Sundown

I always love taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets everywhere. To me, sunrise pours the new spirit and hope while sunset makes me feeling nostalgic. Now, I hardly do it again for sunrise means wake up time for the kids, and sunset happens at about the same time of their dinner schedule. Somehow, I occasionally miss sitting quietly waiting for the sun to set, hence I write this post. To fulfil my thirsts of spoiling myself staring at the reddish blue skies, through the photos below, I revisit most spectacular sunsets and beautiful skies I have luckily ever captured, taken in various places, from Sipora island to Koh Chang island, from Champerico beach to Port Vila bay, and from the bustling city of Bangkok to vibrant city of Bristol. They are simply BREATHTAKING!

 

"He created the heavens and earth in truth. He wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. Unquestionably, He is the Exalted in Might, the Perpetual Forgiver" QS. Az-Zumar 39:5

When Things Went Wrong...

15 Januari, tiga tahun yang lalu...

Di hari Sabtu yang cerah, saya dan seorang teman bertemu untuk makan siang di salah satu restoran di pusat kota. Tidak ada firasat apapun sepanjang hari itu selain tabung gas kami yang hilang dicuri orang seminggu sebelumnya. Saya ingat, waktu suami akan pergi bertugas beberapa hari kemudian, saya sempat mengajukan keberatan saya ditinggal lagi gara-gara insiden pencurian tabung gas itu. Tapi ia meyakinkan saya bahwa semua akan baik-baik saja.

Sore harinya, saya mematikan lampu sensor di halaman depan yang biasanya akan menyala apabila sensornya menangkap objek bergerak, entah itu mobil, kucing, ataupun manusia. Namun sudah beberapa hari ini lampu itu menyala terus di siang hari, padahal seharusnya lampu tersebut hanya menyala pada saat malam hari saja. Malam harinya, sekitar jam 10, saya sempat mendengar sekelompok orang bercakap-cakap ramai di depan rumah namun saya abaikan. Saya pergi tidur menjelang tengah malam. Tiba-tiba saja saya mendengar orang bercakap-cakap begitu dekat di telinga saya, lalu kemudian disusul suara nyaring berulang-ulang sepertinya seseorang sedang memukul besi. Suara-suara itu tidak kunjung hilang sampai akhirnya saya bangun dari mimpi saya dan tersadar bahwa suara gaduh yang saya dengar nyata adanya. Pikiran saya otomatis melayang pada tabung gas di luar yang telah kami rantai. Pasti ada orang yang mencoba mengambil tabung gas lagi, pikir saya ketika itu dalam keadaan setengah sadar.

Terbangun sambil setengah sadar, saya berjalan dari kamar menuju dapur untuk melihat asal suara gaduh tersebut. Sempat terlihat sekilas ketika saya melintasi ruang duduk menuju dapur, jarum jam menunjukkan 00.40. Sebagai gambaran, rumah yang kami tinggali berada di pinggir laguna dan dapur berada di bagian depan rumah yang menghadap ke jalan. Saya masih belum menyadari kalau lampu penerangan di luar di depan dapur mati sehingga saya tidak dapat melihat apapun. Dengan panik, saya menelepon siapapun yang terlintas di pikiran saya, mulai dari suami, polisi, teman, dan pemilik rumah yang kami sewa. Polisi, yang paling saya harapkan bantuannya saat itu sama sekali tidak memberikan jawaban yang meyakinkan. Saya telepon polisi dua kali, bicara dengan orang yang berbeda, dan dua kali itu pula saya kesulitan menjelaskan lokasi rumah kami. Di Port Vila, tidak ada nomor rumah, hanya tempat-tempat tertentu yang dijadikan patokan. Setelah menelepon, saya kembali ke dapur dan mengintip dari belakang kulkas, sampai sebuah kesadaran mengejutkan saya...suara gaduh tersebut bukan berasal dari orang yang ingin mencuri tabung gas, namun suara itu berasal dari alat yang digunakan untuk membuka paksa kisi-kisi pelindung jendela dapur. Kisi-kisi pelindung jendela ini ditujukan untuk melindungi kaca jendela dari hempasan angin ribut yang kerap melanda wilayah Pasifik, dan dibaliknya tidak ada teralis lagi.

Saya yang belum bangun sepenuhnya mencoba memahami apa yang terjadi...dan ketika suara-suara gaduh semakin nyaring terdengar bercampur dengan suara orang bercakap-cakap, saya mendadak lemas..orang-orang yang terdengar sedang bercakap-cakap itu bukan mau mencuri tabung gas, melainkan sedang berusaha masuk rumah lewat jendela dapur yang tanpa teralis dengan merusak kisi-kisi kayu!! Di dini hari Minggu yang gelap dan sepi, saya sendirian di rumah yang bisa dibilang tanpa pengamanan, sementara ada orang di luar yang sedang berusaha masuk, rasa takut yang amat sangat mulai menjalari saya...benar-benar takut. Sementara suara-suara gaduh di luar tidak juga berhenti, saya semakin panik. Bagaimana kalau mereka berhasil masuk sementara saya belum berhasil menghubungi satupun orang untuk minta bantuan? Saya semakin takut...bayangan buruk berlarian di benak saya...saya mondar mandir kebingungan, kemana saya harus bersembunyi? di lemari, di dalam koper? bagaimana kalau mereka akhirnya masuk rumah dan menemukan saya? mengurung diri di dalam kamar bukan pilihan karena dengan mudah pintu kamar bisa didobrak dari luar.

