mer's travel notes

sketched by mer in Enschede, 8 June 2005, based on the visit to Maastricht on 3-4 June 2005


"The Bridge"
sketched by mer in Enschede, June 2005, based on the visit to Maastricht on 3-4 June 2005

New York, sketched by mer, 27 feb 2005

-- E. B. White, This Is New York

Novelist and essayist E. B. White wrote the words above more than 50 years ago, but his depiction of New York remains accurate today. This favorite city of mine may not be the most beautiful city in the world. It’s not the most modern one neither the cleanest one. It is also not full of spectacular nor historical buildings. It is not Paris nor London. New York is great just because it is New York!

Once (cultural and economic) capital of the United States, now considered capital of the world, NYC is a wonderful place to visit. Nicknamed as the Big Apple, this city always has something for everyone, all of you, whether you are a culture appreciator, art admirer, meticulous gastronomer, or an exclusive shopper. NYC can be visited over and over again throughout a lifetime, yet each time something new and exciting to experience can easily be found. You can travel here for business, a vacation or romantic getaway. It's just a city that people easily fall in love with. I only needed 3 seconds and 47 miliseconds to fall in love with this city... hey, of course I am exxagerating!!!

New York City has been put on a big screen since the dawn of moving picture. The city plays an unimaginable role in turning personal stories, human affairs and dreams into realities of life embedded in images and sounds. For cinephiles and TV aficionados, corners of downtown Manhattan must have been familiar; each has stories of its own. Scenes of Rosemary’s Baby, Taxi, Friends, Seinfield, Sex in the City and many other movies decorate every curves of New York City with romances, intrigues, laughs and tears. The New York is a celebrity central when it comes to movie and television stars. But just as interesting as these scenes and some of the diners, bakeries and apartment buildings used as backdrops, so are the people and culture of New York.

New York is not only about the Liberty Statue, the Empire State and Ground Zero (WTC). There's more to it. Many adventurous and interesting things and places exist here. Some of my favorites are:

• STRAND -- 8 miles of books, one of the greatest cheap bookstores in the world where you can find books in their pre-published versions.
• Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), a museum with everything that can satisfy your hunger for arts.
• Central Park, the greatest public park ever with a vibrant civic life.
• Grand Central Station, this central station is not only a station, it's also a great city landmark with the spectacular ceiling in the main terminal. The Grand Central market -- a traditional market adjacent to the station -- is my favorite place for snack/food shopping.
• 42nd Street & Broadway, this part of the city has a spectacular view that gives you huzzy dizzy busy feeling... this is where broadway shows exist..
  

There are many other things I can put in the list, but I'll stop there. Even some small things can be so interesting in this city.

This city is full of contrasts and idiosyncrasies. You can easily grab $2 breakfast (or even $0.99!) from any street-kiosk and get a descent lunch or dinner cheaply from any local restaurants at the Second Avenue. Yet it's impossible to find any clothes with less than $500 at the most expensive shopping street of the Fifth Avenue.

Today, the city is in a constant state of flux. Broadway shows, exercise fads, city politics, and even neighborhoods are all subject to the same Big Apple fickleness. And within this ebb and flow lies the answer why New Yorkers persist in loving this city, despite the high rents, the noise, the crowds, the clueless cab drivers, and the more stark realities of living in the shadow of great tragedy of 9-11. Nowhere else is the challenge so tough, the pace so relentless, the stimuli so ever-changing and insistent -- and the payoff so rewarding. After witnessing the city, I know why the New Yorkers persist in living their vibrant lives here.

Come witness New York's astonishing resilience for yourself -- it's reason enough to visit.

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York

New York, New York
I want to wake up in a city, that never sleeps
To find I'm a number one, head of the list,
Cream of the crop at the top of the heap.

These little town blues, are melting away
I'm gonna make a brand new start of it - in old New York
If I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere
It's up to you - New York, New York

(from New York, New York).

Dear all,

This is not a travel story. This is just a note or a summary of some ramblings about the (dreamed) future travels of someone named Merlyna Lim.

In these last 3++ years, I've been travelling a lot -- overwhelmingly a lot. Flying to more than 50 cities (59 so far, according to my not-so-accurate calculation) in not sure how many countries, 30++ conferences, 20++ lectures, and don't forget 1 jail..:P But still, I want to see more (but no more jail, please..). Among some countries I want to visit are: any country in Sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt/Israel, China, Australia, and any country in Eastern Europe.

