Jogjakarta is one of the provinces of Indonesia, located in Java. It is not only famous for its classic Javanese atmosphere, marvelous temples and mystical culture, it is also a place to indulge yourself with one of the ultimate pleasures of life: goooood cheap fooods :)

Mostly, I go to Jogjakarta once a year. And every single time i go there, i will always find new places, new restaurant, new culinary experience. Nevertheless, here's my ultimate must-try foods of Jogjakarta (yes, especially for you, first-timers).

1. Gudeg 

Jl. Widjilan in Yogyakarta is well-known as the place to find the iconic food of Yogyakarta; it is the home of Gudeg. Gudeg is made of young jackfruit, boiled with palm sugar and coconut milk - and of course, other Indonesian traditional spices. Usually, a portion of Gudeg comes with some side dishes: chicken, egg, tempe and tahu - you may choose whether you want them or not. The taste of Gudeg may differ from one area (in Java) to another area. My all time favourite is still Gudeg from Yogyakarta. Even in Yogyakarta, the taste of gudeg from one "warung" to another can be different; mostly it's the degree of sweet. For all of you who are not a big fan of sweet, the sweet taste of Gudeg is usually balanced with Krecek, a spicy "dried" stew made of crispy cow skin.

So, here's what Gudeg Yogya looks like...

hmmm.. guess this one got Sambal Krecek all over covering the Gudeg :P

Personal taste: Gudeg Bu Wiwik
I have tried several warung gudeg, either at Jl. Widjilan or some other area. The famous one is Gudeg Yu Djum --> it even has a FB page. But my personal favourite is Gudeg Bu Wiwik, the sweetnes is perfectly combined with the spicy krecek, oh so yummy! Well, everyone gotta have their own fave :)

Price: starting from 15.000 IDR

2. Bakmi Jawa

Bakmi Jawa! It looks like a regular fried noodle or noodle soup, but then again it's different. One of the characteristics is that the noodle is a bit more.. squishy :) Worry not, the taste is still fantastic. To look for the good bakmi jawa, I prefer not to go to big restaurants. Those little warung got better homemade bakmi jawa.

Personal taste: Bakmi Mbah Mo
It is said that Bakmi Mbah Mo is the legend and the icon for traditional Javanese noodle. To find this specific eating place is quite tricky. It's far from what we can call "a restaurant" and moreover, it is not strategically located, it has no street address! You will need to ask the local people for direction. The Javanese call the location as "mblusuk" (means: in the middle of nowhere).

the cooking process is very traditional, using arang and clay stove..

See, it doesn't even look like a restaurant.
Source: Flickr

Despite of its location, the famous Bakmi Mbah Mo draws attention from many visitors - esp. those who are curious of its so-called legendary taste. People come there with their cars, lining up like hell. When you're not so lucky, you may need to wait around one hour (yes people, ONE HOUR) to enjoy your meal. This is because there is only one stove used to make all the incoming orders. a traditional stove, that is.
Price: starting from 10.000 IDR. Yes, that CHEAP!

the authentic and iconic Javanese noodle at Bami Mbah Mo!

3. Mushroom

No, it is not like what you're thinking.
There are some vegetarian restaurants in Yogyakarta, and most of them are using mushrooms as their main ingredients.

Personal taste: JeJamuran

It's fair to say that this a vegetarian place with a twist! Located in Jl. Magelang, you can see the big direction board to go to JeJamuran. The place got a big mushroom farm on the back of the dining area with some mushroom on display, so I suppose the mushroom served is always fresh. And since this is an Indonesian restaurant, all the mushroom are served with a lovely Indonesian flavour.

 YES! Sate Jamur!

Price: starting from 8.000 IDR.

Sate Jamur: RP. 8.000,00
Tongseng Jamur: Rp. 8.000,00
Rendang Jamur: Rp. 8.000,00
Pepes Jamur: Rp. 4.000,00
Jamur Goreng: Rp. 6.000,00

4. House of Raminten
Jl. F.M. Noto no.7 (next to Mirota Bakery), Kotabaru. Phone: 0274 547315.

Now this is what we call quirky touch of Javanese culture!
When you enter the place, you will be welcomed by old traditional chariots.
here and there, you may find signboard with a saying "Kami semua ini SLB. Kalau agak lama dalam melayani harap maklum karena kami kenthir" which means "we apologize if we present a slow service, because we are crazy".

The waiters are all dressed in traditional clothing, offering tons of authentic food, and even more authentic drinks and herbal drinks (in Bahasa: jamu) - all worth trying! Take a look at House of Raminten's Facebook page.

House of Raminten, from the entrance.

Source: House of Raminten

5. Bakso

Yeah, I know... bakso is quite common as Indonesian dish. But I got a surprise for you!

