Category Archives: Travel
Enjoying halal food in Beijing
One of the difficulties as a Muslim who live in a non-Muslim city is getting halal foods, foods that are allowed under Islamic law
But, in Beijing, you can find many restaurants that provide good food and clean with halal sign easily. Those restaurants called their self as a Muslim restaurant. For example, near the place where I live in Lido area, Chaoyang district, precisely in Jingtai Road, there is a Muslim restaurant that provides halal food.
From the outside, that restaurant is not different from other Chinese restaurants, except the sign “halal” in the restaurant’s name.
When I and my family entered to the restaurant, a female waiter who wear jilbab (headscarf) welcome my presence and kindly invited me to have a sit. After we got a seat, I started to look around first before I order foods. From the photos on the restaurant,’s wall, it is known that the restaurant belonged to a Chinese Muslim from Xinjiang Province, a province with a Muslim majority in western China that borders with Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and India. It is no wonder that the food in this restaurant is cooked in Xinjiang style.
Enjoying Pho in Ho Chi Minh City
In order to attend an ASEAN meeting, I had the opportunity to visit Ho Chi Minh City in March 2010. On the sidelines of the meeting, I had the opportunity to taste the Vietnamese typical food called Pho (Vietnamese pronunciation: [f??]). It is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (pho bo) or chicken (pho ga). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer.
From ASEAN Center Moscow With Love
Russia officially became a full dialogue partner of ASEAN at the 29th AMM in Jakarta, July 1996. Since then, an ASEAN-Russia relation is growing rapidly which is marked by a variety of cooperation in various sectors. The development of ASEAN-Russia relations is also visible from the holding of the first ASEAN- Russia Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. While the 2nd ASEAN-Russia Summit will be held in October in Ha Noi, Vietnam.
The development of ASEAN-Russia relations is interesting to learn considering that during the Cold War, ASEAN member countries split in the East-West axis. Indochina countries that are socialist countries namely Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are very close to Russia (before USSR). Meanwhile other ASEAN member countries have close ties with Western countries led by the United States.
Enjoying the Exotic Domas Crater
Tangkuban Perahu Mountain tourist area in Lembang, Bandung, known as an area that presents the natural beauty of the mountains with few craters that are still active such as Kawah Ratu, Upas and Domas. From the summit of Mount Tangkuban Perahu at an altitude of 1860 meters, we could see the Kawah Ratu like a giant bowl with ground indentations on the walls. An Incredible natural scenery.
To enter this area, tourists must pay an entrance fee of Rp. 13,000, – per person, four-wheeled vehicle parking Rp. 1500, – (for bus tariff of Rp. 8500, -). 4 wheel vehicles and motorcycles can be parked right up to the summit of Tangkuban Perahu. While there is parking for buses at the bottom, about 500 meters from the summit of Mount Tangkuban Perahu.
Balawan dan Diplomasi Publik
Balawan ? Nama group band baru ya? Begitu pertanyaan seorang rekan ketika saya ajak menyaksikan pentas Balawan di Bentara Budaya Jakarta (BBJ) Jumat 7 Agustus 2009. Saya tidak terlalu kaget mendengar pertanyaan rekan saya tersebut, karena sejujurnya nama Balawan memang kalah populer dibanding para musisi yang sering tampil di layar televisi dan albumnya laris manis di pasaran seperti Gigi, Ungu, Dewa 19 ataupun almarhum Mbah Surip. Lalu siapakah Balawan ?
Bagi para penggemar musik, terutama jazz, nama Balawan atau lengkapnya I Wayan Balawan cukup dikenal sebagai seorang musisi yang piawai memainkan gitar dengan teknik yang berbeda dari para musisi umumnya. Saat musisi lain memainkan gitarnya dengan cara dipetik atau dibetot, Balawan justru lebih sering memainkan dawai gitarnya dengan cara diketuk (tapping). Kekhasan lainnya adalah penggunaan gitar berleher ganda, terkadang dilengkapi dengan sebuah gitar tambahan yang dipasang statis dihadapannya.