Di saat panik semakin menguasai, saya menelepon kembali si pemilik rumah dan mengatakan kalau ada orang mau mendobrak masuk rumah. Si pemilik rumah menjawab ia akan segera datang. Rasanya waktu begitu lama berlalu dan ketakutan saya sudah nyaris tidak terkontrol...setidaknya ada lebih dari dua orang pria di luar sana dan saya sendirian di dalam rumah dalam keadaan lemah pula, tanpa satupun alat untuk membela diri. Saya tidak tahu berapa lama lagi si pemilik rumah akan datang, namun di sisi lain saya takut pencuri-pencuri itu berhasil masuk sebelumnya dan menemukan saya sendirian di dalam. Dalam keragu-raguan apakah saya berteriak meminta tolong atau tidak, akhirnya saya memutuskan berteriak seolah-olah saya membangunkan suami untuk memberi kesan bahwa saya tidak sendirian di rumah. Serentak suara gaduh itu berhenti dan saya semakin keras berteriak minta tolong dengan perasaan ketakutan setengah mati sambil menyambar alat berkebun serupa garpu panjang yang dipakai untuk menggemburkan tanah di dekat dapur. Tiba-tiba aliran listrik diputus (kotak saklar berada di luar) dan rumah otomatis menjadi gelap gulita. Saya semakin histeris berteriak dengan garpu panjang dan berat di tangan yang saya ayunkan ke segala arah, saking panik dan takutnya. Di saat terburuk itu, saya hanya bisa berpikir, setidaknya saya harus melindungi diri dengan alat apapun jika kemungkinan yang paling tidak diinginkan terjadi yaitu mereka berhasil masuk rumah. Saya terus berteriak ketakutan sampai saya dengar dari kejauhan mobil si pemilik rumah semakin mendekat. Tidak lama, terdengar suara pemilik rumah dan istrinya yang memanggil-manggil lalu ia melompati pintu pagar yang saya kunci sejak sore tadi. Saya keluar rumah dengan gemetar namun masih bisa menguasai diri. Beberapa saat kemudian, datang suami teman yang tidak sengaja saya telepon ketika saya panik tadi, mereka tinggal tidak jauh dari tempat kami. Tiga orang polisi datang terakhir mengendarai mobil untuk membawa tahanan disusul serombongan polisi lagi. Ketika mereka datang, saya masih sempat-sempatnya marah karena merekalah yang terakhir sampai padahal mereka yang pertama kali saya hubungi. Ketika mereka datangpun, mereka hanya berkeliling sebagian halaman saja, tidak memeriksa sampai halaman bawah dekat laguna, jadi pantas saja kalau pencuri-pencuri itu aman di tempat persembunyiannya. Perasaan takut saya berubah menjadi kemarahan, apalagi kalau ingat pertanyaan pertama yang diajukan polisi ketika menerima telepon saya pertama kali bukanlah menanyakan alamat saya tapi malah bertanya "Are you ni-Van or expat?" Kalau ni-Van (ras Melanesia yang merupakan penduduk asli Vanuatu) kenapa dan kalau expat kenapa? sungguh tidak relevan!

Singkat cerita, si pemilik rumah mengajak saya ke rumah mereka sekitar pukul 3 pagi itu. Sesampainya di tempat mereka, saya dipersilakan tidur di salah satu paviliun. Sekeras mungkin saya berusaha tidur, tapi tidak berhasil. Kejadian yang baru saya alami itu masih jelas terlintas dan tanpa saya sadari, saya menangis habis-habisan. Rasa takut, sedih, dan marah bercampur jadi satu..saya tidak tidur sampai tiba saatnya sarapan pagi. Di meja makan, istri pemilik rumah menunjukkan berita di suratkabar bahwa beberapa tahanan berhasil kabur dari penjara Port Vila beberapa hari sebelumnya, diantaranya adalah mereka yang masuk penjara karena membunuh dan memperkosa. Seketika itu, saya menangis histeris lagi teringat kejadian semalam dengan benak dipenuhi pertanyaan bagaimana kalau. Suami istri itu menenangkan saya dan mengatakan kalau siang nanti akan menemui pihak kepolisian untuk melaporkan kejadian semalam.

Setelah makan siang, hari Minggu itu kami pergi ke kantor polisi untuk membuat laporan kemudian menuju rumah untuk mengambil sidik jari yang mungkin tertinggal. Siapa sangka, pencuri-pencuri itu kembali lagi meneruskan pekerjaan kotor mereka ketika melihat kami pergi meninggalkan rumah dan mereka berhasil mendobrak masuk. Tahukah apa yang mereka ambil? sejumlah uang koin, tas laptop, satu paket sosis, beberapa potong ayam beku dan tiga botol minuman (bila ada acara di rumah, teman-teman kami biasa membawa minuman mereka sendiri karena kami tidak minum ataupun menyediakan. Nah, minuman yang di kulkas itu ditinggalkan teman dengan niatan dikonsumsi jika ada kunjungan kembali ke rumah). Oia, tidak lupa mereka juga mencicipi sepotong kue coklat yang saya beli dari restoran pada hari Sabtunya. Setelah proses pengambilan sidik jari selesai, kami pulang ke kediaman si pemilik rumah. Suami saya baru pulang dari perjalanan dinasnya hampir tengah malam. Suami istri yang baik hati itu menawarkan untuk menjemput di bandara, dan ketika kami bertemu, saya menangis sejadi-jadinya. Saya bilang, saya tidak mau ditinggal sendiri di rumah ketika ia harus bertugas, tidak akan pernah mau! Malam itu, kami kembali menginap di kediaman si pemilik rumah yang dijaga empat ekor anjing Rottweiler. Keesokan harinya, istri pemilik rumah membawa serta pembantunya untuk membersihkan rumah yang baru dibobol maling tersebut. Malamnya, kami menginap di hotel karena saya masih belum siap kembali ke rumah. Baru hari Selasa, kami kembali ke rumah.

