My resignation e-mail

Dear friends,

When I hop onboard a ship named [name of my company - deleted], I never knew it was going to be a short journey. Despite its duration, the voyage is worth to go through. The knowledge gained is priceless and the friendship nurtured is invaluable. I could say that it is one of my superb moments.

After sailing with [company] in the uncharted blue water, swayed by gentle breeze or sometimes harsh winds, it is time for me to say Aloha to all of you. Aloha, besides ciao, is a word used both as goodbye and hello. Hence, this is not a goodbye letter, but merely a see-you-later letter. As we might bump into each other someday. Maybe in those beautiful islands in the sun. Or even in other ships. Well, who knows that someday you become one of the crews in my ship....

I would like to express my gratitude to the captains and my fellow crew members for the experiences we shared. I would like also to ask for an apology for all my wrongdoings during my tenure in [company]. Believe me, none of those is done intentionally.

So, here I am, ready for my next adventures. But until it comes (and I know it will), I will enjoy this moment. Nothing about the moment could have been more perfect; the abundant supplies, the balmy fragrance of the air, the bright and warming sunlight, seabirds calling from cove to rocky point, while a slight breeze caused the bluest of blues to sparkle with light.

ALOHA.....(with hawaiian music and ladies in hula dress in the background :-) )

(c) created by MZ

BM#02 - Go Green. Use eBike!

My fellow Toastmasters. What is the first thing that cross your mind when you first heard about the word ‘motorcycle’? This is what I think about motorcycle:
1. They are noisy
2. They are, in addition to cars, are the source of pollution

The number of motorcycles in Jakarta keep increasing every year. Can you imagine how the pollution from motorcycle and cars can affect the global warming? But, the increasing number of private vehicle is undertandable because public transportation in Indonesia is not reliable and hardly comfortable at all.

I live in [deleted], about 18 to 20 km depending on the route I take. It takes 1 hour and 45 minutes to get home using public transportation. 1.30 if I’m lucky, and 2 hours in my unlucky day. I am getting sick and tired of spending my time in the traffic and try to find another transportation mode for commuting.

A Ferrari can go from 0 to 100 km per hour in less than 3 second. But I bet it cannot take me home in less than one hour during rush hour. So I delete the option of buying a Ferrari. My next option is using bicycle. But, using bicycle to the office will make me sweaty, stinky, and tired. Plus there is no place to take shower at the office. So, bicycle is deleted from the list.

And then one day I find out about electric bike. How many of you have ever heard about the existence of electric bike in Indonesia? OK, electric bike, as the name implies, is a bike that use electricity as the main source of power. Instead of using gasoline, electric bike is using a battery, a Sealed Lead Acid battery, to activate the dynamo and the movement of the dynamo will push the tyre of the bike to move forward. So, the main component of an electric bike is the battery, as the main source of power, the controller, that control how many current is delivered to the dynamo. The more current that goes to the dynamo the faster you go. And the last one is the dynamo that moves the tyre. All other component is the same as the ordinary bicycle.


Electric bike comes in many shapes. The first one is exactly like the ordinary bicycle, with the pedal and a box of battery attached. The second one is exactly like the ordinary motorcycle, minus the exhaust pipe (is it muffler), and chain. The last one is hybrid, shape like the motorcycle, minus the muffler but plus the pedal.


I think, electric bike is better than ordinary motorcycle:
1. No gasoline is needed. That means you don’t have to worry about the oil price. You don’t have to wait in queue to fill in the gas tank in your motorcycle. And the most important thing is you don’t need subsidy from government so you save billions of rupiah by not buying a gasoline.
2. They are very quiet.
3. Less maintenance. All you have to do is to make sure that you charge the battery everytime after you use the bike. Make sure that apply the right pressure to the tyre. And make sure that the nut and bolt in the motorcycle is tightened.
4. No driving license or license plate is needed.
5. No need to pay taxes.
6. Last but the most important thing is that electric bike is environmentally green, because there is no pollution at all. No smoke is coming from the bike. Imagine if all the vehicle in the world doesn’t produce smoke at all, the world will become a better place to live.

As a famous preacher once put it: if you want to make a good deeds, start from small things, start from yourself, and start now. By using an electric bike, I contribute to the greener world. So, I will ask you my fellow toastmaster, “Go Green, Use eBike!”

(c) images: private collections; words: by MZ

BM#07 - Save the Energy

We have so many sources of energy: petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear, or renewable energy like solar and wind energy. Most of the energy is used for electricity, transportation, industrial, or commercial.