But actually, for now, places that I really really want to visit are actually located in Indonesia. Anna, a new friend of mine, suggested me to publish some experiences of my travels in Indonesia. This made me think .... and then I realized that I actually have no recent experience in travelling in Indonesia (except for Bali in 2002). In the past, perhaps 10 years+ ago, I had some chances to travel domestically. As I never had enough money for travelling, I only went places when it was free for me to do it. So, being a supposedly "important member" in the student choir led me to travel to some cities other than mine (Bandung)-- Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogya, and Solo. Later my existence in the student choir also brought me to be involved in a Safari Bahari--a maritime journey initiated by Minister of Tourism--where I was sailing (and got horrible sea-sick all the time) for nearly 2 months where I visited some cities in Eastern Indonesia: Ambon, Kupang, Dili, Ujung Pandang (Makasar) plus not-so-Eastern cities: Surabaya & Bali. They were all memorable experiences. Since they happened looooong time ago, I couldn't write stories on them. Will be lacking too many details.

So, my dream for now is to be able to travel in Indonesia in the near future (and eventually write my dream 'village-to-village' travel book full of short stories, jokes, poems, and sketches). FYI, I haven't been to any place in Sumatra, Sulawesi (except for Makasar), Kalimantan, and Irian ... and many other islands in between. I really want to go to any place there. And hey, I don't mind travel in Java, Bali, Maluku, Timor, etc. The problem is in the last 3 years++ I never go places merely for holiday, I always go somewhere for conferences, giving lectures, and other similar events. Yes, unfortunately (well, fortunately as well) I always get invited to speak in conferences and give lectures abroad. Nobody from Indonesia invite me to speak in conferences (well, there were two or three but only in Jakarta and Bandung)...arrrrghhhhhh!!!

Btw, this is not a self-promotion. But if you think you need someone to speak about Cities & Civic Spaces, Civil Society/Civil Technologies, Globalization & Media, Media & Culture/Politics, Internet & Society (anything about the Internet!), as well as know-how about Beasiswa (scholarship) abroad, I am available to give a free lecture! Oh ya, I also can come to sing (any style! from classic, to jazz, pop or even dangdut) and play music.. hehe. Or just to entertain you with my madness! :D

Oh ya, some people accuse me (or tease me) of being "too expensive" as I always speak abroad (of course those orgs and univs who invite me always pay my travel costs and accommodations--I never go if I have to pay or have to seek my own funding--and eventually give me some honorarium too). I want to clarify that that accusation is not true. I never ask for any honorarium. I do many voluntary jobs. I sometimes--many times--give speeches for free (in academic world in North American/European settings there's no such thing as 'fees'). Also perhaps now I can take some money out of my saving for domestic traveling (I don't know how much domestic flights cost these days, though)... Well, yes, I am 'expensive' (= valuable...hehehe) but I am not materialistic at all, otherwise I would not choose to be a scholar and throw away my shiny career in commercial world!...:P

p.s. those who know me so well would understand that I write this not to complain or to brag about myself. i actually don't really need to be invited to go places in Indonesia to justify my scholarly work (I don't want to be an "academic celebrity" who speaks too much but never really write well). I am content with what I am doing now and I just want to write more (not to travel more than the length of my writing). I am doing ok in the last 3 years by publishing many international scholarly works, but I know that I should do more because I love writing good pieces of academic work and make my country--Indonesia--proud by showing the world that an Indonesian can do well in international level. I write this just to remind myself that no matter what, I actually really love Indonesia and I definitely am longing to see more of my country.

----
[Indonesian 'suka-suka' translation]

Kawans,

Gue sakaw pingin jalan-jalan di Indo. Pingin liat Danau Toba, pingin nyelam di Bunaken, pingin liat tanah air moyang gue di Sambas, pingin nengokin Aceh, pingin terjebak di liar-nya alam Papua dan sejuta tempat lain di Indonesia, tanah air gue yang tercinte.

Dulu-dulu sih emang gue kagak punya duit untuk jalan-jalan. Cuma jalan2 kalo dibayarin (eh, sekarang juga ya masih gitu, mana pernah jalan2 kagak dibayarin?). Tapi sekarang sih gue punya tabungan dikit untuk jalan2 domestik, so kayaknya cita2 ini musti gue jabanin dalam waktu dekat. Musti, harus, wajib, kudu!