Percaya atau tidak, bawah sadar saya mengalami trauma berkepanjangan. Setiap kali mendengar suara sehalus desahan angin atau gemerisik daun sekalipun, urat leher saya menegang ketakutan dan kepala mendadak pusing. Seminggu pertama, saya ikut suami ke kantor dan diam disana dari pagi sampai sore karena tidak mau tinggal di rumah sendirian. Selama seminggu, setiap malam, saya selalu terbangun dalam keadaan ketakutan dan merasa seolah-olah ada suara mencurigakan di sekitar rumah. Gara-gara kejadian itu pula, saya sempat mengutarakan keinginan saya untuk memelihara anjing Rottweiler yang bisa menerkam dan membunuh orang berniat jahat yang datang (padahal saya takut setengah mati dengan anjing), atau menyimpan pisau atau senjata di dekat tempat tidur yang kesemuanya tidak mendapatkan persetujuan suami :(. Minggu kedua, saya mulai belajar tinggal sendiri di rumah pada siang hari dengan catatan ada yang menemani. Minggu-minggu berikutnya, saya belajar mengumpulkan keberanian dan menghilangkan rasa takut saya sedikit demi sedikit. Meski bukan hal yang mudah, tapi Alhamdulillah saya berhasil melaluinya. Saya teringat ketika pertama kalinya keluar rumah sendiri setelah kejadian tersebut, tiba-tiba saja saya merasa pusing dan urat leher menegang. Ya, ketakutan itu masih ada..takut bertemu muka dengan orang-orang yang pernah mendobrak masuk rumah yang kami tinggali.

Trauma dengan kejadian tersebut, disusul keguguran beberapa minggu sesudahnya, kemudian tidak mendapatkan tanggapan yang diharapkan dari orang yang sebelumnya saya anggap sahabat dekat ketika saya menceritakan kejadian ini dan mengharapkan simpatinya, membuat saya butuh waktu beberapa lama untuk bisa kembali "normal" seperti sediakala, itupun dengan bantuan psikolog tempat kami berkonsultasi, yang membantu membangun rasa percaya diri saya kembali. Kata-kata yang saya ingat dari psikolog adalah bahwa ingat saja kalau apa yang saya lakukan malam itu sudah tepat, dan hapus pertanyaan "bagaimana kalau" karena pada kenyataannya, semua berakhir dengan baik.

Alhamdulillah, tiga tahun berlalu, dan saya dapat berdamai dengan pengalaman buruk itu. Meskipun ketakutan sesekali datang, satu hal yang saya ingat, ada Allah yang menjaga saya, seperti halnya Ia menjaga saya malam itu. Sewaktu bibi saya mengalami musibah rumahnya disatroni sekelompok maling dua tahun lalu dan ia bercerita pada saya, saya dapat merasakan ketakutannya. Ketakutan dan kekhawatiran yang hanya dapat dirasakan oleh orang yang pernah mengalami kejadian serupa, tapi mungkin dianggap berlebihan bagi orang lain yang belum pernah mengalaminya. Yah, mudah-mudahan tidak akan ada orang yang saya kenal ataupun yang saya tahu mengalami hal serupa seperti yang saya alami. Cukup pengalaman saya saja yang menjadi pembelajaran agar kita selalu waspada dengan situasi sekitar dimanapun dan kapanpun.

A Glimpse of Port Vila

An article about the city of Port Vila in Vanuatu was published in ELLE Indonesia Magazine (July 2012 issue).

Mengenang kehidupan di Port Vila

Rasanya baru kemarin kami menjejakkan kaki di bandara internasional Bauerfield, Port Vila, padahal itu terjadi lebih dari setahun yang lalu. Pada saat sudah berada kembali di kota besar seperti sekarang ini, rasa kangen dan kenangan manis selama tinggal di ibukota mungil berpenduduk kurang lebih 40 ribu jiwa ini seringkali muncul. Sulit memang membayangkan hidup di kota kecil setelah sekian lama terbiasa dengan denyut kehidupan kota besar. Namun, kepindahan kami ke Port Vila memberikan pengalaman hidup baru yang tentunya sangat berkesan bagi saya pribadi.
 

