Kalimantan Trip (2) : Tanjung & Balikpapan

Tanjung

The first impression came to my mind is that Tanjung is a very masculine city. Located approximately 4 hours drive from Banjarmasin, Tanjung is a huge industrial city in South Kalimantan.

People can easily notice its industrial atmosphere by looking at so many heavy vehicle across the big street. In addition, workers with mining uniform dominate the city.

The main industry is mining where there is a huge mining pit from Adaro Group. Besides minig, Tanjung also has oilfield belong to Pertamina.

The ironic part I found about Tanjung is the fuel scarcity. Eventhough Tanjung has oilfield, an extremely long queue can be found in gas stations. Most cars / heavy vehicle has to stay overnight in the gas station queue to get the oil. There must be something with the fuel distribution management.

Like any other industrial city, Tanjung has adequate facilities to support the workers. For accommodation, there is Aston Hotel and several small hotels where the majority of the visitors are mining workers.

Tanjung also has good variety of restaurants to choose. Asian Restaurant (one of Kalimantan's wellknown seafood chain), Ayam Bakar Wong Solo, Ayam Goreng Mega, are several of the examples. This is a good thing since many workers can easily find variety taste from many areas in Indonesia.

Tanjung is definitely an emerging city. New luxurious housing complex, mall, are being built at the moment. There is also and a grand people representative's building (which ironically always looks there is no activities everytime I passed by) and huge Islamic center around the area.




Balikpapan

Balikpapan is probably the city with the highest living standard in Indonesia. I was very impressed of how clean and neat the city is. No wonder that Balikpapan is the consecutive winner of Adipura Award (the award for the cleanlinest city in Indonesia).

Sepinggan International Airport which currently undergo a renovation. Connected from big cities in Indonesia and also to international destination such as Kuala Lumpur and Sinagpore.

Most of industry in energy resources has its head office in Balikpapan. The industries consists in the field oil, mining, heavy macinery, and agriculture industry. Those multi national companies offices are concentrated in Manggar Area.

Not only clean, the street is also very well organized. People are actually using the pedestrian crossing in its proper place (something which I rarely found in Indonesia). There are also crossing bridges in a very good condition. The safe and comfortable public car (which costs only $0.3 per trip) is very reliable, even for first time visitor.

Since the majority comes from other cities and expatriates, Balikpapan is a modern city with no single dominant culture. Due to the high activities of business, Balikpapan is an excellent location for MICE purposes. Ranges of 5 star hotels, restaurant, conference hall, shopping malls, entertainment center, can easily found in Balikpapan.

Seafood, especially crab, is a must try when visiting Balikpapan. For a good atmosphere, Ocean Seafood Restaurant is probably on the best (located on seaside overlooking the beach). For unbeatable crab, pople should visit Dandito Restaurant which serve extremely delicious crab with various sauce flavor.

Melihat ke Belakang

Terkadang kita baru bisa mengharagai sesuatu bukan saat kita menjalaninya, tapi saat kita sudah melaluinya.

Tanpa terasa, setengah tahun lebih sudah sejak status mahasiswa saya berubah menjadi pegawai penuh waktu. Pekerjaan saya dengan jadwal yang sulit diprediksi dan mobilitas yang tinggi membuat saya selama berbulan-bulan tidak sempat main ke Bandung dan ke kampus lama untuk sekedar menyapa teman-teman. Sekitar seminggu lalu, ketika akhirnya punya days off yang cukup panjang, saya mampir ke Bandung. Bertemu teman2 lama, berbincang, main, ngobrol. Diskusi tentang mimpi-mimpi dan idealisme dulu, kesibukan sekarang, dan rencana masa depan.

Dulu hal-hal seperti itu menjadi bagian dari keseharian saya : pulang kuliah pergi nonton ke mal, nugas lanjut main dan nginap di kosan teman, nugas sekaligus ngobrol-ngobrol di tempat makan yang enak, atau semalam suntuk berdiskusi tentang ide dan mimpi-mimpi. Tapi kini, semuanya jadi hal yang sangat sangat langka. Dan karena langka itu, rasanya jadi luar biasa berharga.

Seindah-indahnya masa kuliah saya, tiap masa punya masa expired nya, begitu juga masa kuliah. Saat-saat berjaya dikelilingi banyak teman, kegiatan yang menarik, dan mata kuliah yang disenangi telah lewat. Kini setiap hari saya harus beradaptasi dengan hal-hal baru yang penuh tantangan. Tidak bisa dikatakan mudah, dan saya pun masih berusaha keras untuk itu. Namun, saya percaya ya itu memang proses yang harus dihadapi untuk terus berkembang.

