Catatan Perjalanan ke India, Iran, Afghanistan (20 Januari 2012 – 5 Februari 2012)

Dipublikasikan pertama kali dalam milis http://www.indobackpacker.com/.

INDIA

Delhi: Tempat menginap paling enak buat emak-emak demen belanja seperti saya ya di area Karol Bagh, waktu itu di Western Palace (800 rupee per malam, kamar doang untungnya ada air panas sehingga nggak malas mandi walaupun winter, hehehe…). Keliling-keliling mah standar aja (Jama’ Masjid dll), sayang juga nggak sempet nyobain bis HoHo Delhi (http://www.hohodelhi.com/). Sistem transportasi metronya cukup rapi, bahkan bisa naik kereta dari stasiun dekat hotel hingga ke bandara (jelas jauh lebih murah dan cepat daripada taksi).

Agra: Kereta sleeper train dari Delhi mesti booking jauh-jauh hari via internet (http://www.makemytrip.com atau http://www.cleartrip.com) supaya dapet yang enak. Waktu itu saya beli tiket yang beruntung banget dapet sekamar cuma berdua, penumpang lain sekamar tempat tidurnya ada empat. Kalau mau ikut tur keliling yang diselenggarakan pemerintah Uttar Pradesh (http://www.up-tourism.com/agra_darshan.htm, 1700 rupee per orang), mesti sampai di stasiun Agra Cantt sebelum pukul 10:00 pagi. Waktu itu keretanya telat sehingga kami sampai sana udah lewat jamnya, ya udah sewa taksi aja (850 rupee seharian) keliling Taj Mahal (karcis masuk 750 rupee) dan mejeng sebentar di depan Agra Fort sebelum lanjut ke Jaipur naik bis malam karena memang nggak ada rencana menginap di kota ini.

Jaipur: Kota kecil yang asyik banget, recommended hotel-nya Kalyan (melalui http://www.booking.com) karena bersih, nyaman, lokasi strategis, WiFi gratis, restorannya menyediakan makanan enak dan nggak terlalu mahal, laundry-nya murah. City Palace dll asyik juga.

Ajmer: Di sini ada dargah yang terkenal banget, tapi ya cuma itu jadi nggak usah nginep (day trip aja dari Jaipur naik bis, isinya waktu itu kebanyakan turis-turis dari mancanegara lho). Menarik sekali memperhatikan bahwa sebenarnya Dargah Ajmer itu dibangun oleh pemuka agama Islam tapi penduduk India dari segala macam agama juga berdatangan ke sana (serasa naik haji deh).

IRAN

Shiraz: Kota kecil yang indah banget, bisa dibilang “city of love”. Suasananya romantis, mirip Solo atau Melbourne yang bawaannya slow, klangenan gitu. Saya menginap di Niayesh Hotel, lokasinya di tengah kota (bisa jalan kaki ke Shahceragh, Vakil Bazaar, dll), US$ 30 per malam (mahal sih) termasuk sarapan dan WiFi gratis. Baiknya ikut tur US$ 25 (untuk 5 jam perjalanan pulang pergi, bisa booking melalui hotel) ke Persepolis dan Naghsh-e Rostam jika waktunya terbatas. Kalau tinggal beberapa hari di sini sih bisa jalan sendiri dengan bis dan taksi supaya sekaligus ke Naghsh-e Radjab dan Passargad.

Isfahan: Kota pendidikan dan budaya, seperti Jogja kali ya? Ada Chehel Sotoon, dll. Naghsh-e Jahan Square harus dikunjungi, ada dua masjid indah dan Ali Qapu Palace yang dulu jadi tempat tinggal keluarga raja. Usahakan agak sorean ke sini supaya sempat lihat air mancur mulai dinyalakan. Oh ya, kota ini terkenal dengan jembatan-jembatan indahnya, Khajou Bridge, Si-O-Se Pol.

Tehran: Kota bisnis, pusat kegiatan politik negara ini, seperti Jakarta-nya kita lah. Ada beberapa museum dan istana raja yang konon bagus-bagus tapi saya nggak punya waktu untuk masuk (karena keliling-keliling di dalam lokasi-lokasi itu bisa makan waktu seharian, padahal saya di Tehran hanya 24 jam). Kalau datangnya pas winter (Januari-Februari), maka bisa main ski di Dizin atau Shemshak yang kondang sebagai best location of powder snow. Belanja oleh-oleh di Taleghani aja, dekat ex-Kedubes USA yang sekarang ada grafiti berupa Miss Liberty bermuka tengkorak. Keliling-keliling kota enaknya naik metro subway dan bus a la TransJakarta busway aja.

Mashhad: Kota suci bagi Muslim Shia karena ada Holly Shrine of Imam Reza. Setiap kali ketemu orang Iran lalu ngobrol punya ngobrol mereka tahu saya akan ke kota ini, ujung-ujungnya selalu ada permintaan “doakan saya selama di sana yaaaa…” sehingga saya pun berdoa untuk Yahya, Somayeh, Hasan, dll sewaktu berziarah ke Imam Reza itu. Oh ya, di semua kota di Iran yang saya kunjungi, nggak berlaku jam malam. Gadis-gadis bisa kok nongkrong sama temen di coffee shop hingga larut malam. Selama saya bepergian dengan bis/kereta antar kota (berangkat tengah malam, tiba dini hari di kota tujuan), banyak juga solo female travelers, orang lokal maupun turis asing. Iran masih terhitung negara aman.

AFGHANISTAN

Herat: Kota kecil ini hanya 5 jam perjalanan dari Mashhad. Ongkosnya 400,000 rials naik taksi, berbagi dengan 3 penumpang lain. Berangkat pukul 6:40 pagi, tiba di Herat diantar sampai ke alamat hotel/rumah tujuan (bukan seperti travel Jakarta-Bandung yang point-to-point). Perempuan mendingan pakai chador deh, aman nggak jadi pusat perhatian di kota yang rada tradisional ini. Harus berkunjung ke Mausoleum of Queen Goharshad yang dikelilingi the famous minarets (UNESCO World Heritage). Sempatkan juga ke The Arg, ex-markas militer yang dijadikan Herat National Museum. Masjid Jama’ di sini juga indah banget, nggak kalah dengan masjid-masjid indah di Iran, hanya kurang terawat akibat perang yang sudah 30 tahun berkepanjangan.

Kabul: Ibukota Afghanistan yang menyebalkan, hehehe…soalnya pas di sana lagi salju yang gila-gilaan. Nyaris semua toko dan tempat wisata tutup, banyak jalan harus disekop dulu (karena tumpukan salju tingginya sampai lebih dari 1.5 meter hanya dalam semalaman) sebelum bisa dilalui orang atau kendaraan. Tapi sepenuhnya aman dan nyaman kok, perempuan sama seperti di Iran, harus pakai kerudung tapi nggak perlu ber-chador. Naik bis atau taksi agak mahal, makan di restoran sekitar 200-300 afghani per orang. Yang jelas, usahakan di atas pukul 7 malam sudah balik ke rumah masing-masing.

BIAYA POKOK UNTUK TRANSPORTASI DAN VISA

Tiket Air Asia pulang pergi dari Jakarta ke Delhi (transit di Kuala Lumpur) = Rp.2,333,000 (nggak termasuk checked-in baggage dan tanpa makan/minum) plus airport tax di Soekarno Hatta = Rp.150,000.

Tiket Air Arabia dari Jaipur (India) ke Shiraz (Iran) dengan transit di Sharjah (UAE) = 1,114 dirham (plus beli makan 2x, tarif sudah termasuk free baggage allowance 30 kg) atau sekitar Rp.2,8 juta.

Tiket domestik dari Herat ke Kabul (KAM Air) = US$ 127. Dari Kabul ke Delhi (Safi Airways) = US$ 186.

