2013 IN REVIEW

Thank god we can enjoy this 2013 beautifully! 2013 is very special to me, because Allah granted all my wishes. What about you guys? I hope you get what you want for this year. BTW, I have some momentous moments for 2013 that I will never forget. Here they are:

SPORT

Bayern Munich was at the best performance! They grabbed treble winner (Bundesliga, UEFA Champions league, & DFB Pokal) and brought UEFA Super Cup home. It's not over, in December, they won FIFA Club World Cup 2013 in Morocco after destroying Raja Casablanca 2-0.

Barcelona, Manchester United, Paris Saint-German (PSG), Juventus, and Ajax Amsterdam finished at the top of league table season 2012/2013.

Atletico Madrid, Wigan, SS Lazio, Bordeaux, and AZ Alkmaar won the league cup.

This year was the saddest moment in soccer world; David Beckham, Jamie Carragher, Sylvain Petrov, Michael Owen, Deco, Jupp Heynckness, and Sir Alex Ferguson retired. FYI, I've been happy watching their skill for years, yes, they made my childhood fascinating.

BRAZIL was the host of Confederation Cup 2013. They beat Spain in final 3-0 as Neymar was the best player of the competition.

Persipura Jayapura was the best team in Indonesia Super League 2013.

Miami Heat won the NBA season 2013 after beating San Antonio Spurs.

Sebastian Vettel is  the youngest F1 racer ever to win the season 4 times within 6 years, how amazing!

Lance Armstrong, the greatest TOUR DE FRANCE biker, admitted his doping scandal during his participation in competition. This case turned his best career into worst one.

Rafael "King of Clay" Nadal and Serena Williams were ranked no.1 in World Tennis Ranking.

Andy Murray won Wimbledon Championship and was the first British to win it since 1936.

SEA GAMES, a biennal multi-sport event, was held in Myanmar and will be in Singapore the next two years. Indonesia took home all the gold medals in badminton of SEA GAMES 2013 Myanmar.

Tantowi-Liliyana defended their title at the All England Cup 2013.

Ahsan and Hendra grabbed the WBF Championship 2013 in Guangzhou, China,so did Tantowi and Liliyana.

Marc Marquez succeeded to be the first rookie who win MOTO GP (2013).

Chris John retired as a professional Indonesian boxer after lost against Simpiwe Vetyeka from South Africa.

INTERNATIONAL

In the beginning of 2013, Barrack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of US.

Park Geun-Hye became South  Korea's first woman president.

Hugo Chavez, Margaret Tatcher, and Nelson Mandela died. They had been a great leader this century.

Maduro was the new president of Venezuela replacing Chavez. 

Salam Fayyad, Palestine's Prime Minister since 2007 resigned and was succeeded by Rami Hamdallah. Hamdallah firstly tendered his resignation two weeks after he occupied the position. But then, he returned to his position.

BOSTON BOMBING shocked the marathon participants and caused 3 people died.

Kaesong Industrial Region, a collaborative economic development between Korea DPR and South Korea, was closed as the tension between them grew. On 16 September, this area was reopened.

Military coup d'etat happened in Egypt with President Morsi as a victim. It's just getting worse just like Syria crisis. The UN even made a thorough investigation of a biologist weapon used in Syrian civil war.

Typhoon Haiyan hit Phillipines and left thousands people died.

My Chemical Romance, an American Rock Band, broke up on arch this year. But don't worry! There will be the last great album from them in 2014.

Meteorite fell in Chelyabinsk, Russia and luckily there aren't casualties.

Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed killing thousands people.

Demonstrators (Protester) struck for insisting on Yingluck Shinawatra to resign. As a consequence, election was held earlier.

Tony Abbot was elected as the Prime Minister of Australia.

Pope Benedict XVI resigned and was succeeded by Pope Francis from Argentina. He became the first non-European Pope since Pope Gregory III, 1272 years earlier.

US Government shutdown due to an argument between Republican (House of Representative) and Democratic Senate in an effort to bring the "Obamacare" passing the Senate and the House. 

Willem-Alexander became the king of Netherland this year.

Rouhani was elected as the president of Iran, preceded by Ahmadinejad.

Edward Snowden, a former CIA and NSA employee, began to reveal the classified NSA documents to several media. 

Obama shook Raul Castro's hand at a memorial service for Nelson Mandela.

Paul Walker, main actor of Fast and Furious series, died because of car accident.

Mikhail Kalashnikov, developer of AK-47, died on December 23th.

INDONESIA

I don't know what to say, this year full of corruption and bribery scandal. The Supreme Court, the governor, politicians, and bankers are involved in this case, what a shame!

Sinabung, a volcano in Sumatera, errupted and made the refugees celebrate the christmas in camp.

Australia was claimed  taping Indonesian government's phone.

Lion Air crashed in Denpasar, Bali. The plane crashed into shallow coastal sea and broken into two parts. There aren't casualties.

Batavia went bankrupt in the beginning of this year.

