Salute for Everyone on the Launch of CRBOM! (2)

This is a second chapter from the first one. In early post I have mentioned that we had a trip which called Field Trip on Friday, 31 May 2009 (Mr. Nielsen-ADB's official-hates the banner on the bus that write 'Study Tour' instead 'Study Visit', he said it's like a group of high school students!). Well, there are 5 places to be visited and I had written in the early post that we have visited an underground river in Wonosari, Special District of Yogyakarta.

Next, after lunch break, we landed on Sand soil Irrigation System in Samas Beach, Bantul. Actually it's a weird farm. You see, farmer plant onion, eggplant, cucumber and other kinds of plants in the sand soil that we think it's impossible to do. I have no right to explain further, but I can describe it in short expression: it's simple. We just dam a river about 30 km away and distribute its water through underground pipes and we build a hundred of well to suck it, and yes, the soil become wet and we were able to plant some kinds of vegetables.

Hmm..it's lunch break

Everyone amazed

How it can be?

Not satisfied yet, but the time is running out. It's 5 pm and we must on the bus again otherwise we could be late to have dinner and watch Sendratari Ramayana in Prambanan.

Actually it was a great dinner. We enjoyed the food with fantastic view of Prambanan Temple. Too bad that I can't provide it because there is not enough light to support the pic..:(

After that, right about 7.30 pm the show would be held. We walked to indoor dancing arena beside. I see that everyone were prepare for unexpected thing here..


And some pics that I think the best of all..



Ok, the Field Trip was completely done and everybody seem happy. It's time to go back home because tomorrow's program await us..fiuh.

And finally this is a last pic of Workshop..


See you guys!

Salute for Everyone on the Launch of CRBOM! (1)

I start with say hello to all fellow readers. This is a very busy week as I thought, but in the end it's just an equal revenge if I have sufficient time to write just a few words to describe.

It was a hard week actually. Start with Monday till Friday that I with all comrades had fought with chaotic circumstances, little confuse..but it paid off after all. CRBOM is the starting point to what it's all about. It's an agency which established by Ministry of Public Works, Indonesia, as a member of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) network of regional water knowledge hubs. As a plan, it held in Solo City during five days but the core of the agenda was held on Tuesday, April 28th, which a formal ceremony of CRBOM consisted.


Unfortunately, the Minister did not show up so Mr. Iwan Nursyirwan who is a Director General of Water Resources hit the gong loudly. Congratulations!

We would thank to Mr. Wouter and all ADB's coleagues, all participants-especially from Viet Nam, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Korea, Philippine and Afghanistan (sorry if I've missed one..). Also for delegation of donor countries such are Netherland and Japan. We appreciate and hope this brief companionship of brotherhood would continue, as well as our spirit to share knowledge about water resources in the region, and surely it could possibly make this world better.




After a long long presentation from each envoys, and tight discussion between others, three days is like a prosaic-monotonous time for all of committees. The committees are from Balai Sungai Solo, BBWS Bengawan Solo and Jasa Tirta. In Balai Sungai itself, there are almost 40 persons who came up and support the event. We actually were the ideal combination of old-young generation. The wisdom of the old with the youth spirit have made precious experience, as it was our first time to organize such kind of event, and fiuh..we made it up!




As in a schedule, Thursday was a Field Trip program. We would visit Flood Warning System in Solo, Colo Weir and Gajah Mungkur Dam in Wonogiri, Underground River in Wonosari, Sandsoil Irrigation System in Samas Beach and well..watching Sendratari Ramayana in Prambanan, Yogyakarta. The last one was not a study visit I guess, may I say that it was a cooling down agenda? :D

First, we visit Flood Warning System..


Then visiting Colo Weir..





Uups, where is the weir in the last pic? Oh, I afraid that's just for fulfill our narcissism desirability (what an amusing reason!). You see, I'm wearing hat and squat in the middle with handy cam. There is Mr. Wouter in left side and some Philippine's participant, and of course the committees with the red id card!

After a half and a hour journey, we landed on Gajah Mungkur Dam in Wonogiri, one of the biggest dam in Indonesia.

Just like Hollywood, isn't it?

From the giant Dam, we spin around Wonogiri through mountainous area and would to see an unusual river in Wonosari. The river was flow about 1oo meters below and we must go down by elevator (exactly it was a heavy steel cage hanged by a couple of cabels..and it takes 5 minutes to go down. How frightening!).

Where's the river? Down there?

Who's the first! Who's the first!

Queue please...

Where's the river now? Ups, we just modify it and..well you know, for water user efficiency.

Where were we go next? I think this was enough and I'll post it in the next chapter..

See you.

Endless Journey at Central Sulawesi (1)

Dear bloggers..

This is a note from my unforgettable story on a journey to Central Sulawesi. As it is my first duty, I was very happy and also flustered. I’ve never go to other island before, and surprisingly I rarely go out from Solo. But there was no time for thinking, besides I’ll be took care with free cost and numerous reasons that every young researcher would not prevent at all. So, with no hesitancy I nodded to agreement, and that was where my journey begin.

Research's site, river Salato, Kabupaten Morowali
Central Sulawesi

Thus, on July 4th 2006 early morning, we were only in two with my senior partner Mr. Chris went to Palu. According to plan, we must go trough this route: Solo – Surabaya – Palu (transition via Makassar). Trip to Surabaya was about 5 hours by bus, as we checked off flight schedule to Palu at Juanda Airport that will departed at 12.30 pm. As soon as we got off in Surabaya Bus Terminal, we moved to airport bus and enjoyed our one hour trip to the airport. I feel comfortable in this city, because may be the weather is hot as my birth place town, Cirebon. The language used here also usual, Javanese dialect with some pressures on pronounciation.

After that, we headed to departure lobby for checking in, and about a half hour later we already sat in Boeing Lion Air. Wow, it’s fantastic! I’ve never flight by plane before, moreover never dreamt about it anyway. I really enjoyed the flight, ignored my dizzy sensation when the plane took off and landed easily on Hassanudin Airport, Makassar at 7.00 pm for transition. Here I was, walked emotionally inside the airport and proudly sniffed out the sulawesi’s air. Uhh, that was a beautiful moment.

Unfortunately, the transition plane had come late. Well, is our bad habit applied on the flight schedule too? Seems everybody didn’t give a care, and left me with a huge astonishment. Followed the announcement, we must wait till a couple hours for next trip. I had nothing to do except reading local newsletter, and still grumbling of course. At last, at 9.00 pm we got our plane and brought us to Palu.

It’s about 11 pm when we arrived at Palu airport. Cold and windy, I tighted up my jacket. We took a taxi and headed to middle-class hotel in this strange city.

We spent 4-5 hours for sleeping cause we had to find transportation to the research's site early. We didn’t have much time to accomplish this research. So we woke up early morning and luckily there was a travel biro near our motel. Finally, after the price is right, we packed up all our stuffs and moved out from Palu.

From this point, some awfuls moment waited for me…

(to be continued)