New Zealand : Hobbiton Movie Set

Why holiday always flown by so quickly ?? *sadddd
Guess it is true that time flies fast when you’re having fun. haha

As some of you know, i went to Australia and New Zealand last month. and all i can say, Australia is great and New Zealand is awesome! And Ohh, i tell you, New Zealand air is just so perfect. Setiap tarikan nafas yang gw ambil tuh berasa super fresh. Langsung ngerasa semua oxygen tersalurkan dengan baik ke seluruh tubuh gw. Beneran perbaikan kualitas hidup deh kalo kata gw. Haha.. Oke, i might be too much on this. But  It’s so rejuvenating for someone who stays in Jakarta like me.

Do you know that Air Quality Index in Jakarta is one of the worst? Jakarta AQI is 149! Whereby the healthy AQI is between 0-50. So, Jakarta is already categorised as one unhealthy city. =(

And do you know what’s the AQI for Auckland?

It’s freaking 7 !! and 40-50 around city area. The gap is too much.. No wonder i feel much healthier when i was in Auckland. haha..

Anyway, i only got 6 days in Auckland. So, practically i only have 4-5 days to roam around the city. Will tell you the city part later on, cause i just cant wait to share to you about Hobbiton!! But before i show you the beauty and the cuteness of this Hobbiton movie set. I’ll share a bit about how we went there.

Me and my friend were thinking to get a local tour from Auckland City to Hobbiton Movie Set & Waitomo Caves to see the Glow worms. The cheapest tour we could get was USD 229 (NZD 356). We thought it would be easier for us and less tiring, because they provided us the transportation + entry tickets + lunch.

But since i stayed at the south, i was afraid i couldn’t catch the timing. as they only have 1 trip / day from Auckland city area. And to get to the city by bus from the south area is about 45-60 mins in the morning.

So, we tried to check if it is cheaper to drive ourselves to these 2 locations. We tried to check a few websites and found that this new Toyota Yaris Car for NZD 35 / day. After we calculate the tickets and gas, it turns out it is much cheaper to drive ourselves to Hobbiton Movie Set and Waitomo Caves to see the glow worms.

Rented Car  : NZD 35
Gas : NZD 63
Hobbiton Movie Set Tickets : NZD 168 for two ( NZD 84 / person )
Waitomo Caves Tickets : NZD 106 for two ( NZD 53 / person )

Total : NZD 186 / person   **We saved about NZD 170 !

So, we ordered the car from this website, and drove ourselves there!

If you ask me, how’s driving in NZ like?

Hmmpp.. Actually i didnt drive at all, cause i dont have international driving license yet. so my friend, Ivanna drove us all the way there, which took about 5-6 hrs in total to and from Auckland city. Thank you so much once again Iv!

Well, i actually offer myself to drive if she got tired. But we decided to follow the rules. Because :
– if something happened while i’m driving (without Intl Driving License), all the insurance cant be claimed at all. It can only be claimed by the one who signed the contract.
– my friend will get fined, cause she knows i dont have any licensed but still letting me drive.

Anyway, i guess enough of the prologue. Let’s get to the main stuff!

Hobbiton Movie Set

Located at Mata – Mata, 2 hours drive from Auckland City. A place where Middle Earth is found!

I watched the trilogy of Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit, and i love love love this place. Not really a big fan of the movie itself, but i find it super cute and amazing to see a real movie set like this. The attention to details, the cute little houses, the scenery itself, is just perfect. It’s enough to make you feel like you’re entering another world!

Do you know that this movie set belongs to one family named Alexander ?

I was in total shock to know that this tremendously huge farm is belong to only one family. I mean, whatt?! you own a 500 hectare of farm?!
and now, you manage that Hobbiton movie set too??

I wonder how rich you are, sir! You are indeed one blessed man!

Anyway, enough me being jealous. haha.. Now, a little bit background why Peter Jackson chose this as the Middle Earth.

In 1998, a team of location scouts working for Sir Peter Jackson took an aerial tour of New Zealand by Helicopter. They were searching for a tall tree near a pond that would be similar to the Party Tree described in The Lord of the Rings books. and Voila, they found the whimsical trees, standing steady and tall in the middle of The Alexander Farm.and it is just matched the aesthetic they were looking for. More over the rolling hills are perfect hobbit holes too.

Apparently, you cannot roam around this Hobbiton Movie Set by yourself.

So, the ticket that you bought is for the tour. You’ll be given a choice on which timing you want and what language you speak. After that, you will hopped on to their bus to see the stunning aerial of the farm complete with the sheeps and cows, and you will get off at the Hobbiton movie set entrance and continue with the walking tour.

