Bino

The Demilitarized Zone in Korea

October 8, 2009 by Bino 5 Comments

Getting into North Korea is a tricky affair. Tourists aren’t allowed in except on guided tours where the guide actually follows you around the whole time! It’s also prohibitively expensive given the quality of food and lodging that you get. An alternative is to just go on a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is what I did in April. It gives visitors a chance to step into North Korean territory, if only for a few minutes. There wasn’t any dramatic scenery or exotic culture to brag about, but the trip proved to be a surreal experience.

Reunification Park

The only way to book a tour of Panmunjom from South Korea is via accredited travel agencies. We went via Grace Travel and it cost about US$45-50 per person. Basically, the tour took about 6 hours. Transportation, lunch and a guided tour was included for the price. We had to go to the Lotte Hotel in Seoul in the morning where the tour buses departed. In a mad rush, I accidentally lost my glasses on the way. But we still made it in time.

Before going to Panmunjom, we stopped by a few places including the reunification park, plus some small villages near the border. We were also shown the unused rail tracks that led all the way to North Korea. The tour itself was quite somber, with startling reminders of the Korean War and the Cold War. If I’m not mistaken, Korea remains as the only divided nation in the world – a divided nation in the sense that the Korean people are homogenous and share the same language, culture and traditions but they are split into two- and it is hard to imagine that the wealth disparity between the two countries could be any wider.

We stopped for a Korean lunch on the way to the DMZ. As usual, we were fed with an array of appetizers including the famous kimchi. Most people find Korean food to be an acquired taste but I didn’t have any problems with it. In fact, I love their cuisine. I really like their staple barbequed meats and bibimbap. Just thinking of it makes me hungry.

good old Korean food

After lunch, we headed straight to Panmunjom which is the place I was really excited about. Security was tight from the time we went in. A young American soldier stayed with us the whole time inside the bus. He joked around with the group and seemed like a really nice guy. Someone in the group asked him how it was being stationed in the DMZ, and he replied that it was really boring. I’m not suprised!

We arrived at Camp Bonifas inside the DMZ and alighted in order to watch a slide show about the Korean War and a briefing about the protocol inside. We were not allowed to wave to the people in the North Korean side, make unnecessary gestures or bring cameras with large lenses. We were also given a United Nations ID in order to identify us as visitors. The whole thing really looked like a big thing to them, and anything involving North Korea was taken seriously. Of course, it didn’t help that our visit coincided with a missile test conducted by Pyongyang just a few days before so tensions were high.

me inside the conference room

We finally arrived into the blue conference room which is divided into the North and South. It looked like a humble shack with some desks and chairs inside. A South Korean soldier was also standing guard, with a clenched fist and taekwondo pose. We were allowed to roam around the room – so for a few minutes I was technically in North Korea. From the outside, we could see the North Korean soldiers in the building on their side. They were likewise peering at us, probably wondering what sort of amusement tourists get in visiting places like these. We were also shown the North Korean ghost town, where the buildings were set up to look like the North is actually doing well. It even had a very tall flag post and a speaker blared North Korean propaganda at regular intervals. We also stopped by a monument that showed the dozen or so countries that fought in the Korean War. The Philippines was one of them, and it was the only Southeast Asian country that participated aside from Thailand.

the great divide

The tour ended with an obligatory souvenir store stop which to me, ruined the tension-filled atmosphere of the place. They had these North Korean banknotes for sale with the picture of Kim Il Sung, the late president of the communist North. It reminded me that my technical “visit” into that isolated country didn’t really count, and that I might come back to take another tour of the DMZ next time, perhaps from the North side. I know I will.

South Korean soldiers

Gedong Songo – One of Central Java’s Best Kept Secrets

October 7, 2009 by Bino 2 Comments

Gedong Songo is probably one of those places tourists in Central Java wouldn’t think of venturing into. Few people know about the place, and there is only a brief mention in the guidebooks about this hidden gem. If it weren’t for the pictures I saw in an online forum a few weeks prior to our Yogyakarta trip, I would not consider going their either.

verdant fields

The trip – though long, tiring and winding – proved to be a rewarding one. Gedong Songo is literally translated as “nine temples” and that’s exactly what visitors see. The temples themselves are small, and scattered all over the place but it is the setting – on hills 900 meters above sea level – that makes the place a must for any Central Java itinerary. The resort is about 8 celsius cooler than Yogyakarta, making it such a refreshing change from the tropical humidity. All around we could see verdant hills, vegetable terraces and humble farmers ekking out a living from the land. The place was almost completely deserted of western tourists. We had a horse ride (IDR 50,000) that took us to all the 9 temples, each with its own unique scenery. There is also a hot spring located between the temples which makes the place even more charming.

topmost temple – Gedong Songo

Just before the path to the last temple is a wide grass field that is very suitable for contemplating. It’s a very idyllic scene with views of Mt. Ungaran and the surrounding volcanoes of Central Java. I couldn’t imagine a better place to just sit and relax.

what a view!