Port Vila Bay dengan Iririki sebagai latar belakang

Jarak dari bandara ke pusat kota hanya membutuhkan waktu 15 menit saja dengan mengendarai mobil, sampai akhirnya kami tiba di akomodasi sementara sebelum mendapatkan tempat tinggal permanen. Bulan pertama kami habiskan di sebuah apartemen studio mungil yang cukup nyaman yaitu Breadfruit apartment sampai kami menemukan sebuah rumah cantik di kawasan Nambatu yang hanya berjarak 5 menit jalan kaki dari kantor maupun pasar swalayan. Ya, di Port Vila ada kawasan yang dikenal dengan nama Nambawan (berasal dari number one), Nambatu, dan Nambatri. Kawasan Nambawan itu terletak di pusat kota, tempat banyak café dan restoran berlokasi, Nambatu itu merupakan kawasan residensial yang dihuni oleh campuran penduduk asli dan ekspatriat, Nambatri lebih banyak dihuni oleh penduduk lokal, sedangkan kawasan Elluk, Tassiriki, dan Bellevue dihuni oleh penduduk asli golongan menengah ke atas dan kaum ekspatriat. Moda transportasi yang kerap saya gunakan adalah bus, dengan tarif 150 VUV (Vatu – mata uang Vanuatu) yang setara dengan 13,000 IDR untuk satu kali jalan, diantar sampai tujuan.

Pusat kota Port Vila dengan bus yang lalu-lalang

Nambawan

Ada banyak hotel mewah di Port Vila, namun hanya ada satu gedung yang mempunyai lift di seluruh negeri, yaitu hotel The Grand Hotel and Casino yang berlantai 6 yang terletak dekat pelabuhan Port Vila. Untuk keperluan sehari-hari saya biasa berbelanja ke satu-satunya pasar tradisional di pusat kota yang buka 6 hari dalam seminggu maupun pasar swalayan. Di pasar tradisional dapat ditemui sayuran dan buah lokal serta warung-warung makan. Sesuai musimnya, saya juga pernah menjumpai sate kelelawar dan kepiting kelapa dijual disana. Sedangkan produk sayur dan buah impor dapat diperoleh di pasar swalayan, terutama untuk produk makanan Asia. Lucunya, di pasar swalayan ini, ada banyak kemasan yang masih dijual meskipun telah melewati batas waktu dan tampaknya pembelipun, khususnya masyarakat Melanesia tidak khawatir untuk mengonsumsi produk yang sudah lewat batas waktu tersebut.

Buah-buahan dan sayuran lokal

Aktivitas di pasar tradisional

Gambar unik di dinding kantor pos Port Vila

Untuk buah-buahan segar, kami cukup beruntung karena di kebun sekeliling rumah ditanami oleh pohon buah-buahan seperti pisang, mangga, alpukat, kedondong dan nanas. Jadi teringat ketika musim mangga antara bulan November – Januari, setiap malam terdengar buah mangga matang jatuh dari pohon, dan keesokan paginya, sayapun panen seplastik penuh buah mangga, saking banyaknya sampai hampir setiap hari dibagi-bagikan ke teman-teman. Pada saat panen alpukat, kebetulan kami sedang berada di Indonesia, namun kami sempat merasakan lezatnya buah alpukat disini, dagingnya begitu lembut dan rasanya creamy, persis seperti alpukat mentega di Indonesia. Bahkan alpukat mentah yang diperam pun matangnya sempurna tanpa menjadi busuk. Sampai saat ini saya beranggapan bahwa alpukat Vanuatu adalah alpukat terenak yang pernah saya cicipi. Pisang adalah panenan kami terakhir sebelum meninggalkan Vanuatu. Dengan tiga batang pohon pisang di halaman, alhasil di rumah berserakan entah berapa sisir pisang mentah nan menggiurkan. Ah, jadi kangen masa-masa tinggal di rumah Nambatu...

Therese dan panen pisang dari kebun

Menanti panen nanas

Perbandingan mangga ukuran normal dengan mangga terbesar selama panen tahun 2010

Bercerita sedikit tentang rumah yang kami tinggali, rumah ini mempunyai balkon dengan pemandangan langsung ke arah laguna. Semburat matahari terbit setiap pagi dapat dinikmati langsung dari kamar kami, dan di siang hari, saat cuaca cerah, kami seringkali disuguhi pemandangan warna laguna yang bervariasi antara biru dan biru tosca. Saat sehabis hujan, giliran semburat pelangi yang menampakkan diri, benar-benar sempurna.

Kenangan manis di Nambatu

 Tidak banyak hiburan di kota ini, berbeda dengan umumnya kehidupan di kota besar. Aktivitas yang paling sering kami lakukan di akhir pekan, selain mengundang atau diundang teman-teman untuk makan malam bersama, adalah pergi ke pantai. Tinggal di kawasan Pasifik yang terkenal dengan pantai-pantai indahnya, rasanya rugi sekali kalau melewatkan kesempatan ini. Beberapa tempat favorit kami diantaranya Erakor, pulau kecil dengan resort yang terletak di laguna yang sama dengan laguna di belakang rumah yang kami tempati, Hideaway Islands, tempat ber-snorkeling yang terkenal dengan pemandangan bawah airnya dan underwater post pertama di dunia, dan Eton dengan blue hole-nya yang menakjubkan namun terletak agak di luar kota. Pada awal kami datang, penduduk lokal dapat masuk ke pantai-pantai ini, namun beberapa bulan kemudian, Erakor dan Hideaway Islands menerapkan peraturan baru yang mengharuskan pengunjung membayar biaya masuk sebesar 1500 VUV dan 1000 VUV sebelum menyeberang untuk kemudian ditukar dengan voucher pembelian menu makanan di restoran resort tersebut. Hal ini tentunya membatasi akses penduduk lokal dan jadinya hanya turis saja yang dapat berkunjung.

