Life: 2022 Review

I thought the pandemic ended last year, but it wasn’t. This year has been a roller coaster ride for sure and I don’t really know to express my 2022, but I am thankful for the memories it gave me. 

Guess the conclusion that I have for this year by reading all the passages down below. This is not an English pop-up quiz, so if you are wrong, it's okay. HAHA. Good luck and enjoy the story of my 2022.

Young, wild and free would probably be the life I’ve been dreaming of. 2022 didn’t start that exciting for me. Even though the few days before January, I just witnessed my favorite boys and girls appreciate their achievements (read: watching year-end awards), I don’t feel empowered and instead, I feel down. I started to compare myself to them. When they are my age now, they already know what they want and are good at. While I’m not. This is probably what people say as a quarter-life crisis. I felt really lost in January. Even so, I had a few celebrations this month. I got to meet my BEM family and celebrate my dad's birthday.  Also, I got huge orders for the cold mochi that my mom used to sell. What I mean by huge is the mochi should be delivered to Samarinda, which is outside of Jakarta. It was a breakthrough achievement so far for our small business.

Obviously, I thought this year is going to be better than the past 2 years. Well, I know it is quite early to judge since it’s only one month passed. On the last week of January, my best friend faced severe heartbreak (nope, not because she broke up with her boyfriend). We decided to “run”, searching for some “healing” to Bali in February. It’s been 6 months since the last time I went to Bali, but Bali never fails me. It was still a good time to visit Bali because that time Bali is not as crowded as nowadays but it was more active and livelier than the previous year. I stayed for almost 14 days and couldn’t be happier and more ready to conquer this 2022.

Unlike any other month, March is very special to me. I have favorite months like August and December, but March is particularly special. 3 years ago, I just got back from Korea for good. The next day, my mom was rushed to the hospital and for the first week I’m back in Indonesia, I had to spend my time in the hospital and then I lost my mom. Since then, March is never been the same again. It became the most emotional month, and it was the turning point of my life. Enough with the mellow, this year I got to celebrate my friend’s birthday by having a staycation at the Kempinski Hotel in Jakarta. Our wish was to stay at the Apurva (Kempinski) Bali (but I believe we will someday!) though. We had a deep talk, took some crazy videos, and sing-along to Hospital Playlist OST and it was a fun day. March was closed with a challenging interview for the GKS Scholarship.

April’s highlight is no longer April mop anymore to me. Well, I never fancy it since I was a kid anyways. This year April was slightly different than the previous year. I had a few interviews this month, and though none of them came back with good news, I am actually very grateful for the chance. I started to use makeups that I haven’t touched for so long and got the thrill of answering questions. And not to forget to mention my favorite drama of the year, Twenty Five, Twenty One colored my April beautifully. Last, but not least, my best friend finally had a baby after 2 years of marriage! I’m so happy for her! I can’t wait to see the baby (up till now I haven’t seen the baby girl yet). Finally, I went to the church for the Passover for the first time during the pandemic. Definitely, going to an offline church is way much better than the online church. I'm such an old school, I know. 

The Return of my boy, Park Bogum. He finally finished his military duties and was back as the MC for Baeksang Awards. I was very extremely happy to see him back on screen. And by the way this year Baeksang Awards was so emotional, and I really love every bit of it. My favorite part is when the cast of “Hot/Passionate Singers” finally performed on stage their rendition of “This is Me” from the movie, “The Greatest Showman”. Congratulations to my Na Hee Do, Kim Taeri, and Crown Prince, Lee Junho, you both really deserved the awards. Well, May was a busy month for me because my housekeeper went back to her hometown to celebrate Eid Mubarak. I did the laundry, cleaned the house, and clean up the refrigerator by making use of the remaining ingredients. I made a Rose Tteokbokki! Even my chef brother comments it was not bad. He was surprised. HAHA. I’m so proud of myself. Since it was a big holiday, I got the chance to meet up with my very busy friends. We went to “explore” Jakarta. We went to have lunch in South Jakarta, then we went to the newly renovated Sarinah, one of the iconic social & entertainment places in Jakarta. But, oh my gosh, it was so crowded, and it was like there are no coronavirus at all. We only took a photo then we had our dinner and then we went back home. We went out for a full day, but it felt so short!