How to get there: The easiest way to get to Gedong Songo is through hired car with driver. The site is about 2 to 2.5 hours from Yogyakarta and is a little less if coming from Semarang. Gedong Songo is geographically closer to Semarang.

one of the persistent vendors in gedong songo – she followed us all the way to the top!

The Charms of Central Java

October 7, 2009 by Bino Leave a Comment

Ever since I came home from Angkor Wat nearly 2 years ago, I’ve been dreaming of doing the major Southeast Asian temple circuit one day and visit Borobudur as well as Bagan. Well, dreams do take a long time to be fulfilled. I’ve yet to venture out into Burma and I’ve only been able to visit Borobudur last July. And the latter truly did not disappoint.

Good thing about this trip is that I had some friends who were also interested to go there. Well, they weren’t that keen at first! “Boro-whattt?” is what I heard in the beginning but after showing them some pictures of the place, it didn’t take much convincing! It was also a good thing that Air Asia started a direct service between Singapore and Yogyakarta just a few months back and the ticket prices were very reasonable. So there was really no way I would NOT go there under such circumstances!

colonial building in central yogyakarta

We took the two hour flight to Yogyakarta and arrived in the city at about noon. The queue in the immigration counter was very long, and each and everyone was subjected to the anti-H1N1 virus spray. After being cleansed by the spray and having our passports stamped, we boarded a taxi (fixed at IDR45,000) bound for Novotel, which was our accommodation for the trip. It was a good thing too that we got our room for only around US$55 – a steal for a hotel of its standard. After getting the keys, we basically just dropped our bags and went to have a late lunch in the mall next door. It started to rain a bit after, but that didn’t deter us from checking out the Kraton. The sultan’s palace, which is located in the central part of Yogyakarta, was a bit of a let-down. It didn’t look like a palace at all, and seemed a bit run-down. There was a tout who tried to persuade us to go to a batik showroom. We later learned that this was a common modus operandi in the area, so good thing we politely said goodbye to him when things looked suspicious.

Prambanan on a rainy afternoon

Later on, we took a 40-minute taxi ride to Prambanan. The complex reminded me a bit of Angkor, although Prambanan certainly looked more well-maintained. I could see more of the finely-chiseled carvings jutting out of the temple walls. It was an amazing sight, except that the rain spoiled our view and the sky was a dull grey. We took snapshots here and there and ended up being the last visitors to leave the complex. We had to walk a long distance until we found the bus that took us back to the city. But their buses are admittedly quite clean and modern – it is also cheap!

one of the lower levels of borobudur

The next morning we woke up early to venture into Borobudur. We didn’t plan on going there for the sunrise but we wanted to be there early as we had a tight schedule that day. Our driver showed up with the Toyota Innova (IDR 500,000 for the day including gas) as agreed. The drive was quite pleasant. We passed by small towns and rice fields during the 1 hour trip to the temple complex.

view from the top of borobudur

The first thing I noticed when I saw Borobudur was its massive size! For one single temple, it’s much larger than anything else I’ve seen. The bas reliefs were also quite detailed. Again, the temple looked more pleasing to me than the ones in Angkor. The monument has three levels – each symbolizing the 3 worlds (the world of desires, the world of forms and the formless world). It was a bit of a climb to the top, but the view was just marvelous. The highest level was filled with several stupas and one of them housed the “lucky buddha.” According to the locals, whoever could reach the buddha’s finger would be blessed with good luck. From the top, we could also see a bunch of volcanoes in the distance plus the ritzy Amanjiwo Hotel. It was a sight to behold and I could imagine what a relaxing place it could be if there were no crowds. Unfortunately, that was not the case during the time we went and almost every single corner of the monument was filled with people. It was a challenge just to take shots without anybody suddenly appearing in the corner.

some of the bas reliefs found in borobudur

As we made our way to the exit, we were greeted by souvenir vendors who were probably the most persistent I’ve seen! They followed us all around and wouldn’t leave despite the many times I said that I wasn’t interested. My friends bought a few stuff. Come to think of it, maybe I should have brought something back, too. For what it’s worth, I was just so distracted then as my mind was occupied with the next place that we were going to.

our room

As mentioned, we stayed in Novotel Yogyakarta which cost us about US$55 which is a steal for a four-star hotel. The room was clean, spacious and painted with bright colors.

