A day in Beijing and its surroundings

Beijing is an interesting place that you will never run out of new things to see.  There are many historical places and it is also rich in culture.  I could ride my bike around and drop by a simple nearby store where I can eat breakfast that serves local dishes.  I will go sightseeing and enjoy the surroundings.  I was able to visit the Forbidden City.  Then pass by the Gate of Heavenly Peace where Tiananmen Square is close by.  I can find a variety of things being sold there.  Right now it is all about the propaganda-era posters.

In the square area I managed to witness a huge display of kites and it ended before the Arrow Tower. I can not fully enjoy this experience without seeing myself on the wall walk.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Mongol hordes tumble down the city.  They did distribute lamb hotpot to the people.  I am glad they did because I have something to eat later on that day.

Later I managed to visit Liulichang St to look for souvenirs I can bring home.  It will be convenient for me to head there since it is on the way to the Summer Palace.  It is peculiar to go there at this time knowing the fact that it is a huge place and they close early in the summer which is (6pm in the evening).  Even though it is closing time, they do not force anyone to leave.  I was able to stay long enough to enjoy the sun set at the same time finish my alcoholic beverage near the Kunming Lake.  It was the best experience I could ever ask for.  It is one of the most relaxing places in the world.  There is no other place like Beijing.

Have fun at Menteng Indonesia

One of Jakarta's most pleasing historical inhabited closed societies, Menteng today still reveals the original early 20th century Dutch apparition for the region. Glossy modern houses coexists with traditional majestic homes along restful tree-lined boulevards, offering Jakartans and tourists alike a glance into a previous era with some of the pleasures of its gentler pace of life. There is much to explore in Menteng, from its chronological buildings and antiques marketplaces to its stylish eating shops and sole retail outlets.

Music at Taman Suropati
This eventful little park is located in a horseshoe of spectacular and well-preserved 1920s houses that are now home to Jakarta's administrator and several ambassadors. It is famous for its statues by artists from  Asean countries. On Sundays or public holidays, it drawn courting couples and picnicking families, with artists selling their works, provisions vendors hawking gado gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce) or fried tauho (bean curd), and street performer entertaining the crowd.

Come on a weekend and you'll find young musicians making sweet music with their violins, violas and cellos - and shows appreciation to Pak Ages, who organizes free melody lessons for kids. 

Bargain at Jalan Surabaya
Jalan Surabaya is an establishment in Menteng, and no antique collector or flea market buyer visiting the city should give this a miss. Small, orderly shops sit in a row along this one-way avenue, offering everything from brassware and stranded china to classical instruments and leather tools. Be prepared to be overwhelmed by some light-hearted bargaining. Don't be astound to see workers squatting on their tenderloins a few meters away, shamelessly ageing the wares with shoe polish.

My favourite stall is number 109 where you'll find Pak Tizar using photographs of real people to make scary realistic stiff puppet replicas or wayang kulit. Ask to see the photos of the puppets presented to public figures, regulators, and even US President Barack Obawa.

Historical Malacca

A place steeped in an old memoirs, Malacca was once a trading post of flavors with dealers arriving from all places of the world. Malacca has a colorful olden times with her originator, the Melayu sultans, followed by interference from the Portuguese, Dutch and the Chinese, thus creating a very miscellany of different communities.

Journey to Malacca from Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia passes charming plantations of oil palms and rubber estates, dotted with occasional villages. The tour to Malacca should begins at the river-mouth, once called as the "Venice of the East". The presence of appealing looking wooden boats laden with mangrove logs and charcoal for barter goods is a reminder of a business being practiced centuries ago.

Tourists are recommended to take a stroll through the narrow Heeren Street and view fine old Dutch buildings from the 17th Century.  Do visit the Baba Nyonya Heritage Private Museum, the only of its kind in the country. A guided tour the  heritage of the Peranakans, a unique culture born of a fusion between Malay and Chinese traditions.

Walk along Jonkers Street which is noted from its antiques shops. Visitors should continue with a stroll on Harmony Street to see Kampung Kling Mosque, an old mosque with Sumatran architecture. Then move on to Cheng Hoon Teng temple, founded by Kapitan China Lee Wei King, a escapee who fled from China during the Ming Dynasty. Next, please then drive to see the Christ Church, the red-hued Malacca Dutch Square, and the unmistakeable Studhyus (one used as the home for the Dutch Governor) which serve a memory of the Dutch power in Malacca during the old days.

Pay a visit to Padang, Merdeka to see the remaining memoir of a Portuguese fort called A 'Famosa with Porta Santa as the presented gateway of the fortress. Get to climb up St. Paul's Hill to explore St. Paul's Church, a roofless property where lays a statue and empty burial chamber of St. Francis Xavier.

Before leaving Malacca, do drive around Bukit China (the Chinese Hill) to see the largest inherited burial graveyard of the early Chinese of Malacca out of China.

The Old Batavia Sideseeing Trip in Jakarta

Jakarta starts its memoirs in the 14th century as a little quay city and today become a lively metropolitis. Old Batavia's center point is the 'Kota' area now. Kampoeng the Old Batavia Tour present the distinctiveness of Jakarta with diverse blends of civilization and traditions.
Some fascinating attractions illustrate as follows:


Kota Intan DrawBridge

In the 18th Century, Kali Besar areas was a very modish suburban neighborhood along the great canal of Cilliwung river. At the north end of the Kali Besar lays a small 17th Century Dutch drawbridge, the last in the city, called the Kota Intan Drawbridge.

National Museum

The National Museum, built in 1862, is the best museum in Indonesia and is reputedly one of the finest in Southeast Asia. The museum has an huge compilation of cultural objects of the different ethnic categories - model houses, musical instruments , costumes, various fine bronzes from the Hindu-Javanese period, as well as many attractive stone pieces picked up from Central Java and other temples.
There's also superb display of Chinese stoneware dating back to the Han empire which was almost entirely stored up in Indonesia.

Sunda Kelapa Harbor

This more than 400 years old waterfront area was a very important link to the markets of the outside world for the 15th Century kingdom. Since then this port has belonged to the Portuguese and Dutch. The harbor is still one of the most crucial calls for sailing vessels from all over places in Indonesia, that serves as an central point of exchange of shipping goods to and from the outer islands. This is one of the finest attraction in Jakarta.

Glodok

Glodok is the heart of Jakarta's China Town. It is now hawkers, banking, entertainment and trading center. Visit to Petak Sembilan Chinese Temple dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin. Developed in 1650, it was on the earliest center of worship for the Batavian Chinese.

Fatahillah Museum

Built in the 16th century, the museum is housed in the old town hall of Batavia, which is probably one of the most solid reminders of Dutch rule to be found in Indonesia. It provides the historic background of Jakarta through a display of maps and antiquities, including porcelains and furniture. 

Built in the 16th century, the museum is housed in the ancient town hall of Batavia, which is perhaps one of the most firm reminders of Dutch rule to be found in Indonesia. It grants the historical background of Jakarta through a pose of ancient artifact and maps, including ceramics and furniture.