Electricity generation is the second biggest polluter after transportation. Annual carbondioxide emissions from making electricity is 2.345 million metric tons.

Electricity usage is also a polluter. Average annual carbon output for the power used in a two-person home: 16,290 pounds

In addition to the pollution, electricity is also costly.
• Average home’s annual energy cost: $1,900
• Average price for electricity; 10.65 cents per kilowatt-hour

Kilowatt hour: the basic unit for measuring power usage. A 100 watt lightbulb left on for one hour would draw 0.1 kilowatt-hour.

We have to start to save the usage of electricity. Saving a few watts here and there may not seem like much but small savings will add up if everybody does the same thing. The great thing about cutting your home’s power use is that you don’t have to do much anything. Here are simple things that we can do to save the energy:

1. Warm up the fridge:
In United States, there is an agency called Energy-Star. It is a government agency that certifies appliances and rate its energy-efficient level.
Energy star recommends setting your fridge thermostat to between 35 and 38 F and your freezer to 0. Setting them lower offers no benefits for your food and uses more power. To check the temp, place a thermometer in a glass of water in the middle of a fridge and read it after 24 hours with the door closed.

2. Cool down the hot water:
Some manufacturers set electric hot-water-heater thermostats to 140 at the factory. But you can save between 6 and 10 percent on your hot-water energy costs by cranking the dial back to 120. Your showers remain hot – just add less cold water to the mix. And don’t forget to turn off the water heater if you’re heading out of town for more than a day or two.

3. Put the PC to sleep:
Because a computer needs a surge of power to start up, the Department of Energy recommends shutting it down only if you’re going to be away from it for more than two hours. You should, however, user your computer and monitor’s sleep mode, which can cut power by 70 to 90 percent and doesn’t require a full reboot.

4. Change your lightbulb
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that lighting makes up 20 percent of the average home’s electrical bill. You can make huge impact simply by using energy efficient products. The key is knowing what to replace and when. Saving on lighting is all about using the right bulbs.

Comparison:
Incandescent bulb
Initial cost: less than $1
Average life span: 1000 hours
Cost to operate one year: $17.52 (60-watt)
Drawback: Incandescents use only 10 percent of their energy for light; the rest is heat, so they’re inefficient compared with other modern lighting technologies. They also have short lives.

Compact fluorescent
Initial cost: $2 to $3
Average life span: 8000 hours
Cost to operate one year: $3.83 (13-watt)
A 13-watt CFL produces 800 lumens of light, about the same brightness as a 60-watt incandescent, and it lasts about eight times as long.

So my fellow toastmaster, start saving the energy, start from small things and start from now.
--

[Source: Popsci Genius Guide, July 2009 edition]

(c) created by MZ

BM#06 - Music & Lyrics

Music and lyrics. No, this speech is not about the movie with the same title starred by the English guy Hugh Grant and the ET girl Drew Barrymore. This speech is about, well, music and lyrics.

A song is a musical composition that contains vocal parts ("lyrics"), and commonly accompanied by musical instruments (“music”).

Song without lyrics is instrumental song. One of the major brand in electric guitar has a quote that goes like this: “Lyrics, wasted time between solos”. For every musician, the solo part in the middle of a song is the part they are waiting for to play, since it is the time that they can show off their ability. So, sometimes the musicians do not really like the vocal or lyrics parts. That’s how the quote came up. Well, I couldn’t agree more…

A song without lyrics is instrumental, but a song without music is acapella, that is a song without instrumental accompaniment. One of the famous song with acapella style is [singing] “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

Let’s now put more focus on lyrics. According to wikipedia, lyrics is a set of words that make up a song, either by speaking or singing. In addition to musical notes, lyrics is also an important factor to the quality of a song. If chosen badly, the lyrics might ruin the songs. The example of bad lyrics could be the song that goes like this: [singing] “Lupa. Lupa, lupa, lupa. Lupa lagi syairnya”

Some songs sometimes contain excessive use of offensive lyrics. The songs, for example, use the words such as *&@# and *%#$ (sorry, self-censored) This kind of song will usually receive Parental Advisory label in the album cover.

