Cangar

Last week I went to Batu again. This time we (my children and I) went to a warm water source in Cangar, Batu. It is in the mountain. I was a bit afraid if the way there too narrow but after all it was ok. Of course there were a lot of sharp bends because there is no high way in the mountain. Pelangi and Anugerah were also a bit scary to see the way. Every time they let me drive slowly. But our trip is rewarded with a very beautiful view as you can see at the pictures here.

Pelangi has made a lot of pictures along the way. Her brother said that she shouldn’t take pictures at the same places but she could not do that. It’s too beautiful to let pass by. As if you want to take the beauty home.

We passed street with houses and a lot of plants vendors. They just put the plants and flowers in front of their houses as if they are parts of their garden. I was looking for flowers, named Kala (in Indonesian). It has a white look-like-plastic-flower. Coincidental I saw some houses with those flowers. I became excited that I could buy them here. For sure I would stop on our back trip.

After a while we passed the way with no houses. The way is long and is just getting higher. Where ever we took a look, we just saw the green of grass and trees and the blue of mountains. It was as if we were in the middle of nowhere. Especially that we didn’t see any other cars or people either. We were enjoying the view but one second I had doubt if we were on the right track. Suddenly after a sharp bend we saw houses again, more than the first time and they have more Kala flowers. I was so happy to see that and I have enough choice of vendors.

In the flowers market (Pasar Bunga) in Malang I have asked about this flower. I think the price in the mountain should be cheaper. On the back trip we stopped by to but the flowers. I am right about the price. It’s four times cheaper than in Malang. It costs fuel as well to get here so I tried to bargain. Pity with no luck but it is okay. I went here not special for these flowers. I am sure that I would come back again to this place so I can buy more flowers if I need.

Not just Kala I found there but also another interesting plants, Patula and Pakis Gubeng. Patula just has 3 stalks, no leaves. Later I found out that it has its flower as well. Pakis Gubeng is like a monkey. No leaves either just a stem covered with brown hair. I hope I can find the Latin name of it. I haven’t seen these plants in Malang.

Beside plants, the vendor apparently sold also potato and vegetables from her own back yard. So my car was full with plants and vegetables. At other place along the way back I also stopped for apples and oranges. Nice trip and green souvenirs from Cangar.

Do you want to know more about Malang's nature. Please go to www.holiday-or-living-in-malang.com/malang-beaches-waterfalls.html

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Anugerah, the Eel and the Fish

I’ll bring you back to year 2005. We were on holiday in Holland to visit my in laws. My father in law loves fish and eel. Not like me that just like eating fish, he also likes to fish and to catch eels. Close to his house there is a small creek.

Sometimes he put a fish net there. He put it in the evening and the next morning he went to see whether he got one. One day he got home with an eel and a small fish.
Anugerah, at that time 4 years old, was very interested in everything living in water.

Knowing this grand Pa called him and put the eel and fish in a bucket. Anugerah was so exciting that he could see an eel so close. He just sat and stared at them. But the poor small fish didn’t survived. Then Grand Pa took it and threw it away over the hedge. At that time Anugerah was inside the house. He needed to go to the toilet.


He came back again to the bucket. He enjoyed watching the harvest of his Grand Pa. But then he noticed that the eel was alone in the bucket. Where is the fish? he asked me. I said, the fish is already dead so Grand Pa threw it away.

He started to cry and said that he wanted the fish back. Grand Pa came and said that he would catch another fish, bigger fish for him but to no luck. Anugerah kept crying.

Grumbling Grand Pa went outside to bush behind the hedge. It’s not an easy job to find a small fish between the leaves and branches. But finally and luckily he found it. He came back and threw the dead fish back in the bucket.

Anugerah was happy and continued staring at the bucket, although the fish lay upside down in the water. At least they were together.

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Myanmar

Take The Myanmar Challenge!



Maybe you wonder why I just write this now. Yes, I know that the Nargis cyclone has already happened in May and now it’s July. But what has happened some time ago does not mean that it has already finished. Yes, the cyclone is not there anymore but a lot of the victims and survivors still suffer.

Many countries offered help to Myanmar as soon as the cyclone hit that country. We know that they got a lot of difficulties entering the country. The government is afraid that foreigners will find out their secrets. So their own interest is much more important that the safety of the people.

Nowadays we don’t hear a lot of this country again on the news even on the internet. Since my husband goes there for his work regularly I feel connected with Myanmar, although I have never been there. Maybe someday. I have read articles about the nature, their political life as well as the people. It has a beautiful nature, still green but pity no peace.

The cyclone in May is also a voice of nature. The nature is not dead. It’s too bad that the Myanmar’s government did not listen to this nature voice well. It is good that there are still people who did.

I spoke once to a worker of a big and famous bank in Holland. There was a problem with my husband’s credit card while he was in Myanmar. She did not know where Myanmar is. She asked me, is it near to Bali? I said, no. It’s a border of Thailand. Oh, is it Thailand? I’d cry if she still wouldn’t know where it is.

This is a challenge for all of us. You can’t say that you have nothing to do with it because you live miles away from Myanmar. As long as you live on this earth, you always have to do with everything happening in every place on this world. Let’s listen to this voice and take the challenge of Myanmar.

You can help them not just with money. You can let more and more people hear the Myanmar voice by spreading this link. Thank you for doing that. I am sure you got a good feeling after doing that. I did.

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Begonia Polkadot

About three weeks ago I went to Jakarta to my mother's house. It was Easter holiday. My sister from Canada would also be there. My husband was abroad and my children hadn't seen my mother already 2 years. So enough reasons for Jakarta.

Jakarta is a world city, very different from Malang. It is full of high buildings, malls with famous international brands. They are still working on new malls although there are still a lot of empty buildings.



