Saturday, July 26, 2008

Manila Misadventures#2: A Midsummer's Night

Dalam banyak hal, Manila sangat-sangat mirip dengan Jakarta--atau bahkan Bandung, terutama dilihat dari sisi perlalulintasannya, mobil dimana-mana, taksi dimana-mana, dan kalo di Bandung kita punya banyak angkot yang ngeselin, di Manila banyak jeepney berkeliaran. Jeepney ini:
1. Kelihatan seperti kaleng rombeng yang ditempeli mesin. beberapa jeepney kelihatan seperti kaleng rombeng yang panjaaaaaang, hampir sepanjang limosin kali, cuman yah, kaleng rombeng.
2. Orang2 bergelantungan di pintu karena jeepneynya penuh, mirip banget kayak angkutan pedesaan atau bis-bis damri. Baca: kaleng rombeng yang dicinta.
3. Menggoda buat dijajal. sayangnya buku sakti australs menuliskan "Take jeepneys for the sake of novelty, but it's probably a good idea to bring a local." Sayapun mengubur niat ini dalam-dalam.

Karena ternyata menggunakan sistem transport di Manila bisa menjadi sangat-sangat-sangat menakutkan.
Selesai australs, kami tinggal di Lucid Tower, suatu penginapan bernama aneh, dan sebenarnya tidak memiliki menara, malah nampak kayak hotel pinggir jalan saja. Dari Fort Bonifacio Global City, kami naik taksi, yang nampak biasa saja, dan bilang ke sopir taksi kalau kami mau ke hotel di Makati, di Vito Cruz extension. Si sopir taksi, yang ternyata tidak bisa bahasa Inggris, menjawab,
"Brerrrlgh! Braughbraugh baraugh!"
Dan kami pun masuk taksi tersebut, senang habis muter2 Bonifacio High Street, dan mall-mall lain di sekitarnya.

25 menit, dan 80 peso kemudian di argonya, kami mulai berbisik-bisik dengan suara keras dalam bahasa Indonesia, "Kok kita ga nyampe-nyampe ya?"
Ke sopir taksi: "Sir, we're going to Shopwise. Do you know Shopwise Makati?"
Sopir taksi: "Bleaurgh. Brautgh!"

Dan 7 detik kemudian, dia menunjuk bangunan terang di depan kami:
"SM mall"
"We’re not going to SM, but Shopwise."
"Bleaurgh. Wrahsjsf!"
"Sir, are we in Makati city?"
"Bhrajgtuys Malate? Braiushd Makati?"
"We’re not going to Malate, we're going to Makati city"

Dan ternyata kita disasarkan oleh supir taksi ke Malate, distrik di City of Manila, bukan Makati di Metro Manila. Ohhh, paling tidak 40 peso lagi melayang!

Dan kami pun berputar-putar melewati daerah tak terpetakan (uncharted territory), sampai pada suatu waktu tiba-tiba si sopir taksi mengulurkan tangan ke depan leher penumpang yang ada di bangku depan (that would be me, thank you) dengan gerakan yang mencurigakan sambil menggumamkan mantra-mantra tenung yang diwariskan turun-temurun sejak pertama kali digunakan untuk menyantet pelaut spanyol yang pertama kali datang di filipi.. ehm. Ternyata dia cuma mau mengunci pintu kami saja. dan yang dia gumamkan ternyata "lock the door". Uhk. Eh, tapi kan kami sudah naik taksi ini hampir 30 menit kunci ga masalah...

Ternyata kami melewati jalan yang melintasi daerah kumuh, dimana setiap orang nampaknya kepanasan dan memutuskan untuk keluar dari bedeng mereka dan main basket, nongkrong, ngrokok, bergosip, sembari telanjang dada. Kalau perhitungan saya akurat, maka ada sekitar 598 orang di jalan itu yang semua bisa saja mengalihkan perhatian mereka sejenak dan mulai mengerubuti taksi kami seperti di I Am Legend, atau War Of The World. Mereka semua memandang dengan tatapan tajam mencurigakan ke taksi kami yang merayap perlahan, dengan penumpang yang berharap taksinya ga nabrak orang. Kami langsung mengerut perlahan di kursi penumpang.

Untungnya daerah yang kami lewati tersebut hanya berkisar 10 km, dengan perkiraan kesalahan pengukuran jarak 9.5 km, dan hanya berlangsung selama 15 menit yang sangat menyiksa (pikiran-pikiran seram melintas di kepala kami: "Are we going to be mugged? We are, right? Is my first question gramatically correct? What is the passive form of mugging? Isn’t mugging a noun?"). Kami akhirnya mencapai perempatan McD di seberang Shopwise yang kami tuju.

Tapi khusus buat saya, ternyata saking leganya sampai hotel, saya ngasih uang sopir taksi itu kelebihan satu lembar 20 peso! Aaaaaargh! Udah nyasar, ditakut-takutin, dan tidak sengaja dirampok lagi 20 peso!

Manila Misadventures#1: It smells funny

It began with a gleaming hope and excitement, not unlike the one I had when I set out to go Worlds 2008. But unlike Bangkok, what I encountered as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was definitely not anything in the same league as my expectation.
Why?

1. It smells funny. It smells old.
2. It does look old. Even more grim than cengkareng - something I thought not possible, given that Cengkareng was described as "inferior to many international airports in the region" by Wikipedia.
3. It has no fast food chains. I know that is ridiculous, but we couldn't help wondering, as "we've been in Indonesia too long and we instinctively rate 'human development' in various cities according to the franchises established there, i.e. from least developed to most developed: CFC, KFC, McD, Starbucks. Thankfully the city has plenty of fastfood, a curse in disguise of blessing.
4. We actually called it Bandara Palangkaraya, with no knowledge whatsoever what lies upon the ground of Palangkaraya. For all we know, Palangkaraya might have a better airport!

And off we went to an ill start..

Bonus: snapped at the check-in hall

"Offenders will be prosecuted by Hongkong Police upon landing in HongKong"
Ahem.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Lo and behold! The mighty cat is gna... euuuh!

Just how this cat can snatch a flying bat? Even when we consider a cat's ability to jump, I suppose bats can fly higher.Unless it was flying under influence.


As there were no female feline responding its wooing, the cat just grab and began to gnaw on the bat. And that conclude our nature lesson for today, ladies and gentlemen.

Oh, btw, the above photos are snapped at campus center ITB, at one point of our practice, just as dusk approached us..

Manila Misadventures#0: Discordant and Discontented

I'm truly disappointed. Mostly to myself, but I also have a fair share of blame on the others. Though of course, I kept it to myself as I stifle my disagreement from the others. Pretty sure it left a scar. But there's no good in whining, is there? Aside from relieve the pressure a bit for me, of course.

If you don't follow my rambling at the moment, then that's good. But if you bear a bit, some stories from our Manila Misadventure will shortly follow. And some snapshot of it as well, if connection permits.