And before i talk more, enjoy the view first people ❤

*spoiler alert : That huge trees on top of Bilbo Baggin’s House is Fake! We have to give a big kudos for the props team for arranging such a beautiful props up there!

Everything is so cute and pretty in Middle earth! how i wish there’s a hotel like Hobbiton Movie Set, would love to stay there at least a day or two to enjoy the view. haha

The tour itself is about 2 hours. It is considered fast for me, since we cant take too much pictures. They timed everyone there, so everyone can get a chance, and you cannot go back yourself if you want more pictures.

The NZD 84 that we spent is inclusive of one free drinks at the Green Dragon (The Hobbit Bar). You can choose a range that is only available at Hobbiton. They have 3 alcohol drinks and one non-alcohol drink. I tried the non-alcohol drink which is Ginger Beer that taste sweet and gingery. haha. Well, we can only that as we still had a long drive after Hobbiton.

Be prepared to walk alot, so please use comfortable shoes, and it’s a little bit windy and cold down there during winter times. so, wear thicker. Also, be pretty all the time girls, since you dont have much time to take pictures. Haha.. but most of all, enjoy the pretty view as much as you can. you wouldnt have this back at your country, or at least my country. haha..

To see some of my IG story, you can visit my IG too @jenita.darmento

Thanks for reading people ❤

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Apply Visa Australia Online – Lebih Murah 500,000 dari Agent

Hello Temands,

Dua minggu lalu aku baru apply visa Australia – via online gituh, dan ternyata apply online itu sangat mudah, walaupun agak banyak juga documents yang harus di attach (hampir sama kayak apply via agent). Plus applying online itu ternyata super cepet loh, Jadi aku baru submit application di jam 10 malem tgl 26 May 2019, terus langsung di approve 4 hari kemudian, dan langsung dapet visa buat 3 tahun! *yeayy. hehe

Jadi aku mau share nih gimana caranya apply online, mudah2an membantu yahh gais.. hehe

1. Create ImmiAccount 

Klik ‘Create an ImmiAccount’ dan isi semua yang di bintang-in yah! cuman ada 2 lembar kok. Kyknya create FB account aja lebih panjang process nya. haha.. Tapi di page ke 2 itu, kamu harus create username, password, dan security questions.

Nah, kalo kamu punya memory dory kayak aku. Mendingan di catet deh semuanya, karena kamu perlu log-in terus nanti kedepannya.

Nah, habis create ImmiAccount, nanti kamu di kirimin email confirmation. Jadi harus klik link-nya itu dulu, baru account kamu bisa active.

2. Log in to ImmiAccount 

Setelah account kamu active, kamu bisa langsung Log-in ke ImmiAccount. Nah, di page ini aku saranin kalian buat perhatiin maintanance nya deh. Takutnya udah cape-cape isi, ehh lagi maintenance, sayang, takut gak ke save. Ntah knp berkali-kali log in, selalu aja ada maintance berkala. haha

3. Submit New Application – Visitor Visa

Nah, setelah logged in, kamu akan di hadapkan dngn banyak pilihan. Sama kyk jodoh, bnyk pilihan, tapi cuman satu yg kamu perlu. HAHA

Jadi langsung aja Pilih tab Visitor –> Visitor Visa (600) , terus centang deh agree to the terms and condition, habis itu kamu tinggal isi deh 18 halaman applikasi-nya.. Jangan lupa di save yahh kalo mau exit. Soalnya kemarin aku pikir mereka auto-save, ternyata tidakk! *nangis di pojokan.. huuu

Dan, jangan di diem-in kelamaan yah.. dia bakal auto logged out juga kalau kita gak lanjut isi applikasinya. *another faint moment.. Jadi total kemarin aku ngisi tuh lama bngt.. ada kali 1 minggu cuman buat isi applikasi doang.. karena pas lagi sibuk juga di kantor, dan malem udah males isi. haha

 4. Attach File Supporting Document 

Setelah mengisi 18 pages, skrng kamu harus scan / foto semua particulars kamu untuk di upload. Nah, yg ini PR juga, karena lumayan bnyk yg harus di scan.. In my case sih, aku cuman foto aja, di flaylay gt terus aku crop yg lurus.. hehe.. abis gak ada scanner di rumah.. Paling passport yg aku minta temen aku scan-in, soalnya semua lembar yg ada cap dan visa harus masuk juga.. dan apparently susah buat foto passport, karena takut passportnya susah di tekuk2 gt.. hehe

