MY BELITUNG GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE - RUMAH MAKAN TIMPO DULUK

25th OCTOBER 2019 ~ Right after leaving the airport, the first pit stop was Rumah Makan [restaurant] Timpo Duluk for lunch. The first item we saw was a large and tilted fishing boat before we had to climb up the stairs to get to the main building.

This should be a popular eating place on the island. There were two huge traditional houses welcoming us. We were amazed with interior decoration of the restaurant as it was like a mini gallery exhibiting some items we used to have during our childhood - including vintage cars and a scooter.

While waiting for the food to be served, I ventured out of the building and found big cages housing squirrels and birds.

We were very happy with what we saw, obviously. We were easily entertained by almost everything.

The food cover adorned with crochet knitting instantly impressed us even before the content of the tray was revealed to the hungry tourists.

The food was good and one of the traditional dishes we had was Sup Gangan - fish cooked in gravy with pineapple.

my first encounter of a Belitung cat

There was a souvenir shop at the restaurant which was an indicator this place was frequently visited by tourists. So the shopping activities started real early (for the ladies).

As for bored children, there was a playground for them to run around freely, climb up and jump down.

I have a feeling that the food here is slightly pricey but who would complain when everything is good. We spent quite some time at this place before leaving for our first real attraction.

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THE ADVENTURE IN BELITUNG ISLAND WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN

The plan for Belitung Island getaway was put forth when we found out the AirAsia direct flight coincided with the dates of the school break for Deepavali. In the end, 5 friends and one kid excitedly waited for the day to arrive. The people involved were my 4 ex-coursemates of UPM TESL class of 1993 and the daughter of one them, and another ex-UPM alumnus of the same batch.

breakfast sessions at KLIA2

25th October 2019:

7:00 a.m. Aishah Aboo Bakar landed in KLIA2 from Penang and I from Johor Bahru.
The first breakfast session at Burger King.
9:00 a.m. The other 4 people, all from KL area, arrived and checked in their luggage.
The second breakfast session at Old Town.

the excitement at KLIA2

11:00 a.m. the plane left KLIA2.

now everyone can fly to Belitung

11:40 a.m. [west Indonesian time] landed safely at H.A.S Hanandjoedin Airport (that is a mouthful name to pronounce for an airport).

the excitement continued at HAS Hanandjoedin Airport

Only at small airports you could get yourself photographed very near to the plane and airport on the tarmac.

The airport was just a small one, there were many passengers from the same flight and the queue was long. However, we were in no hurry and the waiting did not hamper our excitement for the long awaited vacation.

Mr. Hadi, Puan Adila's husband who is working there, was already waiting for us at the exit of the arrival hall with another driver, wondering what took us so long to get out. We quickly hopped into the car and the real adventure on Belitung Island was about to begin.

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TJQ 101 - INTRODUCTION TO BELITUNG ISLAND, INDONESIA

Geographically speaking, Belitung Island is located to the south east of Sumatera Island, in the middle between Sumatera and Java Island. There is another bigger island which is Bangka Island, its counterpart in forming an Indonesian province called Bangka Belitung (BABEL). The main city of Belitung Island is Tanjung Pandan which is situated on the west side of the island. How big is Belitung Island you may ask - it is 4/5 the size of Bali.

Belitung Island is made famous by the box office Indonesian movie entitled "Laskar Pelangi" adapted from the novel of the same title. Therefore, you are advised to watch the film before going, especially if you are planning to visit the replica of the school seen in the movie or to the museum dedicated to the author of the book Andrea Hirata. It is gaining more popularity now among tourists especially when the airport is now opened to direct international flights and soon tourists will be flocking the place. I read somewhere on the internet that Belitung is even nicknamed the Maldives of Indonesia.

The best way to get there from Kuala Lumpur is by AirAsia which offers direct flight to Tanjung Pandan. Or else, one has to transit to Jakarta first in order to get here which could be a hassle to most travelers. Just hope the carrier will retain its route to the island for a longer period.

