KANGEN BANGET SAMA PULAU BALI!

Hello teman-teman, apa kabar? Aku harap kalian dan keluarga dalam keadaan yang sehat yah! Mari kita sama-sama mematuhi peraturan PSBB yang ada, tetap dirumah aja jika tidak ada keperluan mendesak dan jangan lupa sering cuci tangan dan pake masker. Pokoknya kita harus bahu-membahu mematahkan rantai Covid-19 ini. Kenapa?

Karena kasian para tenaga medis kita yang sudah kewalahan,  kasian perekonomian bangsa kita, kasian industri dan teman-teman yang terkena dampak Covid-19, dan kasian kami yang jiwa travel nya sudah meronta-ronta.

Tidak dapat di pungkiri, travelling menjadi salah satu kebutuhan sekunder masyarakat yang harus dipenuhi. Rutinitas sehari-hari membuat pikiran kita penat, dan travelling bisa membantu kita untuk mengistirahatkan pikiran kita sejenak. Pernah dengar dong istilah ‘Work-life balance’? Suatu kondisi dimana kita bisa menyeimbangkan antara pekerjaan, kehidupan keluarga, kehidupan pribadi dan rekreasi.

Banyak riset yang mengatakan bahwa jika ‘Work-Life Balance’ itu benar-benar di jalankan, kehidupan seseorang itu akan lebih produktif, lebih kreatif, dan lebih bahagia. Karena itu rekreasi seperti travelling di butuhkan untuk kesehatan pikiran dan mental kita, apalagi setelah satu dunia di terpa oleh badai pandemi seperti ini.

Banyak orang berpikir rekreasi seperti travelling itu harus jauh dan mahal, harus keluar negri baru merasa pergi travelling. Padahal travelling di dalam negri juga seru loh! Pasti banyak kota atau tempat yang pasti belum pernah kita kunjungi, dan banyak hal dan tradisi yang belum kita ketahui. Bagaimana tidak? Indonesia punya lebih dari 16 ribu pulau dan hampir 100 kota. Gak kebayang butuh waktu berapa lama jika ingin mengelilingi Indonesia saja.

Namun dari banyaknya kota dan pulau di Indonesia, destinasi yang paling aku kangenin adalah Pulau Bali. Pulau Bali ini  menyimpan banyak kenangan buat aku. Inget banget, dulu pas aku masih kecil, aku dan satu keluarga besar road-trip ke Bali. Kami convoy menggunakan 4 mobil dari Jakarta, dan membeli Walkie-Talkie untuk saling berkomunikasi antara 4 mobil tersebut, kata papa sih karena waktu itu pulsa handphone masih mahal dan kena roaming kalau di pakai di luar Jakarta. Wah, saat itu aku merasa keren banget bisa ngobrol lewat walkie-talkie kita road-trip. Rasanya seperti di film-film action yang ada di TV. Hahaha.. Yah, namanya juga anak kecil.

Perjalan road trip kami membutuhkan waktu 4-5 hari. Kami stop dan beristirahat di beberapa kota seperti Semarang, Jogjakarta dan Banyuwangi, hingga akhirnya sampai di pulau Bali. Setelah itu, kami menghabiskan sepekan disana dan mengunjungi semua destinasi wisata yang hits pada jaman tersebut. Seperti main ombak di Pantai Kuta, berenang di Pantai Sanur, melihat matahari terbenam di Tanah Lot, melihat banyaknya kera di Desa Sangeh, dan makan di Hard Rock Cafe dan juga ke tempat lokal lainnya.

Setelah belasan tahun berlalu, Bali pun berubah, banyak destinasi wisata lain yang bermunculan. Seperti cafe-cafe yang instagrammable,  adanya pantai Canggu yang hits untuk para peselancar, banyaknya tempat untuk melakukan yoga atau meditasi di Ubud, dibukanya kawasan baru yang  untuk bermain aktifitas outdoor, dan banyak tempat rekreasi lainnya.

Saat ini Bali menjadi semakin bagus dan wajib untuk di kunjungi. Orang-orangnya juga tergolong ramah, sehingga membuat wisatawan betah untuk berlama-lama berlibur disana. Dan pilihan Hotel di Bali pun juga beragam, bisa di sesuaikan dengan budget dan keinginan teman-teman sekalian.