• Evidence of current employment or self-employed 
  Yang ini aku sih cuman attached surat cuti yang udah di approve guys.. dan ada tulisan kalo aku bakal balik lagi kerja setelah pulang liburan.. klo km self employed, harus attached SIUP.. jadi lebih bnyk lg yg harus di attach.. hehe
• Evidence of planned tourism in Australia
  Nah, ini aku cuman attached rough itinerary aku, tapi lengkap tuh, pagi mau ngapain, siang ngapain, sampe resto yg kira2 aku mau kunjungin juga aku taruh.. hehe.. Dan aku gak attached flight ticket sama hotel, karena emang belum beli semua dan hotel booking bukan atas nama aku. sempet deg2an takutnya di tanyain.. untungnya cukup info-nyaa.. hehe..
• Travel Document
  Ini di scan semuanya yg ada cap sama visa nya yah gais..
• Evidence of financial status and funding for visit
  Disini attached 3 bulan bank statement yg aku minta dari bank aku + di legalisir yahh.. Dan disini aku sih gak minta reference dari bank.. jadi purely 3 bulan bank statement aja.
• Family Register and composition form
  Attached Kartu Keluarga kamu disini. Bbrp bilang harus attached birth certificate juga. Tapi aku nggak sihh.. hehe
• Photograph
  Aku attached pass foto yang baru aja disini dngn background nya putih. Bukan foto passport kamu. hehe.
• National Identity Document : KTP Indonesia Raya kita terchintaa..

5. Payment 

Setelah semua sudah di submit, waktunya pembayaran gengs.. Dia ada tawarin pembayaran via paypal atau VISA.. Nah, aku bayar nya pake kartu VISA aku. Dua-duanya sama, mereka akan charge kamu sebesar AUD 140, plus surcharge fee kalo gak salah.. hehe..

140 AUD = 1,379,000

Dan kalau lewat agent yg aku check, mereka akan charge kamu IDR 1,930,000.

Pokoknya setelah aku hitung kurs, kalo apply online, kamu akan hemat sekitar 500,000 – 550,000 rupiah daripada apply lewat agent.

6. Acknowledgement and waiting time

Ketika pembayaran sudah selesai, kamu akan langsung terima acknowledgement letter bahwa Australian Embassy sudah menerima application kamu. Dan skrng kamu tinggal nunggu aja deh..

For my case sih, aku gak nunggu-nunggu amat. Karena mikir mungkinbakal 2 mingguan kali yah baru di appove. Soalnya sempet tanya travel agent, terus dia bilang visa approval biasanya 15-30 working days.

7. Approval

Dan ternyataaa, hari 4 aku di approve gengs! Dan puji Tuhan lngsung dapet 3 tahun! hehe.. Jadi lngsung mau ke Hillsong conference deh. HAHA.

Nah, Visa yang kita akan dapatkan adalah electronic visa, karena kita gak kirim passport kita kemana-pun kan.. Jadi nanti mereka akan email kita e-visa nya, dan kita tinggal print aja.. hehe.. Mereka pun udah ada data base kita di system, but just to be save, mendingan di print sebelum kita pergi, dan kirim ke bbrp email. takut hilang akutu.. HAHA. 3 tahun kadang2 takut misplaced kann. hehe..

Laluuu.. Ternyata Visitor pass nya bisa buat belajar apapun selama 3 bulan! Sumpah bngt, jadi mikir, apa ambil short course gt yah 3 bulan di Ausi.. hehe.. Kalo ada yg tau2 sekolah atau Institution yg suka buka short course gt, mau dong di sharee.. hehe..

Mudah2an postingan ini membantu kamu-kamu yang mau apply visa Ausi yah! ❤

Slovenia : Bled – a lake that caught my heart

I always said i’m a ‘city-girl’! Well, i am probably a weirdo, whereby i have this claustrophobic issue yet love the hustle and bustle of a busy place. Haha

But somehow this city-girl, always got captivated by nature. Always! Nature never fails me. It is always breathtaking, and it always remind me to its Creator.

And today i want to share to you this awesome place that captured my heart. Located at northwestern side of Slovenia, Bled town has attracting visitors from all around the world, All the more its Bled castle and Bled lake.

History said that German Emperor, Henry II was giving a favour to the local Bishop. But the Bishop thinks that the castle is too fancy for him to stay in. Since then, so many owners come and go, was Brixen administrative building once as well. So the castle itself changes a lot too in terms of their architecture. I myself don’t really understand buildings, but this oldest castle in Slovenia is just pretty and worth the visit.

