
• it will increase your personality and your human relation skills
• Cross Culture experienced will be obtained instantly in the places and sights that you visit
• So do not just waste your time by only staying in one place but travel other places even if it just 1 km from your home.
• You will be surprised and astonished upon the wonders of the world
• sometimes you have to get lost to see new things that you have never seen in your life

Cheers
Jakarta, April 22, 2009
Agung Supomo Suleiman

try to find something new

• Hi, Long time no see
• How are you there?
• Have you make a plan to make a trip or visit to some place that you have never been.
• I mean not far from your place or home
• maybe just a few minutes from your place ?
• well there are many places in town that you might not have seen
• for instance if you are used to travel by car
• maybe you must try once in a while to take a walk through the streets that you have never gone to.
• you might be amazed that there are some places that you must have seen a long time ago.
• but due to your tight schedule of work you forget to see such interesting places which are nearby your places.
• sometimes its nice to just get lost and just walk without any certain destiny.
   
• you might find some interesting places that you should have seen in these last years
• well, you may try to do such walking
  
• and you might be surprised of what you may find

cheers
agung supomo suleiman
Jakarta March 9, 2009

35 th SSEAYP Year 2008

   

• It was really exiting for our family to participate as the Foster Parents of the 35 SSEAYP (South East Asia Youth Program) this Year of 2008. This SSEAYP program is the program participated by several South East Asia Youth representing several Countries from Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Laos Cambodia (Myanmar), Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia.

• There are among others around 300 South East Asia Youth participating in this 35 th SSEAYAP this Year of 2008.

• The interesting part is that they will travel by Ship so called "Nippon Maru", to several Countries from Japan, Muara Brunei, Indonesia (Jakarta), Bangkok (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh Vietnam, Manila Philippines and Back to Japan.

• This Year we are being the Foster Parents of Shimizu Wataru ( nickname :Shimmy ) from Japan and Phongsathorn Koaysomboon( nicname Top) from Thailand.

• They are both around their 25 Years of age. Shimmy is working in the Department of Industry and Finance in Nara, Japan and Top is working as Journalist in a Magazine in Bangkok.

• Based on the books that were given by Top to us shows that there are 28 guys and girls from Thailand where their journey begun after they had passed those trial and exams.

• As Fosters Parents we fetched them from Taman Mini Indonesia, where they had professionally given their fantastic culture show from their countries.

• It was really exiting watching the shows from several countries, which really enriched our mind and soul and bound our relation between the Fosters Parents and the Participants Youths (or PY s so they were called).

• The Speeches from Ibu Tambunan, representing the Governor of Jakarta, was interesting where she yelled the motto Enjoy Jakarta, and was responded enthuastically by the Participant Youths.
  

• Well, after watching the culture show, we went to Pondok Indah Mall, to try to get some meals, and meet my son, after he had took his french language exams, but it was already closed since it was already around 10 o'clock in the night.

• We then went straight ahead to our house, where they will stay for 2 nights since on Saturday afternoon, they will go back to the Nippon Maru ship to continue their journey to Thailand.

• The following day, my son Dwi had escorted Top and Shimmy to several places in Jakarta among others the old city of Jakarta, Ancol, Kemang.

• We showed them the Hotel Indonesia which was the first High Rising Hotel in Indonesia including the Welcome Statue, where the are 2 person a Boy and a Girl bringing flowers to show their welcome to the participant of Asian Games during the Early 1960' s.

• We also told them that the Hotel Indonesia Circles is usually used by the protesters in Indonesia as the strategic place to show their protests.

• We went to Sarinah Thamrin, for souvenirs and we then went to have our lunch at Gajah Mada Noodle ( Bakmi Gajah Mada) which is really famous in Jakarta for its noodles.

• Top had taken pictures of this Gajah Mada restaurant and note down the histories of this Gajah Mada Noodle which started from the Street at Gajah Mada Street. Top is a journalist in Bangkok and is mastering much information and data such as the price of properties in Bangkok, since he profession is a journalist
  

• During such Lunch Shimmy teaches us the Japanese traditional before eating you have to say " Itadakisamu" or lets eat. And after having our lunch we say : "gothisosama" Thank you for the lunch.

• We then droved them back to Nippon Maru where they will continue their 52 days journey on the next destination to Bangkok, Thailand the paradise place for foods, as been told by Top.

• Bon Voyage, to Shimmy and Top ...till we meet again.

• Oh ya, during the 34 th SSEAYP Year 2007, we were being the Foster Parents of Sean from Singapore and Sou Liyong So Inxay( nickname T-Lex) from Laos...we all miss you both. When I went to Singapore, on a business trip, around 2 months ago, if I am not mistaken, I had met Shawn, who came to my hotel around the back of the Orchard Road. It was really nice meeting him during such trip to Singapore.

