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Articles by Agustinus Wibowo

Karimabad – Pakistan Will Open

Pakistani movies are actually quite …, well, “sexy” January 11, 2006 Talking about films with the locals is always interesting, because I believe that films are also part of the culture. The satelitte dish in my hotel restaurant is broken, so for a temporary moment we have to say good bye to Raj and Rani (lit. means king and queen, a typical of Indian movies where the hero is named Raj and heroine Rani and they both will be married) from the TV series of Vuh Rahnewali Mehlon Ki. But quiet life is unimaginable in this house, that the guys then rented a VCD player to fill up the emptiness due to the absence of the TV programs. They only had one very old (of 1960’s) VCD of an Indian woman singing all the way with super high voice. The movie itself is black and white, and soon they got bored. They asked whether I had some interesting VCDs. I brought mostly DVDs with me, but yes, I have some VCDs. First I played Inul. This Indonesian diva with her famous pumping butt, indeed was a stimulus to these hungry men. Everybody was excited to see the sexy butt of [...]

January 11, 2006 // 3 Comments

Karimabad – Indian Connection

Indian influence is obvious here India is just a bordering country, but the history of hostility between India and Pakistan makes the relation between the two countries interesting. As we all probably know, the language of both countries, Urdu and Hindi, are 90% similar. Urdu has more Persian and Arabic originated words, and Hindi from Sanskrit. But both languages are mutually intelligble. Though, the scripts are different. The influence of India is very huge in Pakistan, this is unquestioned. Everybody can sing the gigle of Aashiq Banaya, the new popular Bollywood movie, even though that this new film may not reach the villages of Pakistan. “Mujh se Saati Karogi? (Will you Marry Me?)”, Salman Khan’s newest movie, is a famous sentence anywhere here in Pakistan. And it became a laughter when we use this sentence to tease the others. The people in Karimabad, far away from anywhere, stuck their satellite dish to Indian channels. And guess what, a very plain TV drama, Vuh Ranehwali Mehlon Ki (She is Native of Palace)- A story of a beautiful girl from rich family loving a handsome boy from a poor family, is so sticky that all people in my hotel can be stucked [...]

January 9, 2006 // 3 Comments

Hunza – From Sust to Karimabad

The icy road of Hunza Today decided to go back to Karimabad. During the stay in the Upper Hunza area, there is a very big problem: electricity. Due to failure of generator in Khyber, a village next to Pasu, the villages in Upper Hunza has to wait for its turn for electricity. One in 4 days the electricity comes to a village. I missed both in Sust and Chapursan. So that my memory cards are full, my batteries are finished, my harddisk couldnt start, completely I cant take any more photos. The main reason to leave is that actually I missed the food and hot in Karimabad. Before starting, my Sust friend and I had breakfast together in Sust. Practising my Urdu, I was joking with them that I was very poor, but I could earn money when I didnt have enough, by sleeping with Pakistani men for 150 Rs (1 US$=60Rs). It was merely a joke. But apparently it was an offer for the restaurant owner. When my friends left for work, I was still having my breakfast. And the restaurant owner came, whispering to me in Urdu, offering me 250 Rs to sleep with him. I refused, the [...]

January 7, 2006 // 3 Comments

Chapursan – The Land without Sunshine

The difficult journey to the land without sunshine January 4-7, 2006 Have you heard about the land without sunshine? It was a cloudy morning when someone in Sust bazaar – just one step more to China – told me. “You should go to Chapursan, over there, there is no sunshine for 2.5 months!” Chapursan is up north from Sust, going parallel with the Afghan border. And for harsh winter like this, nobody goes there due to the low temperature, harsh wind, and of course no sunshine. The last part of the challenges really made me decided to depart. There are several cars departing from Sust bazaar. There is no exact departure time, all departures are depended on passengers. Noor Khan – a Chapursan native who have been living in Karachi since student time, and Aziz – a teacher, Noor’s relative, also have been living in Karachi, are my fellow passengers. They told me many things about the culture of Wakhan Tajik – the native of the valley, about the land without sunshine – incidentally the exact valley without sunshine is about the breathing distance from their houses, about interesting event that I can catch the day later – a traditional [...]

