Saturday, June 20, 2009

Padang Trip & The Wedding

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Hi there!

Long time no update, things are getting a bit hectic here hehe
It's almost a month ago (yes, almost a month ago when I promised that I'll update once I arrived in Bandung, gomenasai m(_ _)m) when I went to Padang with my family to attend my cousin's wedding.
It was great and I enjoyed my time there even though the weather was almost unbearable (it's around 34 Celsius degree there , secretly wishing my body fat'd melt there, apparently it didn't).

Dunno where or how to start, so .. let's the pics do the talk hehe




At the airport , waiting and waiting before check in.
Make myself busy w/ Twitter and Facebook hahaha




At Terminal 3 w/ my bro and sis
It's HUGE !




w/ my sis & mom
I the the paint color




YES, WE CAN!




Stupid random pic
From left to right: me, my bro, my sis




Cam whoring a bit


Arrived safely in Padang (Thank God! Because at first I was a bit reluctant to take a days off at work and FLY since there are so many plane crash recently ). My cousin and her boyfriend came to pick us up , and they took us right away to one of my fave place in Padang - BUFFET MALABAR !! Yay! All my worries has gone far far away!
They serve best curry, satay, cane bread and martabak! Yumm .. Too bad I did't take any food pics, I was too busy eating them! hahaha :D




Dinner at Malabar before home


After dinner we went home to my cousin's home, where the reception will be held 2 days later. It's very common to have wedding reception at home here in Padang, even if they damn rich and can afford to book the most expensive hotel ballroom. They just feel more satisfied having it at home.
I personally prefer reception in hotels/hall/restaurants/anywhere but house for practical reason. Can't imagine do the cleaning and house chores after such a big event.
I heard in neighborhood a man who have important position in local government just held a wedding reception at home for her daughter few months ago. They had the party for 7 days, day and night, booked vacant space beside his house to build temporary kitchen, w/ live bands, door prizes, games and endless food and drinks.
Wow.
In Bandung, as far as I know, people usually only spend couple of hours for wedding reception.

Well, anyway, at home there was my aunt waiting and busy w/ wedding preparation. I was surprised to see the house decoration . Especially living room and the bride's room. It's like almost 90% done. The house looked so different from its usual . The main attraction is .. I don't know what it called in English but in Bahasa Indonesia it's called "pelaminan", where the bride and the groom sit and greet the guests during the reception. It's all in crimson red and gold, colors that commonly used in Padang's traditional events.












Took this one w/ my phone cam.
Different lighting hehe




The bride's room


And finally ..
THE WEDDING!!!




The chandelier




The tents were in red, pink, purple
I think it looks pretty, very girly hehe




Me and my sis in our pink kebaya uniforms




Helena, my cousin
Younger sister of the bride, pretty isn't she?




Helen and the receptionists




w/ my bro




w/ my aunt




w/ my sis & my cousin




Eka & Rano
The bride & the groom
Congrats!


Busy w/ wedding preparation doesn't mean we don't have time to have fun and explore Padang. We took time off a while to wander around the town.

First we went to an old Chinese temple in Jl. Kelenteng, located in a district w/ only old buildings.
I remember sometimes my dad used to bring me here after work. I love this place.
I don't know much about the story but my dad said that most of the buildings still look the same as he can remember as a child. Imagine how old they are! They looks beautiful to me but unfortunately abandoned. I think it'd be nice if owners and local government take care of them like what they did to Braga district in Bandung.



Family pic!
From left to right: my mom, my bro, my sis, me,
my niece who called me "sis" instead of "auntie"
hahaha not that i mind, and my cousin


















And here the old buildings I told earlier!


















Later on we went to a small shop that serves es teler, es campur, sate padang etc. But they're famous for their es durian . They pour thick durian juice on ice, durian, condensed milk, syrup, jelly grass, fermented cassava and I don't know what else they put in there, but it's seriously delicious! It's also damn cheap lah, the customers are mainly high school and college students.




What's up dude??
Ahahaha I know, it's lame, sorry




Sate Padang
Loving it because it came in small portion
(suitable for girls .. who's on diet, like .. me?)
and also not too spicy




The shop's specialty
Super thick es durian! yumm!


Next destination: a visit to my kindergarten and elementary school!
Well, I was born in Padang and lived there for 6 years before I moved to Bandung w/ my family. Couple years back, I had dreamed about my former schools and teachers in Padang twice when I was about to enter junior high and university. Still don't know what it means. Guess I miss them a lot? I've been in Padang couple times before but this is the first time I visit my schools after .. err .. 18 years? Great, now I feel old.




Mariana Kindergarten




The empty class room
Nostalgic, they don't change it. I'm happy it's still look the same.




Kids in their sports uniforms
Seemed like they had P.E that day
I only found one boy who wore regular uniform.
The uniform still the same like one I had
It's sailor uniform, like Japanese student, in white and blue, and round hat




The washstands
One of the things I still remember very clearly in Mariana
We'll line up here before our morning snack




The playground




Praying Room
This is new building they added in playground

Then we went visit my elementary school. Actually I've only become a student there for less than a year. I continued my first year in Bandung.



It located near my house, only couple minutes of walking
But my dad kept repeating story that once he was late to pick me up
Everyone at school has already gone home
And there I was, accompanied by my teacher
w/ tears falling down on my cheek, crying silently, waiting for my dad
I don't remember a thing




The class room
Looks like my class room in my junior high
Wonder maybe that's why I dreamed about this school when I was in junior high?




w/ my beloved daddy









The playground
They had dance practice that day





I enjoy this nostalgic visits so much!

Next, a day after the wedding we went to Bukittinggi, where the weather is waaaay cooler than Padang hahaha these Bandung people seems can't stand it any longer hahahaha :D




On our way we stopped at Datuk Restaurant
in Padangpanjang to have lunch
Nice place, looks a bit like Sundanese restaurant



But the food is TOTALLY different
It's Padang, of course!




Enjoy!

Arrived in Bukittinggi! Done shopping, visited my grandma in Payakumbuh, bought some souvenirs then went back to Padang!



Took pic at famous Jam Gadang in Bukittinggi
before headed to Padang
Ugh, it's so damn cold that night




Jam Gadang - Bukittinggi
Looks more beautiful at night, don't you think so?
Btw, know what's weird with it?
I don't have clearer pic but if you happen
to find one, take a closer look at the clock, esp. number 4
They wrote it "IIII" instead of "IV"!!!!!


Time to go back to Bandung!
Bought some sanjay chips and other food for friends & family waiting in Bandung, then off to airport!




Stopped by at Padang Beach and took pic w/ my sis




Finally arrived!
Bandung, I'm coming!!


Hahaha sorry for taking long time to update.
In summary, I enjoy the trip very much, esp. kindergarten & elementary school visit.
Looking forward to visit them again someday!
Ok, I gotta sleep now *yawn
I'll update soon.
Bye!