Live-Blogging the Second Half of History Channel's Hidden Cities - Java, Indonesia

10:26 p.m.     16th Century Castle

     Just came home.  I rushed to my room where I left my laptop running so I could live-blog the second half of the show.  Whew!

     Mataram Sultanate is the last kingdom of Indonesia, or something.  Presenter Anthony Morse is going to the castle of a sultan.

     Kotagede Palace, or the great walled city.  It followed the traditional Javanese design; 3x3 grid.  Only parts of the palace remains and special permission is needed to enter the palace.  It means that it is not open to the public, right?  The royal bathing grounds remain in the palace.  The rajahs or princes bathed in there, separate from the women's bath.

     They went into the throne room and it's small, but it's just a remnant of the palace.

10:34 pm.     Katan Palace

     Palace of Yogyakarta.  Wow, huge bathing grounds.  Anthony has been given special access into the palace's gates.  Very traditional grounds.  Every Thursdays, the puppets are aired out, like a ritual of some sorts.

10:36 p.m.     Mount Merapi

     Structure buried by the volcano's eruption.  And now, Mt. Merapi has been spewing ash.

10:41 p.m.     7th to 10th century buddhist kingdom

     By 8th century, Mt. Merapi's surroundings have both hinduism and buddhism practiced side by side.

     King Boco's place.  It's huge.  During excavation, archeologists found layers of ashes, apparently, priests and even kings may have been cremated there.  There are also traces of sacrifices.  It is considered part of the big city of hinduism, or something.

10:45 p.m.  Kedulan Temple

     Volcanic forces destroyed the buildings so people are building it (reconstructing) on higher ground.  People are matching stones to the tower.  Very tedious process.  They're rebuilding one of the smaller structures.

10:47 p.m.   Prambanan

     Largest temple complex in Indonesia.  Restoration since the 1930s.  Some temples reach 47 meters.  Really gargantuan.  Oh, the stones were just piled on top of the other, but they're earthquake proof.  Ramayana was carved at the facade.  I want to go there.

10:52 p.m.     Ramayana Dance

     First evidence of Ramayana in the 9th century.  Ramayana tells the tale of King Rama and his wife, Sita.  And, Indonesians have a troupe which does the exotic dance.     And, Anthony is in full-character mode.  He said the dance is difficult; his thighs are burning.

     I wasn't able to watch the first half, so forgive me if I just jumped in the middle.  I'll watch the episode again when it gets replayed during the week and make the necessary additions and corrections, too.

    

    

History Channel's Hidden Cities - Java, Indonesia [Live-blogging hitch]

     I might not be able to live-blog the third episode of History Channel's Hidden Cities.  I am about to go out for a drive around Makati to see how the city lights up its street for Christmas. I will be going with my relatives, well, it's actually for the kids' entertainment.  

     Oh, I have worked there for five (5) years and as the premiere business district of the Philippines, I'd say Makati makes a spectacle with their Christmas displays and lights year after year. 

     Going back to the topic, if we get to finish early, I'll go straight to live-blogging the episode.  If not, I'll watch its replay and replay-blog it, if ever there is such a term.  Hee.

     I'm crossing my fingers that we'd get home earlier.

Planning for an Adventure in Beijing, China: Part 3 - Preparing for the Weather

     We'll be in Beijing, China, on the last week of November, during the last vestiges of autumn and the early days of winter.  Unlike China, the Philippines only has two seasons: the wet and the dry season.  However, we Filipinos often describe our climate as either of these two: hot, or hotter.  Kidding aside, since we don't have four seasons like China, well, except for Batanes as claimed by Seair's website, we're not accustomed to the cold, much more, winter.  And we cannot be blamed for that.  We're used to the almost year-round humidity and we don't use winter clothing here, so, we have a limited choice when it comes to buying those seasonal clothes.  This is where our problem now lies.