Bad lyrics ruin a song. But, if chosen carefully, it adds the quality of a song. There are many examples of good lyrics in songs. I am sure you also have a phrase that you like to quote from a song. I myself often quote lyrics as motivational or inspirational words. One of the phrases I like is the one from the song called ‘Ironic’ from Alanis Morisette that goes like this: “Life has a funny way of helping you out.” Yes, I totally agree with her. Many times when you’re in trouble, life, or I should say God, help you in the way you never imagined. We could talk more deeply about “God’s funny way of helping you out” for hours, but maybe in my other speech.

Lyrics can also be romantics. And surprisingly, romantics words sometimes come from a band that looks tough. One of the example I like is this one: “I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing. Watch your smile while you were sleeping. While you’re faraway dreaming. I could spend my life in this sweet surrender. I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is the moment I treasure”.

Songs with their music and lyrics are universal. The popularity of a song can go across geographic locations and across different languages. Currently, I like a song from a Japanese rock band. Never before in my life had I heard a same song for more than an hour over and over again without really knowing what they are talking about. “Oritayatte kanata de, me wo aketara. Egao no mama no kimi ni, aeru to ii na.”

My fellow toastmaster, in a nutshell, quality of a song depends not only by the musical notes but also by the lyrics chosen. A song, with or without lyrics and with or without musics, is powerful because it can bring up emotional reaction in us, either it is happiness, sadness, rage, or feeling of love. Select the songs you want to listen carefully, but keep on keep listening to your music and enjoy!

(c) created by MZ

BM#04 - Comfort Zone

Comfort zone is the situation or environment with which one is comfortable, without creating a sense of risk. In other words, it is the feeling of security.

Many people think of comfort zone in a negative terms. That’s why many motivational speakers always encourage us to leave our comfort zone. They argue that comfort zone will make us lazy and that it will decrease our motivation.

For me, a comfort zone is a good thing. Once I am in a comfortable situation, I can enjoy doing what I love to do. Let me give you an example.

I’ve been learning guitar since I was in 5th grade in elementary school. At that time, 80’s rock music was major hit. Rock bands were the idol. You know, a bunch of guys with long hair, wearing tight leather pants, and banging their heads up and down. What I like of course is the rock music itself, with the voice that can reach the highest notes, and the 30 seconds of beautiful guitar solo in the middle of the songs. That’s what made me love rock music. Until now.

In terms of playing music, rock is my comfort zone. Does it make me lazy? Does it decrease my motivation? No! Until now, I am still learning rock songs, whether it is from 80’s era, or rock songs from the newer era. New challenges are coming, in terms of new songs, or in terms of technology. Do you know that that a famous guitar factory release guitars with seven strings instead of six? That’s a new challenge.

Of course sometimes some friends of mine will ask me to play jazz in a band. OK, I’ll accept the challenge. But, since jazz is not my comfort zone, I didn’t play it with heart. It was just mechanical, with no passion at all. So the result will not be as good as the one I love doing.

Let me give you another example. I used to work in one of the top five consulting companies in the world. In this company, I learned so many softwares but the knowledge is not deep enough. So many but not deep. So many zone was available to me. You can say that I was a generalist. And then one day I decided to become a specialist, to specialize in one software only. So, I choose the one that is more promising in terms of career and the one I was comfortable with. I chose SAP as my comfort zone.

Why bother moving to a different zone that you are not comfortable at, when in comfort zone you can give values to the world. So, my fellow toastmasters, enjoy your comfort zone, but don’t forget to take it to the higher level.

(c) created by MZ

BM#03 - Excellence

My fellow toastmaster.

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better, and you better is best.” That is the personal quote of Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is a professional basketball player for San Antonio Spurs. He is a four-time NBA champion. He has won NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice. He is also one of "100 Greatest Professional Basketball Players of The 20th Century", the youngest player on that list.

For me, the main spirit of that quote is ‘strive for excellence’. In some dictionary, excellence means ‘possessing qualities in the highest degree’. In my company, excellence is one of the company culture value, which was described as, among other things: value added orientation and continuous improvement.

Strive for excellence is a spirit that must inhabit us all. How many times when we deliver an assignment, that we are sure that it is our masterpiece? We tend to stop at the ‘not bad’ level. We are satisfied easily. We stop when we only reach the first base camp. We don’t have the hunger to try to reach the summit, the pinnacle, to soar up into the sky. To deliver our excellence.