Personal taste: Bakso Ito

I have known Bakso Ito back from my high school years in Yogyakarta. After all these years, Bakso Ito still serves good varieties of bakso. The location, Jl. Mataram 59, is easy to find - it's on the back street of Malioboro Mall/Ibis Hotel. Make sure, if you go there, to try its popular bakso goreng (fried meatballs). You can choose either to have the beef bakso or the pork bakso. If you come around 6 PM, sometimes they dont have the pork bakso anymore, it's a bestseller :)

Source: Bakso Ito

6. Bebek

Bebek is simply duck. There's a lot ot restaurant in Yogyakarta that are specialized in serving bebek, in various way: grilled, fried, with soup, etc. One of the restaurants is Bebek Bakar Yu Sri, located in Jl. Tentara Pelajar (between Jogja and Magelang); it preserves the traditional ambiance of Java since the restaurant is within a Joglo (Javanese traditional house).

Attention all travelers and Yogya-newbies, when you arrive in Yogyakarta's airport Adi Sucipto, don't forget to take FREE map of Yogyakarta at the tourist information point right outside the baggage claim area. But if you fail to take one, or perhaps to lazy to find it out hehehehe.. Here. Download and print this one instead.

Map of Greater Yogyakarta, with touristic spots.

This article was also featured in Tourism Indonesia, a paper by @babyfwenas :)

A weekend getaway to Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) is one of the efficient (and considerably cheap) options when you're living/staying in the hectic Jakarta. Unlike its name, Kepulauan Seribu apparently only has 110 islands, not 1000.

Pulau Tidung is one of big islands, located in the area of Kepulauan Seribu Selatan, in the bay of Jakarta, approximately 60km from Jakarta.


HOW TO GET THERE ANYWAY?

Take a traditional boat from Muara Angke. Muara Angke is Jakarta's fresh fish market and fisherman's docks. Ask around, local people will direct you to the departure point. If you get to Muara Angke by car, you can put your car on an area nearby the post-office for 20,000 IDR per night.  
*updated: 20,000 IDR as long as you like :)

Kapal Muara Angke

Time of departure: 07.00 am. Be sharp. (while the boat to get back to Jakarta departs at 07.00 am and 01.00 pm.)

Price: 33,000 IDR/person.

With 20km/hours speed, you will get to Tidung in 3 hours. Do not expect fancy stuff when you get on board. One thing for sure, your legs will be cramped for sitting on the crowded floor.
Tips: If you are sea-sick, do not forget to have Antimo prior to the journey. Being on the open air or catching the sea breeze once in a while can also help repressing the sickness.

If you have more money, or i may say less adventure, the head your way to Marina Ancol and catch a boat from there.

Once you get to the island, embrace the bright sun and the salty wind - something you can not find in Jakarta. Usually, the tourists have already booked for accommodation on the island in advance.

Here are the contacts (that i know):

Lima Saudara (Pak Hamid): +62 858 88742129
Pak Suwardi: +62 856 93565464

The package that's offered covers accommodation, meal (breakfast-lunch-dinner) and water, bike rental, and snorkeling gears rental. Call them in advance to have a deal on your package.

Photo by: Jose Widjaja.

Accommodation: +/- 300,000 IDR/night/house.

You can have up to 12 people or more in one house. Well, as long as you don't mind to sleep on the floor together with your friends :)

Meals: +/- 15,000 IDR/person.

When you are in Pulau Tidung, you should ask your guide for a specific meal called "Sate Odol". and NO, it's not sate made of toothpaste.

Bike rental: 15,000 IDR/bike/day.

You can choose your own bike. Make sure that your bike is in a good condition.

Snorkeling gears rental: 35,000 IDR/pax/day.

You'll get a vest, fins, and the snorkel. For those who got small feet, bring along your socks. it helps your feet to stay put on those fins.

Boat rental: 300,000 IDR/boat.

I recommend you to go rent a boat with your friends to get to snorkeling spots around the islands. I do hope that you get such friendly guides like my friends and I did. The guide snorkel together with us, telling us the good spots and the "dangerous" spots (some coral reefs are too close to the surface that when you passed them you can get scratched all over your body)

Pulau Tidung actually consist of 2 islands. Tidung Besar and Tidung Kecil. There's a bridge that connects the islands.

BUT, SERIOUSLY... WHAT TO DO IN PULAU TIDUNG?

Enjoy the silent treatment of being in a small island. Sunbathing with a good book at hand, lazy-mood iPod playlist on your ears, and appropriate sunblock sounds nice. Don't forget to have a portion of Kelapa muda!

Biking. Just ride your bike, rummaging through the island. One thing for sure, you need to know your "home". Who is the owner of the house, what colour is the house, the number, or nearby landmark - so that when you get lost, you can ask people for direction to get back. But don't worry, the island is quite small.

Just keep swimming. You have the sea, what are you waiting for? SWIM!

Jump from a bridge (that connects both islands) ! and swim ;) like the local kids do. like my crazy friends did.

Snorkeling! You can pick a spot somewhere in the beach of Tidung Kecil. OR you can rent a boat&guide to take you to some interesting snorkeling spots around the island. Morning time, around 8-10 am, is the best time to snorkel because the waves and the streams are not that big/heavy. Snorkel your way and find the beauty of the underwater world. It was my first snorkeling experience and i did see gorgeous fishes, including "Nemo" the clown fish ;)

Photo by: Alex Arso.

Photograph the marvelous landscape, the sunrise, the sunset, and the beauty of the island.