January 7, 2006 // 1 Comment

Karimabad – The Land of Heaven

Haider Inn 75Rs Hunza in winter This is my second time coming to Hunza valley. The first time was in summer 2003. I arrived here 2 years ago, and amazed by the development projects carried out throughout the valley. The colour of winter is sad, yellow and grey. But the sadness colour doesnt make the mountains and valley mute, it’s still singing, beautifully. As I remember from my last visit, due to failure of the generator in the valley, I didnt have electricity at all during my 3 day stay here. But now it’s different. The electricity, even though that is still unreliable, works for most of the time. 2 days with electricity and 1 day off. Not bad. And it even has an internet cafe with affordable price. 40 Rs/hour, which is not bad considering the terrain of the area. The Internet cafe is run by KADO, with a partnership with an NGO from Western country. The connection was run by a sattelite, as the Internet administrator told me yesterday, and it cost 2000$/mo for this. The connection is very slow during the day because of the weather, but is bearable in the evening. The organization itself doesnt get [...]

December 23, 2005 // 2 Comments

Mobile Does Not Work

Mashallah I just arrived in Karimabad, Northern Areas today after the gruelling 24 hour journey. Just found that no mobile service provider can send signal up to the mountains here, so my mobile number will not work during my stay in Hunza region of Northern Areas. I will return back to Pindi after 2 weeks, Inshallah, and by the time i will be able to use my mobile again. At this moment there is internet cafe already in this village so communication still can be done thru my email address. [...]

December 21, 2005 // 0 Comments

My Pakistan Mobile Phone number

Just want to announce my number in Pakistan: + 92 334 5005297 I am using uphone service, so i can send messages for a cheap rate, but sometimes can’t receive messages from abroad. So excuse me for late or delayed reply. the safest way to contact me is still by Hello… hello… [...]

December 20, 2005 // 1 Comment

Rawalpindi – Cantontment?

I never expected that it’s very difficult to find a place to stay in this city Imperial Hotel, Muree Road, Rawalpindi 400Rs/double bed room After the 5 hour bus journey from Lahore to Islamabad, and long taxi drive to Saddar Bazaar in Rawalpindi, I was really resent by the hotel owner who refused me to stay in his hotel. Saddar Bazaar is the place for the budget hotels in Rawalpindi, where 2 years ago I used to stay. Today, they refused to accept me as their guest, as there is a stamp ‘Visa not Valid for Cannt Area’ on my visa page. I didnt realize what the meaning of the small stamp on my visa before today. The feeling of being refused in a hotel was very bad. I can imagine the same feeling of people being refused to enter a certain country despite of possessing the valid visa. And I felt disappointed, badly treated, being looked as second class man, etc. Cantontment is military area, which sometimes also include residential and bazaar area, as in this example Saddar Bazaar in Rawalpindi. I didnt know about this before. I am worrying whether this visa will affect my journey thru the [...]

December 17, 2005 // 0 Comments

Going North

Going up north to the mountains. But it seems they love China so much… As my sickness require me to take a total rest for about 2 weeks or so, I decided to move out of Lahore to go up north in the mountainous area of Himalaya. The journey will start today to Rawalpindi, staying there from some days, before taking the long bus journey to the Northern Areas. Meanwhile, Internet will not always available, so that I wouldnt be able to update my blog often nor replying email for quite a time. I hope that my absence will not make you worrying I will be allright for sure. But I am trying to get a new mobile phone number and I will announce the number to anybody who is interested. I love Lahore very much, but I havent seen much of it. Surely I will come back here again as soon as possible, as well as travelling around Pakistan. But yet, I also need a rest anyway…. Salaam [...]

December 17, 2005 // 1 Comment

Lahore – Sufism

Regale Internet Inn 150 Rs Berputar… berputar… berputar… Bagi kita, sufisme mungkin sudah tidak asing lagi. Kisah-kisah tentang Syeikh Siti Jenar sudah sering kita dengar berkali-kali. Dan penggabungan antara mistisme dengan religiusme Islam sudah bukan merupakan hal baru lagi di Indonesia, di mana Islam berbaur kental dengan hembusan nafas kehidupan Pra-Islam (Hinduisme, Buddhisme, dan animisme). Lagu adalah bagian dari spiritualisme kaum Sufi Menari demi sang Kekasih tercinta Di Pakistan pun sufisme merupakan bagian dari kehidupan Islamnya. Setiap hari Kamis siang, pemusik-pemusik sufi berkumpul di Masjid untuk memainkan musik-musik yang membius hati. Tak kurang dari 40 grup musik dari penjuru-penjuru desa datang ke sini, dan setiap grup menampilkan pertunjukan dari 5 hingga 7 menit. Alunan akordion dan gambus seakan merupakan ekstasi bagi sebagian penonton, yang tak hentinya menggelengkan kepala dengan cepat mengikuti alunan musik, bahkan ada pula yang menggulingkan tubuhnya dan berputar-putar secara cepat seperti orang yang telah hilang kesadarannya. Penonton yang “tersihir” pun membuat hujan uang di atas para pemusik, menaburkan ratusan lembar uang 10 Rupee di atas kepala pemusik, dan aliran ini tak berhenti hingga panitia berusaha menyadarkan penonton ini. Uang, musik, tarian, gelengan kepala bak tercandu ekstasi, serta semprotan minyak wangi yang disemprotkan petugas dengan tabung semprot pestisida [...]