Problem gue, dalam 3++ tahun terakhir gue kagak pernah jalan2 sekedar jalan2. Pasti jalan2 dalam rangka konferensi, ngasih kuliah, dan sebangsanya. Jadinya udah kebiasaan nih, aneh rasanya kalo jalan2 sekedar liburan, musti ada tujuan lain euy. Sekedar curhat... sedihnya, sementara gue sering diundang nge-bako di luar negeri, gue kagak pernah diundang di Indo nih. Eh, ngga sedih deng, sering diundang ke luar negeri ya gue untung dong ya. Gue bersyukur bener. Cuman yang kadang-kadang pingin juga sih bagi-bagi ilmu di dalam negeri. Ini bukan promosi sih, cuma curhat.

So, jadinya, kalo teman-temin mo ngundang gue, silakan aje. Ngundang untuk ngobrol, ngibing, nyanyi, atau undangan ke kawinan juga boleh, hihihi. Gue ini bukan 'jual mahal' lho (ini "tuduhan" alias "guyonan" beberapa temen nih... dasar siti sirik lu..). Gue ini cuma kurang go domestik. Kayaknya karena gue ini tampang mahal kali ya... hoahaeohaoei. Ya udah, kalo gue diundang, gue kagak usah dibayar deh. Soal akomodasi atawa biaya perjalanan sih kita nanti bisa negosiasi-in, OK? Kalo kagak mahal-mahal banget ya gue ngrogoh kocek ndiri deh, atau paroan ya? (hihi, nawar). Itung2 gue tamasya berkeliling-keliling kota sambil melihat-lihat keramaian yang ada... eh, ini teh lagu naon euy?

Ya ... begitulah, sutralah... Gue bukan jual mahal, emang gue 'mahal' tak terkira...hihihi.. dan jelas-jelas gue bukan cewe matre. kalo gue matre ngapain juga jadi peneliti... ninggalin karir arsitek komersial gue yang kinclong itu..... :P

n.b. temen2 gue yg udah deket pasti ngerti kalo gue ngga bermaksud ngeluh apalagi nyombong. gue sebetulnya ngga perlu diundang2 ke mana2 di Indo hanya untuk membuktikan bahwa gue adalah peneliti yang baik. gue ngga punya cita-cita jadi selebriti akademik yg kerjanya ngomong dan muncul di TV tapi ngga pernah nulis dgn baik. gue puas dengan hidup gue sekarang. sangat puas. dengan publikasi2ku aku sudah berusaha menjadi 'scholar' dan aku ngga akan stop menulis karena itulah yang kubisa lakukan untuk Indonesia. kemana-manapun gue bawa nama bangsa dan dengan bangga gue bilang, "I am Indonesian". Gue nulis kayak gini cuma untuk ngingatin diri sendiri bahwa gue cinta Indonesia dan rindu untuk ngeliat lebih banyak keindahan negeri kita ini.

(c) mer, enschede, 3 march 2005, noon.

Sitting down in the Honolulu airport lounge on my way to Newark, I realize that six days stay in this island is definitely too short. I wish I could stay another day, another week, another month. Yes, there's something about Hawai'i, never enough of it. It's not my first trip to Hawaii, also not my second... nevertheless, this island still puts a spell on me.... Hawai'i has everything in one package; beautiful nature, pleasant weather, rich culture & great food, plus nice and friendly people.

...beautiful nature...
Some places have one or two beautiful beaches, but Hawaii has many many beaches. Waikiki -- the most famous and touristy one -- is beautiful. Not only its beach, its Kapiolani Park, its Aquarium, and cultural arts/performances held there... all give you fresh touches of Hawaii. But Waikiki is not the only place with this tasty flavor, there are many other places. Some other beaches -- Kailua, Waimanalo, to name a few -- are even more natural; they satisfy you eyes with spectacular scenic images. Sandy beaches, palm trees, and warm tropical breezes of Hawaii... ooh, they are georgeous!

...pleasant weather...
Unlike what people have in mind, Hawaiian weather is not actually hot. It is mostly warm -- sometimes cold too during the winter like now -- with cool breeze. Even when a temperature rises up, it's not as hot as in other tropical places since sea-breeze is always in existence. This time, though, the weather is much colder than I thought. It is not that cold, but really windy... one night when I walked under a light rain, I felt as if a giant cycle of wind would blow me away from the ground! Well, it didn't happen... fortunately, I am not than light... not a wisp that could be easily blown away!