Pilihan tempat favorit untuk melewatkan akhir pekan

Pantai-pantai indah di sekitar kota Port Vila

Di Port Vila juga saya mengalami musim siklon pertama saya dan juga rangkaian gempa bumi yang cukup kuat. Musim siklon yang berlangsung dari bulan November hingga April pada awalnya cukup mengagetkan apalagi kalau belum terbiasa. Seorang teman yang berasal dari Kanada dan sudah terbiasa dengan badai (hurricane) mengatakan kalau angin-angin kencang di awal bulan November itu belum ada apa-apanya. Badai yang sering ia alami di benua Amerika sana menurut teman kami itu terasa seperti rangkaian kereta api lewat begitu dekat! Bulan Januari – Februari adalah masa-masa terburuk untuk siklon. Pernah suatu kali, saya ditinggal pergi bertugas selama seminggu dan otomatis sendirian di rumah. Malamnya, angin bertiup begitu kencang sampai rasanya pintu kayu pelindung berderak-derak nyaris terlepas. Keesokan paginya, batang pohon kedondong yang cukup tinggi sudah terkulai layu di tanah, pohon-pohon di halaman ada yang patah maupun nyaris bengkok, dan patahan ranting berserakan dimana-mana. Bila disertai dengan hujan, permukaan air di lagunapun bisa naik cukup tinggi, namun untungnya rumah kami berada di atas bukit batu sekitar 30 meter diatas permukaan air, jadi tidak terlalu khawatir untuk hal ini. Gempa bumi terkuat yang pernah saya rasakan juga terjadi ketika kami masih disini, beberapa minggu sebelum kepindahan kami. Jadi, pada dini hari Sabtu tanggal 20 Agustus, sekitar pukul 4 pagi saya merasakan tempat tidur bergoyang-goyang cukup lama sampai membuat saya terbangun. Setelah bangun dan menunggu beberapa saat, tidak terjadi apapun sampai kemudian mulailah guncangan yang cukup keras dan lama sekitar jam 5 pagi. Syukurlah, dengan skala M 7.1 dan kedalaman pusat gempa 40 km, tidak ada kerusakan bangunan apapun yang ditemui pagi itu.

Pengalaman tinggal di negara kepulauan di Pasifik Selatan ini tidak akan pernah saya lupakan, mulai dari kebiasaan kami bersantai di balkon sambil memandang laguna, belajar melempari buah mangga yang matang supaya cepat jatuh dari pohonnya dengan tetangga saya dari Fiji -Shainaz namanya-, menghabiskan akhir pekan dengan berenang dan snorkeling di pantai atau air terjun, berjalan kaki ke rumah sepulang bekerja –disini saya sempat bekerja sebagai sukarelawan di kantor pemerintah selama tiga bulan- sambil menikmati udara sore dan langit biru dan berpikir apakah saya akan mengenang saat-saat itu kelak (dan ternyata jawabannya adalah ya), seringkali menemukan kepiting yang tengah menyeberang jalan pada malam hari ketika kami melintas, melewatkan hari Sabtu pagi di café Au Peche Mignon di pusat kota untuk menyantap segelas coklat hangat dan croissant serta memborong sekantung chouquettes sebelum mampir ke pasar tradisional (pengaruh Perancis memang relatif kuat, khususnya di Port Vila), menyeruput segelas banana smoothie di Nambawan café, menikmati terbenamnya matahari sore di Port Vila bay sambil ber-stand up paddling bersama teman-teman, termasuk tentunya suasana pada malam hari yang gelap gulita karena ketiadaan lampu jalan yang merupakan bagian dari suka duka tinggal disini.

Permainan khas Perancis petanque

Mahasiswi USP sedang menampilkan tarian khas Vanuatu

Ekspresi polos anak-anak

Warna-warni Port Vila

Tulisan ini juga sekaligus untuk mencurahkan perasaan kangen pada teman-teman baik yang saya kenal selama tinggal disana, dan tentunya Therese, yang membuat rumah kami selalu bersih dan rapi. Hope to see you all again some other time in the near future!

Another trip reports

After few months of hibernating, I finally got my articles published in two magazines this month, yuppieee!!! Despite the extensive travels I have had this year, I am still struggling against the laziness in writing my whole trips :(.

In the meantime, let's explore the beauty of Queenstown in New Zealand, published in Tamasya magazine and immerse yourself in the sacred Land diving tradition in Pentecost Island, Vanuatu, published in JalanJalan magazine.

How far can you go?

*Appreciation goes to the magazine editors who have made my dreams come true*

The lure of Mele cascades

Mele Cascades is one of Efate’s natural gems. Located about 15 minute-drive from Port Vila –everything is close by in Port Vila and most of the time you can always expect for a smooth traffic– Mele Cascades offers a spectacular view of the turquoise crystal clear waters gently flowing down the smooth round rocks. Hidden in Mele’s lush nature, the waterfalls are visible after climbing some friendly steps, walking through the path, and crossing a small river for about  10 minutes walk. At the end of the walk, there is a small hut where a guard and simple storage facilities are available.

In making our way towards the waterfalls, we just need to climb the small cascades and follow the existing path. The path itself is not naturally built, yet it is blended perfectly with its natural surroundings. In between, you will find shallow ponds where people can soak themselves while having a chat in the fresh water. Nice, isn’t it?

With the entrance fee of VT 1000 or equal to AUD 10 for residents, and VT 1500 or AUD 15 for non-residents, visitors love to spend their time swimming, taking pictures, or having natural back massage under the waterfalls, just like we do.