Agung Supomo Suleiman and Septi Winaryanti (your Foster Parents), Dwi and Tia (who is currently studying for her Post Graduate Program in Holland)
November 17, 2008
17.20 hours Indonesia Western Time

Its a must to go to Bandung

If you are a foreigner I recommend you to go to Bandung. Why is it so interesting to go to Bandung? One of the reasoning most people loves to go to Bandung is the panorama and view which many parts are hilly. If you go Bandung from Jakarta, you can go by the highway toll which will take around 2(two) and a half hours to reach Bandung.

Once you reached Bandung    
you can feel the view and surroundings which are different compared to Jakarta.

Bandung is not a big city, but is a nice and beautiful town, where you can feel the warmth and calmness of the nature.

The specific things that you may found in Bandung are among others the places to eat which are mostly designed to be combined with the given beautiful panorama nature as a selling point which makes Bandung attractive for Jakarta people who needs some break from their day to day fatigue and stress full work.

On Saturdays most of the domestic visitors are coming from Jakarta which can be identified by the police numbers of the vehicles.

This may contribute traffic jam to the city of Bandung. You may also found many out lets in Bandung where you can buy many casual dress from t shirts, jeans and many other types of casual dress. You may also found coats and sweaters, since the weather in Bandung at night may be cold compared to Jakarta.

One of the interesting part of Bandung which we can observe by us, is that every time there is a new out let or new place to eat, people are eager to go and try to taste the food and seek for new opportunities in shopping t shirts and other lovely casual dress.

Most of the population in Bandung are young students because Bandung is well known as student city including the well known Bandung Institute Technology, University Padjadjaran and several other well known Universities.

Agung Supomo Suleiman

email : agungsuleiman@gmail.com

Travelling In Jakarta

If you are a foreigner and would like to travel to Jakarta, as the Capital City of Indonesia , then there are several places that you have to visit. Once you landed in the Soekarno Hatta Airport, you better take a taxi which is official as you may found in side the airport.

We advise you not to take the cab outside the airport, since they usually will charge you without an Argo meter. But if you take a taxi from inside the airport, then such taxi is usually an official taxi. Jakarta is divided into several sectors, Central of Jakarta, South of Jakarta, North of Jakarta, East of Jakarta, West of Jakarta.
If this is your first time traveling to Jakarta, you better ask the taxi driver to get you to the Central of Jakarta. In Central of Jakarta, there are several Hotels which are available in Jakarta.

If you would like to taste the traditional Javanese type of Hotel, we recommend you to stay at Hotel Sahid Jakarta which is located at Centre of Jakarta. This Hotel has a characteristic story, since it was build by Mr. Sukamdani Gitosardjono and her wife Yuliah Sukamdani from scratch and become one of the icon hotels in Indonesia, which traditional Javanese flavor are being maintain by Mr Sukamdani and his family.

Such Sahid Hotel has around 5 to 6 Sahid hotels in other cities of Indonesia, among others in Surabaya, Solo and Yogyakarta, Sulawesi, Bali, which are managed by the management within the Sahid Group. We recommend you to go to Solo, which is a small but nice place in Central of Jawa, where you can stay in Hotel Kusuma Sahid Solo, which was bought by the owner of Sahid from one of the royal families in Solo.

Back to Jakarta, in the Central part of Jakarta, you may visit the Museum of Jakarta, Monas Statute, which is in front of such Museum of Jakarta. Such statute was build during the Sukarno Era, where on top of such Monas Statute is covered by Gold, which symbolized the spirit of fire of the people of Indonesia to go forward and never retreat. In Jakarta you may also found the Welcome Statute, consisting of one men and one women carrying flowers, which symbolizes, welcome to the visitors to Jakrta, which is now located in front of Nico Hotel, at Jalan Sudirman, which statute was built during the Asian Games Era around 1960. There is also another statute in front of Hotel Borubudur located at Lapangan Banteng (the Buffalo Field), where there is a man being freed from the chain, which symbolizes the freedom from the colonization.

In Jakarta you have to visit Museum Falatiha, which is an old building located at the North of Jakarta (old Batavia) , which was build during the Dutch Colonial period. Since you are in the North part of Jakarta you then have to go to Pasar Ikan (Fish Market), which is one of the old places where you can found the old harbor and you may found fortress inhereted from the Dutch Colonial time, where there is a dungeon where the prisoners were captured and prisoned in such dungeon.
If you want to look at the modern beach then you can go to Taman Impian Ancol, where yopu may find many amusements such as the Sea World, and all kinds of amusements.

Tia Study in Holland 2 Years after 21 days traveling in Europe

I am really amazed with ALLAH' s plan, where after the 21 days trip to Europe on 2005, my Daughter TIA, with the permit and help of God gets a 100 % scholarship for her Post Graduate Degree granted by the Government of the Netherlands for 2 Years program from August 2007.

Thus , when she went to Holland for such studies, she went by herself, and was brave enough because, she had experienced traveling 21 days with Euro Rail Train to 5 Countries, starting transit in Dubai, then to Dusseldorf, Germany, and then by Euro Rail Train to Amsterdam, where we had booked in a small Hotel of Multatuli in Amsterdam, which is located, near the Amsterdam station.

From Amsterdam we went to Den Hag, the place where I stayed there for 3 Years during my High School at the Indonesian School from 1968 until 1970, and formerly 3 Years during my early infant, where according to my parents, we went by ship to Holland in the Year 1951, 50 days after I was born.

Back to the above story, we went by walking to such house which is located at Violen Weg, 13 Scheveningen, Den Haag.

It was really fun, for us, because I together with my wife (Septi) , Tia( my daughter) , who had just graduated from ITB, the Technical Institute Bandung, at that time ( Year 2005) and Dwi (my son) walked down from the tram, which we took from Amsterdam, and try to seek such house.

Well, it was really exciting seeking for such house, in 2005, because it was way back in 1968 until 1970 when I stayed there.

We then went to Madurodam, a place in Den Haag, Scheveningen Holland, which I advised you to visit, because it is one of the Icon Travel Place in Holland, where there are miniature places of Holland exposed in Madurodam.

I really can remember this place, because it is really close to the place where I have stayed during my high school period.

After visiting Madurodam, where you can find small miniature, palaces, houses, bridges, airplanes and other interesting unique miniature places.

From Madurodam, we went by foot walking to Scheveningen Beach, which is the beach in Den Haag close to Madurodam.

We decided to walked there, because such beach is close nearby to Madurodam.

It was really a nice feeling for me, because after so many years telling the stories of my childhood to my 2 kids, of my stay in Holland, finally I had succeeded in bringing them to Holland, with the Grace of God.

And as I had earlier mentioned, my Daughter Tia since 2007 had been studying in Holland, Wageningen, in the Post Graduate degree, where she took Urban Environmental Management.

I really thank to God, because with God Grace, Tia has been granted 100% scholarship from the Government of the Netherlands.

After from Holland, we then went to Belgium, where we took the Travel Bus, for sight seeing.

Well, Belgium is really a beautiful place to go, where there are many beautiful buildings and we went to famous Manakepis statut , which was a statute of a small child, which became very famous because of his contribution to Belgium during the battle of Napoleon, if I am not mistaken.

We then went to Berlin, Germany, where we stayed at my friend's place, namely Stephanus Yuwono, who was a diplomat posted in Berlin during our trip in 2005, and was very kind in showing and escorting us to the many interesting places in Berlin, including the Post Dam Berlin Wall, the concentration camp outside of Berlin and many other interesting places in Berlin.

We also went by train to the city of Koln, where we stopped at the street no.4711 where Eau de Kologne was originated. I remember this place because my my mother frequently told her story of this place. O ya just to let you now, when I was small my mother, father and our family stayed in Germany for 3 Years.

Back to my above story, in Belgium we watched the Big Doom Cathedral which was closed to the train station.

We, then went to Swiss by train and stayed there in Lezeurn, where we then went to Mount Titili, s which was approximately 3000 above the sea level by going on with the sky train. The views were very really beautiful and fantastic, where as far as you can see, the views of the mountain were covered with white snows.

We also went to Italy where we visited Rome, Milan and Venice. Wauw, Italy is really fantastic place to go where you can find many historical places.

Paris, French was also the place which I had earlier promised my wife to go, if we had the money to go.

In Paris , we took the Travel City Bus, and was shown around Paris including of course the Famous Paris Tower, and walked down at the famous road of Chant De Lise

Well, meanwhile, that is what I wanted to share about my travel experience in Europe, where Tia my daughter right now is studying in Holland, and had accompanied Dwi her younger brother, who is now studying in the Law Faculty of the University of Indonesia, during his visit for 1 month in Holland and together with Tia they went again to Paris during the Last Year new Year.

By the way Dwi is now taking French lessons, because his dream is going back studying in Paris, since he had the experienced that live is cheap for students learning in French, since he was experiencing using his Indonesian student card to bought student bus ticket .

written by
Agung Supomo Suleiman
Saturday October 11, 2008