Antar kota di India cukup murah, hanya 200-500 rupee untuk perjalanan panjang 3-5 jam. Di Iran juga begitu, hanya 125,000-150,000 rial untuk bus VIP (bangku 1-2, reclining seat, mendapat snack box, bisa ambil mineral water sepuasnya). Dari Mashhad ke Herat ongkos taksinya US$ 30 (400,000 rials, saya bayar dengan 150,000 rials ditambah US$ 20 karena waktu itu sudah nyaris habis mata uang lokalnya). Di Afghanistan tidak direkomendasikan jalan darat, mendingan naik pesawat kecuali di daerah antara Mazar-e Sharif dengan Kabul yang terhitung aman.

Visa India (double entry, sama aja sebenarnya dengan tarif single entry visa atau multiple entry visa) = Rp.492,000 (bayar di tempat), apply di The Embassy of India, JL HR Rasuna Said, Kav S-1, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12950. Proses hanya satu hari kerja.

Visa Iran (single entry, valid for 30 days) = 30 euro, apply di The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jl. HOS Cokroaminoto 110, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310 (phone: +62-21-31931378, 31931391, fax: +62-21-3107860, e-mail: irembjkt@indo.net.id), bayar di BRI Menteng (seberang Adorama). Proses sekitar seminggu.

Visa Afghanistan = US$ 100, apply di The Embassy of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Jl. Dr. Kusumaatmaja SH No. 15 Menteng, Jakarta Pusat 10310 (phone: +62-21 314-3169, fax: +62-21 335-390),  bayar di Bank Permata dekat Bundaran HI. Proses hanya satu hari kerja.

MENGENAI HIDUP SEHARI-HARI

US$ 1 nilainya sama di India dan Afghanistan, 50 rupee atau 50 afghani kurang dikit. Di Iran, harganya naik turun, setiap hari ganti, pas sial saya tukar cuma dapat 13,750 rials tapi sewaktu belanja di Taleghani yang punya toko menghitung 17,000 rials.

India: Hotel (bukan hostel atau guesthouse lho) murah di negara ini, hanya 800 rupee (kurang dari 160,000 rupiah) per malam udah lumayan, bintang dua. Sekali makan sekitar 100-200 rupee per orang kalau menunya standar. Pernah dikemplang di Indiana Restaurant, Agra (mungkin karena major tourist destination) berdua makan siang kena 1,450 rupee hanya nasi, roti, dan lauk gitu doang. Kalau mau naik rickshaw, mesti ngotot nawarnya (tarif awal 400 rupee padahal kita tahu seharusnya cuma 80 rupee doang).

Sebelum berangkat, pastikan mengenai tanggal-tangal hari libur atau perayaan setempat. Jangan sampai membuat rencana jalan-jalan sewaktu hari saat kendaraan umum nggak boleh lewat karena jalan ditutup dengan alasan keamanan (seperti saat kami di Delhi tanggal 26 Januari, it was Republic Day) sehingga terpaksa jalan kaki jauuuuuuhhh banget.

Iran: Saya hanya sekali nginep di hotel, sewaktu di Shiraz, selebihnya sama temen melalui http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/desrinda/. Saya tinggal di rumah keluarga Iran selama di Isfahan maupun Mashhad, serta tinggal di mess-nya Sifa (alumni UI yang sedang PhD) dan ditemenin keliling kota oleh Syahrul (junior di FMIPA UI) selama di Tehran. Sekali makan per orang menu standar harganya 30,000-50,000 rials. Kalau restoran mewah sekitar 70,000-100,000 rials. Bis murah banget, dari ujung ke ujung cuma 2,000 rials. Tapi seringkali mesti naik taksi “mustakim” (sharing dengan penumpang lain), sekitar 5,000-10,000 per orang untuk perjalanan jarak dekat di rute-rute yang nggak ada busnya.

Gadis-gadis di Iran itu cantik-cantik (sebagian berkat operasi plastik yang marak di sana) dan berbusana trendy, para lelaki Persia beneran melek fashion dan ganteng-ganteng (sebagian mirip Latino, sebagian lagi Middle Eastern looking guys).

Afghanistan: Saya tinggal bersama keluarga Afghan etnis Tajik di Herat, keluarga Afghan etnis Hazara di Kabul, jadi nggak punya pengalaman pribadi mengenai hotel di sana. Makan-minum terhitung mahal, bertiga cuma kabuli polo uzbeki (semacam nasi briyani dengan potongan daging dan sedikit acar), softdrink, plus shisha, kena 700 afghani (rumah makan jelek, akan mahal banget kayaknya kalau di tempat mewah). Angkutan umumnya mahal, jarak dekat naik angkot sekitar 15-20 afghani, kalau taksi malah 50 afghani. Dari Kabul Airport ke rumah temen di dekat Mazari Square dikemplang 1000 afghani (dengan alasan “udah malam”), padahal dari rumah ke bandaranya cuma 500 afghani (karena santai cari taksinya). Siap-siap aja ketemu pengemis, pengasong, pemalak di mana-mana. Just keep smiling, politely say “no thank you, sorry I don’t understand” dan gelengkan kepala berlagak nggak ngerti bahwa mereka minta duit atau maksa kita beli permen karet, pulsa telpon, dll.

Hati-hati aja mengenai sentimen antar etnis. Beberapa kali saya bawaannya pengen nampol Afghan Pasthun yang nyolot karena saya (sebagai orang asing berbahasa Inggris) jalan dengan orang lokal yang beretnis Tajik/Hazara. Pokoknya jangan pernah terlihat takut dan percaya diri aja selama di Afghanistan, tapi tetap ramah dan jangan sombong petantang petenteng yaaaa…

LAIN-LAIN

Toilet umum di India sebaiknya dihindari karena jorok banget walaupun harus bayar di beberapa lokasi, 10 rupee (kalau kebelet banget mendingan balik ke hotel deh, hehehe…). Paling menyebalkan, sebagian besar orang sono nggak punya kebiasaan “nyirem”, kayaknya. Abis buang air kecil/besar (maaf) ya udah pergi aja, biarpun di masjid (pernah karena toiletnya bau banget dan tempat wudhu berupa kolam yang warna airnya udah gelap banget, saya pun tayammum – bersuci dengan debu – sebelum sholat). Jadi, jangan pergi-pergi tanpa bawa tisu kering dan tisu basah yaaa…

Di Iran, tanya aja “dashvi kojast?” akan mudah menemukan toilet umum, rata-rata bersih dan gratis.

Di Afghanistan, lebih parah dari India, selain kotor, toilet umum hanya ada untuk pria kecuali di bandara, mungkin asumsi umum di sananya nggak ada perempuan keluyuran sampai butuh buang air kecil/besar (maaf) di tempat umum kali ya?

Usahakan memiliki cash cukup selama di negara-negara itu, kartu kredit sama sekali nggak berguna. Di India, daripada tuker rupee di Jakarta, mendingan tarik tunai di ATM bertanda jaringan Visa atau MasterCard dengan kartu tabungan kita karena nilai tukarnya lebih bagus daripada money exchanger (ambil sebanyaknya kebutuhan kita karena ada biaya Rp.30,000 per transaksi). Di Iran, bawalah dollar amerika atau euro sesuai kebutuhan selama di negara ini karena kalaupun nggak punya rial maka semua penyedia jasa/barang dengan senang hati menerima mata uang asing kita. Di Afghanistan, harus pegang afghani.

India cukup gampang dikelilingi sendiri, asal mau agak rajin tanya sana sini (beware of tourist touts yang banyak banget kayak di Bali). Di Iran mungkin agak ribet, sebaiknya punya temen orang sono atau temen Indonesia yang udah lama di sono, kecuali kalau ke mana-mana mau ikut arranged group tour yang mahal itu. Di Afghanistan, beneran harus punya temen orang lokal karena segala sesuatu di negara itu rasanya abstrak, penuh aturan nggak tertulis yang nggak tercantum di Lonely Planet travel guides atau website manapun.