I lived there for more than twenty years but now everytime I go there, I got "culture shock". Everywhere you go, there will be traffic jam. That's why you can hardly make plans. But ok, I won't bore you with my story about Jakarta. Maybe you know it much better, maybe you've lived there recently or maybe you live there now.

Although I don't like to sit in traffic jam, I still did it because I need to do shopping for groceries. I choosed the close one from my mother's house, Cilandak Town Square or known as CITOS.

I went there with my sister. At the entrace of the supermarket, my sister stopped and stared at plants which are sold there. They are indeed nice plants and one of them has leaves with white spots. It's so pretty, I never seen it before. The vendor said its name, Begonia Polkadot.

The young leaf is red but when it grows it will become green. It also has a nice shape. I was sure that I'd buy one to bring it to Malang but not now. Better to buy it one day before I flew back to Malang, I thought.

The next time I went to the same mall again, I was just with my children. Actually it wasn't for shopping but for having some fastfood because Citos has a lot of nice (fast food) restaurants and cafe's. Beside we have been to other shopping malls that day. In Malang the favourite fast food restaurant of my children is Mc Donald but in Jakarta they preferred to go to A & W which you can't find in Malang.

When we passed the supermarket, I saw a woman buying a lot of plants including the Begonia Polkadot, two carts full. There were just two Begonia left. I asked the vendor if they still have more than these 2 left Begonia's. He said that the new ones would come on Friday next week. Apparently these plants are also new to Jakarta's people. So they rush to buy them. A couple days ago when I saw them for the first time, no one around us seemed to be interesting on it. Today was Saturday and on Monday next week we'll fly back to Malang. So I had to buy it now if I wanted to bring it to Malang. I choosed one of these 2 Begonia's. They didn't have a big plastic bag so I had to carry it and then we went to A & W.

It was crowded at A & W but we were lucky because we saw a family leaving their table. While we're eating there, my son has dropped his drink accidentally to his chest. The t-shirt and floor got wet. Luckily a waiter came and didn't get mad then he cleaned the floor. Trip to my mother's house would take at least 1 hour and we haven't finished our dinner yet. So I need to go to buy a new t-shirt for my son. I let the children staying there till I came back and also to look on the plant. I finished my french fries fastly and rushed to go to Matahari Department Store on the second floor. Just outside the A & W I heard my daughter calling me, "Buy a nice one Mom!"

I didn't think about a nice one or not. I just need a dry t-cloth for him. But in the store I still compared at least 4 t-shirts. I don't know it happenned because the calling of my daughter or because I'm a woman. Anyway after choosing and paying the nice one, I went back to A & W, took the shopping bags and of course the plant and found a taxi. Off to my mother's house. It has been a long day but I was satisfied to be able to do a lot of things in Jakarta in one day!

On the day we went back to Malang, my mother helped me wrapping the plant. The intention is to bring it as a hand luggage. I couldn't imagine how it would be if they put it together with other luggages/suitcases. At the airport I wasn't sure whether they'd let me taking the plant to the plane. To my relieve, at the control point, there was no problem at all.

In the plane I put it under the chair before me. It didn't block other passengers' way. I was happy and didn't expect that it went so smoothly. But shortly before take off, a stewardess came to me and asked if I could put it in the closet. But when she knew that there's grond in it, she didn't want it. Finally she did what I was afraid of. She took it away and put it with other passengers' suitcases. Uuh-ooh, there went my Begonia Polkadot, destroyed under heavy suitcases. I wished I could buy one in Malang.

At the airport in Malang, I collected our luggage. Then I waited for the black plastic bag in where my Begonia is. It took a while when my daughter said, "There it is!" To my surprise I saw it on the table near the conveyor belt. I took it and peep at it. Yes, it is still a whole! I am so happy. Thanks for everyone who took care of it.

At home I still keep it in its pot. I need to find a suitable place in my garden. Not too close to other plants so everyone can enjoy its beauty. Every time I see it, I feel happy. I think I appreciate it more due to all difficulties I got to bring it home. Your hard working on something makes you love it more.

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The Amazing And Colorfull Creature

The raining season in Indonesia starts in September till April but in December and January you get the most rain especially in Malang. So we don't have a white Christmas but a wet Christmas.

In compare with countries which have winter season is Malang of course not cold. But for Indonesian people who get used to temperature of 30 degrees Celcius is Malang very cool. My friends in Holland must laugh when I told them that I wear socks when I go to bed and wear a jacket the whole day.


Despite the cold weather I like the raining season. I enjoy watching the rain, hearing the wind and thunder and sometimes I can see a flash of the lightning. The sound of the rain in the evening is like a sleeping song that makes your sleep better. Pitty that not everyone is agreed with me. Pelangi and Anugerah are afraid of the sound of the wind through the windows. It's like a horror film, they said.

Very often there's not just the rain but also the sun. When these two amazing creatures appear at the same time, another amazing and colorful creature will appear. The Rainbow or Pelangi in Indonesian. My children always are enthusiastic when they see the rainbow. Especially because they have learned at school how it happened. They count the colors and say which color they like the most.

One day after raining, we see two rainbows. The mother and its child, my children said. I am lucky that I had the camera with me since it does not happen often. I've taken pictures of them. Pelangi asked me to take her picture alone with the rainbows. So there are three Pelangi's.

Far before I get pregnant I always want to have "Pelangi" for my daughter's name. The thing which it refers is beautiful, the sound of the word is nice and the meaning of the word is amazing. The Bible told us that God put the rainbow as a promise that there will be no big flood anymore. It's a God's promise. Enough reasons to choose it as a name for your child.

Want to know about Malang's nature? Go to www.holiday-or-living-in-malang/segoro-anakan.html

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