Formula 1 Racing is one of the example of sports that require excellence. In F1, the gap between the fastest car and the last car to complete one lap is only one or two seconds. I am also an occasional gokart player, and I know how difficult it is to improve the lap time even just a second. That split second needs practice and practice, the excellence of cornering, when to do the late braking or when to push the pedal to the floor. If you push the brake too hard, the car will spin. Push it to easy, the car will hit the barrier. Only by driving the car excellently that you will get the best lap time.

Perseverance is one of the important things that we need to get excellent result. Without it, we will stop at the first obstacle we face. With it, we will continue amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. When someone questioned Thomas Alfa Edison on why his experiments don’t produce much result, he replied: “Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward....

So, my fellow toastmaster.
Our challenges change over time. The methods with which we meet them may be new. But the spirit upon which our success depends – strive for excellence - this thing is old. This thing is true. There is nothing so satisfying to the spirit than giving our all to a difficult task.

If you think you had done your best but your best wasn’t good enough,
never let it rest. Until your good is better, your better is best, and your best is excellent.

(c) created by MZ

Yin & Yang

In life, everything is created in dualities: e.g. matter and antimatter, female and male, etc. These dualities are called in Chinese as yin and yang.
Yin and yang are complementary opposites within a greater whole. One complements the other. Complement, as defined in Webster dictionary, means ‘complete, or makes perfect.’ So, without the existence of the other, the greater whole is not perfect. Without the existence of yin, there is no yang.
According to Wikipedia, yin yang has the following characteristics:
1. They are rooted together
Since yin and yang are created together, they are bound together as parts of a mutual whole.
2. They are balanced
Yin-yang is a dynamic equilibrium. Because they arise together they are always equally balanced.

Before I got married, my life was incomplete. My greater whole was not perfect. I needed someone to complement me. I needed my Yin. And then I married my wife. My life finally became complete.

The completeness turned into perfection since we are blessed with a lovely son and an adorable daughter. There were times in my life when I wished I was someone else who is more successful, richer, etc. But no, not anymore. My life is already perfect. I have a perfect family and thanks to my lovely wife for that.

My wife is the ultimate complementary of me. Many of my weaknesses are complemented by her. Every time I forgot where I put things, she can easily find them. When I forgot about an appointment, she will remind me of that. When I need more eyes when I drive a car, she would be my navigator. Together, we make a good team. I don’t know what my life would be without her.

My wife also brings my life into balance. I tend to throw away things that I think not worth keeping. She would remind me that the things are useful and that turns out to be true. I also have a tendency to be very calm, sometimes even too calm to notice a dangerous situation. If my kids got sick, I sometimes take for granted about the condition, thinking that it is only a minor sickness. She would enlighten me about the condition so I would be more aware of the situation.

Our dynamic equilibrium is also exist in our body temperature. When the room temperature gets colder, my skin becomes cool, while her skin becomes warm. It is vice versa when the room temperature gets hotter. So, no matter what the room temperature is, it is always comfortable to embrace her because she will balance my body temperature.

In addition to being a complementary of me and balancing my life, she is also an angel. ‘To err is human, to forgive divine,’ so they say. As a human, I make many mistakes, mistakes that I wish I didn’t do. But she wholeheartedly forgive my mistakes and give me chance to start over new. The angelic trust from her on me encourage myself to guard her trust. Hey, you wouldn’t hurt an angel twice, right? ?

In a nutshell, she is everything to me: my wife, my soul mate, my lover, my sister, my little girl, my navigator, my angel and my yin. She balances my life. She completes me. Together, we make a perfect mutual whole, because we are bound to be together.

To my wife, Sisi:

I am grateful for you, my love.
for how you complement me.
for all the ways you love me.
for the joy and pleasure you bring to my life.
for your patience when our lives are in bad times.
for your precious presence,
in memories of the past and this present moment.
For you, I am much more than grateful.
I am blessed to have you.

Happy Tenth Anniversary!

Truly yours,
Medio

(c) created by MZ

The Story Continues

Long distance relationship was the first test to our love, but we managed to conquer the challenge. No matter how difficult it was, in the end we were still together and finally united in Jakarta. No more phone calls in strange hours (we had 12 to 13 hours time difference), no more only imagining her presence. No more. Finally we could talk face to face, touching, embracing...

June 26, 1999, with the blessed from all of our family, we got married. Another chapter opened in our relationship. Another long journey ahead of us. But we knew, that when we are together, we could face even the hardest challenge. Because our love is our energy, and our God is our guide, that will illuminate every step we made toward the future.

July the following year, our first son was born. The champ was born! We named him A* R* Z*. 