Tapi memang paling asyik kalau kita bisa bergaul dengan orang lokal, bukan datang a la fancy tourist yang semuanya sudah diatur sama travel agent. Sangat mencerahkan mendengarkan their hope and fear, share the laugh and the tears, make friends not just hubungan tamu dengan pelayan (seperti kalau kita tinggal di hotel). Feel the vibe.

Paling mengesankan waktu di Afghanistan dan tinggal dengan keluarga lokal adalah ketulusan dan keramahan mereka. Masih inget rumor mengapa Osama Bin Laden bisa bertahan sembunyi di negara ini? Karena sebagai tamu, maka dia wajib dilindungi jika memang datang meminta perlindungan, Afghan people would give their lives to protect their guests.

Beneran saya nggak enak hati karena makanan dan minuman mengalir terus-terusan, ketulusan dan keramahan yang luar biasa. Pernah baca “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson yang membangun sekolah untuk anak perempuan di Afghanistan (karena education is best way to fight terrorism)? His quoted Balti proverb was right, “The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family…”

Keluarga Tajik di Herat itu kaya dan highly educated, ibunya mengajar ilmu pertanian di universitas (and spoke good English), temen saya (Zahra) sedang ambil master hukum, dan adiknya (Zohreh) sedang kuliah kedokteran. Abang-abang mereka dokter atau punya toko (seperti sang ayah). Salah satu kakak ipar mereka, Somayeh, kurang beruntung karena masa kecilnya dalam era pemerintahan Taliban saat perempuan tidak boleh bersekolah. So, at age 28 as mother of 2 growing up kids, dia kembali ke sekolah untuk memperoleh ijazah SMP-SMA supaya bisa melanjutkan kuliah, what a spirit!

Di keluarga Hazara yang menjadi tuan rumah saya di Kabul, sang bapak adalah ulama (shaikh, dalam bahasa setempat) but he has that awesome spirit to get bachelor degree on law studies. Istrinya berusia hanya setahun lebih tua dari saya, she said (really broke my heart), “Desi, you look so young because you live a happy life in beautiful country.”

They also treated me like a princess. Asli jadi nggak enak hati, they always did everything best for me and said, “You are our guest…”

CUACA

– Desember, Januari, Februari = winter (ya ampun dinginnyaaaaa…)
– Maret, April, Mei = spring
– Juni, Juli, Agustus = summer (sepertinya panas banget deh)
– September, Oktober, November = autumn

Kecuali pengen lihat salju (seperti saya, akhirnya nemu di Kabul setelah gagal di Tehran), waktu terbaik ke wilayah ini adalah di pertengahan musim semi. Antara Maret hingga pertengahan April, cuaca akan bagus dan banyak perayaan Nowruz (tahun baru mereka, konon kota jadi penuh sesak dan agak nggak nyaman juga sih), di pertengahan Mei biasanya cuaca akan mulai terik. Yang menarik, selama winter maka sekolah-sekolah diliburkan tapi guru/dosen tetap mendapatkan gaji penuh walaupun tidak bekerja.

Negara-negara di Asia Tengah itu udaranya kering (jangan lupa bawa pelembab kulit), nggak seperti humid air on this tropical Indonesia yang bikin kulit kita plumpy dan awet muda (geer sendiri dot com). Along my trip, people always guessed that I wasn’t older than 27 (lumayan khan dikira 10 tahun lebih muda), hehehe…

Oh I wish that I can go back to these amazing countries again…

Three countries of different people, different culture

Initially I planned to visit five countries during my vacation i.e. Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India. That will be very interesting to see different people who speak different languages with different culture and heritage.

The route might be from Ankara (Turkey) to Tabriz (Iran) by train, then landtrip to Tehran-Isfahan-Shiraz-Yazd-Mashhad, then continue to Herat (Afghanistan) before fly to Mazar e Sharif. From there can take landtrip via Salang Pass to Kabul, then Faisalabad, before enter Pakistan via the famous Khyber Pass, then Peshawar. Next cities would be Islamabad and Lahore, later can take DTC Bus (http://dtc.nic.in/lahorebus.htm) via Amritsar and Chandigarh to Delhi, visit Jaipur then keep going west to Agra-Varanasi-Calcutta.

Ethnology speaking:
– Most spoken language in Turkiye = Turkish (official), Kurdish, Circassian, Zazaki, Arabic, Azeri, Armenian, Syriac, Bulgarian, Albanian, Laz, Georgian, Greek, Bosnian, and other minority languages including Persian
– Most spoken language in Iran = Persian, Luri, Gilaki, Mazandarani.
– Most spoken language in Afghanistan = Dari (Persian) and Pashto.
– Most spoken language in Pakistan = Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki with Urdu as lingua franca.
– Most spoken language in India = Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu.

(Most spoken language in Indonesia is Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Minangkabau, Melayu, Bugis with Bahasa Indonesia as lingua franca.)

Racially speaking:
– Turkiye = Turkish 85-90 %, Kurdish 5-8 %, others 2-3 %
– Iran = Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, others 1%.
– Afghanistan = Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimaks 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, others 4%
– Pakistan = Punjabi 42.15%, Pashtun 17.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Seraiki 10.53%, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendants) 7.57%, Baloch 3.57%, others 4.66%
– India = Indo-Aryan (Konkani, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Hindi, Oriya, Bengali) 72%, Dravidian (Tamizh, Telugu, Kannadiga, Malayli) 25%, Mongoloid and others 3%.

(Indonesia = Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%.)

Sadly I will only have time for three countries, seems like it’s going to be 5 days in India (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur), 7 days in Iran (Shiraz, Isfahan, Tehran, Mashhad), 5 days in Afghanistan (Herat, Mazar e Sharif, Kabul).

Take lots of pics!

Finally I’ve got my first SLR camera, it’s a Nikon D5100 purchased at Aneka Foto, Pasar Baru, Jakarta. It should be good enough after read many online reviews (e.g. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond5100/). I decided to choose this one after two months of consulting with some friends since November 2011. Not an easy decision to make.

Glad that many online tutorials are available (gotta download and watch this all):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZpV2Cor0rE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFdyzUB9Rz4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC18tqgpYIw

To take good pics, in simple it’s E D F A T.

Entire – Shoot the entire scene, get it all. This is the overall view of your subject. Here is your opportunity to show the environment and context of your work. Shoot from a distance. Shoot both horizontal and vertical images.

Details – Shoot the detail shots. Get close. Aspects and perhaps some abstracts. Again, shoot both horizontal and vertical images. If shooting people, try photographing hands, feet, eyes, etc.

Frame/Focal Length – Try different lenses and move in and move out. Shoot the scene from many focal lengths. Remember to use good composition rules here; don’t center your subjects. Step forward and shoot, then backup and shoot some more. Different focal lengths will change the way a scene looks. Longer lenses will compress perspective while wide angles will tend to separate subjects.

Angle – Try different angles … high, low, left, right, behind, above, below… How does your subject look from a different perspective? Avoid shooting from eye level. This is too ordinary for the fine photographer. Remember to turn your camera’s axis. Horizontal, Vertical, Odd Angles?

Time – Morning, afternoon, dusk, sunrise. The lighting creates mood and dramatically affects the scene.

More explanation:

ENTIRE

■ From a distance, focus on the entire scene. You are looking to capture the environment, the context of the subject.

■ Shoot one or two horizontal shots.

■ Turn the camera to a vertical position and shoot two more.

DETAILS

■ From a few feet away, search for details of the subject.

■ Shoot two horizontal frames and then two vertical frames.

■ Use feet, books, boots, a hat, hair, eyes and even the background elements to compose a variety of photographs; no two shots should be the same.

■ If you’re shooting a person, talk to him or her as you shoot. Get to know the person’s background and personality. Soon they won’t be a subject anymore but an interesting individual.

FRAMES

■ Move around the scene and compose each shot differently.