Seharusnya aku berada di Bali bulan Juni nanti untuk bekerja dan berekreasi. Biasanya aku menyempatkan diri untuk extend di Bali untuk mencoba cafe baru, pergi yoga ke Ubud, atau relaksasi di tempat spa favorit aku. Wahh.. Sungguh menyenangkan setiap kali ada perkerjaan di Bali. Dulu bahkan sekali extend, bisa sampai 3-4 hari. Sampai akhirnya uang yang aku dapatkan dari bekerja di Bali, hampir habis juga untuk akomodasi dan rekreasi yang lainnya. Haha

Tapi setelah itu aku belajar untuk mengatur uang dan waktu lebih baik lagi, dan memilih untuk menginap di Hotel murah di Bali  . Menurut ku, Hotel murah di Bali pun masih bersih tempatnya untuk di tinggali, lokasinya pun masih dekat dari pusat rekreasi. Jadi sisa budget nya bisa di pakai deh untuk makan enak dan relaksasi di Bali. Hehe

Nih, aku tunjukkin ke teman-teman yah, tempat mana aja si di Bali yang paling aku kangenin :

  1. Makan Babi Guling

    Menurut aku, Babi Guling yang paling enak di Bali adalah Babi Guling Pak Malen! Setiap kali mendarat, aku selalu menyempatkan diri kesini untuk makan atau takeaway untuk makan di hotel. Dagingnya tidak bau, krispi dan juga empuk, dan pedas nya pas untuk aku. Harganya pun masih oke di kantong. Namun jika kesini dengan teman-teman, aku sarankan untuk bawa 1 mobil aja, karena area parkirnya agak kecil.

    babi guling pak malen

  2. Cafe Hopping

    Banyak Cafe di Bali yang seru, banyak juga yang meyuguhkan ‘healthy organic food’, namun Cafe Organic ini adalah salah satu favorite ku. Menu nya sangat variatif, makannya pun sehat karena di buat dari bahan-bahan yang organic, penyajiannya sangat menarik, dan rasanya pun enak. Di tambah tempatnya yang nyaman dan instagramable. Gak heran banyak juga loh wisatawan asing yang suka menyantap makan paginya disini juga.

    cafe organic bali

  3. Jalan-jalan di wilayah pedesaan Ubud

    Kangen banget jalan-jalan di sawah seperti ini. Kalau kamu tertarik dengan pemandangan sawah yang membentang dan udara yang segar, kamu boleh banget main ke wilayah Ubud. Tidak hanya indah di mata, namun secara psikologis, melihat penghijauan yang luas mempunyai pengaruh terhadap mood dan pikiran kita yang membuat kita merasa tenang. Di jamin pasti langsung lebih prima deh saat kembali bekerja nanti.

    sawah ubud

  4. Mengambil kelas Yoga di Ubud

    Sebenarnya tidak harus mengambil kelas Yoga di Ubud, banyak kelas-kelas yoga dan kebugaran lainnya yang ada di wilayah kota, namun ntah mengapa, rasanya di Ubud suasana nya lebih mendukung saja untuk berolahraga yoga di ruangan semi terbuka dan menjernihkan pikiran. Banyak Yoga studio yang berada di Ubud, seperti Yoga Barn, Radiantly Alive, atau pun kelas-kelas yang di adakan di beberapa Guest House. Menurutku, kalau kamu yang sering Yoga di Jakarta, kamu harus coba Yoga di Ubud Bali. Perasannya benar-benar beda. Hehe

    yoga di bali

  5. Spa di Bali

    Makan sudah, Jalan-jalan sudah, Olahraga sudah, tinggal terkahir nih, pergi Spa!
    Ya ampun, Spa tuh udah jadi ritual aku banget kalau ke Bali, sebisa mungkin pasti aku akan menyempatkan diri untuk Spa 1 jam. Apalagi setelah lelah bekerja di Bali, dan berdiri terus dengan memakai heels. Rasanya tuh surga banget buat aku. Banyak Spa yang tempatnya bersih dan nyaman di Bali, dari yang harganya terjangkau sampai Spa mewah yang bisa kamu kunjungi juga. Kalau aku selalu suka coba spa di tempat yang berbeda-beda karena ternyata seru mencoba berbagai jenis spa di Bali, berbeda suasana di setiap tempatnya.

spa di bali
Jadi aku disini benar-benar berdoa agar pandemi ini cepat selesai, dan bisa bekerja serta berkunjung kembali ke Bali! Kalau kamu, setelah pandemi Covid-19 ini berkahir mau berkunjung kemana?