WHY do people go to Belitung? To be soaked in sea water under the hot sun and to walk on the fine, white sand barefooted all the time. Beautiful beaches adorned many corners of the island but we only managed to visit a few as we spent longer time at these spots. There are also museums and a lot of souvenir shops and even factory outlets. Tourism is blooming and there could be more hotels to accommodate growing number of visitors. Getting one place to another on the island could be a challenge without a tour agent, but one could always rent a car or motorcycle to go around.

As the majority of the population are Muslims, halal food is in abundance. Either you just eat the regular Indonesian food or you could also try Belitung's own signature dishes. If you are adventurous enough, there could be places for you to savour the seafood that comes fresh from the fisherman's village.

One thing I love about Belitung Island is that the place is calm and more relaxed. Unlike other cities in Indonesia I had been to, there was no traffic jam at all and people did not honk at each other on the road. The place was clean and houses and buildings were more organized. Most importantly, there were not many tourists coming here yet so going on a holiday without a huge crowd was definitely a bliss in life.

That information should provide some basic background to this paradise island on earth for now. More stories and photos of my short trip to Belitung Island coming your way real soon. Don't forget to come back for more.

OTHER RELATED LINKS:

The Adventure Was About To Begin...
Rumah Makan Timpo Duluk
Belitung Museum and Animal Park
Laskar Pelangi School
Andrea Hirata's Museum of Words
Buying Kuih at a Roadside Stall
Fishing Village at Serdang Beach
Living at a Home of a Director's House
Having Breakfast at Hanggar 21
Tanjung Kelayang
Klapa Souvenir Shop
Kong Djie Coffee at Klapa
MbM Factory Outlet
Belut Souvenir Shop
The Boat Ride to Lengkuas Island
Lengkuas Island [Part 1] [Part 2]
The Lighthouse on Lengkuas Island
Kelayang Island
Aka Ula Cafe
Dinner and Breakfast at a Home in Belitung
The Home of A Director's House: Outside
Pulau Pasir [Sand Island] off Leebong Island
[Part 1] [Part 2]
Leebong Island
Lunch on Leebong Island
Chicas Beach on Leebong Island [Part 1] [Part 2]
Dinner at Gorong Gorong
Traditional Market at Tanjung Pandan
Breakfast at La Lucia Hotel
La Lucia Hotel

PHNOM PENH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT A GLANCE

Phnom Penh International Airport was a small but busy airport of Cambodia. I was here on the 13th and 16th August 2019 during my short trip to the capital city. The last facility was the shuttle train that ferried people from the airport to the city centre, and vice versa.

There was a prayer room, a building of its own, outside the main airport building, near to the shuttle train station. One reason could be there are a lot of local Muslims among Cambodians actually.

The food court was also located outside the terminal building.

There were many Malaysians flocking the airport when I was there to catch my flight home. Mostly came to Cambodia because they were carrying out the Qurban [slaughtering of animals to be given to the less fortunate] ritual during the Eid ul-Adha season.

chatting with a fellow Malaysian while waiting for the flight

In a few more years, I could see the airport could be expanding by looking at the development project going on in the city and Phnom Penh might also attract more visitors.

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RACHANA HOSTEL IN PHNOM PENH

I stayed at Rachana Hostel from 13th-16th August 2019, and it was a pleasant stay I must say.

the lobby

My first impression was this would be an old hotel by looking at the front facade of the building. Surprisingly it turned out to be cozy and everything was just fine.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS HOSTEL?

• The room is spacious and clean, worth the reasonable fare.
• People at the front desk are really friendly and helpful. (One girl lent me her money for me to pay the tuk tuk driver upon arriving as I did not have small change)
• The hostel is strategically located. The museum, palace and Sisowath Quay are all withing walking distance.
• The room is equipped with a kettle and a wide flat screen television.

OTHER THINGS YOU MAY CONSIDER:

• There is no lift. The stairs are steep and this could cause difficulties if you have a huge bag or you have problems with your feet climbing up.
• It is an old building so I think in any case of emergency, there is only one way out.

view from the window

the wide corridor outside

wardrobe with an open concept

I climbed up to the rooftop to get the view of the city the morning before going back.

If I were to come back to Phnom Penh, I would love to stay at this hostel again. Pray that I will still be healthy to walk up all those stairs again.

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