December 15, 2005 // 1 Comment

A Small Note about India

December 13, 2005 So, the trip in India has finished. It was started by a frustration, my failure to get the 3 month Indian visa as I expected due to the Indian incredible bureaucracy and arrogant officer attitude and also inconsistency in its embassy in Kathmandu. The days in India itself were also started by the frustrations in Delhi. To get my camera repaired was a struggle. To escape from the rickshaw drivers was also a struggle. And Pakistan visa was as difficult as next to impossible. These frustrations was added by diarrhoea, fever, etc etc that made me almost give up India. But in the situation that I lost almost everything, I lost my spirit of travelling, I lost my sence of observation and communication, suddenly came this heroine. Lam Li, a journalist from Malaysia, whom I shared most of my idea with her, who made me learn about life behind photography, who made me read many, many good books. And almost a month together in Rajasthan made me discover again what I have to do, what I want to do, and what I must do. Suddenly I feel that I love India. Despite of the cheaters and scammers, [...]

December 13, 2005 // 7 Comments

Lahore – Welcome to Pakistan

Regale Internet Inn 150 Rs/dorm Indian border guard across the Pakistan borderline. Being sick for so many days has given me the chance to read lots of books recently. Just read Salman Rushdie’s “Shame” about the ridiculous stories of Pakistan history, from uprising and downing of its political leaders, from the ridiculous political manouvers, and also the stories about the founding of the “Land of Pure” and it failures. The other good book I got is VS Naipaul’s “Among the Believers”. This book is about Islam in Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. I have read the Indonesian part, and felt that the critics was quite well-said, even some parts I dont quite agree. The Pakistan part is quite interesting, how these Indian Muslims created this “Land of Pure” and how they tried to be the most purified Muslim on earth. But the struggle is full of failures, and Pakistan was a country of experiments. And today, I successfully crossed to Pakistan. The crossing was straightforward on both sides, except the Indian officers said that I should have crossed the border a day earlier as my visa expired today. But they let me pass anyway. There was no luggage check on [...]

December 13, 2005 // 0 Comments

Amritsar – Sikh

December 12, 2005 Kanda Guesthouse 150 Rs Pernah mendengar tentang Sikh? Jumlah penganut agama Sikh di India sekitar 6 juta orang, dan Amritsar, kota di perbatasan Pakistan-India ini adalah kota suci umat Sikh. Pada saat sebelum partisi (pembentukan negara Pakistan), di Lahore dan Amritsar banyak terdapat penganut Sikh. Bahkan hingga ke Afghanistan. Pada saat partisi, negara bagian Punjab dibelah menjadi dua, satu untuk Muslim (Pakistan) dan sisanya untuk non-Muslim (India). Pada saat pembelahan inilah terjadilah migrasi besar-besaran dari dua sisi Punjab. Dan pembelahan ini dibarengi dengan pembantaian manusia yang termasuk yang terbesar dalam sejarah. Sekitar 10 juta manusia berpindah dari kedua sisi, dan tak kurang dari sejuta orang yang terbantai. Hindu/Sikh yang berpindah dari Lahore dibantai umat Muslim di sisi India, dan demikian pula takdir yang dialami umat Muslim yang berpindah menuju Pakistan. Selepas partisi hanya tinggal segelintir umat Hindu dan Sikh di Lahore, namun masih banyak umat Muslim di sisi India. Dan sejak saat itulah kebencian antara dua negara terus berlangsung hingga sekarang. Umat Sikh dikenal dengan aturan mereka yang tidak memotong rambut atau mencukur jenggot seumur hidup. Kaum laki-lakinya seakan tak pernah terlepas dari surban mereka. Kaum perempuan juga tak boleh memotong, mengetrim rambut, atau mencukur alis. Ajaran [...]