■ Remember to apply the standard rules of composition; don’t just place the subject in the center of the frame.

■ While shooting, explore the subject through your lens.

■ Move in to about 10 feet away and repeat the procedure.

■ Then move in to about seven feet and repeat the process again.

ANGLES

■ What would this subject look like from a different angle?

■ If all your shots so far are from eye level and straight ahead, now take shots from left and right, and from high and low angles.

■ Look for something to stand on, or even sit down on the ground to get an especially low angle. Next, move in really close to the shortest distance your lens will focus.

■ Study the details on the subject’s face.

■ Concentrate on photographing a shot with just the eyes, nose, lips and hair and features of the face. They are material for a close-up.

■ Remember to shoot horizontal and vertical shots.

TIME

During this shooting exercise, you should have been using the fifth element of EDFAT — time — in two ways:

■ As a series of shutter speeds to capture the action.

■ As a span of time that allows you to explore in full details many visual possibilities of a single subject.

 

Sources:

http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/mjodonnell/j105/edfat.pdf

http://premierimagestudios.com/old-school-photography/18-edfat.pdf

 

Anyway, I just want to take lots lots lots of pics. Just keep shooting…pokoknya jepret aja dah!

Iranian…Middle Eastern or Central Asian?

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia:

The UNESCO general history of Central Asia, written just before the collapse of the USSR, defines the region based on climate and uses far larger borders. According to it, Central Asia includes Mongolia, Tibet, northeast Iran (Golestan, North Khorasan and Razavi provinces), Afghanistan, Northern Areas, N.W.F.P., Azad Kashmir and Punjab provinces of Pakistan, Punjab, Kashmir and Ladakh of India, central-east Russia south of the Taiga, and the former Central Asian Soviet republics (the five “Stans” of the former Soviet Union i.e. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan).

Interesting reading material: http://enews.fergananews.com/article.php?id=2520

Iranian academician Mehdi Sanai wrote in his book “Relations between Iran and Central Asian countries” that first contacts between the two regions “predate Islam and even Christianity”. They originated in the period when “… a larger part of what is Central Asia nowadays was part of the Persian civilization. Embracing the ancient Iranian system of education, Central Asian schools nurtured great scientists. Islamic culture, science, machinery, education, philosophy, art, and literature owe their successful development in the region to this system. Even when governed by the Turk rulers who never stood for proliferation of Shi’ah Islam, the Iranians wielded considerable clout with the political and cultural life of the region.”   Once Islam made its way into Central Asia, the regional culture and civilization became associated with Iran. Languages of Central Asian peoples include lots of Persian words. The locals make use of a great deal of Persian proverbs and verses.

Personally, I don’t have any idea. Somehow I feel that Iranians are Asians like the rest of us in the continent, but sometimes I think Iranians look  like Middle Eastern (or even European), physically speaking.

Journey to The Heart of Asia – WEATHER FORECAST

Some of my foreigners might say that Indonesia has a very good weather, always spring means green all year. Well, a kind of boring for me because no snow (unless at unreachable Puncak Jaya in Papua), also never can never see yelow leaves like autumn in subcontinent countries.

I hadn’t known how cold winter would be (coldest weather for me was Hong Kong in December 2010 – never less than 10oC) then certainly it was very important for me to read weather forecast then I could prepare myself with correct outfit (jackets, gloves, etc) before my trip to India, Iran, Afghanistan in January-February 2012.

Based on http://www.accuweather.com/:

Delhi (January 20, 2012) = sunny day (21°C), starry night (6°C)

Agra (January 21, 2012) = sunny day (25°C), clear night (3°C)

Jaipur (January 22, 2012) = sunny day (22°C), clear night (5°C)

Shiraz (January 23/24, 2012) = occasional rain or sunny with some cloud (9/11°C), clear and cold night (-3/-2°C)

Isfahan (January 25, 2012) = rather cloudy day with periods of snow in the morning followed by a shower in the afternoon (6°C), partly cloudy and cold night (-7°C)

Tehran (January 26/27, 2012) = times of clouds and sun, partly sunny (8°C/9°C), mostly cloudy night (3°C/2°C)

Mashhad (January 28, 2012) = increasing cloudiness (5°C), mostly cloudy night (-1°C)

http://www.mapsofworld.com/afghanistan/weather-in-afghanistan.html

Kabul Weather: Kabul is situated at a height of 5900 feet above sea level. Kabul weather is characterized by summer temperatures varying from 16°C at sunrise to 38°C at noon. The average temperature in January is 0°C. Kabul has recorded the lowest temperature of -31°C. Summers are accompanied with bright sunshine. The average rainfall varies from 25 cm to 30 cm. Mostly the precipitation occurs in the form of snow in the winter and spring seasons. The snow stays for three months in Kabul forcing the people to stay indoors and sleep nearer to the kitchen stoves.

Bagram Weather, Kandahar Weather, Herat Weather: At Kandahar, during summer the days are scorching hot and the nights are of no relief either. On the other hand Kabul is at least blessed with cool nights in summer. Herat experiences temperate summer temperatures with violent winds blowing from the northwest during May-September. The winters in Herat are not so severe with snow melting as it falls.

Seems like it will be freezing cold, then I must not leave without this winter coat that I’ve purchased from eBay last month:

Journey to The Heart of Asia – GETTING THE VISA

I’ve got Afghan visa! Hooray! The Second Secretary of The Afghanistan Embassy, Mr. Abdul Ghafar Jamshidy, handed it over to me this morning. He was nice and asked me few questions (“Why do you want to go to Afghanistan? Why are you going solo?”). Later he gave me a phone number, his brother in Herat, told me to call whenever arrive at the city. After his description of winter in Afghanistan, snow might reach 1 meter high then roads might get blocked, seems like I will have to take flight between cities instead of landtrip as I planned.

The Afghan visa was expensive, USD 100 (I had to pay IDR 932,500 including “biaya materai” charged by the bank), compared to Indian/Iranian visa. Anyway I’m so happy, my dream to travel within SAARC will soon come true. Well, Iran (in Central Asia) is not member of SAARC but I’m dying to see this land of Persian too.

http://www.saarctourism.org/

“Established on December 8, 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (popularly known as SAARC) is a unique concept, a combined vision of eight different countries for the welfare of the people and for peace, stability and progress of the region by fostering mutual understanding, meaningful cooperation and good neighborly relations. Originally, the SAARC countries list included Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The eighth SAARC country to be included in the list was Afghanistan.”

I bought my tickets in October 2011 (Jakarta-KL-Delhi return trip by Air Asia, one way basic fare was less than USD 90), then my first step was getting Indian visa. Actually it’s visa on arrival for Indonesian, but VOA would be only valid for one entry every two months. I planned to enter India at least twice within less than a month, so I had to apply for multiple entry visa. Beside, I read somewhere that VOA would take 3 hours to process at arrival gate before can leave the airport, not sure I can afford to lose that much time considering every minute will be precious for me.

I applied for my visa to The India Embassy (on Jalan Rasuna Said, across Erasmus Huis of The Netherlands Embassy) at end of October 2011. There was always long queue there, many people from various nationalities were applying for tourist/business visa, not only Indonesian. At the receiving counter, I told the visa processing officer (a nice Indian lady) that I needed multiple entry visa for 6 months. I gave her my itinerary (showing my plan to travel around some other countries around India), explained the reason why I couldn’t use VOA facility. She read it a while then assigned me to get interviewed by The First Secretary of The India Embassy, Mr. Anand Basera.

Mr. Basera got interested when reading my itinerary, asked why I had such “bravery” (or “craziness”?) to travel to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan. I had nice chat with him, he shared some experiences, glad that later he approved my double entry visa. At the end, he made me promise to take lots of pictures, write lots of journals, to be shared with him after finish my trip.