A year in Port Vila: Honeymoon from a different point of view

As soon as we tied the knot in April last year, we spent the first three months living on our own in Jakarta, almost two months on vacation here and there, and about a year ago, we arrived in Vanuatu, a faraway archipelago, somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean. He was occupied at work since day one, while I was still figuring out what I could do during the year. I managed to get some small projects to do for the first month thanks to my BFF, but that was it! I do not have my own network of friends yet. Most of the people I know were those from his office, until I met some friendly ladies in one of the functions we attended who later became my good friends.

Indeed, life is much challenging when you have to take care of your own household. To name a few, dealing with various problems in the house, maintaining relations with the landlords and neighbours, sharing domestic chores between the two of us, and hosting guests from time to time. We have a helper who comes twice a week doing the chores but I still manage to do some of the work myself considering the fact that I might be spoiled with the situation in the long term. Living an expatriate life means we may not always get this kind of privilege all the time, subject to which country we live in. After a couple of months living here, life was getting difficult for me as I used to do nothing almost the whole day and I became super duper lazy. I think I was the laziest person on earth!

When we were in Jakarta, I was already unemployed, but there were plenty of things to do so that I never got bored. Fortunately, on this critical period, I was given the opportunity to volunteer at one of the government office for about three months thanks to him, and thankfully I found another interest that has helped me spending my pastime.

There is not much difference between our life in Jakarta and in Port Vila. In both cities, we are used to take public transportation in the absence of the office car or office driver since we don’t have our personal vehicle. Some people may associate the fact of being an expatriate to a glamorous life. However this doesn’t apply to ours as we also don’t do expensive shopping on branded items, we go to cheap hairdresser to have a haircut, and we don’t occupy business class seats whenever we travel.

Particularly for the accompanying spouse like me, living this kind of life may be exciting for certain time, but when it prolongs, then it is no longer as thrilling as it may look. Some friends say that I am living such a perfect life everyone would want, but honestly, I am not comfortable with the fact that I have no job therefore I have no means to satisfy my self-existence as well as self-confidence needs and at the same time, I become financially dependent. Despite our agreement that the terms ‘yours’ and ‘mine’ have merged into ‘ours’ since we got married, in the beginning it was not easy for me to deal with. Moreover, being among a bunch of our guests talking about their work to some point has made me lose my confidence. It took me sometime to compromise with the current situation and I finally managed to put my negative thinking out of sight. Later, instead of complaining about the things I don’t have, I used my time learning new skills, reading more books, making more friends, immersing myself into new culture, and realizing my postponed plans.

As they say that honeymoon is as sweet as honey but soon it fades away like the moon, this also applies to my first time experience as an expatriate’s wife. It is still a long way to go but I do learn that independence, perseverance, self-adaptation, tolerance, conviviality, patience, modesty, and willingness to learn are some of the characters I personally need to strengthen in order to equip myself for our next journey in the near future. Being a good and supportive spouse, whether an expatriate’s or not, surely a long-life learning, and I am working on my way to get there, insya Allah.

Land diving experience in Pentecost Island

At the end of June, we had visitors coming to Vila and so we planned to have a weekend getaway out of Efate. First option, the popular Tanna volcano, was declined due to its current increasing volcanic activities. As we were working on the plan B, the idea to see the infamous land diving ritual in Pentecost island came up. At the beginning, I was not quite enthusiastic with it, knowing that we would have to pay a lot for day return chartered flight to Pentecost. Nevertheless, we went to the airline office to check the price and seat availability for the flight.

Luckily, we were informed that Air Vanuatu offer a land diving package for VUV 44,000 or equal to AUD 400 per person, including return tickets (approximately cost VUV 22,000), 2 nights accomodation plus meals, refreshments, return transfer to the airport in Pentecost, fee to enter the jump site (VUV 8,000) and camera fee. This option is taken as the four of us are not willing to spend a lot of money only for a day trip to Pentecost, hence we have to make the most of our time while we are there. Again, we are lucky as the land diving ritual takes place once a week every Saturday from early April to end of June and the ritual we are going to see will be the last one for this year!

Upon arrival at the Lonorore airport on Saturday morning, we waited for the other tourists who came with the chartered flight and some others who came with their yacht. We walked for few minutes to the jump site, where some men were preparing the ritual. Land diving is a custom in the southern Pentecost, an original version of bungee jumping, where men jump from a 20-40 metre manmade tower with the vines tied to their ankles and land at soft soil ground. The tower takes about five to six weeks to build using the tree trunks and can be used several times. There were ten divers, all men, ready to jump from different heights. The first jump was done by a boy from the lowest point, and followed by the others with increasing heights. A group of men and women sang and danced with excitement, encouraging the diver who was ready to jump. It was spectacular!

The custom dance

Land diving or commonly known as naghol celebrates the yam harvest and is a fertility rite for men. It is originated from the legend about a woman who fled from her husband and hid in a tree. Tamale, her husband, chased her and begged her to go down. As she refused, Tamale climbed the tree and when he reached the top, she jumped. Tamale was shocked and therefore he followed, only to realise that his wife had tied the vines to her ankles. Nowadays, only men do this rite to show the women that they cannot be tricked again. When the divers jump, they curl up their head and touch the earth, understood as the symbol in making the land fertile for the following year's yam crop.

