Hi …

Continuing from my Saturday gate away last week. We didn’t just end up going home after three hours of sightseeing. We went to a famous mosque up in Puncak, At-Taawun Mosque which is the last time I went there, it was 20 years ago. Yes, I know I’m a vintage person now, but huh …

in my time, the mosque is famous because there’s a child singer who filmed a music video there. As you know at 90’s, child artists are big hit, so I eventually knew it. In my mind, the mosque is really big and luxurious, but when I get there … it’s just regular mosque …? I don’t know is it because we have many more luxurious and new mosques or is it only me, but really, it’s not what I have in mind. 

But, it’s not what I’m going to talk about. Is about the drive to that mosque which quite an adventure. 

As you my know, technology now growing very rapid. As a person in twenties living in big city, I have to always up to date what technology brings to my city. Like payment. Indonesia these days really advancing their payment methods so people like me, who is sometimes a mess with coins, can pay anything with only cards or QR code. I’m used to only carry IDR 100.000 cash in my wallet for emergency, everywhere and it never be a problem. Like, you know, card exist, phone exist, internet exist. It’s easy, convenient, and I will not have any problem with small changes. 

It does a problem when I went to Puncak. 

I lived in Bandung for almost the rest of my life before I moved to Jakarta. Both of the city I live in are big cities. They will not have a problem with technologies as technology itself grow there. 

But Puncak is another story. It’s a small city. No … Puncak is a connection area. 20 years ago, Puncak is the connection between Jakarta and Bandung that took 5 hours drive to go both cities. 

As someone who grow up in big city, I have this thinking that people or area are always growing with technology. So, went there, thinking Puncak will be the same as our city, and we almost have a problem with that.

We have to buy gas for our car on the way the mosque, right? We went with that until they declined my husband’s friend card because there’s no debit machine available there like gas station usually have. I only have like IDR 50.000 in my wallet and with everyone addition, it covers up the expenses. 

For your information, I brought like, IDR 250.000-ish for this trip, but I bought McDonald on the way, I should have known it so I will not pay McDonald with cash, I paid for lunch that only accept cash, and I bought something inside the recreation area. Thinking that there’ll be any ATM on the way, or something. But, it’s, of course, not. 

The one more problem we encounter that day is the mosque parking fee. We don’t have cash anymore, I have like … coins, which I don’t know how much I have, and again thinking that it’ll no more than IDR 5.000. 

It was IDR 20.000 …

We have to scratch our wallet and pay with coins.

So, yeah, that’s the story how different area is different experience. Big city habit may not suitable yet to smaller area. I have to carry more cash everywhere I go to some new town to avoid any of these events happen again. 

Bye~