Brunei Quick Peek

October 7, 2009 by Bino 4 Comments

Last August, I boarded a flight from Singapore to Manila with a 7-hour stopover in Brunei. I could have easily booked a direct Singapore to Manila flight but as I’ve never been to Brunei before, I decided this was a more practical option. I figured that since I would be unlikely to book a separate trip to Brunei in the future, this was a good method of going there. The ticket price for this trip was higher by only SG$100.

A few days before the trip, the yearly haze started blazing in the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo. Brunei was one of the worst affected. We had the haze here in Singapore as well, but in Bandar Seri Begawan the visibility was as low as 2.5 kilometers during some parts of the day. I reckoned this was unfavorable for picture-taking, and hoped that the skies would be clear during my visit.

The Royal Brunei Airlines Singapore to BSB service was the first time I’ve been on a flight that was actually blessed. Just before the plane went in flight, I could hear this loud voice chanting hypnotically in Arabic. Later, I learned that this was standard practice for all flights by Royal Brunei. Service was fine, and the planes were reasonably clean. We landed into a hazy Bandar Seri Begawan in no time.

I must say that what I saw did not exactly fit my expectations of an oil-rich country such as Brunei. The airport looked a bit tired instead of regal. It reminded me of some provincial airport in other Southeast Asian countries. Nevertheless, immigration and customs went by quickly and I was out of the airport in ten minutes.

I don’t know why but I expected Brunei to be something like Singapore – squeaky clean, extremely efficient and boring. Well, I was right about one but wrong on the other two. As I made my way to the airport exit, I had no clue what transport choices I had to get to the city. The tourist information desk was closed for noon prayers, and the only seemingly available option to get to the city was a ten minute $25 taxi ride! Since I didn’t want to waste my time, I grudgingly agreed. The driver even tried to scare me by telling me that taxi was the only choice back to the airport and he wanted me to prepay $25 just for him to pick me up later for my flight back. Undaunted by his fishy warning, I just said no (rightfully so!).

Omar ali Saiffudien Mosque

My first stop was the Omar ali Saifuddien mosque near the city center. I arrived right in the middle of noon prayers, amid the sweltering heat of the noontime sun. I made a quick roundabout, and tried to capture shots from as many different angles as possible despite the haze. By the time I encircled the mosque, I was already dripping in sweat. It must have been about 35 celsius at the time. The mosque was a majestic sight, and it was probably the most impressive thing I saw during my short visit to Brunei.

Afterwards, I went to cool off in the Yayasan complex nearby. Had a quick snack at Jollibee and killed some time before I went to the Royal Regalia Museum, which only opened at 2:30PM. It was a mere 6 minute walk from the city center. The museum was another interesting place and it had free admission. The display included the actual crown used for the sultan’s coronation, as well as a replica of the royal throne and other fine gold-colored objects. There was also a seemingly endless display of gifts which the sultan had received from dignitaries around the world. I saw 2 gifts from my country – one was a sword given by the late President Corazon Aquino while the other was a box made from shells presented by the current president.

Royal Regalia Museum

As I exited the museum, I chanced upon a passing bus which was going to Gadong – just the place I was going to! I asked them to stop at the Hassanil Bolkiah mosque. The ride was only about a few minutes. They dropped me off right at the front gate. As I was admiring the place, it started to rain. Because of the haze, t was wet and with unbearable humidity at the same time! The parking lot was filled with cars and it seemed like I chanced upon another prayer session again. I took a few snapshots before boarding another bus to Gadong. I stopped at The Mall, which according to Lonely Planet was the largest in Brunei. From the lobby, the mall looked opulent with a big chandelier, some plush furnishings and formally dressed staff in the reception. But once inside, it seemed like any ordinary mall. What was notable about the place was the number of vacant spaces inside. Lots of store space remained unoccupied or were vacated by the previous tenants, perhaps as a reflection of the state of the economy not just in Brunei but in the region as well. I looked around for a while but there wasn’t really anything interesting. I grabbed a quick bite – the food in Brunei in general is marginally cheaper than in Singapore – then I boarded a bus back to BSB.

The Mall

After alighting in BSB, I went for a stroll by the waterfront. I could see people boarding the water taxis then speeding towards Kampong Ayer in the distance. I also walked around the CBD for a while. The place generally had a bit of an old and tired feel – I don’t know if it’s because of the haze but everything seemed so grey and dull. A general observation I had about Brunei is that it is so sparsely populated. Even in the heart of downtown BSB, I could barely see any pedestrians.

Just before 6, I boarded the bus to the airport. The taxi driver tried to scare me earlier by saying that buses stop running at 5 (the last bus actually departs at 7). There were actually still a lot of buses when I left. I later found out that the bus does not really make a deliberate stop in the airport, and I had to tell the conductor beforehand where I was going. And so, they made a detour for me and dropped me off at a grassy field just a few meters from the airport entrance, ending my 7 hour trip to Brunei.

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