Why though? Because it is seated just next to the beautiful Bled lakes, surrounded with big mountains decorated with a pretty little island church in the middle.

Beautiful, isn’t it?? I can stop and stare for a long whilee.. and right after visiting the Bled castle, we took our bus tour to visit that pretty tiny island church.

The bus ride from the castle to the lake was about 15mins, and took about another 20 minutes for the lovely boat ride (Pletna – a gondola like with canopy on it)

Once we arrived at that little island, we have to take 99 steps up to the church up there. History said that long long time ago there was this rich couple who lived in Bled castle. Then the husband died when he was travelling. To keep the memory of her loving husband, the wife wants to build a bell tower. But apparently after two times of sending, the bell always failed to reach the island. She finally decided to built a church to commemorate her husband.

Until the local Bishop heard about this story, and try to send the bell for the her husband for the third time.

Finally the bell made it to the island! And legend said, if you ring the bell and believe, all your prayers will come true. ♥️

Now, this place is a busy place for local couple to take pre-wed and have a wedding in this island. Well, i cant see why not. Since it’s indeed pretty in here.

Exploring Slovenia : Postojna Caves

My parents kept asking me and my brother to go for this Balkan trip. And we finally agreed to go in March, when the period is already heaten up a bit. Well, if you try to google, the best time to visit Balkan countries (southeast of Europe) is during the Spring time, which is in April/May. But since we have to go for a tour, there’s not much options on the travelling dates.

Ok, maybe some of you are asking, why Balkan? Apparently my parents are quite an avid traveller, even though most of their trips are on tour. So, not much options for us the kids to choose for. We just need to follow their lead. Haha

Anyway, the very first day of the Tour is super interesting for me. We went to Postojna (read: postonyah) cave , the billion years old cave that was just discovered 200 years ago by a cave lamplighter assistent, Luca čeč. The cave itself is super huge, it is stated that it’s the only cave in the world that have a double track railway line!

Yes, it’s the very first time for me as well to enter this kind of cave with a train (you can see my IG for reference🙈) , and it’s quite an interesting experience too to travel the first 3,7km with it. It feels like you’re in some kind of rides in universal studio. Haha. *Thanks to the imperial couple Franz Joseph and Elizabeth, who came to visit for the first time, and the people got it set up for them to enjoy the cave. Since then, the train tide has always been revamped for the visitors to enjoy the ‘show’.

i’ve been to this kind of cave in Hanoi (Thien Chung Cave) and China (Guilin, Reed Flute Cave – this one is pretty amazing too) but nothing like this before. Maybe it’s size captivates me. I think the size of the cave is 70 metres high, with more than 24km long.

But yesterday, we only walked about 2,5km. Which is the normal package of the attractions. Maybe the other 19km is not explorable for the visitors.

You have to enter this cave guided by the provided tour guide, and in designated time. So if you’re late, you have to wait for the next timing. They have many languages too. But mostly are still in english and european language.

The stalactites and stalagmites are so amazing. I can’t stop staring at some of them. Moreover when i know that it takes 10,000 freaking years to only grow a metre of it. It’s just Mindblowing!

Btw it’s cold and quite damp inside, so make sure you bring a jacket and wear comfortable shoes to walk that 2,5km of awesomeness. And dong forget to see blind Salamander aquarium right at the end of the walk. They said that Postojna blind salamander lives in total darkness in the Postojna cavern complex. They can grow to up to a foot in length, making them the world’s largest cave-dwelling animals and they can live up to a century.

There’s another funfact too why we cannot use flashlights inside the cave. Scientists said somehow our flash lights have some chemical reactions that somehow will stimulate algae to grow on the Karst. Surprise surprise!

*amazing 5 metre Karst that is very iconic. The white one (right side) is made from pure limestone, whereby the red-brick one (left side) is made from limestone with a mixture of red soil. Interesting to see how a side by side thing can grow differently.

And can you see the sparkly-like-diamond Karst? So lovely 😍

*For you who’s a bit claustrophobic like me, there will be some small tunnel inside the cave, but it’s still manageable since it’s not that tiny and there’s still room to breathe. So you can still chillax and enjoy :))

Paragliding Over A Spectacular View in Bali (VLOG)

‘Wooww.. wooww.. and wooww!’ I think i screamed that word for more than a dozen time during my 15 mins of paragliding session. Not to mention the loudest ‘WOOOOWW’ when i first took off from the high cliff. Haha. It’s just so hilarious when i played back the video.