June was full of Excitement. I finally got to go back to Korea. After two years of envying my dad and just watching it from the sofa coach, finally I got to breathe the Seoul air. Though I came at the most dreadful season, I am just so glad to be back there. Since I’m going to get my TOPIK test in July, I started to reach out to my Korean exam books and study again. One thing for sure is I really have an interest in language, so even though I had to study and prepare for exams, I feel energized and joyful throughout the process. Oh, one more thing, I got accepted for a new job. I wasn’t really excited about this and was confused about how to react to this.

Hi, Seoul, I’m back! Finally, I got to meet my family in Korea after 3 years. Why it feels like it was 5 years ago? Well, I had a blast summer in Seoul, even though my peaceful vacation was disturbed by the test and suddenly got called to work at the Korea office. After my almost 3 weeks stay in Seoul, I went back to Jakarta for two days, and then I flew to Singapore to surprise my friend for her bachelorette trip. Due to last minute decision, I couldn’t get the most affordable flight tickets, so I took a plane to Batam from Jakarta and then took the ferry to Singapore. It was a very adventurous trip, but I loved it. It was one of the most memorable months in 2022.

I Turned 27 this year and I have a bittersweet feeling about it. First of all, I didn’t like the fact that I am more close to my 30s instead of my 20s. But, on the other side, I am grateful to celebrate one year older. This year, I don’t have any wish list for my birthday present. But there is one thing that I wanted for so long which is a pair of Gentle Monster sunglasses. I asked my dad and brother for that and my Dad bought it two weeks in advance. Have some small celebrations with my friends since my birthday this year falls on weekdays, and it was hard to arrange the meeting. On the weekend, my brother cooked me a mushroom steak because I love meat so much. But, I was under the weather that day and I can’t even taste a bite of it. I felt sorry for my brother, but it was unavoidable. It was a roller-coaster month, but I am grateful for every tiny detail of it.

A Red carpet rolled out in September because ‘Young Actors Retreat’ was finally aired! Woottt! I can see my two favorite Parks, Park Seojun and Park Bogum on the same screen. The variety show was very entertaining and I just love every second of it. Hwang Inyeop has a very attractive charm and I am very surprised to know that he is older than Park Bogum! In September, I went to see Super Junior’s concert in Jakarta! This was my second time going and watching Super Show 9. All of the set-list is are pretty much the same, but the sound system in Jakarta was very much disappointing. But at least I get to see my boys closer than the one in Korea.

I spent the whole of October in Korea. Yes, I went to Korea again! This time I went on a “business trip”. It was my first and last business trip with this company. I had a blast one even though the ending was ugly. I only need 30 mins from my aunt’s house door to my office door in Korea. While in Jakarta, I had to spend 2 hours from my house door to my seat in the office. I just hate Jakarta’s traffic and insufficient public transportation. On this trip, I got to go to Busan on the week of the BTS Concert in Busan. I will make a separate post for all of my trips in 2022. Also, I finally did camping in Korea after watching many camping-themed variety shows. It was so fun even though it wasn’t as easy as it’s look on screen. Last but not the least, I got to see Nam Joohyuk for the last time before he enlisted! Another encounter that I am grateful for in October is I got to see my aunt that has been living in the USA after 10 years? I guess? It's been a long time. She is a very loving and caring aunt and she is especially very close with my mom. It was so nice to finally see her. Next time, I will definitely go to visit her in the USA. AMEN! October has been awesome.

November passed by so fast that I can’t fully enjoy the days. A week after I came back from Korea, I went to Bali to attend my friend’s wedding. The wedding was intimate and I truly enjoyed it. Even though I couldn’t enjoy Bali to the fullest this time, I am quite happy to escape Jakarta’s crowd for a while. I had a few mishaps and inconveniences throughout the month, but I was able to overcome them thanks to Song Joongki. Finally, I got to meet him after 4 years!! I went to the airport and saw him up close. I wasn't able to get a ticket to Scarlet’s event but managed to get one for Bukalapak’s event. He still looks the same even though 4 years have passed. There were many things that happened during the past 4 years, but he overcome them and was able to greet the fans in Indonesia. It was nice to see you again, Song Joongki! November is an unforgettable month because I got COVID-19 for the first time. After standing strong for two years, I finally got infected. Thankfully, I got very mild symptoms. I don’t even feel sick at all. I feel very fine. Well anyways, thanks to the virus, I got to work from home. Yay, another way to escape Jakarta’s crazy traffic. There is a good thing in everything.