...culture, food, and people...
Hawai'i is actually one of the most racially diverse places in this planet. In fact, there's no majority, everyone is in a minority! In the 2000 census, more than 20% claimed multi-ethnic background. If you walk around it's kinda difficult to guess what are origins of these people of Hawaii. Even those whom you thought are Caucasian or Hawaiian, most likely they have multiple origins. More than half of Hawaii's population is at least part Asian, about the same is part Caucasian, and about a quarter claim Hawaiian ancestry. Sounds pretty international, right? This diversity makes Hawai'i a place with very rich cultural atmosphere, great choices of food (some are hybrid), and great people too.

Speaking of food, wow... if you like Asian food then Hawai'i really gives you a wide range of choices... Vietnamese pho, Japanese curry and sushi, Korean barbeque, etc..etc... don't forget Hawaiian kalua. Hmmmm... yummy!

I found out that people in this island are very friendly, warm, tolerant, and quite relaxed too. Professors at University of Hawaii mostly are very supportive. Even though I am not a UH student/graduate, they always show their appreciation and willingness to help. Some Indonesian students (as well as non-Indonesian) whom I met here since my first visit to my current visit, are so nice. They have become my friends. They always welcome me with warm hugs everytime I come here or meet them somewhere else. Something about Hawaii has created a very pleasant ambience in building relationships... I think.

In this current visit, while I didn't have time to go to beaches at all, surprisingly I still enjoyed my stay. Just nice to be there... like a pause in my hectic life recently, yet I was also working here. It was so nice to spend my days at GRC with awesome people (thanks profs Douglass and Neubauer, Victoria, Troy & Hao), pleasantly waste my nights away chatting with smarty fun friends (thanks Wilmar and Basri) and having an enjoyable superb lunch (really wow menu! -- oxtail soup, gado-gado, rendang, cranberry juice plus ice-cream) with fun great ladies (thanks Abid, Sofi, mbak Nina, Indri and Lani, go go girls!).

Ah, ya... it's always hard to leave this island...

I'm blogging online now from Manhattan, NYC while attending a two-days meeting/conference. This is such a great experience for some obvious reasons. First, the conference itself -- Civil Societies/Civil Technologies: The Role of Research in Driving More Strategic Use of IT by Civil Society -- is great. There are approximately 45 participants consisting of IT practicioners (from civil society organizations worldwide), researchers (all are westerners except me and one Kenyan-British guy), and founders (big world-wide ones). There's a great diversity of expertises among participants and each has great stories/experiences to share. Second, the ambience is just great. New York is just a right place for this kind of conference and after all, New York is one of my favorite cities. I always love it. Third is the fact that this is the first conference where I was invited without having to prepare anything, no paper, no presentation, nothing, not even an abstract! I just had to fly here to listen and comment. Isn't it relaxing? (Well, nothing is relaxing in my recent academic world, though.. or perhaps everything is relaxing?).

Additionally, sitting down in this room, at the second floor of old building at 65 Fifth Avenue, and being wirelessly connected to the Internet at the sametime in is already an interesting experience. There's a special historical legacy in this experience, too. Why it is so? Because this building has a special place in the history of technology, actually in the history of modern world.

Can you name one early (modern) technology that had phenomenally transformed the world? Ice cream machine? Well, yes, it’s phenomenal.. (at least for me, hehe), but sorry, wrong answer. Wright brother’s airplane? Yes, it is really phenomenal, but I am talking about mass transformation, a technology that totally changed how things worked in the world. Yes, the right answer is electricity. So, now you can guess that this building has something to do with electricity. Indeed the famous Thomas Alva Edison ran his Edison Electric Lamp Company at 65 Fifth Avenue, New York City. Yes, right in this building! In March 1881, Edison moved his business operations to this building and started to manage all of his various light companies from his office in this building. In this building he organized his companies to manufacture lamps, generators, conductors and other components for his electric lighting system.

For me, this is an exciting historical fact. Interestingly, Edison might not ever imagine that in more than 120 years, one could be hooked to the cyberspace from his building. Wireless internet in Edison building! And surely he could never imagine that a conference on IT and civil society would be held here. Moreover, he could impossibly imagine that Merlyna Lim from Dayeuhkolot (that’s somewhere near an equator) would sit down in the second floor of his building, hehehe.

Ok, enough rambling about historical nostalgia. All in all, I just want to say that while I continue being fascinated by places, stories of places, and my experiences in these places, I am more fascinated by the fact that I have friends to share my experience with. Otherwise, my stories would just be buried and died.