December 12, 2005 // 0 Comments

Amritsar – Calo Pakistan

December 11, 2005 Khanda Guesthouse 150 Rs It has been since weeks ago I wanted to write about this. How I felt guilty of not going to Pakistan as soon as I got my “professional” pakistan visa, and instead I travelled around India. I indeed have something to do in Mumbai that I had to go there for a business. But because of my healthiness, I even didnt finish my business in Mumbai. The trip to Rajasthan was due to relive again my photography instinct. The first days in India was very frustrating for me, with the visa and camera problem that I lost all mood of travelling right after that. And I needed something to relax me up. OK, maybe I am just excusing. And God punished me with this jaundice problem. Anyhow, when I visited the border of Pakistan and India today in Attari/Wagah border to watch the flag ceremony, I felt really, really guilty under the green flag of Pakistan, the Land of Pure. There is an Indian insult, “Calo Pakistan!” which means go away to Pakistan. The Indians always consider that Pakistan is such a bad and dangerous place to go, and that’s where the bad [...]

December 11, 2005 // 3 Comments

New Delhi – Magic Healing

December 10, 2005 This man looks just an ordinary old Indian man. Owning a shop which sells bicycle spareparts and repair bicycles. His shop looks dirty and dark, with spareparts everywhere. There are several young guys working in his workshop. And yes, his two eyes are yellow. But this old man is so unusual, that almost everybody in Paharganj directed me to him. When I had breakfast in my favorite restaurant (Golden Cafe) I told the guys that I needed non oily food as I have jaundice. The guy then brought me to the old man’s workshop, just two doors next to this restaurant. He insisted that this man was a very strong magician, specially dealing with jaundice. All patients get well only in 3 days. I initially refused. The guy said, “It’s for free. Why not try?” Oh yeah, why not. So I went to the old man’s workshop. He first looked at my eyes, using his both hands. Then he looked at my fingers, holded it with his palms, and start reading mantra. He asked the boys to bring him a cup of milk. Then he read mantra on the milk, spitted something on it, and asked me [...]

December 10, 2005 // 0 Comments

New Delhi – Indian Hospital Experience Part 3

December 9, 2005 Hari ini sudah merasa segar bugar. Nafsu makan sudah mulai terbit, walaupun suster masih menyuntikkan vitamin K ke dalam pembuluh venaku. Seperti kemarin, hari ini pun aku menjadi bahan ujian para calon dokter wanita itu. Sebagian besar short case (hanya ujian diagnosa umum), tapi ada pula yang long case (diagnosa sejarah penyakit). Banyak pertanyaan mengganggu dalam diagnosa sejarah hidupku, hiks, misalnya sudah pernah melakukan hubungan seksualkah? Dengan berapa orangkah? Menggunakan alat kontrasepsikah? ….. Apalagi yang nanyain gadis muda gitu. Yang mengherankan ini diagnosa hepatitis pake acara ukur tinggi dan berat tubuh segala. Benar-benar mengagetkan, beratku sekarang cuman tinggal 51 kg Lebih dari 11% berat tubuhku hilang dalam 5 bulan perjalanan ini. Apakah memang aku terlalu mengencangkan ikat pinggang dalam menghemat uang yang aku punya? Dan penghematan yang berlebihan itulah yang mungkin telah membuat hidupku jadi demikian sengsara. Dokter kepala kadang tersenyum saja melihat dadaku diraba-raba oleh gadis-gadis itu. Sambil berkelakar dia bertanya bagaimana caraku melatih tubuhku, apakah aku ikut bodybuilding. Aku bilang cuman berenang. “Angkat besi?” “No. just swimming.” Padahal sudah kurus kering begini masih dikira angkat besi. Tapi setelah 5 kali menjadi bahan ujian, aku sudah benar-benar bosan dan capek. Apalagi gadis yang terakhir juga kurang [...]