Finally, I am able to sing, “Good tidings to you wherever you are”. The Christmas season finally arrives. I made mini vlogmas on my Instagram, but compared to the previous year, this year I didn’t have the Christmas spirit or truly joyful feelings. After 5 months of spending my time and energy working at this company, I decided to resign. I was tremendously uncomfortable and I didn’t sense any kind of achievement or new things. Since I only have 2 years left in my 20s, I decided not to spend my time on the things that didn’t spark joy. Especially, I finally can escape the Jakarta's traffic!! YEAY!! So, just before Christmas, I was able to find a little peace in my heart and spent Christmas joyfully. This year Christmas wasn’t as warm as the previous years. Even so, I am still very grateful that I got to close 2022 without regrets, and am ready for 2023. I had an impromptu trip with my university friends to Sentul. I DROVE THE CAR BACK AND FORTH TO THERE! It was such an achievement for me. HAHA.

Dear 2022, thank you. You’ve been nice and rough at some times, but I just want to say thank you for the memories. I think I grew in various ways. And I want to say a good job to myself to go through all of the days in 2022 well. I started to praise myself at the end of the day, not because I am proud of what I’ve done, but to give myself more love this year. We often forgot to praise ourselves even though we’ve been through a lot. So, if you read this now, go praise yourself, “I have done well”!

So, have you found out what is my message to you?

Hint: it has 12 alphabets.

According to the Chinese calendar, 2022 is the Year of Tiger. A tiger has a charismatic side and is one of the strongest carnivores in the jungle. I just want to say that you are strong enough to pass through all those hardships and be able to step into 2023 in a few days.

I wish you a Happy New Year! May your 2023 be filled with joy, peace, and hope. 

Let’s work hard and play hard this year. Good luck!

God bless you all.

TRAVEL DIARY + VISIT INDONESIA: JAVA-BALI OVER LAND, SEA, AND FLY! (Part II)

Hi there! Are you excited to know more about the highlight of this trip? Let’s get started!!

P.S: I just want to let you know that now I’m officially finished all my academic activities!! I’m finally free and maybe I’ll try my best to improve this blog and the YouTube channel. :D 

DAY 4

Today is the highlight of this trip! We were going for cycling at Ubud area. We started the day with a good breakfast at the hotel then we head to Ubud. We started our cycling from Petulu Village then we rode till some areas I don’t know in Ubud, even we passed the main road of Ubud to finish the cycling. In Petelu Village you can see the catching bird poo game in real life. So the bird, which is White Herons (Burung Kokokan), like to hanging on a string and they sometimes poo-ing. So be careful with their poo when you visit this village. The weather was nice that morning, sun is shining but not so bright so the sky looks pretty on your photo. Oh but at the middle of the day, you will feel burned in a sizzling hot pot. (You can see on the next days photo that I got instant tan. LOL) 

How I look when cycling

In the middle of the cycling, we stopped for a while for having some games. So the cycling program was made like amazing race kind of thing. The students have to do some mission or games. The winning team got some prize and additional points for their exam. I featured some clips of the ice breaking game and other games on the video, so make sure to check out the video! My teacher and I stopped by at Sari Organik for some refreshment. I was not feeling well because I drank Pocari Sweat not water while cycling. So don’t drink ionic drink while you are exercising, drink it after you done. At Sari Organik, you will find a beautiful paddy field while having a hearty meal. They only use organic ingredients only in this restaurant. Their fried rice taste quite good, but I couldn’t really enjoyed it because I don’t feel well. We ordered Kambucha juice it taste refreshing, even though I don’t really eat Kambucha before (or maybe just because I’m thirsty and exhausted).

After a short break at Sari Organik, we continued our journey to our finishing point. We have to cross the main road of Ubud, which is packed with cars and motor bike. It was scary, but I survived with my basic cycling skills. We had ribs as our late lunch-early dinner menu. At the restaurant, we also got some rest and do some games. It was really tiring for the kids and I, but they do seem like the activity. After those tiring activities, we went back to the hotel and get some rest. I fell asleep quite early and skipped the dinner because I’m too tired to move.

DAY 5

Our first activity is actually going to souvenir shop, Krisna but, I didn’t include it in the video. Then, we went to Mangrove Information Centre in Sanur area. I’ve visited this place too 3 years ago. Here you can see how mangrove helps the ecosystem, especially protecting against abrasion. It can be a very hot place, but you could take an insta-worthy photos here. Here it is the photos I took 3 years ago.

