my travel experience vol. 2

I’d not call this as ‘my travel experience’.. coz these are the places I’ve lived for the past 10 years.. but yeah, i just want to continue from the previous part…

• Saudi Arabia - I’ve lived in this country since 1989, and I still visit Jeddah every year. It’s weird though, I’d say visiting jeddah as “going back home”, but visiting jakarta as a “holiday”. hehehe… I’m very fortunate to live in jeddah, it’s closed to everything! It takes 50 minutes to Mecca, an hour or so to Taif, and 5-6 hours to Medinah. I’ve been to those cities + Abha (pronouced as Ab - Ha), but never been to the capital city, Riyadh. I hope I could visit Riyadh before I get kicked out of the country hehehehe… Anyway, the only thing i hate about living in saudi arabia is the transportation system! It’s very dangerous for a woman to go by bus/taxi over there. So the only option is: either your personal driver or your dad drives you everywhere you want to go. I also hate how Saudi people treat Asians here (particularly Indonesians). They look down upon us, coz they only know that ALL indonesians are maid/drivers! Can you imagine that?? One day, I was going around the mall with my friend. There was one man who approached us and asked (in arabic): “Do you want to work with me?” WHAT??? I felt like I want to slap that man! That’s why my Arabic is very bad. I can read Al-Qur’an very fluently, read newspaper (without knowing their meanings), and understand the conversation. But unfortunately I can’t speak Arabic! I always speak English over there, coz I want them to know that Indonesians are not that stupid! There are thousands of Indonesians who are educated and work in a high position job. They just don’t want to open their eyes; they’re very stubborn. But anyhow, one thing that makes me want to live there is the two Holy Mosques located in Medinah and Mecca. They’re just incredible!!! There’s a different feeling when you enter the Mosque and see Ka’bah; I really don’t know how to describe it. You’ll be amazed! I just love that feeling. I also like to observe people in the mosque; no matter how rich/poor you are and whatever race you’re belong to, when you enter it, you’re all equal! And if you see the architecture and the details of the mosque, you can only say “woooww…!” hehehe… I’d say these two mosques are the centre of arts.. Very impressive. Do you know who built these mosques? Believe it or not, Bin-Laden family took part of it; yes that guy you always see on tv Well, not exactly him. But HIS family.
• Indonesia - To be honest, I only lived there for about 3 years during my 10-12 grades (SMU). I studied in a boarding school located in Bogor. My mom didn’t allow me to study in a school other than a boarding (which has dorms inside.. but not exactly a “pesantren”). Well, I didn’t have a problem with that, since I prefer a “kampung” or “desa” that has fresh air rather than crowded jakarta… Anyway, this is the most embarrassing part I’ve never actually travelled throughout my own country!! I’ve only been to Palembang (but it was looongg time ago; my dad’s family lives there) and Bandung. My next travel destination will definitely be Jogja!! (And maybe Bali… before those bloody terrorists destroy that island!!). I hope I’ll be able to go there next year I’m planning for it hehehe.. I also want to buy more kebaya!! I don’t know, I just love traditional dress, it’s part of my identity! I want all people know how rich our culture and heritage are.. maybe just by showing off my dress hehehehe….
• Australia - I came to Australia alone with a very very limited English hahaha.. (yeah you can still find grammatical errors here..) I didn’t have any friends, relatives, whatever! Sometimes I think of it and can’t believe that I was so brave that time! hahaha.. My parents were busy with Hajj so they’re not able to accompany me to Brisbane (from Jkt). But thank God everything went very well. The first friend I met in Bne was an Aussie girl named Haley who’s sooo nice and helped me with everything. I lived in a student accommodation that time, and I was the only Asian who lives in that floor, coz most of them are either aussies or americans. hehehe.. But they’re all very nice, sometimes I couldn’t believe it :P. By the way, I went to Sydney last year.. It was definitely the best trip I’ve ever had! Just read the stories here.

…to be continued…