November 2002, our beautiful princess was born. M* F* Z*. She was as beautiful as a beautiful flower. And she was born exactly in Ramadhan, the victorious month of moslem. That's why we named her F*.

Two children. One handsome boy and one beautiful girl. One, and only one, lovely wife. What a perfect world I have! Thank you, God! I've been blessed...

(c) created by MZ

Bandara - 1998

Mid 1996. I was about to leave for USA, to take my master's degree, leaving everything I love behind, including my love one, Sisi. Just before I left, I had written a short story for her about how we'd meet two years later, to show her that I would be back for her. And finally I was back, and she's still the one I want, then and forever.

Here's the story:


Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, Juli 1998

Matahari hampir terbenam ketika pesawat dengan nomor penerbangan GA 234 mulai menampakkan dirinya. Perlahan-lahan burung besi itu berputar di atas bandara, menunggu gilirannya untuk mendarat. Perjalanan selama lebih dari 20 jam dari Amerika itu benar-benar menguras tenaga penumpangnya. Wajah-wajah mereka menunjukkan kelelahan yang sangat.

Seorang dari mereka, pria muda berumur 27 tahun, memperhatikan kesibukan yang terjadi di bandara. Kepenatan yang dialaminya berubah menjadi kegairahan. Gairah untuk kembali ke negara asalnya yang ditinggalkan selama dua tahun untuk menuntut ilmu. Gairah untuk kembali menemui orang-orang yang dicintai dan juga mencintainya. Terbayang olehnya wajah-wajah mereka: Mama, Daddy, Aa’, Teteh, Mena’, dan Siska....

Sisi...Sisi...nama itu terus berputar di kepalanya. Nama yang selalu menemaninya di kala ia kesepian di negeri orang, yang selalu memberinya dorongan di kala ia patah semangat...Hampir tak tertahankan olehnya rasa kangen itu, meskipun akhirnya berhasil juga ia di sana. Selamat tinggal Virginia, selamat datang Jakarta....

**

Roda-roda pesawat itu menyentuh landasan dengan perlahan. Sesaat kemudian pesawat tersebut telah berada di Gate 5. ”This is your captain speaking. Welcome to Jakarta. We are very proud to fly you here. We hope will meet again next time. Thank you very much.”

Satu persatu penumpang itu berdiri dan mulai membuat antrian untuk keluar dari pesawat. Senyum dari para pramugari yang ramah mengantarkan mereka sampai pintu gerbang. Tetapi, bagi pria itu, hanya satu senyuman yang amat diharapkannya saat ini. Dengan sedikit tergesa-gesa ia berjalan. Degup jantung di dadanya mulai bertambah kencang. Aliran darah mengalir ke seluruh tubuhnya. Langkahnya semakin dipercepat. Sedikit jengkel ia ketika di depannya terdapat pintu imigrasi. Belum lagi antrian yang begitu panjang. Rasanya berabad-abad sebelum akhirnya ia sampai di urutan terdepan.

“Selamat malam, Pak. Apa anda membawa barang seharga lebih dari 1000 dollar? Apa anda membawa barang terlarang? Apa anda.....?” Dan sejuta pertanyaan lagi sebelum semua siksaan itu berakhir.

Ia melanjutkan langkahnya. Matanya mencari-cari. ”Di mana mereka?” Dan di sana, di kejauhan dilihatnya mereka. Mereka pun melihat pria ini. Dan orang-orang itupun menuju satu titik yang alan mempertemukan mereka kembali. Pandangan pria itu tidak lepas dari Sisi. Tidak sesaatpun ia rela mengedipkan matanya, takut kalau itu berarti ia harus kehilangan sepersekian detik tidak melihatnya.

Tak lama kemudian mereka bertemu. Peluk cium dari keluarga menyambutnya. Lalu...”Sisi...” Ingin sekali pria itu memeluknya, tapi beberapa pasang mata di situ membuat ia mengurungkan niatnya. Pandangan mata darinya sudah membuat lelaki itu bahagia, karena di sana ia melihat rasa sayang, rasa kangen....Digenggamnya tangan Sisi erat-erat, seakan takut akan berpisah lagi...

**

Di pelataran bandara mereka bertemu kembali. Mereka pun berjalan menuju mobil yang akan membawa mereka kembali ke rumah. Keluarga pria itu membiarkannya berjalan dengan Sisi di belakang. Sementara itu di belakang, dua orang yang saling mencintai berjalan bergandengan tangan...