Kampus itu bukan tujuan, tapi sarana untuk mempersiapkan diri untuk berjuang di hidupan sebenarnya. Jadi menurut pendapat saya, kesukseskan kuliah seseorang bukan dinilai seberprestasi apa dia ketika kuliah, tapi bagaimana dia menghadapi kehidupan sesudah lulus.

Maka biarlah kampus yang penuh pembelajaran ini jadi tempat untuk adik-adik kelas menimba ceritanya sendiri, dan angkatan saya pun akan mengukir cerita kami sendiri di realita sebenarya.

Dan terkadang, itulah hal penting dari sesekali berhenti dari kesibukan dan melihat ke belakang. It rediscover the old you and it reminds you of what you dreamed about.

Kalimantan Trip (1) : Sanga Sanga

 

Sanga Sanga is a subdistrict in Kutai Kertanegara province, East Kalimantan. It is located one hour drive from Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The road access to Samarinda is not really adequate. A lot of road damage makes the road trip become uncomfortable.

 

The main industry of Sanga Sanga is oil and gas. In fact, it has been produced since early 1900s. Nowadays, the oil owner company is Pertamina so the city is dominated by Pertamina facilities. Several sport facilities are quite adequate such as football field, tennis court, basketball, and volley court. Football match are routinely held, usually conducted by companies operating there. There is no public transportation or taxi, so people should rely on private vehicle. Like other oil & gas and mining support city, Sanga Sanga is passed by a lot of heavy vehicles thus creating air pollution with vehicle emission.

 

 

The food selection is very limited with only several small restaurants are located near the city center. There is also the central market and Supermarket 99 to buy daily groceries. Twice in a week, there is night market held in the city center and near the pier. The night market sells various items from clothes to food. For a quiet city like Sanga Sanga, the night market become one of the entertainment to visit. So far, I haven’t found any hotels in Sanga Sanga. Companies operating their industry in Sanga Sanga usually have their own staff house.

 

Behind the market area lies a group of east Kalimantan traditional houses built with ulin wood. From the outside, a lot of the houses is still on excellent condition. Although the houses are quite small, they looks very neat and pretty from the outside.

 

One negative thing about Sanga Sanga is the poor internet connection. For a better internet connection, people can go to internet station near the bridge or going to Warung Kopi Kendi, the only café in Sanga Sanga which provide WiFi access. However, there is Rp 10.000 charge to use the WiFi. Still, the café can provide new atmosphere for the people in Sanga Sanga with selection of nice hot drinks.

 

Eventhough it is a small and very quiet city, I found living in Sanga Sanga relaxing and pretty comfortable. There is no hustle bustle of industrial city (except the heavy vehicles passed by) and the laid back atmosphere feels good. Another thing I like about this city is the good quality of seafood product J

 

 

 

 

 

Things to Bring for Woman Working in the Field

My new role as a field engineer requires me to have a good preparation for the most unexpected condition. Going to a harsh environment with unpredictable situation, I have to bring lot of personal private equipment to make me become comfortable. These are my (long) list of items to bring for working in the field:

-wet tissue

-hand sanitizer

-lunch box set with spoon and fork (oil can make our hand too dirty to eat with bare hands)

-small trash bag, we just need that to throw the garbage and others

-sunblock (with high SPF)

-slippers

-another set of T shirt (in case of rain and excessive sweat)

-medicine includes cold & flu medicine, diarrhea medicine, and Tolak Angin (can’t live without Tolak Angin, especially on the night shift!). Back up of menstrual pad and panties are also necessary.

-comb (still need that one) and hair tie (the absence of hair tie could be disastrous)

-body cologne (you can’t predict how long you will stay on the field without shower)

-mosquito repellent

-small towel

-portable charger for handphone / power bank (extremely useful!)

-plenty of water (or isotonic drink) and snacks (biscuits and cup noodles)

As female, I can’t deny the condition in several fields can be very challenging and therefore those extra equipment is needed to support the comfort level.

 

A Quick Escape to Lombok

Having a quick weekend escape to Lombok among very tight schedule of my final year project  is one of the riskiest thing I ever take during my college years. However, a temptation to explore a land that I’ve never been before and a moment to have a quality time with my family were simply irresistible. So, I decided to spend 3 days 2 nights trip to Lombok.