     When I went to Hong Kong almost two months ago, I bought some autumn clothes, the knitted ones  I can also use here when staying inside airconditioned places, like our office.  Then, I made some research and realized that the temperatures in November in Beijing ranges from 10 C to 0 C, and that is just about the average.  And since we'll be there on the last week of November, temperatures drop to single digits to the low negative single digits.  Seriously, it's a reason to be bothered.  I haven't experienced low temperatures, at least, not lower than what the airconditioning provides, and certainly, not in the lower -teens.  Besides, I get colds whenever the temperatures change due to my allergies.  So, yay me!

     Right now, I'm trying to find some winter clothes, preferably, the ones which are on super sale or extremely cheap.  If it's pretty and it fits me, I'll buy even if it's from a second-hand store.  We cannot use winter clothing here in our country so no need to splurge.  But I'll definitely buy thermal camisole and leggings/stockings; I actually prefer wearing skirts or dresses, and I'll just wear thermal stockings underneath to combat the cold. 

     Next on my list of problems: shoes.  I cannot wear my Fit Flops, right?   That is, unless I wear Japanese  tabi socks.  Hey, that is not a bad idea.  Hmm... Anyway,  definitely, I cannot I wear my platform sandals, even if its made by Crocs considering that those are not made for walking far, much less for winter walking (almost 3 inches high).  So, do I need some winter boots?  I have a pair of ankle boots made of soft faux leather material with cloth lining.  It's flat, it's soft and I've tried walking quite a distance with those boots and they're comfortable.  But I bought it just for Php 300.00 in Divisoria, two years ago, so I don't know if it'll last that long.  I saw a pair of winter boots, though, like UGGs in Terranova, a clothes boutique, as well as some autumn/winter clothing.  The boots were almost Php 1,700.00, and I'm not sure if I can afford it.  I still have to buy my thermal tights and camisole from Marks and Spencer and they're not cheap.

     I don't have any thick jackets yet and I plan to layer my clothes.  But I do have some neck scarves I bought in Hong Kong, and one my cousin lent to me, and a bonnet.  I don't have gloves, though.  While my list of must haves for late autumn/early winter survival are still deficient, I'm still planning on how I would look.  I still want to look fashionable as much as I want to stay warm.  And, I'll just buy another winter boots in Beijing, the cheap ones, even the knock-off ones, and a winter coat if the need arises.  So, I have to watch what I bring to and from Beijing, lest I end up with excess baggage.

     Even if faced with weather challenges, I'm still super excited to go to Beijing.  And I'll be much happier if it snows, even if I can only barely tolerate the cold.  I haven't seen real snow, ever, so as long as I don't catch pneumonia or something, I'd be happy to see snow falling from the skies.  Although I know that it rarely snows, much less in November, unless the Chinese government decides to make the snow fall in November, just like last year.

Air Asia's Free Seats - Update 2

     A reader, basil, informed me that the Free Seats promo of Air Asia is finally out.  However, it says there that the booking period starts on 09 November 2010.  I have yet to check to seats, but I'll make an update once I get to make a mock booking.  Here's the details:

N.B.  From Air Asia's website (for Thailand)
Update: The links are NOT working anymore.  Maybe they've been pulled out.

	FREE SEATS Booking Period : 9 November 2010 - 14 November 2010    Travel Period : 1 July 2011 - 10 November 2011 Travel Notes - Advanced booking required. - Fares are not available during embargo period.

     I made a mock booking and the seat sales are not yet available, well, at least, in the Philippines.  The free seats promo pasted above is from Air Asia's website, with Thailand selected as the country of origin.  I have reviewed the flights, though, and like basil, I'm slightly disappointed.  First, it appears that the KL-Tokyo seats are not on sale, and second, the promo runs only until 10 November 2011.  I want to go to Japan to see the foliage at a later date in November.  Oh well, I'll just have to check again Air Asia's websites for any updates.

      A good thing, though.  My friends want to go to India and the seats are on sale.  One good thing to look forward to.

     So, plan your itineraries well.  Happy trip planning!