Sadly, when I got back to the visa processing counter, the lady would give only 2 months of visa validity (for first-timer to India like me). Meant, if I got it on that end of October, then my visa would be expired at end of December before my travel date. I didn’t want it at that time, so I took back my passport, re-applied on December 5 and got my visa on December 7 (actually only one working day but it was day off on December 6). Fee = IDR 492,000 to be paid at the embassy.

On the next week, I submitted my forms etc to The Iran Embassy (Jalan HOS Cokroaminoto) on December 12, 2011, but the consul was taking holiday and not in office for few weeks later. So, my application wasn’t being processed until last week, finally it’s finished on Thursday. Fee = EUR 30 to be paid to a BRI bank account. A bit strange that I never met any Iranian whenever I come to the embassy (the only officer was Mr. Abdullah, a very kind Indonesian). Not much people come there to get visa, each visit I met only one or two Indonesians.

On Friday morning – January 6, 2012, I took my passport back with attached beautiful exotic Iranian visa (I really love to see my name written in Arabic on it), then walked few meters away to The Afghanistan Embassy at Jalan Muchtar Kusumaatmadja.

First, I met the security guards. They wouldn’t let me in so I had to wait until an embassy officer come out and talked to me.

The gentleman, Mr. Saif, asked me why I wanted to visit Afghanistan. I told him (and shown my Iranian/Indian visa) that I planned to travel to Iran, last city in that country will be Mashhad which is only 6 hours by bus to Afghan city Herat, then why would I miss the chance to see his beautiful country?

Mr. Saif suggested me to get Afghan visa later from their embassy in India or Iran, instead of getting it from Jakarta. It’s a strange suggestion, I wondered why, later got the answer after the security guard told me that I was first Indonesian female who ever asked for tourist visa to Afghanistan by myself (was it true?). Usually only men on work/business purpose who wanted it, and applications were handled by company/agent instead of applying by themselves.

I told Mr. Saif that I really need the visa from Jakarta because I won’t have much travel time, no plan stay longer than one day in each cities of India and Iran (hopefully not), then I can’t spare time for visa application processes that might take hours at Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi or Tehran.

He asked for invitation letter, I said that I don’t have any (“Nobody invited me to Afghanistan, it’s my own intention to come there.”). I only had reference letter from my employer stating my job position and purpose/date of visit, also salary slip and copy of bank saving book as proof that I have sufficient fund to support myself during the trip. Mr. Saif smiled again (damn, so cute, I almost fallen in love!), took the reference letter but hadn’t interest to see my salary or saved money.

I also told Mr. Saif that I planned to take landtrip from Iran to Afghanistan to Pakistan, then no airplane ticket from/to his country. I will stay at my friend’s house in Herat and Kabul, then no hotel booking.

He gave me a form to be filled (similar to the one that can be downloaded from http://www.mfa.gov.af/), then finally let me enter the embassy (the whole previous conversation happened outside the gate, on the roadside).

Oh my God, there was a space for “address during stay in Afghanistan”, that made me panic because I hadn’t any at the time. Hurriedly I called my friend, an Afghan who’s married with Indonesian lady – he previously lived in Indonesia but currently in Australia (since 2008). I couldn’t get what he said (hard to capture the Afghan city’s name clearly), then I gave my phone to Mr. Saif, he helped me to write down “Kare Parwan” on the form. I didn’t have to write anybody’s name or phone number on the form, just those two words.

And that’s all, he gave me a payment guide, I paid it at the Permata bank and got my visa on this Monday – January 9, 2012 (actually could get it on next workday but Saturdays and Sundays are weekends in Indonesia). This easy process was surprising because seems like the country is still in war, perhaps a bit “dangerous” (some bad stories lately on http://www.tolonews.com/), so their government must had great concern for Indonesian solo female traveler like me. Well, probably those few visa stamps/stickers on my passport were good as proof that I’m not really beginner on traveling and they shouldn’t have anything to be worried about.

My current itinerary:
January 20, 2012 = Jakarta-KL-Delhi by Air Asia
January 21, 2012 = Agra, day trip to Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatekhpur Sikri, then overnight bus to Jaipur
January 22, 2012 = Jaipur day tour
January 23, 2012 = Jaipur-Sharjah-Shiraz by Air Arabia

I’m not sure yet after Shiraz (which is famous with Persepolis, Naghsh e Radjab, Naghsh e Rostam, Passargad etc). I want to go to Isfahan (Naghsh e Jahan and beautiful bridges/mosques/cathedrals), Kashan (stop at Abyaneh village on the way), Qom (the largest center for Shia scholarship in the world), Tehran…then I don’t have fixed plan yet. I might take overnight train to Mashhad (to see the holiest city for Shia) then landtrip on next day to Herat (“The Pearl of Khorasan”)…or fly directly to Mazar e Sharif (then landtrip via the famous Salang Pass and Bamiyan, stay overnight around the stunning lakes of Band e Amir)…or fly directly to Kabul? One thing for sure, I have to get back to Delhi on Friday (February 3, 2012) to enjoy the city and catch my flight back to Jakarta on Sunday night (February 5, 2012).

Flight available from Iran to Afghanistan:
– Every Sunday, from Tehran to Mazar e Sharif or Kabul (KAM Air, 12:45 PM)
– Every Tuesday, from Mashhad to Mazar e Sharif or Kabul (KAM Air, 11:15 AM)
– Every Friday, from Tehran to Mazar e Sharif or Kabul (Ariana Afghan, 1:00 PM)

Landtrip from Mashhad (Iran) to Herat (Afghanistan):

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/afghanistan/transport/getting-there-away

Direct buses run daily from Mashhad to Herat (IRR 70,000 – seven hours), which is slightly cheaper than travelling piecemeal.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1626956

The road from Mashhad to Herat is safe and easy. I did it with my family (2 kids) two weeks ago. You take a taxi from Mashhad to the border for USD 40 (2.5 hours) cross the border by foot and another taxi to Herat, USD 40-50 (1.5 hours).

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Afghanistan/Transportation-Afghanistan-TG-C-1.html

The only way to travel from Iran to Afghanistan is through Taybad from Iran to Herat at Afghanistan. From Iran, direct bus from Mashhad leaves at 7:30AM daily. Get the ticket a day earlier, there is only one company operating the route, the counter is at salon 1, counter 4. The journey from Mashhad to Taybad takes 3-5 hours, and it will be around 4-5PM when one finally reaches Herat.

*SIGH*

So much nice places to visit, so many things to do (ski at Dizin, watch zurkane traditional sport etc), so many nice friends and families to stay with (I plan to use CouchSurfing instead of staying in hotels) but I have only 18 days to get best of this region (without quit my job then lose income for future trip)… :((

I’d love to go to Pakistan too, but seems like I won’t have time. It might be too tired for me, I won’t be able to enjoy my trip as much as I want, then I’ve deleted this country out from my current itinerary (and save it for future trip in year 2013, insya Allah).

Just 10 days to go! I’m so excited.

Visit Australia for Indonesian Dummy

Catatan Persiapan Perjalanan

1. TRANSPORTASI

Tiket saya harganya USD 784.49 = IDR 6,692,484 (Senin – 30 Mei 2011) melalui website Garuda Indonesia. Tiket saya beli 5 bulan sebelum berangkat karena bulan September khan best time to visit Australia (musim semi, sudah lewat musim dingin yang mungkin agak menyebalkan dan cuaca agak hangat tapi tidak seterik musim panas), istilahnya “high season” sehingga kemungkinan harga tiket agak mahal dibandingkan bulan-bulan lain kalau belinya tidak jauh-jauh hari.

Sesudah saya cek, harga segitu lebih murah daripada tiket multiple city, misalnya Jakarta-Sydney lalu pulangnya Melbourne-Jakarta. Hari Senin – 13 Juni 2011, saya lihat return tickets untuk Jakarta-Sydney masih bisa pada rate USD 786.34 (IDR 6,708,266). Anehnya seminggu kemudian (Selasa – 21 Juni 2011), harganya turun jadi USD 785.41 lho…

Namun atas saran beberapa teman, akhirnya saya re-route tiket tersebut. Perginya Jakarta-Melbourne, pulangnya Sydney-Jakarta, dengan menambah USD 76 untuk biaya perubahan tersebut beserta re-issue charge. Total biaya tiket menjadi  USD 860.49, tetap lebih murah dari one way tickets untuk Jakarta-Melbourne (USD 481.03) + Sydney-Jakarta (USD 771.17)

Jakarta to Melbourne Tullamarine, terminal 2
Friday, September 16, 2011
Departure: 22:10
Arrival: 07:25 +1 day(s)
Duration: 6:15

Kingsford Smith, terminal 1 – Sydney to Jakarta
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Departure: 11:15
Arrival: 15:55
Duration: 7:40

Sebenarnya kalau mau ngeteng, Jakarta-Perth dengan Jetstar tanggal segitu bisa USD 179 aja (sekali jalan). Nah Perth-Sydney AUD 119 (AUD lebih tinggi sedikit dari USD). Tapi sayang ongkos baliknya dari Sydney paling murah AUD 472.03 belum termasuk bagasi. Anyway silahkan cek lagi ke website Air Asia, Jetstar, Tiger Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, dll untuk membanding-bandingkan lebih lanjut.

Karena ini perjalanan panjang (dan waktunya terhitung singkat, hanya 9 hari 8 malam), maka saya memilih Garuda yang pesawatnya relatif nyaman, banyak makanan, dan ada jatah bagasi 20 kg (tidak seperti budget airlines yang only hand baggage – maksimal 7 kg atau 10 kg saja dan selebihnya mesti bayar lagi). Khan pulangnya mesti bawa oleh-oleh beberapa lusin boneka kanguru, hehehehe…

Catatan:
– Juni, Juli, Agustus = musim dingin (winter)
– September, Oktober, November = musim semi (spring)
– Desember, Januari, Februari = musim panas (summer)
– Maret, April, Mei = musim gugur (autumn)

2. ITINERARY

DAY ONE – Saturday (September 17, 2011)
7:15 AM = arrive at Tullamarine
9:00 AM = immigration and baggage clearance
10:00 AM = check in at YHA Melbourne Central
11:00 AM = go to Queen Victoria Market, get train from Flinders Station to Brighton Beach and/or Kilda Beach, Luna Park
7:00 PM = night at Dockland

DAY TWO – Sunday (September 18, 2011)
6:00 AM = depart to Arthur’s Seat
3:00 PM = go to Phillip Island for penguin parade

DAY THREE – Monday (September 19, 2011)
8:00 AM = South Yarra Bank, Alexander Park, Albert Park, Wowo Swanson St, King St, Bourke St (Chinatown)
6:50 PM = depart from Tullamarine to Sydney

DAY FOUR – Tuesday (September 20, 2011)
Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, Paddy’s Market, Chinatown

DAY FIVE – Wednesday (September 21, 2011)
Bondi Beach, Power House Museum, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Manly Island

DAY SIX – Thursday (September 22, 2011)
Canberra (return trips by Murray’s bus)

DAY SEVEN/EIGHT – Friday/Saturday (September 23/24, 2011)
Sydney Tower, cathedrals and masjid (gotta see shalat Jum’at), then go to Blue Mountain
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1112582640/tpod.html

DAY NINE – Sunday (September 25, 2011)
11:15 AM depart from Kingsford Airport

3. PENGURUSAN VISA

Paspor saya biasa saja kok, belum ada visa US atau Jepang atau Europe yang konon susah banget dapatnya. Tapi ya memang tidak blank banget sih…

Langkah pertama adalah download formulir dari website http://www.indonesia.embassy.gov.au/jakt/Checklist_Visitor.html. Sebaiknya diisi dengan mengetik langsung pada pdf itu (bukan di-print lalu tulis tangan) supaya rapi. Ditulis tangan pun tidak apa-apa juga kok, soalnya pas di visa application center juga tersedia blank form yang bisa diisi on-the-spot. Tapi tulisan tangan saya jelek sih, mendingan ngetik deh.

Sepertinya (mungkin, barangkali, kira-kira, saya juga nggak tahu persis) Kedubes Australia butuh diyakinkan bahwa kita beneran cuma turis yang akan stay beberapa waktu (menambah devisa negara mereka) bukan bakalan cari kerja trus tinggal di sana lalu ingin jadi permanent resident. Untuk itu, siapkan aja surat keterangan kerja dari HRD perusahaan.

Lalu slip gaji bisa berguna juga tuh sebagai lampiran, menunjukkan bahwa kita memang berpenghasilan tetap. Makanya butuh fotokopi rekening tabungan tempat menerima gaji, sebagai bukti bahwa secara keuangan kita punya arus keluar-masuk yang lancar. Khan ada tuh yang “rekening terima gaji” beda dengan “rekening duit buat ditabung”. Kalau begitu, serahkan aja fotokopi kedua bukunya.

Saya terima gaji via rekening BCA, nah selama 3 bulan terakhir selalu saya usahakan agar ada saldo sekitar 5 jutaan rupiah (sampai ngutang sana sini deh, hehehehe…). Beneran cuma segitu (belum sepenuhnya financially recovered dari perjalanan-perjalanan sebelumnya), sekedar supaya orang kedutaan bisa lihat berapa yang saya terima dan berapa yang dikeluarkan selama 3 bulan itu. Arus keluar masuk (cash flow) yang diperhatikan, kayaknya. Pokoknya asal kelihatan arus masuknya lancar dan kira-kira berpenghasilan cukup untuk membiayai hidup sendiri selama di sana.

Visa Australia ternyata cepat juga dapetnya. Formulir dan kelengkapannya saya masukkan ke VFS di Plaza ABDA (di Sudirman, seberang Pintu Satu Senayan) di hari Senin pagi, hari Jumat siang udah dapet visanya. Tarif AUD 105 (IDR 970,000 – disesuaikan dengan kurs setiap 6 bulan) plus biaya logistik IDR 160,000. Bisa dibayar dengan kartu kredit, tapi waktu itu sedang ada masalah jaringan sehingga harus dibayar tunai.

VFS adalah agen yang jasanya dipakai banyak kedubes negara-negara asing di Indonesia untuk menangani penerimaan aplikasi visa. Status aplikasi visa kita bisa di-track di http://www.vfs-au-id.com atau membayar sedikit biaya tambahan jika ingin dikabari melalui e-mail dan SMS.

Waktu itu, yang saya serahkan hanya:
– paspor asli
– biaya pengurusan IDR 1,130,000
– formulir yang udah diisi dan ditanda-tangani
– surat referensi perusahaan dan slip gaji asli
– fotokopi KTP, KK, rekening tabungan
– pasfoto 4×6 cm (latar belakang bebas)

Siap-siap aja kalau ditanya itinerary. Supaya aman sih enaknya lampirkan juga print-out mengenai “mau ke mana, tanggal berapa” (waktu itu sih saya nggak lampirkan apa-apa, wong masih blank banget mengenai apa di mana yang menarik di Australia).

Petugasnya bertanya, “Udah beli tiket? Ada bukti reservasi hotel?” (saya jawab: “Rencananya beli tiket kalau udah dapet visa, Mbak. Kalau booking hotel mah nggak ada juga, karena rencananya akan nginep di rumah temen aja.”)

Oya, di formulir itu juga ada isian “Do you have any relatives in Australia?” (saya contreng “No”) dan “Do you have any friends or contact in Australia?” (saya contreng “Yes” dan mengisi kolom “Give details” berikutnya, tapi nggak diverifikasi deh kayaknya).

Katanya sih bisa minta visa untuk multiple entry yang berlaku selama setahun. Saya hanya dapet yang single entry (maksimal tinggal di sana selama sebulan) dan berlaku 6 bulan, ya cukuplah untuk perjalanan kali ini dan cukup sekali seumur hidup ajalah ke Australia (mahal khaaan…hiks hiks hiks…).

