AZERBAIJAN : GOYGOL YANG NYAMAN

Hari kedua saya di Goygol, pagi-pagi lagi dah bangun. Tapi pukul 10 lah. Sebab suhu sangat la sejuk dan kalau boleh nak duduk atas katil lama-lama sebelah pendiang api. Lols. So pagi tu sarapan sebelum jalan-jalan sekitar kampung. You know, for me, when I travel,  I don't need fancy places, I don't need skyscrapers, and I don't need luxury. Just a simple morning walk around the neighborhood with local people, lepak kedai kopi sambil tgok orang tempatan main chess, atau bercucuk tanam, its a safe haven for me. I enjoyed it very very much. Kalau dekat KL kita sibuk berkejaran ke sana sini, only this time yang saya boleh bertenang dan bersenang lenang mengikut masa sendiri.

Roti, teh , peach jam dan yogurt. Yogurt mereka buat sendiri. Sedap ke tak? You tell me. 

Pagi tu Nuradin bawak jalan-jalan naik ke flag square dekat belakang rumah dia. salji dah tak turun, tapi salji dekat tanah masih byak. Kawasan Goygol adalah dilembah pergunungan, so memang akan nampak gunung yang putih disekeliling. 

Panoramic view of Goygol.

Aku tak tau la nak kate. Tapi subhanallah, ini sebenarnya pengalaman salji saya yang pertama. So u can imagine how shocked I was with the low temperature.

Berlatarbelakangkan Goygol.

Peaceful siot. Pagi-pagi memanjat takde orang pun.

Pemandangan dikelilingi gunung yang sangat putihhhh. Dan belakang-belakang tu kawasan perumahan - rumah Nuradin antaranya.

Atas puncak flag pole ni.

Lepas turun tu, kitorang pergi melawat Muzium berdekatan rumah kitorg. Saint Johns Lutheran Church yang sekarang ni bukan lagi church. Dah jadi muzium.

Dengan dua orang penjaga muzium. They were unsure where Malaysia is, but they we so excited thinking that "gambar kita akan sampai kat Malaysia"

Dihadapan pintu muzium . Takde ape yang menarik kecuali tgok peninggalan sejarah Goygol. Bosan.

Pagi tu lepas jalan di muzium, kitorg wandering around sekitar bandar aimlessly dan , kitorg lepak dekat pekan kejap main game. Dekat area sini, ada beberapa kedai main Play Station yang mane orang-orang kampung datang main PS kat sini. Sementara plan nak kemasa seterusnya kitorg lepak dulu sini dengan member Nuradin.

Dengan Aqil dan Aqish. Tokey kedai PS ni adelah si Aqil ni. Ni tengah tunggu van nak datang ambil kitorang utk bawa jalan-jalan.

Permandangan sepanjang perjalanan naik ke gunung.

Diorang ni tak tahu pun Malaysia tu kat mana- or even the existence of Malaysia.

Kitorang pergi ke pinggiran gunung, untuk cari makan tengahari. This is an authentic local experience! No travel agent that will be able to bring you to this kind of places. Di sepanjang pinggiran gunung yang penuh salji ni ada banyak kedai-kedai kecil yang jual makanan tempatan. Dan tempat makannya di dalam pondok-pondok kecil atas tu. Dan dalam tu ada pemanas. Suddenly bila dah sampai sini, baru teringat yang saya ni sebenarnya sangaaaat jauh dari rumah- dari tanah air. Dan i wonder how  and why did I do this? Rasa macam tak percaya boleh sampai ke tempat ni.

Nampak tak banyak pondok-pondok untuk lepak.

Itu jamban namanya. Apparently during traveling I drank a lot of water, like literally a lot.To avoid dehydration and getting sick. Sebab tu terpaksa cari toilet, kihkih. dalam tu xde jamban, tapi ade lubang utk berak n kencing. The experience? Horrible  af!

Sambil mecari-cari kedai yang mane sedap kununnya

Super nice brunch we have here. They called it Katah, Dan dalam cawan tu, kopi termantap. Sila tengok interview di bawah pasal Kopi dan Katah tersebut. 