”Si.., aku gak mau ada jarak lagi yang memisahkan kita. Kita harus selalu bersama. Always...”

TAMAT

(c) created by MZ

Manado Trip

“Traveling, it leaves you speechless and turns you into a storyteller” (Ibn Batuta) [1]

Bagian di mana aku speechless melihat pemandangan yang luar biasa sewaktu melakukan perjalanan sih sudah lama lewat, tapi bagian di mana aku seharusnya jadi storyteller belum kesampaian juga. Until now.

Keinginan untuk membuat catatan perjalanan sudah ada sejak bertahun lalu, sejak dari hobby membaca catatan perjalanan oleh dr Tanzil [2] di Intisari, atau dari majalah2 lainnya. Apalagi ditambah dengan ikutan menjadi anggota beberapa milis seperti indobackpacker dan jalansutra.

Informasi yang didapat dari milis tersebut memang bisa dijadikan guideline sebelum menuju suatu tempat, meski kenyataan sebenarnya di lokasi bisa berbeda dengan apa yang kita baca. Karena itu aku coba membuat catatan sendiri berdasarkan yang aku alami. So, here it goes:

Manado Trip

Sudah beberapa bulan berlalu sejak aku pergi ke Manado. Sudah banyak detil yang terlupa, meski keindahan bawah laut Bunaken will always last in my mind. Tadinya catatan ini akan dibuat berdasarkan kronologis tetapi karena sudah basi akhirnya diputuskan dibuat berdasarkan kategori.

The city
Kegiatan kota Manado terpusat di Boulevard (Jl. Pierre Tendean). Jalan yang terbentang dari Utara ke Selatan ini berada persis di pinggir pantai. Cuma, jangan membayangkan pantai di sini bagus dengan pasir putih dan pohon kelapa. Yg ada adalah deretan mall dan ruko yang berdiri di atas tanah reklamasi dan menutupi pemandangan ke laut. Jadi, kalau mau melihat laut harus pergi ke belakang ruko, lalu silakan memandangi pulau-pulau sekitar Manado dari tumpukan batu2 pemecah ombak sambil sesekali menghirup aroma (maaf) bau pesing akibat ulah orang2 yang tak punya etika dengan buang air di situ. The view is quite OK, apalagi di sore hari karena kita bisa melihat sunset di sana.

Di ujung utara jalan ini ada pelabuhan untuk menuju Bunaken. Sedangkan kalau ke Selatan kita bisa ke daerah yang disebut Malalayang. Di sini kita bisa makan ikan bakar di warung2 yang letaknya di pinggir tebing yang menghadap laut.

The food
’Manado Kota Tinutuan’. What the heck is Tinutuan? Itu yang pertama kali
terlintas sewaktu membaca tulisan yang banyak terdapat di kota Manado. Ternyata, itu adalah istilah lokal untuk Bubur Manado. Bubur ini sendiri menurutku tidak layak disebut bubur, lebih tepat disebut sebagai sup jagung dengan tambahan sayur bayam. The taste? Well, kalau sekedar untuk tau rasanya sih boleh2 aja. Aku abis kok satu piring. Tapi kalau nyoba lagi, entar dulu deh. He he.

Yang lebih enak itu adalah makanan yang selalu ada menemani Bubur Manado, yaitu Nike. Yg satu ini bukan merk sepatu lho, tapi ikan2 kecil yang dijadikan satu dan digoreng garing seperti kerupuk. Rasanya enak. Mungkin lebih enak lagi kalau makannya sambil pake sepatu Nike, atau sambil ditemenin sama Nike Karamoy kali ya ( ha ha...)

Di Manado ada satu jalan yang sepanjang jalannya adalah warung2 yang menjual Bubur Manado dan kawan2nya. Namanya Jl. Wakeke dan oleh pemerintah kota Manado dijadikan obyek wisata.

Yg cukup unik dari sisi kuliner adalah kesukaan penduduk sini untuk menggunakan sambel (atau biasa disebut dabu-dabu) pada makanan yang tidak cocok pake sambel, seperti pisang goreng (!). Meski mulanya terasa aneh, lama2 biasa juga makan pisgor sambil dicocol ke dabu. Oya, biasanya dabu ini terbuat dari ikan roa.

