Formidable Formosa

djalidjali — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 01:20:00 GMT

After an exhausting night of a missing connection flight drama, I have finally departed from Kuala Lumpur and landed safe and sound in Taoyuan in the late of afternoon. You wouldn’t smell and feel the spirit of Taiwan in this international airport until you stepped outside to the street and met the local inhabitants of Formosa. This was when you met a grey-haired betel chewer who happened to be your taxi driver with reddish teeth who kept speaking rapid Mandarin while grinning wide. This was when the aroma of iron eggs tickled your every single sense of smell whenever you walked into a convenient Seven Eleven. This was when you used all communication means for asking for direction: your pen, your tourist map, your business-card size metro map, your face, your body parts, your gesture, everything. This was when your frustration of making people understand what you needed ended up into laughter for both of you. This was when you misheard the price of Taiwan-made tote bag as 100 dollars instead of 700, people would consider that you were very funny. This was when you were treated like a VIP when a 40 something yet still good looking taxi driver waited up at the gate of a railway station, holding up your A4 sized name with hopeful expression. This was when blue means forbidden seat in metro as none single normal individual would use it no matter how jammed the metro was. Above all, what I missed the most from Taiwan was the helpful residents who were willing to make sure your staying would be worth beyond all those hassles.

Dieng and above

djalidjali — Tue, 2 Jul 2013 01:31:00 GMT

I've been longing to visit Dieng, Central Java, for ages. My family and I just skipped it out of our shortlist during my first Java road trip, when I was 4th grader.

I actually planned to go there last year for its culture festival. But my friend called it off in last minute and I lost my nerve to do solo traveling.

And, I got there at last. It's a kinda impulsively shortcut to get away from my daily routines. My friend asked me to join in two days prior. Without complicated packing and just enough amount of money in my pocket (it's a week before payday) I simply packed my bags and go.

It's supposed to be a three-day weekend trip only.

Let the wander begin

Formidable Formosa

Dieng and above