PLEASE.. Don't waste your time by watching TV or play with your mobile phone. Throw them away! Escape from modern technology for a change.

What to bring? Money, camera, sunblock, loose clothes, snorkeling/diving gears (if you have 'em), self-entertainments (playing cards, Uno, books, iPod).
Tips: If you really really need to make important phone calls at all time, etc. then you should bring phone with Indosat number. It has good signal there.

and remember... DO NOT LITTER! Buang sampah pada tempatnya.

I traveled to Sukabumi last weekend with Chika and Ruben. A culinary trip - that's how we call it hehehe :)

It was my first ever trip to Sukabumi (the city) and to actually stay there for the night. Usually i only passed through Sukabumi without ever really enjoying the food, etc there. Where is Sukabumi, anyway? Take a look at this pic below.


Sukabumi is a vast region within West Java province. According to Wikipedia,

"Sukabumi is a city located about 80 km (50 miles) south of the national capital, Jakarta. At an altitude of approximately 600 meters (2000 feet), the city is a minor hill station resort, with a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands."

We went there by car from Jakarta on Friday night. We transited in Bogor, grabbed some stuffs and continued our midnight travel. We spent approximately 2-3 hours on the road.I can still recall the road as it is the same road that we took to go to Ujung Genteng (UGe). Aaaaw.. I miss Uge summer trip even more :'(

Back to Sukabumi!
I gained several pounds by just spending 2 days at Sukabumi! o_O'
Why? Because we ate 5-6 times a day! Noodles, batagor, yogurt, more noodles - all homemade.

kyahahahaha.. how can one resist all these food temptation???

Mie Cinco, with chopped grilled pork

Mie Yamien Pangsit Penganten :P~

So my dear friend bea "tricked" me into this runaway trip :P
here's my lil notes along the way...

Day 1: Feb 20 - Melbourne
Arrived in Melbourne airport around 9 am local time. The time difference with Indo is 4hours prior. Funny, i didn't really feel like i'm abroad. My first impression about the airport is even funnier, i felt like i'm in Kupang... with it's deserted bushes etc. The only difference is that the air is fresher and cooler compared to Jakarta.

Nothing special about the city, too. With its high way, and metropolis look of high rise buildings and towers, i feel like i'm still driving trough the SBD area of Sudirman and Kuningan. Weird, huh? I suddenly feel something i've never really experience before.. homesick about Jakarta. only a little dose of it.

Soon after we arrived at Raymond's apartment. That so called homesick feeling is gone and replaced by Kruidenhof-homesick as the apartment resembles the one we used to live in Diemen.

Day 2: Feb 21 - Melbourne & Sdyney
Woke up at 11 something after a very deep sleep! After a brief breakfast and a refreshing shower, we started packing for Sydney and Goldcoast. Our 6 pm flight was quite rock n roll hahaha as well as our taxi ride to Westend backpacker hostel by Pitt and Campbell street.

I fell in love at the first sight with Sydney. The city in general reminded me of Madrid :) in some ways. After dropping our luggage we started walking (in the rain, good that we brought umbrellas) for about 30-45 minutes towards The Rock area. Pancakes on The Rock was our ultimate destination that night. What a bliss.. the food was delicious and worth queuing for. With our belly full of fruit pancakes, tandori pizza, and mexican rolls we strolled to the harbour to witness the famous opera house and harbour bridge (plus the ever grand arcadia cruise ship) in the glimmering night. It's actually nice to talk and to greet random people we bumped into. Realizing that it's midnite already we walked back to the hostel.

2 am and it's time for us to crash.

yes, i heart sydney.

Day 3: Feb 22 - Sydney
We started the day at 10 something by walking to the Chinatown to have our big breakfast... a gigantic portion of fried rice ala something. There on we entered Paddy market, Sydney's traditional market, just for window shopping. Our walk got us into Hyde park and St. Mary's Cathedral in the heart of the city. Considering it's Sunday, we walked towards the church just to find that the Eucharist was just over. However, i had a picture with the bishop! This is me being religious :P

We strolled down to Circular Quay to enjoy the day view of the Opera house etc. It was freaking hot! PFFFF... So we decided to catch the bus to get to Darling harbour. With big and small boats spread across the area, the place was awesome. Our booked dinner at Hurricane grill restaurant was gigantic and full of meat! well, at least for me. Suffering from over eating, we enjoyed the night scenery of Darling harbour.

The headache i got from hot-cold temperature that day was killing me so i skipped late Starbucks and preferred to swallowed my medicine and sleep as soon as we got to our room.

Day 4: Feb 23 - Sydney & Gold Coast
My headache seemed to ease this morning. We actually ate our yesterday's takeaway breakfast :P With fulfilled belly, we walked to Hyde park to catch bus 380 to get to Bondi beach. Good thing that we're blessed with sunny sky and good weather (not too hot, not too cold, perfect for beach-walking).