Paragliding in Bali was an impromptu decision. I thought this round of trip to Bali will be full of work and relax, nothing on raising adrenaline kind of activities. But i was wrong, i worked for a very adventurous couple who asked me for paragliding on the next day. I was shocked myself. Asking the couple a few times if they are sure to do that kind of exhausting activity right after their wedding day. and they were like, ‘Yeap! Why not?’

Well, apparently the couple have some international guests whom they want to entertain. So, since they are already in Bali, the couple wants them to experience something that they country may not have. But in the end,  the couple decided to go for paragliding on the day after their party. I was like, ‘That’s more like it.. you both need some rest after 1 whole hectic day. Haha’

And finally the day has come! It’s Paragliding time! It’s located at Uluwatu, they name their basecamp as Nyang Nyang Paragliding. So, we are paragliding over a spectacular view of Nyang Nyang Beach, one of the most difficult private beach to reach. Why so? Because you need to hike down about 20-30 mins from the basecamp just to reach the beach. But the beach is indeed pretty, and quite. Perfect place to relax, read some book or do some yoga, OR propose someone there! i think that would be memorable. hahaha.

Anyway, it has been a while for me doing such raising-adrenaline-kind-of-thing. Guess my last heart-pumping activity was rappelling down Jomblang Cave in Jogjakarta, Indonesia back in February 2017. and i am so glad that i end 2017 with this super memorable experience.

Paragliding in Bali might not be your number one destination in this island of God. Since most of us may prefer cafe hopping, or sunbathing, or rave party! Yeap, tried Saga 2017 at GWK last month. My very first rave party since i dont know how long. haha. But apparently i miss doing this kind of adventurous thing, and i think you should try it too sometimes.

By the way, This Nyang Nyang Paragliding is super safe. They always check when is the perfect time to fly, since paragliding depends much on the wind. All pilots are highly experienced and International Licensed, all gears are legit, and they have the the great team-work to make us fly and land safely. Plus, the ammount that we paid is already come with IDR 250 million of personal insurance coverage as well.

They have different price though between Indonesian and Foreigners. The last time that we went, they charged Rp 900,000 (SGD 90) for Indonesian and Rp 1,500,000 (SGD 150) for foreigners. *But since the foreigners were with the indonesians, we tried to bargain for them, and finally they gave us some discounts for them to fly. Yeayy.. hehe.

Anyway, below is my Paragliding VLOG, hope it gets you the feeling of flying as well. hehe.. Btw, the first take off was super scary yet exciting, but after that the beauty of Nyang Nyang beach paid it all. Enjoy! ❤

Dublin, Ireland : GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

I got the chance to visit Guinness, one of the most successful beer brand in the world, back in July 2017. This place is Originated from the brewery of the late Arthur Guinness back in year 1759, at the St James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland.

To be honest, i was very surprised that this brewery is still working perfectly great, despite it’s old age. Amazed how they conserved it very well, and got to expand it to Guinness Storehouse / Museum for the tourist to learn about their history, have a look at some of their old advertisement, and get a taste a pint of their treasure.

The Guinness Store house consist many level of floors, where each level has their own restaurant, some with great live Irish band, and some with a more elegant bar where you can learn more of a pint of Guinness.

if you like to read, there’s plenty history to read on each level. But if you’re kinda rushing, i dont think you miss a lot as well.

We can claim our free pint of Guinness on the top floor, And quench your thirst while looking at Dublin’s cityscape. I really love the scenery up there! If you cant drink alcohol, You can claim other drinks like soft drinks too. Dont waste the freebies with the pleasant view! Haha.

If you go there, I suggest you to take the lift up to the top floor first, and claim for free Guinness, and walk down slowly and enjoy the Guinness Storehouse’s history. and shop the unique Guinness souvenirs for your last stop.

Forgot to take the Souvenir’s place at the Guinness Storehouse. Taken this instead in one of Dublin’s supermarket to show you how creative Guinness team are. Haha. *Pengen cobain yang Guinness Sauce, tapi ga boleh sama Mami, katanya berat2-in, tar paling di coba secuil, trus ga di makan lagi, Haha*

Find out more about GUINNESS STOREHOUSE Ticket and Opening Hours:

https://www.guinness-storehouse.com/en/tickets

UK : Stonehenge – The Mysterious Place (VLOG)

If i can time travel, i think i would want to go back to the time whereby Stonehenge was constructed. 3000 BC to 2000 BC. I am still amazed and felt so curious on how the people or giant back then set up all these crazily heavy stones. With each stones weighing about 25 tons with 3metres high and 2 meters wide.

