ATTENDING THE WEDDING RECEPTION OF MR. KAMIL HASBI AND MS. NUR SARENA

A wedding reception was held today at Taman Desa Jaya Community Hall. An ex-student of SMK Taman Universiti from SPM batch 2006, Mr. Kamil Hasbi tied the knot to Ms. Nur Sarena. The event was actually the reception of the bride's side.

A group of ex-students from the bride's same batch was already there so I joined them for the group photo.

Congratulations Kamil Hasbi and Sarena, and may the years ahead be filled with lasting joy.

That should wrap up the wedding receptions attended for 2017. I wonder whether there will be more to attend next year.

MY MAKASSAR GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - "KONRO SOUP"

15th OCTOBER 2017 ~ Another must-eat food when in Makassar in Konro Soup. I think "konro" refers to the rib of the animals. The most famous Konro Soup is the the rib of a horse! I will definitely NOT eat a horse even if I am hungry I can eat a horse.

The soup was eaten with "ketupat" - rice cooked in woven coconut leaves.

I could not remember the name of this place. The restaurant is located at the city centre. I was there quite late for lunch but there were still many people eating.

Another objective for the Makassar trip achieved but I want Konro Soup now! *sigh*

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE BUTTERFLY PARK AT BANTIMURUNG NATIONAL PARK

15th OCTOBER 2017 ~ The last stop at Bantimurung National Park was at the Butterfly Park, which was located like 500 metres outside the entrance. Again, visitors had to pay a small fee to get into this place, and would have to pay extra to walk on the suspension bridge.

I was excited to see the live butterflies there but unfortunately, there was none could be found. According to my guide, it could be because of the dry season and the heat. One interesting thing to note is even though there were trees and streams in Bantimurung National Park, but it was scorching hot. I wonder if it was because of the limestone hills that surrounded the area.

I had to settle for the suspension bridge, as well as other people who were there on that day. I was not particularly keen to try this but since I had paid for it, I would just do it. Furthermore, there were no butterflies around, remember?

There were many people at that spot so we had to take turns. First the staff strapped people with the safety harness and then only we started climbing up the tower. After that, the other staff would attach one end of the cord to the huge rope of the suspension bridge. You could see the net underneath the bridge but I think that was not a safety net. That was the net that prevented the butterflies from escaping from the park (even though there were no butterflies on that day).

looking down from the tower

Then you were ready to walk to one end, and walk back to the same point. Luckily, people were no shaking, swaying of rocking the bridge while I was walking on it so everything was alright. The people in my group, like everybody else were more busy posing and taking photographs.

If you think you could stand the heat or the sun ray, you could even use the yellow umbrellas provided. That would make you look more like a circus performer walking on a tightrope from afar.

That should be the last activity in Bantimurung before making my way back to the city. This should be a place you might consider visiting in Makassar especially if you are a nature lover.

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE BUTTERFLY MUSEUM AT BANTIMURUNG NATIONAL PARK

Look, I have wings!

15th OCTOBER 2017 ~ Bantimurung National Park is also known as Butterfly Kingdom. Alfred Russel Wallace, a British naturalist, found 256 butterfly species from this area in 1857. [source: Wikipedia]

There was this small Butterfly Museum in the park, near the entrance. You have to pay a small fee to visit this building. Inside, there was a collection of butterflies and there were many of them - dead and being preserved. Where did all the butterflies come from?

This reminds me a lot of my first year in university. I had many friends doing courses like Diploma in Agriculture. One of their assignments was to collect insects and butterflies from the farm. They would then had to arrange and pin their collections (after suffocating these unfortunate creatures in chloroform) on the styrofoam in a box. And I was always there to join in the fun.

So if you like butterflies, this should be THE place you must visit when you are in Makassar.

Something interesting to share:

Lepidopterology - the study of butterflies and moths.

[MY MAKASSAR TRIP MAIN PAGE]

BOOK REVIEW - "VELOCITY: A MEMOIR"

I read another autobiography - this time written by an Australian, Mandy Sayer. She was telling about her difficult and troubled childhood, coming from a broken family. Being a single mother, her mom seemed just could not be independent without a man beside her and unfortunately, she chose to live with someone who was abusive. The mother herself was an alcoholic and had attempted suicide numerous times. They ran away from Sydney to Melbourne, and yet, the man still managed to track them down. Despite all the difficult times she had to face, the writer still attended school, completed her education and survived.

I think almost all the autobiographies I read had very sad beginnings, especially when the writers were all growing up. Sayer had successfully told her story living in Sydney in 1960's and I am glad I am familiar with many of the places mentioned in the plot. 

I am already reading another book, but I don't think I could finish it before the school reopens next week.