The beach itself was pretty: cool water, high tide. Suitable for surfers and wave-catchers. Phew I instantly imagined my friends running happily catching tides in this very beach. or maybe they would prefer to watch them girls with bikinis instead hahaha

Our big fat lunch was a large pack of fish and chips, Aussie's style, accompanied with the interestingly sweet and sour taste of seafood sauce. Next in line was our dessert: the infamous deep fried mars bars - the one and only! even i, a non mars bar lover, have to say that this food is brilliant!! They had the mars bars covered in batter. As the bar was fried, the choc and caramel inside melted while the outside looked shinny in oil. When one crunched the bar, the melted choc and caramel touched the taste buds and brought one the ultimate pleasure.

After another dip in the water, we went back to the city... getting ready to got in to the plane to gold coast.

The time difference between Sydney and Gold coast was quite funny/disturbing. 1,5hours since Gold Coast does not apply the daily saving time thingy. Quite exhausted from our little trip to Bondi, we got ourselves to our next accommodation: Islander hotel. oh, btw thirza did not join us to Goldcoast. Leaving bea, raymond, olaf, and me wandered around in Surfer's Paradise that night. After a not-so-decent-pizza at La Porchetta that evening, we headed to the beach (of course!) to feel the extra smooth sands slipping through our toes. Clear sky, too.

Day 5: Feb 24 - Gold Coast
It's DREAMWORLD!!! and it's not crowded at all :P

We dragged out sleepyhead and rode Cyclone (roller-coaster) first. Ouw the thrills and drills, my head hurted even more. Feeling a little sick, we continued to Wipe out located next to Cyclone. Wipe out resembles Tornado in Dufan (or, apparently... vice versa).

to be written...

Day 6: Feb 25 - Gold Coast
It's MOVIEWORLD!!!

to be written...

February 14, or as most people refer as Valentine's Day is the day for lovers, for love, for teens, when any irrational (read = utterly stupid) actions are allowed and considered in the forbidden name of love. It also means a lot of candy hearts and "I-Love-You"s and fluffy pink stuffs which badly pokes me in the eyes.

So I rather spent my Feb 14 with friends. Let me describe the ambient: my all time favourite Javachip Frappe tasted so indulging in my tongue, while we girls blabbered about good things (and bad things, too) as the smooth live jazz music soothed our ears.
Too bad Ari couldn't tag along.

Ck came with these cute cupcakes :)
Rasanya pengen diliat2in aja.. gak usah dimakan.

/KILL!
Seperti kata Zee, kita emang lebih jago pose camen daripada pose manis.

Oh, here's something cute i found while browsing at Zee's journal. This post is too good i am obliged to re-post it here.
Medically Speaking of Love by Zee.
When the object of my affection walks by...
This is what I feel:
My heart falls into my stomach and splashes my innards. All the moisture makes me sweat profusely. When the brain burns out altogether, the mouth disengages and I babble like a cretin until he leaves.
*sayup sayup terdengar lagu it's good to be in love by Frou Frou*

- - -

I am content that i decided to spend the day with you guys.
God knows how h e a v y my heart that day...

I had a pleasant weekend!

Ck's family prepared a small gathering barbecue/steam boat dinner [let's say: supper] yesterday :)
So we were there. Ck as the host and her family, Ari, Val, Ruben, Yanto, Dede, Chemonk, Jono, Lala and Jose. *hopefully some images will come right up. at least after i get them from Lala/Jose hehehehe

Good food, great friends! ;)
self-explanatory, right?

Ada satu hal yang saya pelajari dari kumpul2 kemarin:
"Don't play with fire if you don't want to get burn." Jangan maen api, ntar angus!
But then again, i am NUMB enough.
I think I can stand the pain, darlings. Dont worry.

Jok mobil ruben memang laknat!

Saya bisa duduk diam dan tiba-tiba molooooor dalam sekejap. Mungkin karena didukung perut kenyang setelah makan Ngo Hiang [五香], plus alunan music jazz kental dari Bubi Chen, plus cuaca Bogor-Jakarta yang cukup mendukung alias mendung, plus ayunan mobil meluncur lancar di jalan tol...

Ngo Hiang - kombinasi "some-kind-of-lumpia-resemblance" Babi dan Ayam +
tahu + kentang + acara lobak + sambal +
saos agak-agak rasa kacang encer yang manis dan mantafff!

Saya bertemu dengan beberapa teman dari Bogor setelah menghadiri kondangan ala Batak [bff-nya Ck] dengan baju baru harga miring yang hasil shopping di TA [lagi2 dengan wanita yang sama], makan BK Mushroom Swiss yang membuat super ketagihan lagi dan lagi dan lagi :P~ [nah, klo yang ini udah merasuk ke mimpi dari minggu lalu - senasib sama ruben!! wakakakaka].

Puas ke gereja di Bogor [sayang sekali pemandangan kurang memuaskan malam itu, tapi intinya ke greja kan mo ketemu Tuhan ya?]... bilas2 dll sepakatlah kami untuk jalan kaki ke mall terdekat. Alhasil kita beramai-ramai nonton LASKAR PELANGI :D ah syenang akhirnya kesampean juga.
I think it's one of the best Indonesian movies ever made!