The 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

image source:
sport.detik.com
themotorreport.com
www.wallgiv.com
www.minnpost.com
telegraph.co.uk
nationalpost.com
lionsevents2013.com
washingtonpost.com
tribunnews.com

theborneopost.com
dunia.news.viva.com

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SUBMARINE ON LAND?

It's such a great chance to invade the Surabaya Submarine Museum. Yes, the 3 crazy backpackers finally invaded one of the greatest Indonesia's museum, Pasopati Submarine Museum. FYI, KRI Pasopati 410 was Indonesia's submarine used for "PAPUA FREEDOM" combat in 1952. 

This russian submarine was very huge with 76.6 meters lenght and 1,000 ton weight. There were cabins, torpedo rooms, coridors, etc. What a spectacular moment to be in here, felt like a soldier. Pasopati Submarine was included "whisky class" and honestly we don't understand what that means.

When you entered the subs, you'd see a set of complicated equipments. But, some said, these things are still working today. We think it's true, the periscope still works. You could see the road through it. Well, just drop your family or friends here! The museum was quite accesible because it's located near Plaza Surabaya. You need to prepare Rp 5.000,- only for entrance (including ticket to watch a movie in audiovisual room).

WHEN CRAZY BACKPACKERS STRUCK SURABAYA

 

We can say that Surabaya is the heart of east Java. It is the capital of East Java province, but Surabaya is more than that. So, no need to wonder why this city is crowded by tourists. By train, it took about 4 hours from Yogyakarta. We left for Surabaya in the morning and it's noon by the time we arrived there, via Gubeng railway station. Gubeng is one of the entry to Surabaya. n Gubeng railway station, there's a map that you will know easily where your destination is. Or you can get here via Juanda International Airport in South Surabaya.

 

This city has so many tourist destination. Beach, Museum, Mall, Mosque, etc. Need a cheap shelter? We found some backpackers hotel with reasonable rate. Gubeng Hotel charges you IDR 90,000 while Sparkling Backpacker Hotel charges you IDR 115,000. The cheapest rate in City Hub hotel IDR 250,000. They are surely recommended. If you're crazy enough, try to sleep in some public areas like a station, mosque, or (maybe) the sidewalk.

Just so you know, Surabaya is friendly to all backpackers. We simply loved the sidewalk. Unlike other cities in Indonesia, Surabaya's sidewalk is street vendor-free. You can wander around all day long then. This city also has numerous public transportation and taxi is the best. There's no reason to postpone your plan to go to Surabaya. Why don't you just pack now and "strike" Surabaya!

EXPLORING SOLO CULINARY CENTER: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

What an amazing experience! Tasting some unforgettable Solo foods, Enjoying the beauty of the city nightview, And......All I can say is "Awesome". It was such a good opportunity to join National Management Student Summit in Solo last September. There were so many things I got from it, especially the food.

Let's talk about WEDANGAN CANGKIR BLIRIK first. It's a nice place. The most important thing is, it's accesible. Your bus can surely enter the way to the WEDANGAN. WEDANGAN is a typical name of a place to eat in Solo. But WEDANGAN CANGKIR BLIRIK is different. Gazebo style combined with old-fashioned interior,  making this WEDANGAN as the best WEDANGAN in entire Solo.

Well, don't forget to try Solo Sausage! It's yellow with ground chicken inside but tastes good. It costs only Rp 3.000,-. Next, the tea! WEDANGAN CANGKIR BLIRIK has some kinds of tea. Last, I recommend you to try baked rice. I believe you can't hold your curiosity. Looking forward to coming here soon? Go to Banyuanyar Selatan Street, no. 22B, Banyuanyar, Solo.

I have another good place for you to eat, GALABO!

It's the name of the food center located neat Beteng Trade Center (Solo shopping center). And it's not too far for you to reach city square, Solo Great Mosque, or Keraton Solo. GALABO stands for Gladag Langen Bogen (I really don't know what it means). This site open in afternoon to midnight. I myself bought some foods here. They have 'Nasi Rawon', Meatball, Baked Rice, etc. Many tourist coming here to enjoy the air.

Just join us to explore more culinary center in more cities.

Admit it! Indonesia is rich......of food.

WELCOME TO SAM POO KONG!

It's not an ordinary Chinese temple, guys! This temple is quite big and awesome. It's one of the most visited tourist destination in the outskirts of Semarang. And it's free to enter. Admit it! Semarang has several fascinating sites to visit and this site is one of them.

So, there it is. Sam Po Kong is now a Chinese temple. But the founder, Admiral Cheng Ho, was a moslem.

Well, since he was a Chinese and the Chinese believe that died man can help them, Sam Po Kong is now a sacred place for the pilgrims to worship. 

But don't worry! Because this place is very awesome and always crowded in a certain day. I myself love the environment, the architecture, and the history of course. Just pay a visit here, bring your family, and feel the beauty.

BOROUBUDUR: INDONESIAN'S PRIDE

It's the biggest buddhist temple in the world and listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is always crowded by the tourists. Since the location is near the volcano (Mount Merapi), We can see a spectacular view if we are on the top of Borobudur. As we know, this place is so exotic, especially if you see the sunrise from here. But that's not the only reason why the tourists flood this site.