December 9, 2005 // 0 Comments

Delhi – Indian Hospital Experience Part 2

December 8, 2005 “Selamat pagi.” Dan suntikan vitamin K itu menjurus tajam melintasi pembuluh venaku. Sakit. Suster kembali memasang jarum infus. Selama semalam aku dirawat tak hentinya asupan gula dimasukkan ke dalam tubuhku. Sehingga tanpa makan pun aku merasa cukup segar hari ini. Di sebelahku ada seorang amerika yang juga diopname tanpa alasan yang jelas. (Sakit kuningku juga sebenarnya sakit ringan saja, seharusnya tak sampai diopname). Dia demam saja, selama 1 minggu. Dan dokter bilang mesti opname. Kadang aku berpikir apakah karena aku ini orang asing, sehingga bisa mendapat prioritas opname? Jika mengingat ranjang rumah sakit yang terbatas, serta ratusan orang yang tidur di luar rumah sakit (mungkin menunggu ranjang kosong?) ada perasaan berdosa juga. Hari ini aku dipindahkan ke Ruang Opname Laki-laki. Jarum infus masih tertancap, tapi sudah tidak ada lagi infus bagiku. Aku sudah merasa lapar yang teramat sangat, tapi masih belum sempat menikmati sarapan pagi (yang juga gratis) aku sudah dibawa ke Ruang Pemeriksaan Hepatitis. Di sini ada seorang pelajar kedokteran perempuan dengan jubah putih dan nomer urut di dadanya. Nampaknya seperti peserta ujian. Dan memang benar. Hari ini adalah hari ujian pagi pelajar kedokteran (semua perempuan) di institut Lady Hardinge. Ujiannya adalah melakukan diagnosa. Dan aku [...]

December 8, 2005 // 2 Comments

Delhi – Indian Hospital Experience

December 7, 2005 Rumah Sakit Lady Hardinge, yah, itulah nama yang direkomendasikan oleh pemilik hotelku ketika aku menanyakan ke mana harus pergi merawatkan penyakit kuningku. Menurut banyak orang, ini adalah salah satu rumah sakit terbaik di New Delhi. Memasuki rumah sakit yang tidak jauh dari tempat tinggalku, aku hanya terkesima oleh keramaian orang-orang yang lalu-lalang. Tidak ada tempat registrasi untuk menanyakan ke mana aku harus pergi. Tidak banyak tempat untuk bertanya, karena semua orang sibuk dengan urusan masing-masing. Di balairung utama puluhan wanita duduk di lantai menunggu giliran. Dan sampah-sampah berserakan di setiap sudut koridor yang gelap. Dengan susah payah aku menemukan ruang konsultasi. Tampak antrean panjang. Semua orang membawa formulir registrasi masing-masing. Tapi di manakah aku bisa mendapatkan formulir itu? Susah payah kembali aku menemukan wanita pembagi formulir, eh malah tidak dikasih formulir. Katanya aku langsung antre saja. Aku kembali ke ruang konsultasi untuk antre, tapi dokter menolak melayani karena tidak ada formulir. Terpaksa kembali lagi mencari wanita pembagi formulir, dan MEMAKSAnya untuk memberiku formulir. Dan dengan formulir ini aku kembali lagi antre dari awal. Total dua jam terbuang sia-sia dan bagi penderita sakit kuning yang lemah ini, dua jam adalah perjuangan. Dokter menanyaiku beberapa pertanyaan. Gejala mata kuning, [...]

December 7, 2005 // 2 Comments

Mumbai – Jaundice???

December 3, 2005 Delight GuestHouse 250 Rs Today when I went to the post office to settle my account in the philatelic burau, the guy told me that my eyes looked yellow and whether I had infection. I was so surprised to hear that, as nobody told me before. In the morning I looked myself behind the mirror and everything was OK. And this was the first time I heard about jaundice. The man told me that probably I got jaundice, after the long train journey from Jaipur to Mumbai. Indeed I felt very, very exhausted after the train. It’s not common for me, as usually I take much, much longer train journey in China with no sleeper class but I am always energetic. Arriving in Mumbai in the first day I lost my appetite quite significantly. My urine was very thick and tea-coloured. And I always feel tired. Right after the post office visit, I went directly to St John Hospital next to it. The hospital boasts as Mumbai Hospital No. 1 as what is written on the gate. Not far from the building’s gate in the hospital complex, there was an old man, leprae, laying down on the [...]

December 3, 2005 // 5 Comments

Being Raped???

November 29, 2005 Suddenly I remember this my experience. This happened somewhere in India, sometime during my trip here. I wouldnt like to disclose where the exact place and when it happened. I was terribly weak at that time, with a severe diarrhoea I just layed on my bed. Sleeping. As in this part of India with lack of electricity, everyday there are at least 2 hours of power cut. There was no sun in my room, so I had to keep the door open when I sleep. Suddenly, the manager of the hotel came and asked me of what happening. I was just too weak to answer. He put his head on my stomach, laying. And then I told him that my stomach had been so painful. He, pretended to be a doctor, gave massage from my belly and down. I was revolting as the massage was so painful, but I was too weak also, so I just put my hope on this doctor. The massage continued to the places under my belly. And he insisted to open my underpant, giving massage right on that place. He closed the door. I was submissive at that time. He saw my [...]

November 29, 2005 // 9 Comments

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