Indonesia always fascinates my inner curiosity,its cultural diversity and the people's resilience are great attributes of this colourful nation.
Pity that most Malaysians viewed Indonesia as a provider of maids and workers,what a wrongly perceived view.
Indonesia is an oasis of Malay culture that transcends beyond the Malacca Sultanate. The Majapahit and Vijaya empires for those that lived in those days must be imbued with great traditions which some we still behold and practice.
I have been to numerous places in Indonesia..Pontianak, Balikpapan, Samarinda, Jakarta(obviously), Bandung, Surabaya,Jogjakarta,Solo, Medan and the unforgettable Bali.
Each place has its own uniqueness;Bandung for its small designer outlets,Jogja for its Sultanate place, Solo ,the mosque i went for Friday prayers was old but beautiful and Bali with its preserved culture that is different from the other dominant Muslim parts of Indonesia
But the one that intrigues me most is Samarinda..it was like a trip to the twilight zone. Its main (and possibly only access) is via a rural road from Balikpapan where along the way generally surrounded by rubber trees. Then lo and behold out of the meandering road trip through these rubber plantations Samarinda beckons.
It has all the usual trappings of a modern Indonesian city with its Matahari supermarket but it is a place that still retained its traditions, who doesn't know of the 'kain samarinda?"
Oh ya why is Indonesia has a special place for me? Well Indonesia Day(17.08.) also happens to be my birthday.
It is indeed a warm thought whenever i have my birthday knowing that more than 200 millions Indonesians are also celebrating with me,ha beat that!!
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