When the rite finished about one hour later, we were supposed to be picked up by the truck from Noda Guesthouse. As we were waiting for the truck, a couple approached us. Surprisingly, they brought the message from the guesthouse owner to collect us since the river was flooded and therefore the truck could not go through, so they planned to take us along with their....YACHT!!!! The couple, who are very friendly and kindhearted, are on their way cruising the South Pacific ocean with their yacht since last year. Few minutes later, we boarded a very nice yacht cruising for about one hour to our destination. We were so excited as none of us has ever been on a yacht before :D

The transport, the guest house, and local veggies

The first night we had Melanesian feast where the couple and their two friends came along to join. It was a traditional meal with local vegetables, taro, chicken and a whole small pig! We managed to be the first in the queue and took the chicken, which was, fortunately, cooked separately from the pig. Lessons learnt, we should seek the information about the type of food to be served prior to attending any kind of feast next time. Nevertheless, we are satisfied with the guesthouse and would recommend anyone interested in visiting Waterfall village to stay at Noda Guesthouse.

We spent the rest of the days wandering around the village and visiting the beautiful Waterfall Falls. We left the village on Monday afternoon by boat that took us to the airport. What a wonderful weekend getaway, discovering another beauty of Vanuatu islands!

A glimpse of Waterfall Village, South Pentecost

Note: land diving (Naghol) package tour between April and June every year can be booked through Air Vanuatu.

Around Gaua in 5 days

Finally, I had the chance to visit the island other than Efate, i.e. Gaua Island in Torba Province, thanks to my current job. It is one of the remote provinces in the northern islands and is prone to volcanic hazards of Mt. Garet.

In front of our chartered flight to Gaua

After being stranded for one night in Luganville, Espiritu Santo due to sudden flight cancellation which is very common here, we flew the next morning to Gaua using 6-seater chartered flight called Air Taxi. The flight was smooth, although the bad weather and heavy rain scared me a bit, as it was my first experience seating on such a small Cessna plane flying low over the Vanuatu islands. After 35 minutes flying, we arrived in Gaua airfield before 10 o'clock. As the plane was landing, out of nowhere, people came and gathered around the airfield watching the plane to land on the grass. This may be commonly seen in small islands everywhere, but since I have never been to small islands using plane before, I found it very interesting.

We stayed in one of the bungalow near the airfield, called Wongras bungalow. The owner, Charles, lives with his wife and six children. Following a nice lunch, we decided to commence the work by visiting nearby villages and taking necessary data. Roughly four hours of the first day were spent wandering in the biggest village, Namasari. The second day, we started the island tour by boat since the island’s rugged topography does not allow us to travel by land, so off we went heading north to start the journey on one clear morning. I was amazed when we visited one village called Bushman Bay, inhabited by a family of six only. For me, it is really hard to imagine living in such a remote place without seeing anyone other than your parents and siblings.

There are seven villages we visited, some of which are located high up on the hills. Often, we had to climb, even crawl, due to slippery steep terrain in order to get to the village. Don’t ask me how the locals deal with that. While we managed to climb the steps slowly with the fear of sliding down the hill, the locals who followed us were moving in a fast speed while chatting with their friends or chanting as if they were walking on the flat shiny tiles.

The steep path on the way back from Koro village

In one beautiful village named Koro, we had a spectacular view overlooking the South Pacific Ocean. However, it is extremely difficult to access the village from the sea, let alone from other villages.  Most of the western part of the island is bordered with the Coral Sea and that literally means the sea is full of corals. Our boat had difficulties to anchor as it hit the corals few times but finally the boat driver managed to find a way where the boat could pass among the beautiful yet dangerous corals.

One of our concern was the presence of schools, and in Koro, the nearest school is located in Dorig. Let me tell you what the word ‘nearest’ means. First, the school children have to travel by sea, otherwise they will spend many hours walking from their village to Dorig. Secondly, when they arrive in Dorig, they have to climb as the school is located uphill. Last but not least, a boat is a luxury in the island. Therefore, I am not surprised if most of the people do not go to school. It is not because they do not want to. Alas, it is merely too complicated for the parents to send their children to school.

Our next stop is Biam village, the most remote village in the island as well as the place for us to stay overnight since it is not possible to travel by sea at night time. There were three women in our group, so we were given the privilege to stay at the church guesthouse, a simple hut with three rooms. The communities in Biam treated us very well. They even gave us new mattresses which were just delivered by ship the day before. Prior to our departure for the island, I was told by my colleague to be prepared in case we need to sleep on the ground. In fact, while we slept on the new mattress that night, most of the communities slept on the ground of their home. How about the toilet? It is just next to the hut. You may think that it is a separate hut, right? Apparently, the toilet is everywhere around the hut. When nature calls, find a bush toilet.

The church guesthouse

In fact, it is better to use the outside toilet as there is less risk of being bitten by fire ants which are often found inside the houses. The fire ants are almost invisible but once they bite, you will feel the burn sensation, awful, isn’t it?  One of our colleagues used the toilet inside one of the houses and later she realized that she was bitten by fire ants. So, she ran down the hill and plunged herself into the sea to stop the pain. When we asked the houseowner why she did not tell us that there are fire ants inside the house, she calmly replied that it is normal for them and do not think that fire ants’ bites are serious. Until we left the village, we couldn’t stop discussing how they manage to live with those little monsters wandering in their premises. 

