The Worst Taxi Winner: Malaysia

Ths is a real story about Taxi in Malaysia. One week ago I took a taxi from my hotel to Train station. At the same time I saw one fellow Malaysian was heading to the same direction so I offered him to join my taxi to thesame train station. The fare is usually MYR 10 (without meter!) but when we arrived the taxi driver asked for 20, explaining the number of persons is two!  I was really angry with this driver, but since my friend was in hurry to purchase train ticket, we paid 20. 

My friend, which is Malaysian, told me that this kind of things also happen so many times to him ( m

Not only me). one tme the taxi driver  charged him almost twice, even though it was not night time already ( and even night time they should only add 50%). Amnother time the taxi driver asked him to get out of the taxi soon after he alighted the taxi since he did not want to pay what the driver asked for.

These are a few reasons A taxi in Malaysian refuses to take you or charge more:
1. Traffic Jam. Add additional 3 to 10 ringgit from the meter or they just say a rate. Take it or leave it or most pf time the driver just refuses to take you.
2. The way to your destination is not jammed, but on the way back is jammed. They are so futuristic that they already think of the way back!
3. Your destination is not on the way of the driver's home. He wants to go home.
4. Your destination is on the way to the driver's home, but he will also bring his wife in the taxi with you.
5. You are more than 1 persons, so each of you have to pay seperately. Insane logic!
6. Sorry the destination is too far, The driver only takes short distance trips.
7. The taxi has been waiting in queue for long, so add more money or just take another taxi.
8. It is almost midnight. The driver won't take you since they are waiting for after midnight rate. Thishappens frequently in Airport. If you arrive 11:30 pm or more, 99% chance you have to wait for at least 1 hour to get taxi. they are waiting right outside the Airport for midnight rate.
9. And the list goes on.......

Reporting the taxi seems useless since it seems that they have more "power". I think Malaysian government should take this seriously since actually this happens not only to Malaysian, but also to foreigners. I think Malaysian tai needs competition, really hard competition, so they will not treat customers like shit!

I think most Asian taxis are like that, but Malaysian taxi is the winner!

Kuala Lumpur - 1 thing I like and I hate.

Kuala Lumpur (KL) is the capital of Malaysia. I lived in KL there for more than 1 year. I just want to share 1 thing I like and 1 thing I hate about KL:

 

I like KL Food

 

Since the population of Indian and Chinese are quite high, the food here is quite diverse. I like to have roti Chanai with teh tarik or nasi lemak with beef or chicken rendang. Roti Chanai usually can be found in Indian or mamak (Indian moslem) stalls. There is a variation by adding an egg inside the roti Chanai (they call it Roti telur). If you opt for healthier roti, you can try Chapati (looks like Chanai but cooked without oil). Teh tarik is milk tea creating by pouring the tea from one cup to another like pulling (tarik means pull). 

 

 Also like Nyonya food. Nyonya (for ladies) and Babah (for men) are the words used for Chinese who came to Malaysia (and also Indonesia) long time ago and married local people. They then adopted local culture (like the clothes, kebaya, for ladies) and local food. The food is then called Nyonya food, a combination of local/malay and Chinese food. One food I like is asam fish (fish cooked in sour soup).

 

I also like the mooncakes made in Malaysia because of the varieties and the pretty packaging. You even can find Mooncake with sambal (chilli sauce) here. I never try it so I don't know how strange the test is. My favourites are alwasy the one filled with lotus seed paste with 1 or 2 egg yolks inside. I like to buy mooncakes here as a gift to my relatives. As I said before the packaging is beautifully created and suitable as a gift (either tin or paper box). The price is also reasonable.

 

I hate KL Taxi

 

The Taxi is really irritating here. Firstly, 90% of taxi don't want to use taxi meter with many reasons. They always haggle for the fare (either withourt meter or with meter plus additional money). And it seems that they have gang of taxi drivers doing the same thing. Secondly, most of the time the taxi doesn't want to go to certain places with various reasons (Traffic, not on his way home, etc). If you are in KL for long term, I am suggesting you to buy a car since it will make you mentally healthier due to less angry moments with the Taxis here.

 

Airpor taxi is another thing. If you arrive at KL airport maybe around 11:30 pm (almost midnight), please expect to queue for long even if you already purchase the taxi voucher in arrival.  Once I queue more than 1 hour with other pissed off pasengers. The reason is the taxi driver will not pick up the passanger before midnight, because the midnmight rate is 50% more than the daytime rate. However when they pick the queuing pasenger at 12:00 midnight, since the passanger purchase the taxi voucher before midnight, the rate is still daytime rate. So they will wait for another taxi to pick up those passengers first. The problem is that "another" taxi also think the same, resulting no taxi picking the passenngers even after 12 midnight, you have to wait maybe until 12:30 morning then you will get the taxi.

 

Hopefully someday Indonesia taxi like Blue Bird can open its branch in KL so they can shut down those irritating taxis forever.

Lake Toba and Tarutung

Lake Toba is one of the biggest crater lake in the world. It is located in Sumatra Island, North Sumatra province, Indonesia. you can fly to Medan and then drive to lake Toba. There are actually many good places to visit in North Sumatra.

Medan is the biggest city in North Sumatra and the culture thre is very diverse. The culture of Batak and Chinese blends well so you can still hear people speak Hokkianese, one of Chinese dialect here. Even some Batak also can speak this dialect.
 



Lake Toba Map

Berastagi is a mounteneous area near Medan. The climate is cool and many people come here just to spend weekends. Another town is Pematangsiantar, a town you can visit on the way from Medan to lake Toba. Last time I visit this town and eat one of the best noodle soup in my life, with pork charsiu (red roasted pork belly). 