I kept circling and looking at those stones, and got mind-blown by it. Somehow it just captivates me. Too bad, we cannot get near it. We can only admire it from a far. (except Michael Bay and Transformer autobots) Haha.

For some reason, they prohibit us to bring our own transport near the mega-stones. So, we need to park our cars in their allocated parking lot, and wait for their shuttle bus to bring us there, or if you like to walk and enjoy the green pasture, you can walk from the ticketing place as well. But it may take a while, since it’s pretty far from the pick-up point. One reason that i heard from the people there is, they want to minimize the pollution around the stones. So, even though the shuttle has dropped you at the drop-off point, you still have to walk for 5-10 more minutes to get near to the stones.

There are so many stories behind this UNESCO HERITAGE SITE. Like legend said that Cyclops giant brought over the stones and arranged it there, cause no one is big and strong enough to move this kind of stones. Another story is the high priest of Celts constructed these for sacrificial ceremonial. Then, some other said that it was built by someone who has a strong astronomical background, who built this to tell us the time and calendar.

No one really know who and how this megalithic pre-historic monuments was built and for what purpose. But since it’s already there, i think it’s our part to take care of this mysterious world assets. and Thank you England for conserving this so well up till today. Such an amazing place indeed. Feels like you can get a lot of inspirations if you linger there longer with some beer and picnic. Haha. Love the spacious green field, the noise-free and the clear sky and the cold breeze.

Manchester United – Old Trafford

Helloo everyone, how was your Lebaran holiday?

Be it travelling abroad or local, or simply just enjoying your quality time with your loved ones in the perfect Jakarta’s traffic. I hope that it was a great one for you and your family!

As for myself, my family decided to go for UK on this year hari Raya. I never fancy a tour trip before. But this one is kinda different. I quite enjoyed the 2 weeks of tour trip conducted by Indonesia local travel agent.

I am not sure if it’s the schedule that was quite free for us to roam around the cities, or the fun tour-mates that we had. Haha.

Anyway, we took a 13hrs and 45 mins flight that goes directly to Manchester from Singapore. and since we are in Manchester, guess Old Trafford is the right place to visit for the very first destination.

Well, i am not a big fan of football actually. So i did not have that butterfly on my stomach kinda feeling like others may had. But to be honest, i am very impressed by this second biggest stadium in England, somehow it just sparks ‘magic’ to those who visited them.

Manchester United is one of the football’s most successful club. Big Thanks to Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devil’s former manager. Even though i don’t really understand how the football industries work. But Sir Alex Ferguson must had worked his a*s off to make this team to be one of the world-known football team.

I think not many football club have their own stadium. And their’s is the largest football club stadium in all over England.  What an achievement, isn’t it?

Moreover, they have their own stadium and museum tour. Whereby all MU and football fans from all around the world can taste the glorious home base of Manchester United!

We got our ticket for 16 GBP (SGD 28 // IDR 278.000) for the 1 hr stadium and museum tour. We supposed to see the whole stadium and the changing room with other rooms too. But since we were late for our appointed tour. We can only visit the main stadium only. =(..  If you’re not going with the tour (who already help you to arrange everything), You can purchase it online as well, and see the available time slot. and Remember, Dont be Lateeee..

And for you who could not wait to buy their souvenirs, fret not!

Just walk out from the museum, and walk to the other side of the stadium and you’ll find the megastore!

FunFact : Gelora Bung Karno ( Jakarta football stadium) is larger than Old Trafford. Where GBK has about 80,000 seats and 76,000 seats for Old Trafford.

*Hopefully Indonesia can have their own stadium tour someday, and every football fans from all around the world will come over to Jakarta just to see GBK.

 

Jomblang Cave : Heaven’s Light (VLOG)

I was sitting on a local night train three weeks ago, thinking hard whether i should just go to Yogyakarta. Logic said that i need to learn how to save, apparently living in Indonesia is not as easy as i thought. But heart said, i think i need to go, release all the tensions and just explore more. Finally, i chose to follow the later part of my voice. The voice that i dont regret at all.

Yogyakarta is a nice quiet city. No wonder that it is renowned as a city of education, or normally the Indonesian will call it ‘Kota Pelajar’. But, aside from its tranquility image, Yogyakarta can really offers you a thrilling adventure that you will not forget for the rest your life.