After a heated environment lesson, we went to Ubud (again) to have lunch with beautiful rice terrace view. We got to see Tegalalang Rice Terrace and took a photo before it starting to rain. It is a must visit in Bali, because of its unique irrigation system and it's organization, Subak. After we finished lunch, the rain started to pour down, so we had to use one plastic rain coat for 4-5 person. LOL we make a human train because we don’t bring our own umbrella. Do bring umbrella or rain coat when you came to Bali on rainy season (October-January). Then, we headed to Puri Lukisan Museum to have some cooking class. But, the weather is not on our side, so we had to start the cooking class late. My juniors are given time to explore the Ubud Art Market, but since it is raining, they cannot do anything. After the rain stopped, we started the cooking class. Balinese traditional foods are a must whenever you came to Bali, so we learned how to cook the simplest Balinese food with deep taste. The students have to serve 2 dishes and 1 drinks. They also learned how to make a cocktail or a mocktail (I don’t remember LOL). They are divided into 3 groups and each groups’ dishes will be scored. 

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

After the cooking class, they ate the food they made, while watching for Kecak performances. Before that, there is some mixing drinks performance (?) I don’t know what it’s called, but yeah you can understand what I meant if you watched my video. After some Balinese style party, we had a real dinner with 2 course meals. We are very full, but it was a hearty meal. I didn’t have any footage for the video, but here I present the photos. 

Main dish: Crispy Chicken with Buntel Satay

Dessert: Traditional Cakes with Vanilla Ice Cream and Watermelon

Before we hop on the bus, we are accompanied by music played with traditional drums, Gendang as a goodbye greetings. It was such a lovely experience.

DAY 6

It was our free day! My friends also came to Bali on the 5th day I’m in Bali. On this day we spent the day together. We started our day with a good coffee morning at Titik Temu. It was a hip place right now in Bali, but at the time I came there, they were having a renovation, so I can’t fully enjoyed the coffee shop. After a good coffee, we went to Bali Bakery. My favorite brunch restaurant in Bali. I always visited Bali Bakery every time I went to Bali. They provided a worthy meals and also breads and cakes. The must-have menu is their mushroom soup! It was delicious to every drop of it. 

Look how tan I am

After the brunch, we went to try Nalu Bowls Shelter Cafe. I’m not a fan of smoothies bowl, but my friend raved about it. I didn’t really fancy the infamous smoothies bowl, but the place is pretty good for taking pictures. They have open 2 branches in Jakarta, even they have gone to international markets too! You might find Nalu Bowls in Spain and Portugal. Check out their website, because their website is website goals! 😍✨

Then, we went to Umalas area to do some chillax moment. We went to Nook, a nice place to sit and have a chat with your friends accompanied by a paddy field. I ordered virgin mojito and it was gone in a few sip because it was sooooooo hot. After taking a few good photos, we went to another place. But, the place we wanted to visit was not opened yet, they are still under construction. So, we went to the beach near it but it was too hot to play with the water. Then we visited my favorite ice cream parlor, Gaya Gelato near the beach. They have opened more branches throughout Bali and even Jakarta, so if you happened to visit Bali or Jakarta, make sure to put Gaya Gelato on your eating list! 

Their rustic interior is love

After ice cream, we headed to Canggu just for buying one of the best croissant in Bali. I bought the croissant from Monsieur Spoon to bring it home. I really liked their cheese and plain croissant, but all of them are delicious. We headed back to the hotel after buying my precious croissant. On our way back, we stopped by at Souphoria to take away their Crispy Fried Pork with Sambal Mantah (it is not a sauce, it’s more like a red onion condiment). I didn’t have the picture of it, because when we arrived at the hotel room, it was gone in 3 minutes. We should have bought 2 portions, but we only bought one. I hope you are not surprised by how much my friends and I ate that day.

At dinner time, we are going out for some meet-up with my other juniors who are having their internship program with my lecturers too. We met them at Pison Coffee. They serve a good Affogatto. For you who don’t fancy black coffee or coffee in general, you can try the affogatto because it is an ice cream poured with one shot of coffee. As the coffee shop closed, we went back to the hotel and have a little more chit chat then we went to sleep. 