Bunaken
Untuk suatu tourist destination yang mendunia, aneh sekali bahwa informasi bagaimana menuju Bunaken amat sulit didapat. Bahkan sewaktu aku menanyakan hal ini ke resepsionis di hotel bintang empat yang aku tempati, dia tidak langsung menyodorkan informasi, brosur, atau apalah yang bisa langsung menjelaskan gimana caranya ke Bunaken. Tapi dia malah nelpon dulu ke temannya yang punya travel, yang ujung2nya memberikan harga yang selangit. Bukan cuma di hotel, di internet saja cukup sulit mencari keterangan menuju Bunaken. Hal ini berbeda sekali dengan Bali, misalnya, di mana hotel2 di Poppy Lane, satu gang sempit di Kuta, saja sudah menampilkan foto2 hotel mereka di internet.

Jadi, menuju Bunaken ada beberapa cara. Pertama, naik kapal umum bareng penduduk pulau dan atau pedagang2. Berangkat setiap hari kecuali hari Minggu dari Pasar Jengki di Manado jam 2 siang dan balik dari Bunaken setiap jam 7 pagi dengan biaya kalau gak salah cuma ceban (sepuluh rebu, tau!). BTW, perjalanan menuju Bunaken dari Manado hanya perlu waktu 30 menit dari pelabuhan dengan menggunakan speed boat. Entah, kalau menggunakan kapal umum ini. Cara ini sih menurutku not recommended. Pertama, karena lokasi pelabuhannya yang agak jauh dengan tempat penyelaman. Kedua, siapa sih yang bisa jamin jadwal penyeberangannya bisa sesuai yang direncanakan?

Cara kedua, ikutan travel dengan beberapa diving provider di sana. Yg terkenal namanya Bastianos Diving Center. Lalu ada Nusantara Diving Center. Yg ini butuh uang banyak karena harga yg ditawarkan cukup tinggi.

Cara terakhir, yang waktu itu aku lakukan, adalah dengan mencharter speed boat langsung di pelabuhan. Pergi saja ke Pelabuhan Manado di ujung utara Boulevard, persis di dekat Hotel Celebes, akan ada banyak orang2 yg menawarkan untuk charter boat ke Bunaken. Waktu itu aku dapat harga 350 ribu round trip (ya pasti lah ya...), plus trip menuju lokasi snorkelling. Harga ini untuk charter dari pagi sampe sore.

Aku berangkat dari pelabuhan pagi2 jam 9 berdua dengan teman dari Exelcomindo yang baru kenal di pelabuhan. View dari speedboat cukup bagus. Kalau ke depan kita bisa lihat tiga pulau besar yaitu Pulau Manado Tua dengan ciri khas terlihat seperti gunung, Pulau Bunaken (lebih flat dan melebar), dan satu lagi Pulau Siladen. Kalau melihat ke arah Manado akan terlihat garis pantai Manado dengan di kejauhan terlihat Gunung Lokon.

Amazing, hanya dalam hitungan menit, air yang tadinya terlihat gelap tiba2 menjadi sangat bening. Di bawah bisa terlihat terumbu karang beraneka bentuk dan warna dengan ikan2 warna-warni berenang-renang dengan indahnya. Kalau mau, kita bisa pindah ke glass-bottom boat, perahu katamaran dua cadik yang bagian tengahnya dilubangi lantas diselipkan alat yang beralaskan kaca. Intinya kita bisa melihat lebih jelas lagi view di dalam laut. It was cool man! Kita bisa lihat bahwa terumbu karang ini, yang kalau kita berdiri di atasnya hanya sebatas dada, berdampingan dengan jurang bawah laut yang dalamnya hingga puluhan meter ke bawah.

Oiya, naik ke perahu ini bayar lagi lho. Kalau gak salah seratus ribuan. Biasanya turis-turis naik perahu alas kaca ini dari pelabuhan, lihat2 sebentar view dalam laut Bunaken untuk kemudian balik lagi. What a waste! Karena the best part of Bunaken is yet to see until at least you do the snorkelling. Diving jelas lebih baik lagi, meski unfortunately aku gak bisa berenang. Aku pindah ke perahu ini dari speedboat di tengah laut. Waktu itu untung bukan weekend sehingga bisa lihat2 view dalam laut dengan lebih santai dan tenang.