Selepas habis late lunch, kitorang pun berjalan membuang masa di sekitar kaki gunung tu sambil mencari-cari kereta nak tumpang. It was good sebab ade sorang member Nuradin baru turun dari bandar kat atas tu utk ke bawah so cepat-cepat kitorang tahan utk bawak kitorang turun ke next destination. Iaitu cari tempat untuk makan lagi. The last one for the day.

National dish Azerbaijan, Xingal. Dalam ni ade minced meat, caramelized onion, kentang, n pasta macam lasagna. Ade cream lagi. Sedap untuk beberapa suap lepas tu dah muak. Sbb portion ni terlalu byk. Harge dia dalam AZN3 sajoh- which kalau dekat Malaysia ni portion ni buleh makan 3 org. hehe. I managed to eat like 1/3 je- sbb tadi tu dah makan.

At this very last moment, sy belanja semua org. 2 friends of Nuradin, were sooooooo exited explaining everything about their foods, their life and their culture, sampai Nuradin pun dah penat jd translator.hehe

Bila teringat balik, semua ni adelah kenangan yang paling best sekali. Walaupun berjauhan dari keluarga, saya senang berada "out of freaking nowhere" sebab saya tahu Nuradin dan keluarga dia mengambil berat dan menjaga saya sepanjang keberadaan saya disini. The sweetest thing is, a total stranger is being nice to you compare to a stranger in your own country. Saya meletakkan kepercayaan saya, keselamatan saya di tangan orang yang saya jumpa buat pertama kali, and in the most strangest/isolated place on earth (as to a Malaysian like me) - thats the perks of traveling off beaten path-ALONE. This is a serious deal.

Time to go back to the capital Baku, for the next new adventure.

Solat di negara orang; Japanese Hospitality

Rasa nikmatnya solat di negara bukan Islam, tak sama berbanding solat di negara kita sendiri. Hanya org yg pernah experience akan faham. :')

Kami berdua tercari-cari tempat untuk solat, dan kami bertanyakan dekat mana tempat utk solat pada salah sorang staff Disney. Mula-mula kami tnya, dekat staff Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Staff kat situ xberapa pasti dengan permintaan kitorang so dia call manager dia. Manager dia pun datang, dan tanyakan apa yang kami nak. Dan kemudian datang lagi sorang staff. Katanya, dia ni akan temankan kitorang pergi solat. Time tu kami tgh beratur nak main dumbo tu, dan dia ckap, dia akan tunggu smpai kami habis main. Bagusnya. Time tu sy dah serba salah gila sbb mcm dah susahkan dorg. Pastu Eza ckp, “lantak je, biar bagi awareness kat dorg supaya dorg bole buat facility solat lepas ni utk muslim”

Panduan utk bertanyakan tentang solat: Link disini

Kami habis main, ade sorg staff dah memang tunggu n bawa kami ke kawasan yg agak isolated i.e. dekat game yg tengah repair ; Hounted Mansion.

Time sampai tu sy tercari-cari paip utk buat wudhuk. N Staff tu tunjuk ade water fountain. Water fountain tu kan bukan mcm paip, kene tekan baru air kuar. So cmne nak amek wudhuk kalu satu tgn nak tekan. N staff tu, before sempat sy nak tekan, dia dah tekankan. Like seriously time tu sy rase cam terharu gila.

Awak rasa ade tak kalu kita p US ke, China, dorg akan layan camni? Even kat Malaysia pun saya belum pasti akan ade org yg akan tolong mcm ni 

Then dia tolong Eza, n dia tunggu dekat pintu pagar luar sementara kitorg solat. Kitorg dah insist utk dia tinggalkan kitorg tapi dia tetap tunggu smpai kitorg habis. This is Japanese Hospitality. Merekalah bangsa yang paling bertoleransi dalam bab agama , dan juga bangsa yang paling polite. Smpai saya rasa serba salah gila. Tu belum lagi bila nk minta tlg tunjuk arah. Walaupun dorg xfaham apa yg kita minta tlg, dorg takkan say no, sebaliknya diorg akan g tnyakan kat org yg boleh tlg kita. 

Bila masa si Eza amik gambar ni pon sy tak sure.

Eza bukan tgh sembah kubur, yg tu mesin FASTPASS utk Game Hounted Mansion. lol

Staff Disneyland yang jaga kitorg solat.