Built in the 9th-century in Syailendra Dynasty, this site is holy for the buddhist. Every year, the Buddhists celebrate "Vesak" here. When this celebration comes, it will attract tourists to have some pictures or make a footage. Besides, some festivals are held here and everybody doesn't want to miss it. For example, ballet performance of "Mahakarya Borobudur".

Borobudur is great! No cement was used to build this megastructure. But, Borobudur was several times restored because of some problems such as eruption, bombing, etc. As an Indonesian, I should thank Mr. Thomas Stamford Raffles. He'd made a big name for Borobudur in 1814.

So, for those who want to feel the greatness of Borobudur, you can get there via Yogyakarta or Magelang. Nowadays, we can easily find travel agents who provide a tour package to Borobudur. And don't forget! Make sure you have enough money to enter Borobudur because you'll be charged Rp 30.000,- for this.

DIENG, FOR FRESH AIR SEEKERS

 

 

Dieng is located in Wonosobo region. Dieng (mountain) is one of the best place for tourism destinations in Central Java. And among them, Dieng is the 'coolest!'. Yes, I believe we'll have 15° celcius in Dieng so we have to wear thick clothes. From Wonosobo city, you go northward to reach Dieng. You'll pass the mountainous way  with a spectacular scenery; cool air and cool scenery, what a great combination.

We'd find so many 'carica' garden; Carica is a typical fruit from Dieng. The fruit is as sweet as Dieng. People usually buy it when they visit here. There are two important sites I want to tell you. First, the colorful lake or 'telaga warna' as Indonesian calls. It has about two colors. But, unfortunately it was cloudy when we arrived there. So we can't see the beauty clearly. This site is very nice. I loved the trees because I won't see them in my city. To enter this site, you must pay Rp 5.000,-.

Second, DIENG PLATEAU THEATER. This theater told us about the history of Dieng Plateau. The conclusion is, Dieng can be described like this; cool, breathtaking, aaaand I love it!

NYONYA MENEER MUSEUM

I believe Nyonya Meneer is Indonesia's pride. Nyonya Meneer is Indonesia's biggest herbal drink producer.

Nyonya Meneer was named after the founder (Mrs. Meneer or Mrs. La Ping Nio). So, in the beginning of this month, I and my friend had such a big opportunity to visit the first herbal drink museum in our country; "Nyonya Meneer Museum". It's located in Semarang (it's actually located in the factory itself).

FYI. you can visit the museum on weekdays because they close the factory on weekend. We could know everything about Nyonya Meneer from here. Well, I just knew that it's all begun when Meneer's husband was sick. With her capability of making traditional medicines, Meneer tried to cure her husband herself. When all people around her knew that her home-made herbal drink worked out, orders came. Nyonya Meneers finally opened the first shop in Semarang and Jakarta.

Nyonya Meneer employs approximately 1500 employees at present. This museum told us all of the journey of Nyonya Meneer in producing Herbal drink from time to time. We can see all of Nyonya Meneer's product here. They used to have their own herbs garden. But nowadays, it becomes an educative garden, to educate all people about Indonesian herbs.

To have a better experience, please visit there. After you get there, you will learn that Indonesia is rich of all kinds of herbs and they can be made as an effective medicine. By the way, Nyonya Meneer hoped that traditional medicines can be used widespread as well as  drugs.

THE BEAUTY OF MOUNT LAWU

Almost all Indonesian mountaineers know Mount Lawu. This inactive volcano is located right in the border between Central and East Java. Last week my sister and her friends took the challenge to conquer it. This mount is so tough with its 3.256 m height. Being exhausted is the true enemy. But all of these burdens would be cured by the beauty of the Lawu's scenery. It's such a lucky day when she met a group of Edelweisses; an eternal flower.

And what was their main goal of this mountaineering? Of course, reaching the top! Hargo Dumilah is the highest top. "It took less than a day to reach the top", she said. My sister and friends were surely excited because of the gorgeus view from above. She said Mount Lawu is now quite crowded. To my astonishment, not only did she find other mountaineers, but also some local residents who sold some meals.

Well, it's not always about the mount. Mount Lawu has several good sites to visit such as Sarangan Lake or Tawangmangu. So please, let your instinct leads you to this amazing place.

image source: masyayan1.files.wordpress.com

THE BEAUTY OF BANTUL

Hello Backpackers! I believe everybody knows Yogyakarta. But, do any of you know about Bantul? That's right! Bantul is near Yogyakarta. You just need to go southward if you're in Yogyakarta. Bantul has everything; beach, forest, mountain, and there are so many worth-visiting villages.

Well, in these following pictures, I explored the beauty of one of the most popular village in Bantul, Nitiprayan! Nitiprayan is known as an art village. Many tourists visit here whenever Nitiprayan hold an art exhibition in some Art Space. Don't wait, guys. Just come to Nitiprayan and enjoy the freshness of the morning air.