4. CONTOH SURAT REFERENSI PERUSAHAAN

To:
The Embassy of Australia
Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. C15-16
Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan 12940

Ref: Application for Visa

Dear Sir/Madam,

This is to certify that ….. (passport # …..) is employed by ….. since ……. until now as a ………

S/he will be traveling to Melbourne  and Sydney  for a vacation from ………. until …….. All expenses will be borne by him/her.

This reference letter issued for visa application purpose.

Yours faithfully,

Human Resources

5. TANGGAPAN YANG MASUK (SETELAH SEDIKIT EDITING) DI MILIS INDOBACKPACKER

Dari Sari:

Hai Desi,

Kalau boleh saran sih, mending pas hari kedua disempatkan dari Circulay Quay ke Manly Island jadi nggak buang-buang waktu. Pas di Sydney coba liat Chinese Park deh, bagus juga untuk diintip.

Sayang kalau Ke Melbourne hanya dua hari aja. Cuma ke Dockland? Coba ke Victoria Market, wisata kuliner di Carlton area dll. Kalau bisa menambah hari sih mending ke Great Ocean Road.

Biaya hidup di Melbourne dan Sydney nggak mahal kok, beda tipis kalau dibandingkan dengan harga makanan di mall di Jakarta. Kalau dibandingkan dengan di Papua sini, malah mahalan Papua… :-(

Kalau beli souvenir yang murah di Manly ada tuh yang serba AUD 1, murah kan? Cuma IDR 9 ribuan hehehe…tapi jangan bilang-bilang orang yang dikasih oleh-oleh ya. Kalau di Melbourne, di Burke Street (pecinan) ada yang serba AUD 2.

Sebenarnya ada hostel yang lebih murah hanya cuma AUD 22 per malam/bed, cuma dapat sarapan roti, WiFi bayar AUD 1. Aku waktu di Sydney, stay di hostel kawasan xxx di Kingcross.

Eh lupa, kalau spring ke Taselaar (daerah Dandenong) ada festival tulip.

Dari Icha:

Kalau berangkat September, nggak ada masalah dengan cuaca. Sydney OK juga untuk dikunjungi. Terutama daerah Darling Harbour, wajib carter kapal (berbagai macam dan berbagai harga). Tapi, dari semua kota di Aussie, yang aku paling suka adalah Melbourne. This beautiful city wajib dikunjungi karena kota ini keren banget.

Banyak banget yang bisa dilihat di Melbourne dan kota-kota lainnya di Victoria, seperti Geelong, Mornington, dll. Kamu bisa nikmati free perfomance di Fed Square di depan Flinders Station (ini jadi ikon Melbourne) sampai dengan Philip Island (ini jauh, empat jam dari Melbourne) tempat bisa lihat penguin. Tapi, emang butuh waktu banyak. Jadi, kalau kurang dari seminggu, cukup di kota Melbourne saja. Pantai-pantai di kota bisa dijangkau by tram, bus, and train.

Rekomendasi: Dari Flinders Station bisa ke Brighton Beach dan St Kilda Beach menggunakan bis atau tram (kurang dari setengah jam). Kedua pantai ini populer banget karena dekat dengan city.

Dari Flinders juga kamu bisa ke Luna Park dekat dengan St Kilda. Tapi, karena di Melbourne semuanya enak dilliat, diam di city aja, kamu udah bisa relax lihat beautiful South Yarra Bank and also if you go further can reach Alexander Park and Albert Park (tempat F1 itu lho).

Kalau mau shopping, Wowo Swantson St, King St, Bourke St, dll cuma beberapa langkah dari Flinders Station. Kotanya enak dan ramah bagi pejalan kaki. Oh….I miss Melbourne a lot..my fave city in the world…

Soal trip ke Dockland and Dandenong, kedua tempat itu menarik juga. Yang satu itu bekas pelabuhan bongkar muat barang, sekarang di sana ada  mall keren dan juga perumahan dengan nuansa Dockland masa lampau. Kata temen aku yang orang Aussie, Dockland itu dulu kumuh banget, sekarang aja jadi tempat elit.

Mengenai Dandenong, tempat ini menarik banget. Bisa naik kereta api satu kali dari Flinders bayar sekitar AUD 11 sekali jalan (untuk 2 jam trip). Karena nggak mungkin dua jam, jadi harus beli return ticket juga. Bener di Dandenong ada festival bunga tulip. Emang di sana banyak taman, awesome.

Yang juga menarik, di kota ini banyak orang Aussie keturunan Afrika. Makanya jangan kaget kalau lihat orang Somalia, Ghana, dll. Kotanya nggak terlalu spektakuler, mall nya kecil, tapi view di sini keren apalagi kalau sempat hiking ke Gunung Dandenong atau tracking ke hutan-hutannya. Btw, asal tahu aja, Melbournian Julian Assange pernah tinggal di salah satu hutan di Dandenong he he he…..

Sebenernya kalo aku masih ada cuti, pengen banget ke Melbourne lagi. Tapi kemarin sudah ke China, Bangkok, and Vietnam, so mungkin tahun depan….:)

Dijamin trip ke Melbourne bakal menyenangkan dan akan terus ingin kembali ke sana. Kalau lagi winter seperti sekarang akan perlu bawa baju extra. Tapi don’t worry, winter di Melbourne nggak sedashyat di Europe. Kalau siang sekitar 10-15 derajat celcius, tapi kadang di bawah itu juga, terutama kalau malam. Aku pernah mengalami itu, makanya ketika winter tiba aku pasang heater deh di kost-an.

Have a safe and nice trip:)

Dari Ari:

Sydney itu sejatinya nggak punya pantai yg bagus. Bondi beach itu pantai buatan, pasirnya didatangkan dari Brisbane.  Kalau cari pantai sih, IMHO, di Indonesia saja :D kebanyakan tuh tujuan pantai di Sydney yang diambil dalam itinerary nya.

IMHO ya…Circular Quay, The Rocks, The Opera House, Botanical Garden bisa dibabat seharian dari pagi (motret) sampai malam (socialita).

Bondi Beach dan Darling Harbour bisa di hari lainnya. Bondi mah ala Bali banget, sementara Darling Harbour masih ada benteng di tengah pulau yg ada jembatannya dari pantai ke pulau. Kalau nggak hobi fotografi atau nggak pengen loncat dari jembatan langsung ke air, kayaknya rada garing sih dolan ke sana. Apalagi sendiri, hihihi…

Mendingan perbanyak jalan ke obyek museum dan memotret banyak-banyak arsitektur gothic nya. Dari The Rock sampai Museum NSW nya bisa sekalian jalan kok.

Blue Mountain malah mendingan dua hari. Ambil jalur trakking dan kemah di sana, naik turun sampai ke lembah dan naik sampai ke The Three Sisters, pasti jadi pengalaman tak terlupakan (daripada hanya datang a la turis lihat dari atas dan naik cab doang).

Setuju juga untuk ke Melbourne lebih lama, dulunya kota terbesar di Australia sampai di awal abad 20 sebelum mulai bergeser ke Sydney.  Ide bagus juga beli tiket bus keliling kota (tiket bisa beli di rata rata grocery store dekat halte) atau beli tiket terusan, keliling kota naik bus ke mana-mana.

Dari Edith:

Halo Desi, boleh koreksi dikit jadwalmu?

– Day 1: Arrival 9:00 AM (pesawat Jum’at jam 11 malam dari Jakarta)

– Day 2: Sunrise at Bondi Beach (kalau bisa bangun pagi), lalu ke Circular Quay. Dari Circular Quay, ke kanan menuju ke The Opera House, ke kiri menuju The Rocks. Biasanya saya membawa tour, semuanya bisa sehari termasuk Taronga Zoo. Kalau mau ikut Opera Tour, tempatnya meeting point nya di basement ujung. Kalau tak salah bayar AUD 20.