Akhirnya, setelah duduk2 di Pantai Bunaken (yang biasa2 aja sih) kita pergi snorkelling. Godaan untuk melihat lebih jelas lagi pemandangan bawah laut begitu kuat meski aku gak bisa berenang dan sedikit ngeri juga membayangkan jurang bawah laut tadi. Dengan snorkel dan baju pelampung sewaan (sekitar 50-75 ribu) kita pergi dengan speedboat ke lokasi snorkelling. Pertama kali mencelupkan kaki ke laut agak serem juga sih..Tapi, begitu mencelupkan kepala ke bawah air, lupa dengan rasa takut itu. Yang ada hanya rasa takjub melihat pemandangan yang belum pernah aku lihat. Thousands of fishes, just inch away from your face. Kalo istilah Tukul mungkin “fish to fish.” Beautiful fishes, colourful. Dg warna2 yang keren banget. Si pemilik speedboat ikutan nemenin snorkle (tapi tanpa pake alat apa2) sambil ngajak ke tempat2 yang bagus. Alhasil, puas banget rasanya berjam2 snorkle melihat pemandangan yang luar biasa keren. I was speechless.

Hotel
Kalau ke Manado cuma sendirian, lebih baik tinggal saja di hotel2 murah meriah yang ada di sana. Rugi kan, bayar mahal2 kalau cuma buat tidur aja. Untuk kelas2 seperti ini bisa coba Hotel Kawanua Kecil di Jl. Sudirman No. 40. Telponnya 0431-864987. Ratenya 100-125 ribu dengan AC, kamar mandi dalam, tv kabel (meski lebih banyak semutnya). Tempatnya cukup tenang meski suasananya sedikit suram. Maklum, ini adalah rumah lama yang dijadikan hotel. Resepsionisnya helpful banget ngasih tahu lokasi yang akan kita tuju, lengkap dengan peta kilat dan rute2 angkot yang harus diambil.

Milis indobackpacker biasanya recommend Hotel Unique Inn. Memang hotel ini bentuknya unik karena sebenarnya adalah jembatan yang seperti di Glodok (atau seperti jembatan yg menghubungkan PI Mall I ke PI Mall II), tetapi dijadikan hotel. Kalau aku sih kurang sreg di sini karena lokasinya yang dekat pasar (Pasar 45) dan agak ramai karena mobil2 yang lalu lalang di bawahnya.

Kalau anda bawa keluarga, bisa coba hotel-hotel yang banyak terdapat di Boulevard. Yg terkenal adalah Ritzy, Manado Beach Hotel, atau Santika. Ada juga satu2nya hotel bintang lima di Manado, Hotel Sedona. Tapi lokasinya terlalu jauh dari Boulevard.

Transportasi
Bersyukurlah anda kalau kebetulan dijamu oleh kantor cabang dengan diantar kemana2 dengan mobil. Tapi kalaupun tidak, kita bisa explore kota dengan angkot. Well, the best way to know the culture of one place is through the public transportation, isn’t it? Angkot di sini punya ciri khas memainkan lagu dengan suara yang sangat keras. Kabarnya sih, saat ini sudah dibatasi level suaranya. Antiknya lagi, posisi duduk penumpang semuanya menghadap ke depan, tidak ada yang saling berhadapan. Jadi, di belakang supir ada 3 baris tempat duduk di mana di tengahnya terpisah untuk jalur orang lewat. Kalau mau turun dari angkot, jangan bilang “Stop, kiri” karena supirnya gak akan ngerti. Bilang saja ’Muka,’ baru si supir akan menghentikan angkotnya. Kalau dia gak berhenti juga, teriak aja ”Muke lu jauh...” Pasti kita akan turun dengan kepala mendarat duluan, he he..

Cara lain keliling kota adalah dengan menggunakan taksi yang anehnya tidak ada satupun yang berbentuk sedan. Semuanya adalah kalau gak Kijang ya Panther. Kalau gak salah sih sistemnya tawar menawar. Aku sendiri gak sempet nyoba, lebih seneng naik angkot, sapa tau ketemu sama Nike Karamoy lagi (teuteup...)

[1] Ibn Battuta adalah ahli di bidang mahzab Maliki, meski lebih terkenal sebagai seorang pengelana. Di abad 14, dia bisa menempuh perjalanan sejauh 117.000 km, melebihi perjalanan Marco Polo.
[2] Prof. HOK Tanzil adalah seorang ahli Mikrobiologi yang juga seorang ‘mahaguru’ jalan2. Dia telah mengunjungi 238 negara dan telah menulis catatan perjalanan di Intisari sejak 25 tahun lalu.

(c) images: private collections; words: by MZ