Lalu beranjaklah kami memuaskan nafsu tengah malam!!
Apalagi klo bukan makan ROTI BAKAR hahahahaha :P Duduklah kami sambil melihat manusia-manusia malam Bogor adu balap motor dan mobil liar... Saya sambil makan Roti Pisang Coklat Keju! *sluuuurp* Beberapa manusia temannya teman saya ikutan masuk keluar warung tenda roti. Adalah yang botak lucu lewat, temennya Chemonk. Kata Dede, dia mah PK. Ha ha ha *tertawa sinis* bukannya semua cowo emang PK?

There were few downs during my little visit to Bogor that i wont write here. It's quite sad, quite brokenheartening, and quite annoying.

So, what's the moral of this story?
Jok mobil Ruben memang laknat!

Abis berenang enaknya ngapain?
Makaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!

Fresh baked butter pancake with Bavarian apple and maple syrup
topped with vanilla ice cream and raisins!
Extra cinnamon powder!

Jadilah kami - Ck, Ari, dan saya, berhubung Lala diculik oleh kekasihnya - bertengger di Pancake Parlour di mall Karawaci dan makan pancake super enak sambil tertawa melihat hasil foto di Uge.

*update the following weekend
Went there again. I tried Chocolate Berry Jubilee! :D

Here's what i do this weekend!

* Attend a friend's wedding. Lala is my friend back from high school in Jogja. I went there with Shirley [pake acara nyasar-nyasar dikit] and met some other friends. Selamat menempuh hidup baru, lala!

* Grocery shopping and cleaning up! cleaning up here means gardening [baca: menyiram kembang :P] and ironing two big basket full of clothes! hahahahah.. it's been a while since i did those kind of chorus.

* Cook!!! So i cooked asparagus soup and spicy tuna fusilli ^^ and some other insignificant stuffs. I still want to cook Paella and Risotto yumyum
[update: Monday, September 1 - i stupidly forgot to bring my fusilli. Padahal ini udah masuk puasa, mo beli makanan di mana coba!]

* Browsing, sending stuffs to people. Take a look at Agnes Monica's newest clip Godai Aku Lagi. Some drools in awe, some ignores, some comments. I personally think the clip is a little bit provocative considering that it is released close to Ramadhan time in Indonesia.
>> Yuli says, "huhauhau val ini lady marmalade campur britney spears campur men in black campur thriller campur spice girls (posh bukan sih...) hahahha tapi kok tepos? Gag pake chicken fillet? [val: LOL XD XD XD] makin ngile entar hihihi"
>> Golda says, "ini mah versi campuran yang ga jelas abis nich vaaal.. tau sapa yg bikin konsep..tapi at least udah ada orang indo yg brani bikin gnian yach huehehehe... not bad la..."
Anyway, she's a talented girl; my sister adores her.
For those who does not know AgMon, this is her > > > > >

*Update - September 2, 2008
E says,
1. Song:
Soooooo Britney/Madonna/PussycatDolls/every possible pop star you can imagine. Love the urban-disco-pop-esque type of music, nice, fresh & very-AgMon-like (takin other musician influence & make it her own)
2. Video:
Ok, she copied a lot of things from movies & other v-clip, I happen to know some of it.
First, J.Lo's big earing & tanned skin [val: i came up with this idea!], Christina Aguilera's Lady Marmalade / Ain't no other man / Moulin Rouge-esque dress-hair-make-up (the changing room scene).
Second, abduction scene, Madonna's Nothing Really Matters / Spice Girls Who Do You Think You Are / OTT's Story of Love,
Third, the dessert scenes, from the movie Jumper & Aeon Flux (sooooo Charlize Theron).
Well, isn't it quite obvious that he LOVES agmon? And there he goes singing agmon's songs :P
*

* Reading Paulo Coelho The Witch of Portobello... then fell asleep. then read again, then fell asleep again. It's not that the book is not interesting, it's just i'm being a daylight sleepyhead lately. However, when it comes to night, i suddenly become insomnia again >.<' [update: Just got this link... Browse inside Paulo Coelho The Fifth Mountain, check it out!]

* Eating SUSHI TEI with Niev the baldie [plus he refers himself as sexy, doh]. Am still amazed on how CUPU he is :P Hopefully some meaningless photos are coming right up.
[Update: September 5, 2008]

Here is the picture:

Picture's taken from Nv - sushi attack!

Nv, this is called SPICY SALMON MAKI - therefore it is suppose to be SPICY!!!
ha ha ha ha ha XD *tawa penuh kemenangan* sapa suruh dicekokin ini tetep dimakan juga. dasar jelek-botak-putih-sipit! Hey, i should have taken your picture to show the world how cupu you're.

Day 8. Confused by the day
I decided to give myself a little rest. Thus i spent the morning and the afternoon just chilling, relaxing, doing nothing at Indah's place - checked my mails, updated myself with CNN and BBC. Lunch? Indah, Greg, and I went to Nasi Ayam Kedewatan - Greg was upset about some stuffs happened at the hotel. After lunch, i packed my stuffs and got ready to head down to Denpasar. Indah drove me again! No major problems this time hahahaha ole!
P.S. Bye-bye indah schat, it's been a wonderful time staying at your place!

