Pontianak

10/12
i was there for my birthday. took the 11 am bus from Kuching to arrive at almost 9 pm in Ponti, Kalbar. its a pleasant journey. took a trishaw from the bus terminal to Hotel Gajahmada. he asked for Rp 30,000 (and i gave, i knew the rate is Rp 15,000- too tired to argue). went out for makan, ended up a few blocks away from hotel and settled for KFC. i ordered bergedel and Oriental Bento (nah... yang teda di Kuching ni). and went shopping for food at Mitra Ligo (adjacent) to my hotel. and oooooo.... fresh fruits banyak ni di Jalan Gajah Mada.

local time differ 1 hour from Kuching's time. and i'll quote Ponti's time throughout. 9.00 pm back in hotel. felt a bit dizzy and tired but i couldn't sleep. live performance at hotel's cosy cafe. friendly bunch of amateur performers. i had long island iced tea and mojito (disappointing!) no Pina Colada in their menu...adei..(the drinks helped me sleep and thanks for the late night sms. i. love.) cheer me up.

11/12
huge buffet breakfast. went to morning service (GPdI). i was early, and have a good chat with the bapa gembala. service started at 9.00 am and finished at about 11.30 am. (bapa gembala introduced me to the congregation--i feel like a superstar-- astaga bikin malu!). i walkaway before the closing prayer. walked aimlessly. after 30 mins, asked a youngster at the roadside for nearest mall. she points me to Matahari mall. (they have 3 major malls here, largest = Ayuni, 2nd Ramayana and Matahari is the 3rd). bought myself a T-shirt. tried to avoid lunch by eating sundae at Texas Chicken. went shopping at Carrefour, seperti biasa, yang dicari bumbu tradisional and i bought pangi here.. astaga.

heavy laden and not sure of way to my hotel. i asked the first smiling guy on motorbike for a ride (and i dont usually ride a motorbike, mind you). for 15,000 Rp (he asked for 10,000 Rp) i was saved. i ate one of the three avocados i bought last night. i was hungry, but determined to eat a posh dinner at the first posh looking resto in town. so, i soaked myself in hot bath, reading Doris Lessing and wait for evening. i went to opposite direction from the previous night. saw a huge banner of Bumbu Desa Resto (bukan yang ada di IKEA ka ni?) i tried checking up, but, it was full with people (majlis doa urapan untuk para missionaris). hotel is out of question. ada majlis pernikahan, so, its really crowded. i ended up eating at a halal outlet with no alcoholic beverages.

after dinner, i walked some more. bought dodol at gerai makanan khusus pontianak and it started to drizzle. i hurry back to hotel. had my tea at the lobby with a guy from Singkawang.

12/12
the plan is to visit The Equator monument and Istana. but, it rained heavily all morning. so, i read. Diaries of Jane Somers.

its almost lunchtime i went out, walked a few blocks from my hotel and saw their souvenir stalls street. went out to look for tortoise/turtle figurine (i collect those). no fridge magnet. i got a very karatan one for 2,000 Rp (less than RM1). the seller cant believe i wanted it!. walked some more, (i have no idea where i was) its a street like India street in Kuching. then, i got hungry, and looked for a decent place to eat. decided to go eat at the Texas Chicken (after sporting 2 kedai makan with 'Texas' on it names--they love cowboy that much?). drizzle again. asked for a motoride.. no luck. i walked to Matahari mall. rain again.

its almost 3.30 pm, the sky's still cloudy. i went out of matahari. try my luck on motoride. the sweet boy agree to give me a ride for 50,000 Rp to Equator monument and to Hotel. his 'bapa ayam' hiked it up to 60, 000 Rp. what can i do? he's a sweet boy. i wanted him!

bersambung..