Bali Team Meet-up

DAY 7

It was my last day in Bali, but my friends are not. My flight was in the afternoon, so I have sometime to have brunch with my friends. We started the day with a good juicy pork meat satay at Sate Babi Bawah Pohon. My brunch are not over yet. We headed to Nusa Dua to have another pork dish which is, Babi Guling! Our favorite place to eat Babi Guling is loacted in Nusa Dua which is, Babi Guling Pak Dobiel. After all those pork party in the morning, we went back to Kuta and I gathered again with my junior groups. Then we headed to the airport and fly back home.

Oh, just for your attention, it is quite impossible to not gain wait when you visit Bali. I don’t really like pork, but every time I go to Bali, I always crave for their pork dishes. I don’t know why, but it also happened in Korea too. I have a weird taste palette, but it has some advantage, which I don’t eat pork on regular basis.

Well, that’s it! My travel diary part two ended here. Thank you for reading till this part. I hope you find this helpful. If you are visiting Bali, do make preparation, especially your mind. Also, I’m sorry if I say too much “too hot” words because actually I don’t really fancy hot weather and there is no other word how to describe Bali’s weather. Even though it rains, but usually the rain started to drop in the afternoon, so the sun still has a chance to shine bright every day.

See you on my other posts or videos! Thank you for the support! 

DETAILS:

Petulu Village

Jl. Petulu, Petulu, Ubud, Indonesia

 

Sari Organik

Jl. Subak Sok Wayah, Tjampuhan, Ubud, Gianyar, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali

0361-972087

Krisna

Branches:

Jl. Nusa Indah No. 77 Denpasar Bali

0361-262365, 264780 

  

Jl. Nusa Kambangan 160 A Denpasar Bali

0361-8423573, 8423574 

  

Jl. Sunset Road No. 88 Abian Base Kuta Bal

0361-8423573, 8423574 

Jl. Raya Tuban no 2x Bali (Rama Krisna)

0361-764532

Website: krisnabali.co.id

Mangrove Information Centre

Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai, Sanur, Denpasar 80361, Indonesia

+62 812-3963-0458 

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

Jalan Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561

 

Puri Lukisan Museum

Jl. Raya Ubud, Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571

0361-971159  

 

Titik Temu

Jl. Kayu Cendana no. 1, Seminyak, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

0821-4411-2489

Instagram: @titiktemubali

 

Bali Bakery

Branches:

Main Branch: 

Jl. Raya Kuta No. 65, Banjar Abianbase, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali, Indonesia
+62 361 755149 

Hayam Wuruk Branch: 

Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.181, Tanjung Bungkak, Denpasar-Bali

+62 361-243-147

 

Balimed Branch: 

Jl. Mahendradatta No.57X, Denpasar-Bali

+62 361-845-0767

 

Seminyak Square Branch: 

Jl. Kayu Jati No.1, Seminyak Square, Bali 

+62 361-738-033

 

Website: www.balibakery.com

Nalu Bowls

Shelter Cafe:

Jl. Drupadi 1 No.2A, Seminyak, Bali
+62 0812-3660-9776

Dojo Bali:

Jl. Batu Mejan No.88A, Canggu, Bali

+62 0812-3789-9428

Milk & Madu Cafe:

Jl. Pantai Berawa No.52, Berawa, Bali

+62 0812-3781-7716

Bukit:

Jl. Labuansait No.63, Pecatu, Kuta Selatan, Badung, Bali

+62 0821-4575-5461

Website: www.nalubowls.com

Nook

Jl. Umalas 1 Gang Nook No. 1, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 

0361-8475625

Instagram: @nook_bali

Website: http://nookbali.com/

Gaya Gelato

Legian:

Jl. Legian Kelod No.398 - Kuta, Bali
+62 858-8143-6677

Canggu:

Jalan Pura Batu Mejan Echo Beach, Canggu, Bali

0361- 8469-246

Fabulous Ubud:

Jalan Tjok Putra Sudarsana, Ubud, Bali

0361-973-285 

Ubud:

Jalan Raya Ubud, Ubud, Bali

0361-979-252 / 979-253

Gaya Gelato Lab:

Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali 

0361 979-252 / 979-253 

 

Uluwatu:

Jalan Raya Uluwatu Km.19, Uluwatu, Bali 

+62 812 37206470 

Marzano:

Arjuna / Double 6 street, Legian, Kuta, Bali 

0361-733-584 

Samasta:

Jalan Wanagiri No 1, Kuta Selatan, Jimbaran, Bali 

0361-4468-600

Trattoria Sanur:

Jalan Danau Tamblingan, 192, Sanur, Bali

0361-285-733

Website: http://www.gayagelato.com/

Monsieur Spoon

Canggu: 

Jln Pantai Batu Bolong no.55, Canggu, Bali

0361-8469-112

Petitenget:

Jl. Petitenget no. 112-A kerobokan, Bali

+62 7761 556 575

Seminyak:

Jalan Kayu Cendana no. 2 Oberoi (next to Seminyak Square)

+62 87760 307 054

Umalas:

Jln Umalas 2, no. 43 Kerobokan, Bali     

+62 87761 160 080

Ubud:

Jl Hanoman, Ubud (sideby Bebek Bengil)

+62 81999 710 384

Website: http://www.monsieurspoon.com

Souphoria

Jalan Bumbak Dauh No.116, Kerobokan, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan, Badung, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

+62 838-9455-3676 

Pison Coffee

Jalan Petitenget No.19 A, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

+62 821-4456-0066 

 Instagram: @pisoncoffee  

Sate Babi Bawah Pohon

Jln. Patih Jelantik no. 57, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Babi Guling Pak Dobiel

Jl. Srikandi No. 9, Nusa Dua, Benoa, Badung, Kabupaten Badung, Bali

0361-771633

TRAVEL DIARY + VISIT INDONESIA: JAVA-BALI OVER LAND, SEA, AND FLY! (Part I)

Hey there my friends! I’m back with my new travel diary series. I’ve been busy with my last semester which means I’m going to end my university life soon! YEASHHH! Last year was probably the most frequent I went for traveling. I haven’t post much of my traveling stories both in this blog nor my YouTube channel. Now, I finally got to edit 1 out of 4 postponed travel diary series. Check out my video first to know what it is about and read this post to know the BTS!

Actually this is my second time traveling from Java to Bali over land, sea, and fly. This trip is one of my faculty’s program. So, we get scored during this trip. It was much more of an educational trip rather than leisure but, we are given free time at the end when all the mandatory program are done. I got to join this trip again this time is because I helped my lecturer at that time. Yes, I’m the one who gave score for my juniors. FYI, we are trained to be a good tour guide for this trip. So, let’s get into the BTS!

DAY 1

I didn’t write day one and two in my video because it’s a bit confusing. 😂😅 So, we started this trip at the dawn around 4-5AM. We ride our school (university) bus, which you can see the awesomeness in the video. It is a 41 seater bus and the group consist of 40 people, so yeah it is a full-house trip! And fyi, we had to sleep in the bus and that means our first 24 hours are spent inside the bus. Throughout the journey from Tangerang (city near Jakarta) to Banyuwangi, where we cross the sea to Bali, the students (my juniors) had to do a guiding about topics related to this trip. For example, the culture of Javanese, culinary, arts, etc. It was a pretty tough task for them and so do I. I’ve to listen to their guiding and sometimes it feels tiring. But, I’m amazed with what my lecturer done. She has been doing this trip every year and got to hear the same topics all over every year. Even though both mentally and physically tired, I’m happy to join this trip. I got a chance to skip class and came back to Bali for free!

View from the bus on the highway

We stopped by at Pekalongan for Lunch at Sop Buntut Bu Leman. This restaurant is known for their ox-tail soup. The ox tail can be served in two ways, grilled or not. I chose the grilled one because it is more savory. After lunch, we continue our journey toward Kudus, Semarang, then we stopped at RM Wahyu Utama, Tuban to have our late dinner as well as get ready for sleep like brushing our teeth and change our cloth, etc. 

Highlight of the day: BEEF!!

DAY 2

Good Morning

It was rainy season so, it is quite a challenging trip both for our drivers and us. As it getting dark, the bus getting colder and it made me missing bed so much. Anyways, it took around 7 hours to arrived at Banyuwangi. I woke up quite early, like around 5 AM and I saw a beautiful sunrise near the sea at around 6 AM. The morning view is incredible. You can see the sea on the left side and mountain on the right side. If I didn’t took this trip, it is something hard to see. We passed by Baluran National Park which has a unique view. When it is dry season, the trees didn’t have leaves and it looks like a fall-winter season. Oh the tree’s color also grayish, so it looks like a winter season in Indonesia. But since I came back on November and it is rainy season, leaves are starting growing back so you can’t really see it. This national park still have wild animals, but it is safe to cross because there is a road made for it.