The beautiful Lombok Island

Nowadays, there are several airlines that serve flights to Lombok. Lion Air and Garuda have direct flight from Jakarta to Lombok while Wings Air (a subsidiary airline from Lion) provides flight from Bali. The newly opened Lombok International Airport quite amazed me. For an Indonesian standard, the building is very new, comfortable, and modern. Good job for PT. Angkasa Pura I to create such airport. The new airport itself is a bit far from the city center and it took approximately 1,5 hours to reach the city.

During the trip, we stayed in the Senggigi Beach area. Senggigi Beach is basically a seaside tourist area with facilities that travelers need. Variety of accommodation (from  hostel to fancy resorts),cafes, art market, restaurant, and bars. At night, we can drive ‘pedati’ (horse-drawn carriage) or walk around the street to find some food and music in the Senggigi central area. Taxis, especially blue bird, are easily found around Lombok area. There are also a public transportation such as ‘angkot’ but is rarely to find. So, it is better to rely on taxi or rent a car / motorcycle. The road condition itself is very good and smooth.

Senggigi area during the night

Lombok is very famous for its diving and snorkeling site. Since me and my sister don’t have a diving license, we just tried the snorkelling. A lot of snorkelling operator can be easily found around Senggigi area. The cost usually includes the guide, the transportation, and the diving / snorkelling equipment. Some operators also provides lunch and craft center sightseeing as part of the trip. Lombok also famous for other water sport such as surfing. Each beaches has its own water sport speciality.

Senggigi Beach

Gili Nanggu, a peaceful and tiny island

Since my sister have snorkelled in the famous Gili Trawangan on her previous days, we decided to try Gili Nanggu as our snorkelling destination. Gili Nanggu is not a popular place so we should book a private tour to go there. The island itself is really small and only have 1 accommodation and 1 restaurant. The snorkelling site was OK with variety of fish and underwater animals. Although it was not as magnificent as those in Bunaken and the water is not that crystal clear.

Gili Nanggu Beach

On the last day, I visited Gili Trawangan. The trip to Gili Trawangan start from a place called bangsal, a mini port located at the end of Senggigi beach,  and take traditional boat which only costs Rp 10.000. The weather highly affects the comfort of the ride. If it’s windy then the trip will be very shaky. Gili Trawangan amazed me since I didn’t feel like being in Indonesia at all. The majority are western tourists with very few local people. Motorized vehicle is not allowed there. People only use bicycle and pedati. A lot of accommodation are provided with variety range of price. People can choose according to the comfort level and budget, from very basic guest house to lavish resorts. Plenty of fancy cafes and diving operators located at the beach seaside.

Road in Gili Trawangan

Gili Trawangan Beach

A lot of people said that Lombok resembled Bali 20 years ago. It clearly has the potency but it has not been fully developed yet as a commercial tourist destination. Lombok is not the place if you’re looking for a trendy beach trip or crowded night life. However, if you are looking for a great laid-back holiday with underwater adventure, then Lombok is the answer.

Senyap

Kesenyapan memberi jeda bagi manusia untuk merefleksikan perjuangannya. Kesenyapan memberikan helaan nafas bagi pikiran untuk kembali pada kewarasannya. Kesenyapan memberi ruang untuk memaknai dan merasakan emosi.

Namun, kesenyapan ini juga memberi ruang untuk terputarnya memori lama terputar. Antara dua entitas yang berbeda yang pernah menjadi ‘kita’, yang kini hanya menjadi ‘saya dan dia’.

Kerapuhan adalah hal yang manusiawi. Setidaknya, kerapuhan mengingatkan bahwa kita semua masih bisa merasa, bukan serentetan pikiran berlandaskan logika mengenai untung-rugi. Biarlah saya mengenang, meratapi, dan jatuh rapuh untuk sementara.

Mengenang waktu ketika berjumpa dengannya membuat semua hal terasa baik-baik saja. Mengenang betapa semangatnya yang terdengar dari rentang jarak ratusan kilometer sanggup memberi kepercayaan diri berlipat ganda bahwa saya bisa menghadapi segala. Mengenang bahwa impian dan rencana itu pernah hampir nyata. Dan kini hanya tenggelam menjadi asa.

Berikan saya waktu untuk memaknai transformasi ini. Transformasi menuju segala ketidak pastian tanpa kehadiran dia. Dan biarlah segala pergumulan batin ini pada akhirnya akan menuju satu jawaban yang akan tersimpan di masa depan.

-catatan kecil di antara proses penulisan penuh logika bernama tugas akhir-

Starting over might become a blessing in disguise ; it is us who choose the perspective.