 

Singapore : EarlyBird Cafe

Two weeks ago, i made another impromptu trip to Singapore to settle some stuff. Apparently this running errands to Singapore thingy is getting more frequent. Which sometimes it made me tired, but super happy at the same time.

Well, i think i cant deny that i kinda miss living in this little red dot. =)

During this very short trip, me and my Singapore friends made time to go to this one little cafe to have a heart to heart session. A session that i missed the most. It appears that i am not that open to new people, even though i am quite an extrovert person. Haha

Anyway this cafe is called the ‘Early Bird’ cafe. A cafe that’s located one block away from Bugis MRT station and had a yellow popping colour that you will surely notice. This little nice cafe apparently is very comfortable for catching up, having a sip of afternoon coffee, even work remotely and gazing at the passersby one in a while. I personally love their simple decor, and not that noisy kinda area.

Other than the ambiance, i think they have fascinating menu for brunch / dinner, and heard that the taste is not bad either. But since we already had our lunch, and we just want to hang out a while. We only ordered drinks and their truffle fries. I personally think they have a nice Truffle fries (SGD10), even though i somehow feel the one at PS cafe is nicer, or maybe smell nicer (read : more generous in their truffles oil) hehe.

I ordered their mixed juice (SGD 7) since i wanted to drink healthier things now. The good thing is, all their juices are freshly made. My friend ordered their cold brewed sparkling tea (SGD 6.50) which come in a big bottle that taste weirdly nice for me. And my other friend ordered a glass of hot Mattcha Latte (SGD 5.50) that is really thick which i’m sure all green tea lovers will like it.

 

Earlybird Cafe

17 Jalan Pinang Singapore 199149 (Bugis MRT)
Tel: +65 9788 6856
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm (Mon – Fri), 9am – 11pm (Sat), 9am – 10pm (Sun)

Bandung Instagramable Cafe

Nowadays, eating experience is much more than just having a nice food or drink. We crave for a nicer way they plate our food, a more comfortable ambiance, a one of a kind concept, exotic food, and of course an instagramable spot. I guess looking for a nice cafe/restaurant has become our lifestyle, without us realizing it.

If you’re a cafe addict, Bandung is a good place for you to go for cafe-hopping. Seems like they have a nice, well-concept cafe in every corner of Bandung. and the good news is, Bandung has much friendlier price than Jakarta! You can expect a Rp 25,000 – Rp 30,000 (SGD 2-3) for a good cup of coffee, and Rp 50,000 – Rp 70,000 (SGD 5-7) for a proper meal in a decent cafe. Whereas in Jakarta, you have to spend at least Rp 40,000 (SGD 4) for a cup of coffee.

Since Bandung have a lot of nice cafe, and we did not have much time. Me and my friends just randomly chose whatever nice cafe that’s nearby. haha.. So, these are our picks of Bandung Instagramable Cafe! Enjoy ❤

 

1. One-Eighty Coffee 

This is definitely one of a kind hang-out place.  They offer you a nice indoor seats with wooden minimalistic ambiance and POOL area with a lot of greeneries for their outdoor setting! Yes, you read it right, when you may normally drink by the pool, at One-Eighty cafe you can have your meal-time IN the POOL, and dip your feet if you want too.

Since we already had our brunch, me and my friends just had some drinks over there, and enjoy the nice ambiance that they offer. A lot of young-moms brought their kids to play in ‘calf-high’ pool as well, which means, don’t forget to bring extra clothes if you’re bringing your kids.

 

 

One Eighty Coffee & Music

Jln. Ganesha No.3, Bandung 40132

0822 1800 0155

Opening Hrs : 8am-11pm

 

2. Ambrogio Patisserie 

Being in one group with Primarasa, the famous bakery in Bandung makes this cafe one step ahead in terms of their patisserie. You can find fancy cakes and patisserie in slightly cheaper price, and of course a taste that is undoubtedly nice.

I am not really familiar with Bandung, but i guess this place is close with some offices. cause this cafe is full with working adults when i was there. But if it’s not, i can see why they are willing to travel all the way here too. Ambrogio has a very decent asian – fusion food, with a very reasonable price. Again, i would say, you wont have these kind of meal below Rp60,000 per person in Jakarta, unless you opt for steak or salmon.

Love their simplicity with industrial feel design, and lush greeneries around! You can explore to the second floor if you want to, there’s a cute cactus corner for your ootd photo session.