Engine Troubles: A Plane Makes an Emergency Landing in Singapore

     Travelers' greatest fear might be plane troubles, and honestly, every time I ride an airplane, I always utter a short prayer before take-off.  I never seem to get used to turbulence; not at all.  That is why I always pick seats in front when flying with Cebu Pacific; in fact, I almost always buy those coveted first-row seats.  After all, Cebu Pacific's planes are small and every twist and turn, you'd get to feel it.  But if you're seated at the front, it is not so bad.

     This afternoon, I got twitter updates regarding a Qantas A380 plane bound for Australia from London which made an emergency landing in Singapore.  Apparently, while over Indonesia, the passengers heard an explosion of some sorts, and one of the four engines malfunctioned.  The airplane had to fly back to Singapore where it departed (on a stop-over).  And, debris fell from the skies down to Indonesian land.  Thank God, no one was hurt.  But it is still a very frightening experience for the passengers...

History Channel's Hidden Cities: Java, Indonesia

N.B. From the History Asia Channel's website:

Located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia's Java was formed mostly violent volcanic events but that hasn't stopped it from becoming home to teh capital Jakarta and growing into the most populous island in the world.

In this episode, presented Anthony Morse ignores the fact that the region is still a active volcano zone and explores an artificial cave system carved out of molten lava by WWII Japanese troops.  He also uncovers a centuries old religious complex in East Java that was buried by volcanic ash and digs up evidences of a Dutch castle hidden beneath the town of Semarang in Central Java.

Premiers 07 November 2010, Sunday, 10 p.m. (GMT +8)

Encores: 09 November 201o at 11 p.m.; 14 November 2010 at 9 p.m., and 26 November 2010 at 10 p.m.

     The Philippines definitely have a lot in common with Indonesia.  For one, we look a lot like the Indonesians (and the Malaysians, Thais, Vietnamese, etc.), after all, they were one of our ancestors.  And, like Indonesia, we are also an archipelagic country; we both lie in the Pacific Ring of Fire; thus, we also suffer from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.  

     I haven't been to Indonesia though I would really love to visit Bali, Borobudur and Yogyakarta. But definitely not now, not after after the twin calamities struck our Southeast Asian neighbor: earthquake and Mt. Merapi's eruptions.  Speaking of Mt. Merapi, presenter Anthony Morse was in Mt. Merapi during the filming of the episode, definitely shot before the eruptions, as can be seen on the photo below:   

Caption says: "Volcanologist Eko Teguh (left) and presenter Anthony Morse (second from left) climbing the slopes of the active volcano Mt. Merapi."

     Let us watch the show for our travel research on the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia.  Also, let us pray that Mt. Merapi calms down, and that Indonesians and fellow travelers alike therein remain safe.

Air Asia: The Best Seats are Free Seats!

 N.B. From Air Asia's Facebook Page (with promotional video):

FREE & LOW! [HQ]

by AirAsia

1:04

Nothing is sweeter in life than FREE seats and LOW fare! Only in AirAsia.com! It is happening on 9th November 2010 – so mark your calendar and stay tuned facebook.com/AirAsia to find out!

     I'm so excited! Whatever it is, if it's free, why not?  Do check it out on 09 November 2010.  It'll be a killer, so be patient and perhaps, we'll be able to snag a free seat or two, or if not, seats at a very, very low price.  I can't wait till  Tuesday!

     Happy travel planning!
Edited to add:

     Right now, I'm already planning my travel itinerary.  Will I go to Japan in the fall (next year, of course)?  Will I go to Kuala Lumpur first, then to Tokyo, Haneda Airport?  Will I just buy a one-way ticket to Tokyo, and I'll go from Tokyo to Osaka and from Osaka, straight to Manila? I'll have to wait for Cebu Pacific's sale for my return flight to Manila.  Or will I just get seats from Cebu Pacific when they go on sale?  But I want to go to Kuala Lumpur and go up the Petronas Tower, something I wasn't able to do when I was there.  Besides, I want to see Haneda Airport and its viewing platform; I always see that in Japenese doramas and in animes.  Or, should I just go to Haneda Airport and pretend to see off someone at the airport so I needn't go to Kuala Lumpur?  Gosh, I'm really, really baffled!  Argh!  I'm so, so confused...