– Day 3: Botanical Garden and Manly Island (pantai Manly tempatnya asyik, naik ferry dr Circular Quay).

– Day 4: Museums and cathedrals, Hyde Park, Sydney Tower ( saya tak begitu suka Sydney Tower, sekali cukup. Kalau lainnya boleh bolak-balik :~D). Cathedral yang dimana? Yang St Piter dekat dengan Queen Victoria Building, down town.

– Day 5: Darling Harbor and aquarium/wildlife world. Di sini ada Japanese Garden dan museum kapal. Keluar via Japanese Garden menuju China Town dan Paddys Market buat beli souvenir murmer. Jangan lupa makan AJISEN RAMEN di China Town…hmm yummy…

– Day 6 and 7: Melbourne (Arthur’s seat dan Dockland sepertinya menarik dilihat mumpung di Australia)

– Day 8, Blue Mountain. Check dulu di Central Station sehari sebelumnya mengenai pukul berapa train ke Katomba yang paling pagi. Lama perjalanan 2 jam. Pulangnya jangan sampai ketinggalan kereta. Keluar stasion Katomba, sebelah kanan di travel agent ada yg jual tiket bus double dekker menuju Jenolan Cave, Three Sister dan Scenic train, Bush Walking. Satu tiket bisa buat ke mana aja, naik turun. Dingin lho di sana.

– Day 9: Departure from Sydney 11:15 AM

Saya biasanya suka menginap di Central Sydney YHA, sebelah Central train station. YHA ini deket banget dengan Paddys Market, China Town, Darling Harbour, jalan kaki cuma 3 menit. Di George St banyak makanan enak dan murah. Naik bus ke Circular Quay juga banyak dari sana. Bersih dan ada kitchennya, jadi bisa masak sendiri. Check aja di web nya. Saya sudah lebih dr 20 x menginap disini.

Kalau di Melbourne, saya menginap di Melbourne Metro YHA. Bisa jalan kaki bisa ke Queen Victoria Market. Bisa tanya-tanya ke Front Office nya yg helpful banget dan ada peta gratis. Naik train bisa gratis (saya suka nggak bayar) ke down town. Berhenti aja di depan Central Train Station nya Melbourne, trus ganti naik tram yang gratis muter-muter down town, Melbourne Museum, dan museum-museum lainnya. Asyik lah…

Dari Novi:

Hi Desi,

Salam kenal.. aku Novi!

Tanggal 17 September 2011, sekitar sejam setelah kamu, saya juga touch down di Sydney dan tinggal selama dua hari sebelum melanjutkan ke arah utara (Brisbane, Cairns, Great barrier Reefs). Maunya sih nonton film lagi di IMAX Sydney.

Untuk referensi kamu supaya jalan-jalannya maksimal (kalau kamu tidak punya teman di Australia yg ngajak jalan-jalan naik mobil),  Day 1 s/d Day 5 dalam itinerary kamu sebenarnya bisa dihabiskan dalam waktu tiga hari saja. Naik “hop on/hop off” bus tour di Sydney bisa menikmati semua tempat itu: Bondi, Circular Quay, The Rocks, Darling Harbour (yang satu tempat dgn wildlife dan aquarium), IMAX (patut dicoba nonton 3D pada the biggest 3D screen in the world!).

Banyak tempat yang dilewati rute bus ini. Tiketnya murah cuma sekitar AUD 50 utk 48 jam dan kamu nggak pusing cari transportasi. Beli tiketnya di departure point aja sama petugas di bus, langsung by cash or credit cards. Kalau beli tiket bus yang 24 jam harganya AUD 40.

http://www.viator.com/showDetail.jspa?code=5010SYDNEY&productId=1016&id=1010&productType=SIC&SSAID=174974&aid=132440

If I were you, aku akan naik bus dari Sydney ke Gold Coast dan Brisbane (12 jam nonstop melewati beberapa small towns) and experience the most beautiful country side of Australia!  Perjalanan 9 hari di Australia itu terlalu mewah banget kalau cuma habis di Sydney… ;-)

Mengenai itinerary di Sydney, saranku:

Day 1

Arrive at Sydney, check in hostel trus bisa langsung ke Darling harbour sambil santai-santai di sini. Lunch trus ke Aquarium, Wildlife, dan nonton IMAX bisa dihabiskan karena di satu area square. Kalau keburu, bisa naik bus tour dari sini kok ke tempat lain seperti The Opera House yang memang best pada saat sunset time to dark. Atau ke The Opera House di hari Minggu sore (kalau nggak sempat di hari Sabtu) karena ada lighting show sekitar pukul 6 atau 7 petang di sana.

Bisa juga pukul 14.00 hop on bus dari Darling Harbour. Stop di katedral, museum dll end up di The Opera House. Trust me, suasana di The Opera House kalau sunset dan malam hari lebih spectacular dan banyak entertaintment di sana (Circular Quay).

Day 2

Habiskan sisa bus tur!

Ke Bondi Beach pas tengah hari bolong aja karena tidak ada orang atau pemandangan yang bisa dilihat di Bondi kalau pagi-pagi. Cowok-cowok telanjang dada baru menampakkan diri pas siang waktu matahari terik. Bondi beach sucks except pemandangan cowok/cewek muda sexy!

After Bondi, langsung ke Manly. Ada bus yg menuju Manly Wharf, tapi nggak ada transport menuju ke bukit (tempat menikmati pemandangan kota Sydney dari bukit). Bisa sampai Sydney lagi at late night nih kamu, karena nggak dekat lho Manly! Lebih menarik kalau naik ferry dari Circular Quay sampai Manly Wharf, ongkosnya sekitar AUD 8.

Day 3

Blue Mountain (full-day trip).

Day 4

Land trip ke Canberra.

Day 5

Enjoy Canberra.

Day 6

Land trip ke Melbourne.

Day 7 & Day 8

Enjoy Melbourne.

Day 9

Return to Jakarta.

So, better kamu fly out dari Melbourne daripada harus kembali ke Sydney. Kalau bisa fly out dari Brisbane, akan lebih menarik lagi jalan-jalan kamu di Australia. Queensland is better than NSW :-)

Pilihan kota lain buat kamu cuma:
1. Sydney –> Canberra –> Melbourne, total +/- 900 km
2. Sydney –> Gold Coast –> Brisbane, total +/- 980 km

Lebih banyak things to see and do di Gold Coast dan Brisbane. Bisa ke Steve Irwin Zoo, main-main sama koala dan kangaroo, juga spectacular beaches dan fun world.

Tiket kamu itu JKT-SYD-JKT ya? Tadi kalau nggak salah kamu bilang kalo re-route Garuda bayar USD 76, benar gitu? Lebih baik dibayar aja supaya bisa pulang via Melbourne atau Brisbane, jadi lebih mudah dan murah.

Have fun di Australia!

Novi

Going to The East Asia

It’s visa on arrival for Indonesian like me to enter Hong Kong (and Macau), but getting Chinese visa is not hard either.

Application should be submitted to Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) at Unit 6, 2nd Floor East Building, JL. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Blok E3.2 Kav 1, Jakarta 12950, Indonesia. Tel: +62-21-57938655. Fax: +62-21-57938659.  E-mail: jakartacentre@visaforchina.org. Website: http://www.visaforchina.org/JKT_EN/.

Office Hours: Application Time = 09:00-15:00 (Monday to Friday), Pick-Up Time =  09:00-16:00 (Monday to Friday).

On Monday morning (December 13, 2010), I went there, filled the form (if applicants haven’t got downloaded it then can ask from the officer at front desk), attached my pics (one piece, 4×6 cm), then I got my Chinese visa on Thursday morning (December 16, 2010). No interview, the officer didn’t ask me any documents (such as hotel booking or return tickets like normally required). Fee = IDR 540,000 to be paid cash at CVASC.