Mbah & Atok


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We are Mbah and Atok, a Malaysian couple in our mid 50s, intent on travelling as much, as far and as wide as we can. Mbah and Atok means grandmother and grandfather respectively in Javanese, our ancestral mother tongue. 

We are not grandparents yet (although it’s probably just a matter of time). But we’d like to leave a legacy for them, and for our children, and for others who come across us, in the form of a record of all the “treasures” that we have collected over the years of travelling the globe. 

We found joys as well as challenges in travelling — from exploring new places, meeting new people and learning new experiences. We also found that travel has broaden our horizons, and create understandings of people and cultures from all over; but more significantly, discovering ourselves. 

As we have learned from others before, now we believe we should also contribute our share to this body of knowledge that have guided and benefitted us immensely. Hopefully you would find our lessons and insights beneficial to you too. 

So join us in Mbah & Atok go to... as we explore, learn and share our life adventures of this awesome world. And we look forward to reading your comments too. 

Thank you. 

Mbah & Atok

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java - Day 4

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 4: Cirebon - Jakarta Tuesday 16 July 2024 Cirebon was meant to be a short stop for the notable mosque visit yesterday. So we had an early start for  Jakarta today. And we started the day with a surprise, or rather Mbah pulled one.  Maybe it was Mbah’s conscience in response to the old man’s offer, or in the spirit of travelling, that we took the  beca (trishaw) to the train station. Mbah thought we could both ride in a beca , but I proved her wrong by filling one all by myself (it was tiny!); so we took one each.  The ride was only a fraction faster than the 10-minute walk it would have taken us but it was a window to local life. According to my driver, thanks to Gojek and Grab, people rarely take the beca anymore. On a good day, he could make around IDR60,000 (approx USD3.70). As life progresses faster, it is sad that some are inevitably left behind. Mbah arriving in style The Indonesian train history exhibit a...
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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java: Day 8

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 8: Bandung (Central) Saturday 20 July 2024 We woke up at 4 AM. It was dark and cold outside. The night temperature was reportedly 15 degrees Celsius here, possibly colder with the breeze. Our hotel was perched on a hillside facing east. We braved the cold, warmed by a mug of coffee, and sat on the porch outside, watching the distant lights in the valley below us, waiting quietly for sunrise. Alhamdulillah, never in our planning nor imagination did we foresee being able to travel the world and marvel at its beauty like this.  PPTK Cafe Bandung — best place with the best food on this trip Then it was breakfast time. It's back to yesterday’s PePeTeKa Cafe . And it did not disappoint. The food was good, probably the best we had on this trip so far. We had pempek , one of Bandung’s specialties, and liked it. The kuey teow goreng (fried flat noodles) and nasi goreng (fried rice) we ordered were also good. We dare say the kuey teow goreng taste...
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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java - Day 2

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 2: Semarang Sunday 14 July 2024 As we went through Semarang old town yesterday we said to ourselves that this part of town is a must-visit. However, the good Doctor had more pertinent obligations to fulfil, so the adventure started a little later in the day. However, it wasn’t any less wholesome. One of Indonesia’s almost constant feature that we like is its blue sky Lawang Sewu , once the base of the Dutch who ruled Indonesia, was explored as planned. It now belongs to the national train company, KAI, housing exhibits on the history of the building during its construction and restoration, as well as the history of train service in Indonesia from the Dutch era to almost the present day (the story seemed to end a few years ago; for example, information about the new Whoosh fast train was not there). Being a mild train enthusiast, I was more inclined towards the latter exhibit. Lawang Sewu has endless photogenic locations; just bring your creati...
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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java - Day 5

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 5: Jakarta - Bandung Wednesday 17 July 2024 The hotel included breakfast, but it was a room service affair. Nasi goreng was served and, while satisfactorily filling, it wasn’t exactly the buffet spread we had imagined. Still, Alhamdulillah. All fuelled up, we went out to yesterday’s promised park . Tebet Eco Park  is an island of tranquillity in the busy city of Jakarta. It was very well designed and very beautiful. Yesterday evening, there were lots of families letting their children run around happily. This morning, the park was mostly filled with people doing their morning exercises. There was a group of children from a nearby school on an outing. Children all over the world are the same: they were noisily being chaperoned by their exasperated teachers trying to get their charges into pairs and in an orderly line. With bemused smiles on our faces, we silently wished the teachers luck. All cities should have nice parks like this Tebet Ec...
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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java - Day 3

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Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 3: Semarang - Cirebon Monday 15 July 2024 Travel must go on. Goodbye, Semarang. You've given us some very good memories, especially that little blast from the past in the antique market. InsyaAllah, we may yet be back. There’s at least one more place I’d like to visit if the opportunity comes knocking. Thank you for the sweet, memorable time you gave us. Nganti ketemu maneh, matur suwun . And so we continued on the Intercity to Cirebon , another major city along KAI’s track. As on the first day of travel, work must be kept updated. It can be stressful, especially when deadlines act like a noose around your neck, ever threatening to choke you to death. Better seats for working, and sleeping Gratefully, the train today was an upgrade from the previous rigid-upright-with-cramped-legroom seat style. Working in transit was a better proposition. So the better half plodded on for the next three hours while I productively slept most of the way th...
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