I welcome you to Goa Jomblang (Jomblang Cave). A place that takes about 90 minutes car-ride from the central of Yogyakarta, located at Semanu, Gunung Kidul Regency. I heard about this place a lot since 3 years ago. I guess its’s only lately it became popular, since many of my friends still dont know this beautiful cave is exist in Indonesia.

We are chasing a glimpse of ‘Heaven’s lights’. So, we started driving about 7.30am from our Airbnb because we need to reach there at least by 9am. The team will prepare us once we reached there, provide us with boots and help us to put on the necessary harness and helmet. And by 10am, all of us have to go down the cave.

This is the most interesting part before we get to see the highlight of the day. The process of lowering us down through the biggest sinkhole that i have ever seen in my life. The size of the sinkhole may up to 25meters diameter, with 60 meters deep.

Since they dont have any elevator to get us down, they have to lower us down by Rappelling Technique. Which means they gonna descend us manually with a rope and pulley, with a big faith in the people’s skill and strength who pull us up and down. Trust me, this is so scary yet so exciting at the same time. That feeling when they hooked your harness to the pulley and you have to stepped out of the edge and let yourself hanging there for a minute or so before they lower you down, is the craziest feeling ever.

When they already hang us up, now it’s the process of lowering us down to the forrest below. It was really overwhelming experience too. Eventhough everything is handled by the professional, there’s still nervous feeling of falling down from the rope. It is such a mixed feeling up there, mesmerised by the beauty of the forrest yet unavoidable anxious feeling of falling. The process of rappelling down is not that fast, it takes about more than 5 minutes to go down the 60 mtrs sinkhole.

They gonna rappel you down two-by-two. If you’re in a group of three, one of you have to go alone. Lucky it was 4 of us back then. Haha..

Once you got down to the forrest, you have to trek about 300 mtrs to get to the heart of Jomblang Cave. The track is quite difficult for me, since it’s very muddy, it’s a real forrest, slippery and rocky to go down the cave. And when you reached the cave, it will only get darker and darker, and your eyes cant really see anything at first. If you have headlight, it will be so helpful when you get in to the cave. But if you dont have one, it is still okay since the jomblang team will light the way for us as well.

After the ‘struggle’, we finally got to see the ‘Heaven’s Rays of Lights’. Such a jaw-dropping moment. When i first saw it, i just want to stand there, in the middle of the cave and just pay attention at the mesmerising scene. But i have to keep moving, cause it is not the best spot to see it yet, and i hold up the other people behind me.

After a quite challenging track, finally everything is paid off. And the Rays of Lights that penetrate through the sinkhole is just so captivating, so remarkable and hypnotising, until it left me speechless.

Such an amazing natural creation. I still cant comprehend how it was used to be a large underground river that erodes slowly and made it a gigantic beautiful cave. Gosh, it is just so mind blowing. Guess it’s just like life, sometimes you dont know the mundane process that you are going through now may mold you to become a more beautiful you at the end of the day.

Thanks to two explorers (a German and a French) who discovered this place during 1980s. Would not have this kind of fulfilling trip if not because of their team.

Btw, it was a group 40-ish people when we went down that day. And surprisingly, it was only 5 Indonesians from that large group of people. Bravo for Indonesia tourism.. I guess Indonesia is getting more popular now. And people start to go to other parts of Indonesia other than Bali. Haha.. The entrance fee is Rp 450,000 / person (inclusive lunch and equipments)

Below is my VLOG! Must watch on how we go rappel down!  Hope you enjoy!

Travel by Train, Why Not?

Being born and raised in a quite conservative family, makes me very seldom to take public transport. I dont know about your family, but my parents dont really allow us to take public transport. The image within them is already bad when we talk about public transport. Well, actually i cant really blame them, since they did experience crime on public transport when they were younger. Also the media back then make it worse, those news about women being molested in Transjakarta, being robbed and rapped in some Taxis, and other scary things made my parents paranoid.

There was a time where i was being so pampered by the ever ready drivers. My parents also let me to drive immediately once i turned 17, and to and extend that they dont mind to pick me up anywhere, as long as i dont take public transport. Even though now, we have quite a reliable Taxi online. I know i sounded like Mommy’s kid (anak mami), but what to do? I have to stick with their rules, im their kids at the end of the day.

Well, as a teenager back then, there also was a time where i sneakily took cabs, angkot and transjakarta, just to go out with my friends (when no drivers available), to satisfy the curiosity within us, or to just having fun with friends. Taking public transport was quite an ‘adventure’ for us back then. *Ajang seru2an aja gt naik bajaj rame2 misalnya. Haha* And hey, i found it not bad at all. Of course it is not as convenient as sitting on your own car. But as i grew older, sometimes public transport is much better than driving. No need to find and pay for hours of parking lot, and it can safe a lot of your energy.