Lake Toba

Port at Lake Toba

Lake Toba

Most food here contains pork, since Batak is mostly Christian, they enjoy pork delicacy as much as Chinese. if you want to try alcoholic drink, you can buy "tuak", a traditional Batak rice wine. the color is white and it is also cheap, around IDR 25,000 (around USD 3) a bottle. You can find it in almost all restaurants and " lapo " (small traditional Batak restaurant). If you really want to experience the Batak food, you should eat at lapo. You can find some food made from dog meat and also food from pork blood.

The combination of Batak and Chinese, both are famous of eating "every living things" makes North Sumatra the best place for fear factor. The resemblance of Batak and Chinese culture makes them easy to assimilate. Some of my friends and relatives of my wife actually are Batak-Chinese couples.

From Pematangsiantar you can then continue driving to Lake Toba. You have an option to stay on the main land or in Samosir island in the middle of lake Toba. There is a ferry on the lake shore that can bring you car across the lake to the Samosir Island in the middle of the lake. Last time when I was there, the fare is IDR 90,000 (around USD 10) one-way. athe first town you visit in Samosir is Tuktuk. There are many choices of avcomodation there. The cost is from IDR 50,000 to 250,000. Last time I just came to an accomodation and stayed for 1 night. 

 

 



The grave of Nomensen

Nommensen Picture & Safe

Another place to visit is Tarutung, a small town where the first Batak church was established. Tarutung is a cool place with still surrounded by forests. Tarutung now is still the center HKBP (Huria Kristen Batak Protestan), Maybe the biggest church group in Indonesia.

It was started long time ago when Ludwig Nommensen from Germany came as missionary to Batak land. He is the successful missinaty in batak since before him missionaries were killed by Batak. There was a assasination attempt toward him before by poisoning his food. He did not eat the food but his dog, Tuan Sipakur ate and died. The dog now was burried near Nommensen grave that you can visit here. When visiting his grave you also can take a look at his framed picture and his very old safe that nobody knows what is inside since it was locked and not opened since his death.

 





Salib Kasih (The Cross of Love) at Tarutung



Salib Kasih (The Cross of Love) at Tarutung

In Tarutung, there is a place called Salib Kasih (the Cross of Love), the place where Nommensen used to pray for Batak people to be saved. It is beautifully located in a hill near Tarutung (about 15 mintes drive) with the view of Tarutung town below. You also can visit the first chuch built by Nommensen (HKBP church).

From Tarutung you can drive to Sibolga, a small town near the beach. Sibolga is famous for its seafood. On the way, you can see many monkeys beside the street and you can feed the monkeys. There is also one waterfall betwen Tarutung and Sibolga.

 





The Church of Nommensen (now HKBP)

Monkeys on the way from Tarutung to Sibolga



Waterfall between Tarutung and Sibolga

Nearby you can also take a visit to the grave of Sisingamangaraja XII, one of the famous Batak kings who died when fighting with the Dutch colonoalist long time ago. It was said that he is bulletproof and the Dutch could not kill him before. His power only disappear when he is in touch with blood. So during the fight the Dutch shot his daughter first and then shot him when he carries his bloody daughter, he was in touch with his daughter blood then.




Impression of Sisingamangaraja XII



The grave of Si Singamangaraja

 



Serenade Lake (Part 2)



I just want to add some pictures of  Serenade Lake, Gading Serpong. This afternoon I took a walk in its garden and I also visited its club house. The club house is not so big, but it is very impressive. There is a clean and nice infinity swimming pool facing the lake. The house also have ping-pong table where some residents usually play in the morning and afternoon. 

 

Serenade Lake in the afternoon

Swimming Pool

















Club House swimming pool

Relaxing Cat

 

 

 



View from Club House to the lake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This place used to have viewing deck in the lake but it is not used anymore since the supporting concrete legs sunk. Too bad since the deck has  good view especially during the sunset.

 



 

 

Mt. Kelud and the Anti-gravity mystery

Today I would like to introduce you to Mt. Kelud, an active volcano located in east Java, Indonesia. Its location is near the cities of Kediri , Blitar, and Malang. It is approximately 27 km or 1-hour drive from Kediri. This volcano erupted in 1919 and 1990. At least I can say 3 reasons why this volcano is interesting to me.

The tunnel to Mt Kelud

Firstly, I experienced the 1990 eruption myself. It was on Saturday, 10 February1990, afternoon when I was attending youth service in my church in Kediri. The volcano eruption created dark sky. Then it started raining or "snowing" of white ashes and sands particles coming from Mt. Kelud.

Mt. Kelud location in East Java, Indonesia

The way down to the crater

The small volcano rising from the crater

Since my house is about 6 km from the church, I had to force myself to ride my motorcycle from church to home under the rain of ashes and sands. The "snow" created limited viewing distance so I had to turn on my motor cycle's head light and I also had to wear my raincoat to cover myself from the ashes.



The mysterious road where anti-gravity mystery happens

Secondly, there is a mystery related to this volcano. On one road on the way to the volcano, there is a phenomenon of anti-gravity. If you put a ball or a can of coke on this road, it will roll uphill. Put you car on neutral position and it will run uphill. This mystery is sometimes related to supranatural things but I believe it was because the gravity force uphill is stronger than downhill.

Lastly, the Mt. Kelud itself is quite a beauty. In its crater, there is another mountain coming up, taller and taller each year. My mom told me that when she was young, there was a crater lake amd she used to swim there with her neiborhood friends. The lake disappear now since the eruption and it is replaced by this small volcano.

Another mountain in Mt Kelud area

If you are intested to visit Mt. Kelud, you can fly to Surabaya or Malang, Indonesia, and from there rent a car or join a tour to Mt. Kelud. There are already a good road and facilities in this site so no need to do hiking anymore.