Beautiful countryside view

The mountain peek through the clouds

Baluran National Park at dry season

It is much better seen in real life

We stopped by at a gas station to do our morning routines and then headed to the bay for Bali. We used a ferry to cross from Java island to Bali island. It only took a good 10-15 minutes to cross the Bali Strait. We arrived at lunch time in Bali then we went straight to lunch at Ayam Betutu Gilimanuk Bu Lina. It is one of the traditional food in Bali, Ayam Betutu, which is a dish made from chicken served with Balinese condiments. It can be quite spicy for foreigner especially if you choose not the fried one. The fried Ayam Betutu is less spicy because the condiments are separated. I also not too good eating too spicy food, so I always choose to fried Ayam Betutu. 

On the middle of Bali Strait

After a hearty meal, we go straight to our hotel. It took around 2 hours to arrived at Kuta from Gilimanuk. After lunch, our energy got drained but we still need to continue the guiding session. When we arrived the hotel, I went straight to my room and took a bath and sleep. It was a really nice sleep after a extremely tiring journey. We had our dinner at the hotel because we are too tired to move around.

DAY 3

Starting the day with hearty breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to Jenggala Ceramics to do some artsy time. You cannot leave Bali without getting involved with their artsy life. Jenggala Ceramics is one of Balinese local ceramics producer. They have several shops and a factory. We visited their factory to see how they produce their ceramics as well as joining their workshop. You can visit their factory by notice. We had some art time by painting the half done clay. This is what I made for my mug. It is simple just because I can’t really draw. After some healing time with art, we got some snacks. Even though after the activity we will be heading for lunch. 

Some satisfying things to see

Froggy in process

Queuing...

Pink tea set

We had our lunch at Warung Krishna, they are Nasi Campur Bali specialist. It is also one food that you should taste once in Bali. You can choose between rice or lontong. Lontong is also made from rice but then wrapped in banana leaf. If with lontong, you will be served in a soup, like a curry. I always go for the rice one. As I am writing this down, I get reminded by how it taste and it makes me hungry and missing Bali a little bit. After lunch we headed to Gianyar area to see the making process of organic salt in Kusamba Village. It was scorching hot at that time, but we need to bear it because it is actually a really important activity of the day. Balinese has several organic products production such as soap, aromatherapy, and also food. This salt is special because it is less salty than your regular kitchen salt. So it is good enough for your health. For your information, Indonesia doesn’t really have much attention about using organic products so there aren’t many producers. It is fascinating to see the process also by buying you helped the community. 

Nasi Campur

with Lontong

 

The salt is bathing in the sun

After grilled by the sun for a good 30-45 minutes, we headed to Goa Lawah Temple, which is only a 5-10 minutes away from the organic salt farm. This temple is unique because it is actually a temple with bats living there. Lawah is Balinese word for bats and Goa means cave. So, inside the temple there is a cave with thousand of bats living there. There are few tips before entering Balinese temple. 

One of the Pura in the Goa Temple Lawah complex

After the temple visit, we went to one of the best villages in the world which is Panglipuran Village. It is best known for their cultural value that is still done till this day and their village layout is nicely done. Even though this village has became a tourism destination, the locals are still living here. You should pay the tickets to enter this village. If you came at the perfect time, you can take a really good Instagram worthy picture. You can also get in touch with the locals. Some of the locals opened some souvenir shop as well as food stall so it is tourist friendly. 

Not your usual runway

We had our dinner in a very special way, but I didn’t have the footage because first it was raining second it was too hectic to film. We had a dinner at a night market called Pasar Senggol Gianyar. Well actually this market’s name is unique because the word ‘senggol’ means bump. So the literally meaning is bumping market in Gianyar. But well, market is usually crowded with people, so there is a chance for people bumping into one another. The kids are given allowance for dinner for about 30,000 rupiah. I ate a lot of satay and grilled corn. If you got a chance of seeing grilled corn in Bali or any part of Indonesia, do buy it! In Bali, the best places to buy the grilled corn are near Single Fin (Uluwatu) or Petitenget Beach. With raining still relentlessly falling down, we went back to our hotel and get some rest.

I’ll cut the post into two because I think it is too long and I know how it feels to read a super long blog sometimes kinda boring. Thank you for keeping up till this part. See you on the next post! There will be the highlight of this trip. So make sure to read the next post!