On the way to Denpasar [approximately 6pm], my sister called me to inform that there's been death in the family. My mom's big brother passed away, heart attack we supposed. Everything was so hectic. Mom needed some fast cash [for her and her other brothers] to buy tickets to Medan a.s.a.p. while she has none. Amazingly, yes amazingly... I stupidly and unconsciously left my atm card somewhere in Sanur yesterday! and i just realized it then! But things got sorted out; mom bought one-way tickets for the morning after. What a disaster... because actually we will have a wedding this Saturday at Banjarmasin.

So Rannu, Thia, and Cindy picked me up - feeling sorry for my loss. Well well, we knew that we needed to fill our empty stomach to bust our mood - Mie AHA at Jl. Satelit was the place! They said that Koko yang masak [the chinese chef] alwaaaaays wear a barong shirt - most probably to bring good luck ;) There, Rannu tangled herself with a couple's baby girl. Guess she's ready to be both a mother and a pediatrician hehehehehe

We were full and content. Not Thia - apparently... she was a little upset with her boyfriend. Being on the last two days of my visit, we decided to go to see their favourite, Siluet, performing at Center Stage Hard Rock. The atmosphere was nice - lots of chinese and korean tourists came that night. The band referred us girls as Spice Girls LOL!

We went home at midnight.

Day 9. It's almost...
Rannu and friends dragged me to Udayana, they needed to prepared documents for graduation. I got myself another friend, Martha - she's getting married soon, she reminds me of Anita :) The day was so warm; we were hungry! So we ate at Bumbu Desa [just opened] - the restaurant actually imported the employees from Garut! woooooow, nice concept rite?

There on, we needed to go to the local police station to report my stupidity. Afterward, we went to Pasar Badung to buy some barong clothes for my sister. Feeling worn out by the sun, we chilled a while at Rannu's place. Changed our clothes and all the things in between.

Next stop was Museum in Denpasar - these girls have been living in Denpasar in 6 years but they never visit it LOL. Well, the objects were not as interesting as the building itself. Nyeeeh... we were there only to satisfy our narcissism! hahahaha

val-rannu-thia-martha-cindy

We dropped Martha back to her place, then off again to Warung Bunana to eat some delicious canai bread and indian martabak. Yum yum... no wonder i gain several kilos :P

From canai to ground zero. There we bumped into Martha again hahahaha... We stayed for a while, then head home - Thia was still upset with her boyfriend. She really need to clear her mind. Rannu and I did little browsing and eating [yes! supper!] before sleeping.

Day 10. home, tan, fat
Whether i like it or not, i have to go home. My sister is waiting - she's home alone. My cong is waiting [you know you miss me!]. And God knows who else might be waiting for me.

So long, Bali! Tot November ;)

Read the complete story!
* Bali: Part One - day 2 to day 4
* Bali: Part Two - day 5 to day 7
* Bali: Part Three - day 8 to day 10

Day 5. walk, don't drive
So Rannu and I spent the day walking around Ubud. Well, it's a working day so Indah couldn't come along. From Kupu Barong [Indah, i'm promoting your hotel! hehe] we took the shuttle down to Blanco Museum near Ubud center [entrance fee: IDR 20.000 ]. The place is wonderful. It is said that the land in which the museum is built upon was given by the local people as a token of appreciation to Antonio Blanco. The artist himself has passed away. Yet his erotic paintings and arts are very well preserved in this place. His artistic blood also run in the family, esp in Mario Blanco, which focuses more on dead objects - somehow i prefer erotica than a basket of fruits. There at the museum, we made friend with Sebastian from Belgium - cute, but too young i suppose.

Location: Blanco Museum & somewhere down the street of Ubud

There's always erotic arts somewhere in between

We needed to wait for the cats-and-dogs rain to stop before we continued or little journey to the Monkey Forest [entrance fee: IDR 10.000]. Lumayan juga jalannya! There're a lot of tourists in the monkey forest. The tourists were very excited about the monkeys; the monkeys were very excited about the bananas and the peanuts they tourists brought along. Some monkeys acted nice and posed for the cameras, some other went after tourist to beg for fruits. Two monkeys were caught in the act of vulgarism! yes, some sexual actions! hahaha what an exhibitionist!

Tired of observing the monkeys, we went to Bebek Bengil, again, to eat Black Russian cake, again :p Yum yum!

It was already 6pm when we realized that we missed the shuttle car to go back to the hotel. So.... Indah picked us up with her little jimnie! Wahaaaaaaaa.. what a wobbly ride! The three of us made a stop at bintang for grocery shopping. We had our dinner back at Indah's place that night. Greg made us good fussili - he was complaining about "i can cook much better than this if only we have the right ingredients here" lol. Good dinner ended with good shisha :D

Black Russian Cake in the afternoon, pasta & wine for dinner

Day 6. work hard, play harder!
Saturday was hectic! I needed to meet some people i failed to meet the previous days - because of the holiday [18th] and the Galungan [19th-21st]. Greg took Indah, Rannu and I down to Sanur. From there on, I rented a car to go to other places.