Ambrogio Patisserie

26, Jalan Banda, Citarum, Bandung 40115

(022) – 20512779

Opening Hrs : 7am – 10pm
3. La Costilla 

A nice small cafe with a lot of mexican touch and a little bit of spanish feeling. Guess this is one of the ‘IT’ cafe in Bandung, since i have been seeing a lot of these place in my feeds by some of Jakarta based Influencers. haha.

Heard that the head chef of this cafe is from the famous pork-ribs restaurant, Tony Roma’s, so you can expect a good ribs from this place. But too bad, i had no appetite for ribs at that moment, and ordered a tenderloin steak instead, which has a so-so taste for me. But my other friends said that the have a good pasta though.

But undeniably, they have a few nice instagramable spots. and there’s this yellow popping colour door that reminds me a lot of ‘Coco’ the movie and makes me want to sing ‘Remember me’.

La Costilla 

Jl. Karangsari No.8, Pasteur, Sukajadi, Bandung 40161

0819 1014 6707

Opening Hrs : 8am – 10.30pm

 

Bangkok ‘Dangerous’ : PETITE AUDREY Review & VLOG (Part 2)

Bangkok itinerary is always full with shopping, and non-stop eating. This time we decided to try one of the must-go-thai-cafe called ‘Petite Audrey’. A cafe where all Thai youngsters and tourists talk about after Greyhound and After you cafe.

We initially wanted to go to the main Audrey cafe at Thonglor, but since we planned to shop at Siam Square and Platinum after that, we thought that going to the one at Siam will safe more time. Even though the one at Thonglor looks much bigger and nicer than it’s branch in Siam.

When we googled about Petite Audrey, some bloggers said that this cafe is inspired by Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. They adopt classic vintage feelings for the decoration, and Thai-western fusion for it’s food. Well, as for me, i love their entrance.

My hungry-face after waking up late and no breakfast. Haha.

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Tom Yam Kung spicy herbs with Prawn and Mushroom (220 THB / 9 SGD) – Best gourmet of the day! Love the thin crust pizza, the prawn is not fishy, crunchy, and nice strong tom yum taste. Must try if you visit this place.

Crab Souffle served with Lobster Brandy Sauce ( 340 THB / 14 SGD ) –  Apparently it’s their must try dish, but turned out to be the biggest regret for us. The lobster sauce was so fishy till i couldnt take it. The crab cheese inside the souffle also smells a bit fishy, but much better than the sauce. Maybe the Thai people likes it? or maybe it was just a bad lobster day for us.

Salmon Spinnach Cannelloni (280 THB / 11.50 SGD) – one nice roll of spinach salmon with a lot of cheesee on it. My 2nd favorite after the TomYum pizza.

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Spaghetti Dry Claim in Thai Chili Pasta & Basil (170 THB / SGD 7) – Nice al-dente pasta, at least for me. but the clam is a little fishy too for me.. But i still managed to eat this. still a nice plate of pasta for the rest of my friends. =)

Grilled Marinated Pork wrapped in White Noodles ( 170 THB / 7 SGD ) – It feels like a char siew chee cheong fun for me. Tender pork, nice sauce, but has cilantro-ish taste as well. I personally dont like cilantro, but this one is still fine, since it’s not that strong.

Thai Tea Crepe Cake ( 110 THB / 4.50 SGD ) – I always love Thai Tea, i think this layered cake makes a decent cake with thai tea filling and sauce on top of it. Not that fantastic, but still a nice dessert to have. This is one of the must try dessert in Audrey.

Flower Pot Cake ( 125 THB / 5 SGD ) – Available in 16 flavours if im not wrong. They claimed to be the very first pot cake in Bangkok. We thought that we can eat all of it, including the pot. HAHA. So, we tried to cut it.. and when we cant cut the pot, we called the waiter and asked him why we cant cut the pot. HAHA. And he just explained that it’s only a rubber container and cant be eaten. HAHA. Goshhh.. so basically it’s just a fancy cupcakes on a pot. I dont even know why all of us think it can be eaten as well. HAHA. I forgot what cake that we ordered, but i think it’s red velvet cake with cheese filling and buttercream flower on top? Hmmpp..

Overall, Petite Audrey is a nice hangout place for ladies like us who love to sit and talk and try new food. Haha.. Do see my below VLOG if you understand Bahasa! Hehe

Petite Audrey ( $$-$$$)
2nd floor. Siam Center, Rama1 Road., Pathumwan 10330, Bangkok Thailand (Siam BTS, walk to Siam Center)
Tel: +66 2 658 1545
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm