Gunung Padang Megalithic Site

Where do you think I went last week? Up to the hill or down to the beach?

Still a bit traumatized by Lombok’s humidity strike, I need more time not to visit any palces by the sea. Haha.

I dragged myself up on the hill this time to satisfy my thirst of historical knowledge. I sweated myself up to the point of almost fainted, haha.. and visited Gunung Padang Megalithic Site. In Cianjur, West Java. To be honest with you, before that Saturday, I had no idea Cianjur was so freaking far away from Jakarta, not to mention from Bintaro. It drove me insane. Haha.

Because of the remote location without public transportation access, I decided to join an open trip. Cheap and hustle-free (err.. not so much in the end, though). At 6.15 sharp in the morning, I arrived on the meeting point. The next 30 minutes, all twelve of us were on our way to Karyamukti Village.

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Kidung Sunda

Kidung Sunda adalah naskah asal Bali yang menceritakan tragedi kisah cinta Hayam Wuruk dan Dyah Pitaloka serta perang Bubat yang menyebabkan kematian mereka.

Note: Cerita di bawah ini diambil dari naskah Kidung Sunda dan Serat Pararaton, bukan dari sumber lain seperti Negarakertagama.

Pada tahun 1357, Kerajaan Majapahit mengalami masa kejayaan di bawah kekuasaan Sri Maharaja Rajasanagara atau lebih dikenal dengan sebutan Hayam Wuruk. Hayam Wuruk belum memiliki permaisuri. Kedua pamannya, Raja Kahuripan dan Raja Daha yang sedang berkunjung ke Trowulan (pusat Majapahit) menyatakan rasa keprihatinannya. Maka diutuslah orang-orang kepercayaan ke seluruh penjuru negeri untuk mencarikan putri-putri bangsawan yang sesuai. Mereka kembali membawa lukisan-lukisan putri-putri cantik. Namun, tidak ada satupun yang memikat hati Hayam Wuruk.

Hayam Wuruk

Suatu hari terdengarlah kabar bahwa putri Raja Linggabuana dari Kerajaan Galuh-Sunda (Padjajaran), Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi, memiliki paras yang cantik jelita. Hayam Wuruk mengutus juru lukis ke istana Kawali, ibukota Padjajaran. Setelah juru lukisnya kembali dan memperlihatkan lukisan Dyah Pitaloka dengan sigernya. Hayam Wuruk tertarik untuk meminang sang putri. Disuruhlah orang kepercayaannya, Madhu, untuk meminang.

Tentang Cinta

Nulis postingan kali ini kaya nulis sampah. Bener-bener ngerasa ngga guna. Masalahnya kata L ini lagi membebani hidup banget. What do I know about love coba? People have been betrayed, humiliated, broken for the sake of this L word. For me? I promise myself to never surrender to this ridiculous particular matter. Ever again.

Sampai beberapa minggu terakhir datang lagi. Menyiksa batin.

First thing first. What I am about to tell you is Eros. Not Agape, Philia or Storge.

Though I still find it hard to believe in L word, or would ever say the word again to any men. I am captivated by one love story which then affect my psychology entirely. The love triangle of Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot.

Ada berbagai macam versi cerita karena kebenaran mitologi ini belum bisa dipastikan. Apa benar ada Merlin dan pedang Excalibur? Atau Knights of the Round Table?

China: Beijing Summer Palace

Friday, 2 June 2017

Situated in the Haidian District northwest of Beijing, Summer Palace is 9 miles (15 kilometers) from the downtown area. Being the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, it greatly influences Chinese horticulture and landscape with its famous natural views and cultural interests, which also has long been recognized as ‘The Museum of Royal Gardens‘. – http://www.travelchinaguide.com

The combination ticket price is 60 yuan.

Summer Palace can be divided into four parts: the Court Area, Front and Rear Area of Longevity Hill, and Kunming Lake Area.

I had so much fun donning Empress royal dress and taking a boat in Kunming Lake. I will let the pictures speak for themselves this time.

China: Mutianyu Great Wall

There were several places I visited in China which were mesmerizing but this one was beyond awesome and unforgettable: Great Wall of China. This place was the highlight of my vacation to Beijing. The ultimate privilege.

Thursday, 1 June 2017

Through Klook application, I booked one day tour to Mutianyu. Only to the Great Wall, without Ming Tomb or tea shop. I preferred to enjoy longer time in the site instead of wasting time in other activities. The tour was around $USD 39 including transportation, English speaking guide (only in the mini bus and before entrance), lunch, return tickets (luge/toboggan/slideway) and no need for tipping.

Luge view with toboggan slideway below

The mini bus picked me up in the meeting point I informed them before. The tour guide preferred to pick up at hotel lobby, as for me, I asked him to pick me up in front of downtown city subway station. He was punctual with the time. There were already 9 other tourists in the car; Austrian, Germans, Taiwanese, Singaporean and Italian. Exactly at 8.00 AM, we drove our way to north.

I was very lucky with weather and the traffic. The sky was clear blue with no chance of rain and the road was empty. What’s more, it was surrounded by vivid green trees. Parfait!

 

Vivid green

One of the towers

Empty Mutianyu Great Wall

China: Temple of Heaven

Hall of Prayer

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

Dragon Boat Festival. Day 3. The actual 5th day of 5th month in Chinese calendar. We spent the day strolling Chinese restaurants, cooking Persian food and looking for P (K’s brother)’s daughter gift. He’s coming to town! I was excited to meet him. It’s been a while since we met in Jogja.

Wednesday, 31 May 2017

Temple of Heaven. Built in 1420. It was the place where emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. It is the largest and most representative existing masterpiece among China’s ancient sacrificial buildings.

China: Temple of Confucius

Confucius Statue

Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Confucius

Monday, 29 May 2017

Dragon Boat Festival. Day 2. I was super lazy today. This was my time of the month and I had cramps. I really didn’t want to go anywhere but I had several unchecked list in my itinerary notes. So, I decided to drag my feet downtown to one of most famous hutongs (narrow lane or alleyway in a traditional residential area of Beijing), Guozijian Street. There are two large temples in the area: Yonghe Lamasery and Temple of Confucius. I didn’t have the chance to visit Yonghe Lamasery. Maybe next time.

Had a miracle happened? The oldman and his wheelchair. Hahahaa..

Ticket price to visit was only 30 yuan. The site opened from 08.30 AM to 6 PM. Getting out of the nearest subway (Yonghegong Station, Exit G) was like getting out of a time machine. Hahaha.. the way this oldie area preserved was remarkable. No wonder Beijing hutongs attract huge number of tourists.