From the printing company, i dropped Rannu at her place. Then off to visit a partner station, had our lunch at Warung Satria [Nasi Campur Bali for around IDR 20.000] with Inten and her brother [Indah and I agreed that Inten looked like our own mama Sita - too bad she can't make to Bali during these days, she's expecting her baby!]. After a quick session in Melia Nusa Dua, where I took pictures and discuss some items for the upcoming partner gathering [imagine running around in such a huge place like Melia in heels, high heels - yes, that's what i did!], I went back to Renon to have another meeting. There at Be Sangih we ate-drank Daluman, Balinese own "cingcau/cendol/dawet".

When all work is done.. it's time to play!

Indah and I waited for Greg and Jovita [lovely woman, she's the spouse of Kupu Barong GM's in Tuban area - had her own magazine in Bali, top network] at Sunset on Six [SOS], a rooftop venue at Anantara Resort, Seminyak. The place was already full with people for dinner, but finally we got ourself a place. btw we missed the sunset! Then we moved to Rumours to have our late dinner - the place served good Italian food and also good taste of wine. There at Rumours, we accidentally met Farah, one of our juniors from Holland - she was in Bali for a weekend getaway. Suddenly, Titin and Susan [our seniors from Holland; they domain in Seminyak] and Nita came to Rumours just to say hello and goodbye - they're too tired to go anywhere that night.

mbak jovi - indah - val - greg & indah

With our belly full, we went to Hypnotic, a new place down by Seminyak square. Originally, we wanted to go to Ku De Ta [am still curious about the place] but they're having a white party we didn't want to barge in. Hypnotic was so-so - the place was quite small, indoor [it's Bali, the parties should be brought outdoors, man!], and lack of visuals for me. They serve nice watermelon Mojito. Btw, the crowd was quite awkward on Hypnotic. Among the expats, i saw a number of koko-koko surabaya with their acts of trying to get some girls to get drunk so that they can get some that night. wahahahahaha...
P.S: Indah told me that some guy at Hypnotic has been "observing" me back from our dinner in Rumours. Doh, didn't realize it!

Next destination: Living Room, a fine-dining/lounge/club. There we met two tante-tante dancing wildly LOL. Oh and we finally had our vodka red bull! Cheers! I was half-deaf there XD
P.S: a guy had a t-shirt with this writings on "FASTER, STRONGER, LONGER, BETTER" and an arrow down to his manhood. Good self-advertisement, hey? But is it appropriate?

Next next destination: Hu'u Bar, just across the street. The place was hip, i loved it very much. Jovita met her friends there, while i was observing the crowd. Here i saw om-om surabaya LOL. I also learned that those chinese tourist can't dance! Well well, since the dance floor was packed, we went outside to the garden. Guess Jovita has reserved a place for us or else we couldn't get to sit anywhere. We sat and enjoyed the night breeze, few meters away from all of the noises.
*update: now, to get a table near the bar, you have to spend around IDR 250.000, while to sit on the ground white fluffy couch in the garden, you need to spend around IDR 800.000!

3 am. Greg needed to stay focus to drive us back to ubud. He was a little drunk, Indah was drunk, I was sober enough to focus on the road. We got back home safe and sound, and exhausted.

Day 7. Overdose on seafood
It's noon already! Greg, Indah, and I had brunch and cached another meals from McD on our way to Discovery Mall. There we properly met Susan, Titin, and Nita at Black Canyon cafe. The coffee was allright, the services... not that satisfying!

Then we went to Nyoman Cafe at Jimbaran area for out dinner. Again, lots of chinese tourist [why am i always surrounded by chinese? is it a sign or something? lol]. Some local singers sang James Blunt - You're Beautiful incorrectly that it made us laugh. Udah lantang, salah pula!

susan - indah - val - titin - nita - sisa2 perjuangan

So we chatted and update each others with funny stories and talked a little business here and there. We planned to have another dinner and "extra stuff" when i visit Bali again next time. Overall, it's a good day.

Read the complete story!
* Bali: Part One - day 2 to day 4
* Bali: Part Two - day 5 to day 7
* Bali: Part Three - day 8 to day 10

Here's my travel journal during my visit to Bali on November 2008. I mostly stay at my dear friend Indah's place in Ubud, and Rannu in Denpasar.

Day 2. Heading South
Soon after having breakfast, i went straight to Ubud Centre, to catch the bus to Kuta with Perama Tour. Ubud -> Kuta for IDR 75.000. It's considered cheap, since Bali do not really have public intercity transportation. You can also get a taxi, but it'll cost around IDR 200.000.

I hopped off at Poppies Lane 2. while waiting for my old friend from high school, Rannu [I used to sit n study with her twin, Rendeng - now in Bandung], I helped a German couple to get accommodation down by Poppies Lane.
Perhatian: Saya SokTau sekali loh, padahal ngerti nama jalan juga engga! Good that Indah lend me her Lonely Planet :) thanks, darling!

While in Poppies, I bumped to my new friends i met during my flight to Denpasar, Ruli and Adhi - both from Trans7. Chat with them for a while; they're on duty, following several Brazilians soccer players working for Indonesian team.

