Junko Tabei, Perempuan Pertama yang Mencapai "Seven Summits"

Pagi hari, 16 Mei 1975. Kala itu Junko Tabei sudah beranjak dari South Col. Puncak Everest sudah semakin dekat. Kurang dari dua minggu sebelumnya, longsoran salju (avalanche) memorak-porandakan kamp Tabei di ketinggian 6.400 mdpl. Kengerian tentu masih tersisa. Dari lima belas pendaki Jepang yang berangkat dalam ekspedisi khusus perempuan itu, hanya Tabei yang pagi itu mencoba ke puncak, ditemani oleh seorang sirdar (pemimpin Sherpa) bernama Ang Tshering Sherpa. Di hadapannya sekarang adalah se

Menonton Ngayogjazz 2018 di Pelosok Bantul

Setelah Heroic Karaoke, panggung dikuasai oleh empat grup musik dari Jogja Blues Forum. Di gelaran Ngayogjazz 2018 ini mereka punya misi ganda. Selain tampil, mereka juga menyambi memberikan pengetahuan soal sejarah blues pada penonton Ngayogjazz. Kepala saya tak henti goyang mengikuti musik-musik blues modern, roots, Texas, danflower generation. Dibuka dengan Slow Dancing in a Burning Room-nya John Mayer, “kelas” Jogja Blues Forum ditutup dengan Foxy Lady-nya Jimi Hendrix Experience.

5 Custom Surfboard Shops You Must “Go To” in Bali

Bali is not called the surf Mecca for no reason. It has many custom shops offering durable surfboards at reasonable price. Here are five custom surfboard shops in Bali you can go to. The legend says that Studer has already started shaping surfboards since he was sixteen. The first time he built a surfboard, his mother lost her ironing board; Luke’s first surfboard was shaped from an ironing board. After finishing high school, he went to Huntington Beach and worked for Sakal Surfboard. He then t

Surfing in Bali and why you should look no further

Bali and surfing are like John Lennon and Paul McCartney. They cannot be separated. Once they are separated, everything will fall apart. Everything. Not just the Beatles. Surfing has become part of the scene in Bali. It is easy to spot tourists seeking for the most adrenaline-pumping waves around the island wandering back and forth on motorbikes that have been equipped with surfboard racks. There will always be people paddling their boards on shoal waters, waiting for the moment to pop-up once a

A Must ‘Go-To’ List of the Unspoiled North Bali

Winking awkwardly, the dude at the travel fair said, “You have to visit Bali at least once in your life because the island is so green and culturally rich you won’t encounter such things elsewhere.” You bought the idea and it eventually made your way to Bali. Now, having been wandering for several days on your flip-flops around Kuta Lanes you start wondering where the culture is and the only green you see comes from painted walls. Instead, you see a jungle of clubs and pubs along the way.

Ketika di Ende

Dengan keringat yang menetes hebat di jidat, saya masuk ke kantor pos dan disambut oleh satpam. Secara fisik, kantor pos sudah tampak lebih menarik dibandingkan dulu. Dindingnya diberi kapur berupa garis-garis oranye. Kusen pintu dan jendela juga diwarnai serupa jeruk. Plangnya pun diseragamkan tulisannya: Kantor Pos. Dalamnya? Siapa yang tahu. “Saya mau mengirim kartu pos,” begitu saya jawab ketika satpam itu menanyakan keperluan. “Di sini ada kartu pos?”

An unforgettable detour to the Komodo village

At first, my three-week itinerary did not include paying a visit to Komodo Island in East Nusa Tenggara, the world-renowned island where one can see the last descendants of dinosaurs – the Komodo dragons. The reason was obvious; it was too pricey for a budget-traveler like myself, and I wanted to cross the whole of the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. Most of the travelogues I read said that one had to rent a boat or join a fancy cruise to get to the island, and I had to save every penny if I wanted

Dune It the Hard Way

Sebilah papan membawa saya meluncur menuruni lereng bukit pasir dengan cepat. Saya merasa bebas dan damai. Sesaat sebelum mencapai dasar saya lepas kendali. Badan oleng, limbung, kemudian berguling-gulinglah saya di permukaan pasir lembut nan kelabu. “Nggak seru kalau nggak jatuh,” ujar Ganesa–salah satu anggota Komunitas Sandboarding Indonesia- sebelum saya mulai meluncur. Saya sedang berada di Gumuk Pasir, Parangkusumo, Sahara kecil yang hanya berjarak sekitar 30 kilometer dari Yogyakarta. Tidak susah menemukannya sebab terletak persis di samping jalan utama.

Memburu Udang Raksasa

Suatu pagi di bulan Juli. Pak Adi tampak gagah dengan pakaian melautnya; kaos lengan panjang berkerah, celana training, dan sepatu boot. Beliau berjalan menyusuri jalan setapak menuju dermaga nelayan tradisional Teluk Karang. Saya dan Fajar mengekor di belakang karena pagi itu kami akan ikut melaut, menemani Pak Adi menjaring lobster. Pak Adi adalah salah satu dari sekian banyak nelayan pemburu udang raksasa di Teluk Karang, Kelurahan Sedau, Kecamatan Singkawang Selatan.