Talking about public transport, This one week of mine has been fun! I got to travel to Bandung and Tasikmalaya for my work. and i am so very proud of myself cause it is the very first time for me to take Indonesian local train on my own. *woohoo* Finally, after a few talks, i can take local train on my own.

I have meetings in Bandung on last Friday. Since my client is from Jakarta as well, we decided to go together for their wedding meeting. Right after the meeting, my other client already bought me an executive ticket from Bandung-Tasikmalaya that leaves on 6.55pm from Bandung Station. And so, my adventure begin. *kayak apa aja. Norak yaa gw. hahaha*

I arrived 45 minutes before the schedule. To my surprise, Bandung local station is pretty nice, a very decent one i must say. They have a clear signage where to buy our ticket, where to board, and they even have a barcode scanner if you bought your ticket online whereby you can scan it directly from your gadget.

About 20 minutes before the schedule, i can hear that they are calling all passengers to go on board. So i went for check-in by showing my ID and the ticket, and the guard telling me to which peron to go. Very straight forward.

After i sat on a comfortably adjustable seat, the train begin to move slowly and leaves the station exactly at the designated time. And im quite surprised as well that they reached Tasik right on time as well. Just like the Japanese Shinkansen! My Train (Lodaya Malam) that goes to Tasik will have their end destination at Solo Balapan. I was so tired back then, but i tried not to sleep, because im afraid i might miss my stop. It’s not funny to go all the way to Solo, where i need to work on the next day. Haha.

During the trip, all the passengers seems nice (sorry that my thoughts can go bad sometimes), and some of them are very helpful to! I am just so grateful for everyone of them on the train. and For those of you who are quite worried about the toilet, you can relax a bit cause the toilets are at least clean even though you need to squad, they provide you bidet, tissues, liquid soap to wash our hands, and bathroom parfume that automatically sprays itself every now and then. The other plus point is, they are distributing blanket for the night ride, and they are selling food and drinks to for the hungry souls. Just like sitting on an aeroplane, and better still, their timing is more reliable  than aeroplane.

Below is some pictures that i took in Bandung Station and Ladoya Malam train.

 

And below is Argo Parahyangan 27, the all executive train from Bandung to Jakarta. As for me, this train is more comfortable than Lodaya. They have power plugs in every seat, bigger and more comfortable chair and tables latched on every chair.

I need to say that they have a great cleaning service. Every 45-60 minutes, there will always be someone who pick up our trash, and greet us with a smile. Doesnt matter be it day or night.  Good job, PT KAI!

And above picture is Gambir Station in Jakarta! This one is even better than Bandung Station. It is like a mini airport for me. They even have Starbucks, KFC and desserts shop for you to buy and bring it on the train.

For those of you who would want to secure a seat. They said it is better to buy it online or a few days before. It will be much more expensive, about Rp.200.000 (SGD 20) per seat. And it will be much cheaper if you just go to the stations a few hours before the schedule, the price can be as cheap as Rp 60.000 – 80.000 (SGD 6-8). But again, you may not get you ticket since it gets very crowded at times.

The price stated above is for executive trains, as for the economic trains, it can go as low as Rp 20.000 (SGD 2). If you want a more comfortable journey, i will recommend you to take the executive class. I heard it from my dad and a few new friends in Tasik that the economic class is quite small and very squeezy, since you have to share the small bench that is not adjustable with another 2 persons besides you, and another 3 persons in front of you. And if you are tall enough, you have to adjust your legs with those people in front of you.

The train from Tasik to Bandung takes about 3 hours, and another 3 hours from Bandung to Jakarta. Pretty tiring, but not as bad as taking flight i must say. Maybe because you get to see greeneries outside your window, and bigger space to sleep and to walk around if you’re tired.

I need to change in Bandung first, since there’s no direct train from Tasik to Jakarta. Well, if you dont mind to take economic class, they do have direct trains from Tasik-Jakarta and vice versa. But if you want to take executive class along the way. You have to transit first at Bandung.

So far, it has been a pleasant experience to travel with PT KAI. I also saw many foreigners taking our local train from Bandung to Jakarta. I have to say that everything exceed my expectations. and i will definitely consider to take another train trip to Bandung. At least i wont get stuck in rush hour jam,i can go to toilet if i need to, i can save petrol money on food, get some proper sleep, and support Indonesian public transport!