Divine protection in Hotel Plaza Sutera Biru

He gives His Angels charge concerning me, to guard me in all my ways. They bear me up in their hands lest I strike my foot against a stone! I experienced this very divine protection up close and personal during my stay in Kuala Belait.

I'd just woken up and was washing up at the wash basin in my slippers and shorts when suddenly, the granite slab from the bottom portion of the wash basin came crashing down at my feet. The slab broke into three pieces on impact, barely missing me by a centimetre. Each piece was very heavy. I tried to lift one of them without any success. I realized how blessed I was to have escaped this grave injury. I shudder to think what would've happened had the slab hit my feet.

This was a brand new hotel, and it was obvious this was a serious defect caused by poor workmanship. I reported this to the reception on check out, and after inspection, they were most apologetic. I am truly thankful for this divine protection.

Plaza Sutera Biru, Kuala Belait

A new hotel, barely six months old, with less than 21 rooms available. It re-defines Kuala Belait for me. I had spent quite a bit of time in Kuala Belait, Brunei, and so far, it has been

far from worth writing home about. Every hotel that I've stayed in reminded me of cheap chalet accommodations that I'd stayed in when I was a teenager having a bbq down at the beach.

The Plaza Sutera Biru was quite nice. The smallest room was bigger than a single business traveller would really need to manage. Nonetheless, the rain shower, the big comfortable king sized bed, the ample sitting area, and of course the sheer newness of the place made for a rather pleasant experience, save for one incident that gave me reason to thank Daddy God for His ever present protection and Faithfulness in giving His Angels charge concerning me, to guard me in all my ways.

The view from the Hotel, if you are fortunate enough to get the room facing the river, is fabulous.

The picture below shows a typical view you'll get of the river.

Museum in Jakarta

Really! I wouldn't even bring myself to my own National Museum back home...and to think I am visiting the Museum in Jakarta! But, I suppose it would be good to understand the type of exhibits that each country regard as part of their cultural heritage.

This rather foreboding sculpture was made out a solid tree; tens of intricately carved figurines, most of them quite eerie by my standards, and reminded me of demonic images from nightmares.
This was the entrance to the museum exhibit. The charge for entry was 10,000rp, I think, plus another 10,000rp if you wanted to bring in your camera. Hm.
The bust was that of Mrs Sukarno, the very first, first lady of Indonesia.

The Museum looked empty and lacking because of the sheer size of the rooms, and thus, there was a crying need to increase the number of exhibits if only to fill up the echo in the dimly litted rooms.

Surabaya, Indonesia 24 July 2007

Surabaya's Juanda International Airport

Travellers like me find it useful to know the type, state and condition of airports that I would be arriving into, especially when I needed to spend considerable hours waiting for other members of my entourage. Thus, the quality of the restaurants, toilet facilities and such, become important considerations for me. Thankfully, Surabaya Juanda Airport was relatively new, modern, and had clean toilets. The restaurants included The Black Canyon Coffee House, and several other eateries serving local fare. True to most airports, their prices for local food cannot be said to be representative of the country's average cost of living, nor standard of culinary offering.

Hotel Room in Surabaya...and I cannot remember what was the name of the hotel in which I stayed in. Certainly not exactly memorable. The rooms were old, but I understand this was considered to be a 4-star hotel.

Jimabaran Bali Restaurant is somewhat of a local franchise / restaurant chain that appeared to be ubiquitous all over Indonesia. I've tried the same restaurant in Bundung, and I've seen a similar Jimbaran Bali restaurant across the street of Novotel Mangga Dua Hotel, Jakarta.

Yes, it's always nice to go ethnic when you eat at a local restaurant. The rustic feel of a pavilion corner for the tired business traveller gives one a sense of having "been" to the suburban regions of Indonesia

The food wasn't too bad either!