Ni Eza punya. bende paling essential nak kene ade. Sy xtahu rupanya bende ni sgt berguna utk travel. Byk gila bende ni dekat rumah smpai terbuang-buang. Org sedekah balik Haji. Mase kat Guangzhou, kitorg solat kat hotel tak tentu hala. So lepas ni sy kene cari bende ni dekat Mydin.

Satu lagi  insiden masa saya dekat Shibuya, saya nak cari Mall Syibuya 101, sorg pompuan ni, model-like woman, tunjuk sy jalan smpai ke mall tu.

Dan juga ade satu mase saya nk solat kat Shinjuku, saya tanya arah barat kat sorg lelaki,tapi dia tak tahu mana barat, dia panggil sorg pompuan  yg tgh jalan. Dorg pun tak tahu arah, but then, pompuan tu ckp tunggu kejap dia nak download apps compass n nak install dlm phone dia.  Smpai mcm tu skali. Time tu dah ade 3 4 org jepun berkumpul kat pompuan tu, member dia agaknya tgok ape yg dia buat (maybe tgh ckp pasal saya nak cari arah barat), time tu saya mmg dah serba salah gile. Rase nk ckp “xpe lah sy tak nak susahkan". Tapi dorg insist utk suruh sy stay n tgu dia habis download apps tu.

Dorg tlg saya sampai jumpa arah barat.

Dan sepanjang saya training juga, mereka offer untuk prepare kan satu kelas khas untuk saya solat. terharu betul. Saya tak minta pon tapi mereka yang sediakan. T.T terharunya dengan hospitality mereka.

It's maybe a small gesture, but it means a lot to me.

Thank you Japan. I will definitely come here again.

We have faith. do we??

Bismillah...

10.48 am. Desa Rishah.6th September.

Saya baru terbaca forwarded message dari indox gmail saya n id like to share with dengan korang semua. this is a typical conversation though, when we talk about belief, god etc. but it reminds us balik to keep on your faith no matter what. happy ramadhan kepada anda semua and maybe, Selamat hari raya.

Prof:
So you believe in God?

Student:

Absolutely, sir.

Prof:

Is God good?

Student:

Sure.

Prof:

Is God all-powerful?

Student:
Yes..

Prof:

My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.
But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm?
(Student is silent.)

Prof:
You can't answer, can you?
Let's start again, young fella.
Is God good?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:
Is Satan good?

Student:

No.

Prof:

Where does Satan come from?

Student:
From....God. ..

Prof:

That's right.
Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

Evil is everywhere, isn't it?
And God did make everything, Correct?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

So who created evil?
(Student does not answer.)

Prof:

Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student:

Yes, sir.

Prof:

So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)

Prof:

Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you.
Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student:

No, sir.

Prof:

Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student:

No, sir.

Prof:
Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student:

No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof:

Yet you still believe in Him?

Student:

Yes.

Prof:

According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your 'GOD' doesn't exist.
What do you say to that, son?

Student:

Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof:

Yes, Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student:
Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof:

Yes.

Student:

And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof:

Yes.

Student:
No sir. There isn't.
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student:

Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat..
But we don't have anything called cold.
We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't
go any further after that.
There is no such thing as cold.
Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.
We cannot measure cold.
Heat is energy.
Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it .
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student:

What about darkness, Professor?
Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof:

Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student :

You're wrong again, sir.
Darkness is the absence of something.
You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....
But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't.
If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof:

So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student:

Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof:

Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student:

Sir, you are working on the premise of duality.
You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.
Sir, science can't even explain a thought..
It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.
To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it.
Now tell me, Professor.
Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof:

If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student:

Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student:

Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.)

Student:

Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?
(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student:
Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?
No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the established rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir.
With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable. )

Prof:

I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student:

That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH.
That is all that keeps things moving & alive.
 
this a real true story dari seseorg yang anda tak perlu taw siapa. yang penting, saya nak kawan2 saya, n readers to read this and have the same feeling as i am now. iman saya mungkin tak kuat macam anda. maybe its good way though tuk remind diri saya, dan kita dari masa ke semasa. siapa kita, siapa tuhan kita dan tinggi mana level iman kita.. moga kita, dan saya sndiri dapat bykkan amal di akhir sisa2 ramadan ni. ameen.

*credit tu adibah ali for the forwarded message.

Livestrong. We have faith.do we??