Another funny thing is when we asked for a bucket of water to shower. The villagers do not have the concept of taking a shower since they consider swimming in the sea with their clothes on as a kind of shower activity. Therefore, when we tried to take shower in a very smelly place where they put the copra -it was the only feasible place for us to take a shower- a group of children followed us and got closer since they were curious of what we were doing. They remained there observing us until we called their mothers so that we could take a quick shower without being watched. What an experience!

For dinner, I had rice and nalot, a traditional dish made from cassava boiled in coconut milk with grilled coconut crumbs on top. Here in Vanuatu, the staple food varies between yam, cassava, taro, since rice is rare to get. Once they have rice, then they will eat them altogether on one plate, just like what we had, a pile of rice, nalot, instant noodle, all were served at one meal!

The night in Biam was serene since we only heard nothing but the waves and sea breeze drifting us to sleep. Wonderful, isn't it? In the morning, we left early around 6.30 am to continue our journey to Dorig village, where we met a group of intelligent women who were very critical, even the men were nothing compared to them. We received a lot of feedback about the work thanks to their brilliant comments and questions.

With the women in Dorig village

On the third day, on the way back to the east, we saw the spectacular Devil’s Point, a giant pile of lava created by the eruptions in the past. It is a taboo area, so we were not allowed to talk or point our fingers while passing. Combined with the rough Pacific Ocean, the view was just amazing and at the same time scary! Unexpectedly, the sky turned grey and few minutes later, it rained heavily. Initially there were seven of us on the boat, but since some ill villagers asked for a ride to the health centre in Namasari, so we went along with seven additional passengers, including a baby.  The weather became worse and there was no sign that the rain was going to cease. I was scared since the wave was getting wild, reaching approximately 2-metre high and the heavy rain made it worse. The visibility was very low as we could not even see the coast. We were all wet due to both the rain and the rough wave splashing all over the boat. I was so afraid that the wave could turn the boat upside down or even break the boat into two and suddenly, when the boat driver tried to slow the speed, a big wave hit the boat and our friend who sit at the boat’s nose fell down. We were so panicked and worried about him. Luckily, as he held tight the anchor rope, he was not swept away by the wild wave. After some time, I did not know exactly how long we were in that scary situation, our prayers were heard. The rain stopped and we continued the journey directly to the village, cancelling the initial plan. All we wanted to do was to go straight to the bungalow and called it a day.

The day before we left Gaua, we decided to go to Lake Letas, the largest freshwater lake in Vanuatu. We left at 8 am with our local guide, passing the coconut plantation, entering the jungle, crossing the giant banyan tree tunnel, and after four hours of walking we arrived at the lake, welcomed by this view.

Lake Letas with Mt. Garet in the background

Unfortunately, we could not cross the lake to go to the mountain as the boat was broken. So, we stayed by the lake and had our lunch there.

I was so excited about leaving Gaua on the last day. However, when we boarded the plane and saw the villagers at the airfield waiting for the plane to take off, I could not resist my tears from falling, thinking of how the villagers live their life in the village, especially those who live in the remote villages that we visited few days before. If only they knew that there is better life out there, beyond their imagination. Hey, but who am I, dare to say that our life in the city is much better than theirs in the village? After what I have seen, I personally think that life in big city maybe hard, but living in such a remote village is even unthinkable for me. At the end, it is just the matter of practice and adaptation that help us to survive. Well, another eye-opening journey about the life in a remote village.

See you again in the next adventure!

A day at the museum

Visiting museums has always been my passion whenever I go. No matter however old and obsolete a museum can be, there is always something interesting to see and learn. The National Museum in Port Vila may look dull from outside, but it becomes interesting inside since it displays various collections of the Melanesian art and culture as well as the early history of the country under the reign of French-British condominium government. With entry fee of 500 VT or equal to IDR 44,000, the visitors will be entertained with the sand drawing show, a traditional custom of Pentecost island, done by the museum guide. As he creates a very beautiful drawing, he tells the story about what he draws continuously without even pulling his finger off the sand.

Sand drawing

Cute turtle

On my first visit, I was surprised as I found a set of angklung (traditional musical instruments made from bamboo tubes originated from West Java) displayed at one corner of the museum, marked as the gift from the infamous Saung Angklung Udjo in Bandung, my hometown. Later, on my next visit, I learnt that the "Angklung Workshop" was organised thanks to the cooperation between the Vanuatu Cultural Centre and the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia. Not only that, when I accompanied my friend coming from Suva to visit the museum, we had the chance to see the performance of children playing Vanuatu's national anthem and Indonesia Pusaka song...wonderful!

Angklung instruments from Saung Angklung Udjo, Bandung

After enjoying the two main shows, the visitors can see the museum collections, including totems, shells, traditional weapons, as well as the Vanuatu custom stories, one of which reminded me of the Balinese custom in the past, where the families and wives of the great Melanesian chief called Roi Mata are obliged to follow their dead husband to the grave in order to show their devotion and therefore, they will be buried alive together with the corpse in an island now called Hat Island (as it has the shape of a hat). Due to the history and its importance value in the Melanesian culture, the sacred Chief Roi Mata Domain in Hat Island is given the status as World Heritage Site of UNESCO in 2008 making it the Vanuatu's first world heritage site.

Melanesian totem

The National Museum is located in front of the Parliament Building, about 10- minute walking distance from downtown. It is open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm.