"Farewell to a King" a Madura Travel Page by ukirsari

Beloved Papap
my Rama
my Daddy

Maybe you don't know how thankful I am, so blessed to have a Dad like you. A real sailorman, a Navy-man, a loyal and dedicated person, a smart commander on field. And all above these ... you are still my humble father. To whom you're shared half your blood. Passion to go travel. And to whom I always back home after a long journey.

Starting his career as an Ensign in Indonesian Navy, Dad already flew half the world. Sailing in open wide oceans. Bring USS Rohrbass and USS Hummingbird from USA Naval-base nearby Oahu, Hawaii to Indonesia, landed safely at Tanjung Perak Harbour, Surabaya, 1971. Only few months after my Mum give birth me. So Dad, it must be hard for you ... thinking of me in front of the horizon. Imagining how look I like. And voilla Dad .... almost all of your hobbies just exactly goes to me. Sketching, drawings, paintings, writing, passion of traveling, yes, it comes from you. And average ~ mostly the same ~ bit high temper. And the differences between us: I am left handed and you're not. You have beautiful teeth [which I like to see, playing the dentist when I was a kid :D] and mine, you know .... bit grey since the tetracycline and of course, you are a man and I am a girl. Your beloved little girl forever, Dad :)
Then about my feeling towards you, I would like to take an excerption from the movie 'Invasion the Barbarians' [Les Invasions Barbares], the best foreign language movie of 2003 Academy Award [made-in Canada]. There's said; "The first man in a daughter's life is her Daddy'. It is .... reflecting my deepest thought about you, my beloved Rama!!

Many many Indonesian battleship were handed by my Dad. From USS Rohrbass [and changed into Indonesian nama KRI Pulau Ampalasa] to KRI Lambung Mangkurat. From landing ship tank, minesweepers to anykind of them, except submarines.
I enjoy every single moment in my life, when I standing still among the family of Indonesian Navy at the Navy-base harbour and give a salute in a special occasion so called "Sailing Pass". And hear my younger brother whispering me, "Look, look, look .. that's our Daddy!"

Being a Navy family has consequence: me and sibling plus Mum or the whole of the family "keep moving" from a place to other place to follow our Dad. He finished his first Navy training at Norfolk, Virginia then Annapolis, USA, then later on Ommen, Netherland [and showing us west Europe, thanks a million, Dad!] and Karlskoga, Sweden. Plus "uncounted" duties around the archipelago of Indonesia. From Medan, Belawan, Surabaya, Jakarta, Tanjung Pinang, Ambon, Makassar, Jayapura, Manado and Madura.
In this small island at the east of Java, became Dad's final 'frontier' before he takes his retirement and his duty as the director of the Arsenal. So, I dedicated this Madura page for my beloved Papap, Daddy and Rama [sorry, Dad ... you have such many many beautiful 'nickname' that sounds all great for me to address them!!!]. And also thanks so much for my beloved Bunda, Mama, Musche [Mum] who companied Dad anywhere :)