Then i met Rannu and her friends, Thia and Cindy. We had our lunch at Goody's [good affordable food, i tried Fettuccine con Calamari], in Legian area. Then we strolled around Legian and Seminyak, looking for accessories and clothes - girl stuffs :) Wondering why we're so tired, we went back to our dorm. I spent the night at Rannu's place after having dinner at KFC hehehehe so freakin full. We ate all day!

Day 3. Good Food = Good Life
Woke up at 7.30 am. Kyaaaaa.. Thia's waiting outside! We're ready to roll!

We had our breakfast at Bali Catering & Co., in Petitenget, Kerobokan area. I ate pistachio macaroon + New York cheesecake [with strawberries!] + a cup of cappuccino. It was all so delicious ^^

Location: Bali Catering Co. - delicious food and beyond! :)

Then we went straight to Garuda Wisnu Kencana [GWK]. Good thing that we were going by car, since the place is unreachable by public transportation. It was so damn hot that we decided to chill and had our lunch back at Discovery Mall in Kuta. Cindy and I couldn't help wandering to Kuta Art Market. Too bad the market was not fully open because of Galungan feast in Bali. I got myself some beach-y outfits.

Location: Dreamland - with Thia Cindy and Rannu

Got enough of chilly air, we drove south to Dreamland beach near Uluwatu. Doing nothing, eating singkong keju [ya, kita kan anak singkong :P] and apple pastels while looking at cute boys surfing huehuehuehuheu.. We're so worn out we went straight back to Denpasar fuuuuuuh
Note: That guy who took our picture was so cute. Stupid me, why didn't i ask his name?!

Day 4. Ubud
Ok, i need to buy slipper. I kind of broke my fave sandals :(

So Rannu and I got our self a ride to Ubud with Perama tour. We strolled down Hanoman street, took pictures [narcissism is a must during holidays!], then had our lunch at a small food stall called Warung Nasi Goreng - Indah's recommendation. With our belly full, we walked about Ubud's market. Failed to catch the shuttle bus back to Indah's place, we set our foot to Casa Luna - also Indah's recommendation. We got our self a new friend there, Amanda Midlam from a small town called Eden, Australia. she's writing a story about Bali dogs [wish her a wonderful stay].

Location: Ubud - somewhere between rice field and Balinese-Thai lunch

*update
after Indah n Greg got back from work, we went to Bebek Bengil [dirty duck diner] down Hanoman street. they served tasty duck with sambal matah and veggies and oh-my-goodness-it's-so-freaking-delicious Black Russian cake! the cake has such a delicate texture; the mixture of kahlua and other liquors blended spoiled your tongue and warmed you up in the chilly night of Ubud. a must try! hum... jd pengen lg!

That night, the four of us discuss about the local people, the Balinese and their ceremonies, and the difficulties of relationship between different races [since my Rannu had similar problems]. We came to a conclusion that every relationship [esp. those which is nurtured in country such as Indonesia] will have to face the PARENTS! at that time, all that matters is the couple itself should be strong enough to stand for what they believe, which is that they love each other and no one else. What an insight :p or maybe we ate too much of black russian ha ha ha

Read the complete story! ;)
* Bali: Part One - day 2 to day 4
* Bali: Part Two - day 5 to day 7
* Bali: Part Three - day 8 to day 10

I dont feel like eating. This is rare... very rare...
I have lots of food, cakes, muffins, etc in my fridge... but i dont feel like eating. At all!

I eat just because i have to eat, at least that's how i hear myself thinking. Well, food is there to be appreciated, to be eaten. Blah.. ok let's have a bite :)

oh, and that new ad of SoyJoy is lameeee.... i prefer the dancing-soy one.

Beberapa hari after Semarang serasa hangover days. bangun tidur rasanya beraaaaaaaaat bgt. baru semenit bangun tiba2 ketiduran 1 jam lagi, alhasil selalu buru2 klo mau ke kantor. kepala muter2.... mata rasanya gak fokus... hidung mencium bau2an aneh.

Bayangkan! Hari pertama ngantor yang tercium bau pizza hut. terjadilah apa yang seharusnya terjadi, pulang dari kerja bertengger dulu di pizza hut slipi jaya, eating soup and salad and creamayo tuna pizza. The fact that i'm soo broke could not defeat the great appetite within!

Hari kedua kerja, bau yang tercium lebih aneh lagi. I smelled yokko! on and off. on and off. it's weird that he's miles away yet it felt that he's with me. Mungkin karena dia blom mandi kali yah :P baunya sampe ke Jakarta. And he's out-of-this-world words explained everything ^.^ oh, i have to stop being cheesy!!

Hari ketiga dan keempat (which is today) gak ada bau2an aneh. But i (bea too) have constant crave to EAT! GOSH! If only my table is made of chocolate bar, it would be gone by now hehehe...

It's like i'm having speeless nights. It's been a while since i felt this tired. My dear bea said, "karena yang cape bukan cuma badan loe. hati dan pikiran juga."

Fortunately, there are things that lights me up. Especially karena bea bisa gue ejek2 saban hari, her "fans" are bugging her now and then. Their so-called serious attempt makes me ROFL. Hum... in our words, it's super najong XD

I but thank those guys who try to brighten my best friend's day up. Indirectly, they have brighten my days too.

And for the guy who holds my heart...

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