Ramadan Kareem - Happy Ramadhan 1447H

Ramadan Kareem - Happy Ramadhan 1447H

Alhamdulillaaah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah ..

And… Ramadan is here! Ramadan is back!

Sungguh beruntung kita bisa kembali menikmati bulan penuh segala berkah, ampunan, ridho dan berkah-Nya. Sunggu beruntung kita, umat-Nya yang semoga selalu diberkahi, mendapat kesempatan untuk meraih segala kebaikan di bulan yang penuh rahmat ini.

Ramadan yang selalu penuh cerita dan menghangatkan hati, mengetuk rasa dan mengingatkan jiwa akan nikmat, kebesaran, ampunan dan rezeki-Nya yang tak bertepi 🙏

Buat saya dan keluarga, Ramadan adalah momen istimewa yang tiada dua. Semoga kita bisa khusyu menikmati limpahan kasih-Nya di bulan suci ini. Banyak niat dan rencana baik yang semoga bisa terlaksana.

Menlu Sugiono bicara di the 61st  session of the UN Human Rights Council 

Ramadan tahun 2026 ini kami mulai di tengah serangkaian tugas dan pekerjaan yang sedang lucu- lucunya. Indonesia tengah menjadi Presiden Dewan HAM PBB unutk sepanjang tahun 2026, sehingga unit yang saya pimpin di Jakarta tentu saja banyak berkoordinasi dan bekerja bersama PTRI Jenewa, perwakilan kita di PBB di Swiss. It also means we have more meetings, more recommendation anda policy papers to prepare and more coordination with other Member States, stakeholders and public. Tidak mudah dan penuh tantangan, namun kami terima dengan penuh semangat dan ikhtiar agar dapat dijalankan dengan sebaik - baiknya.

Sesi pembukaan the 61st  session of the UN Human Rights Council yang juga dihadiri Sekjen PBB

Saya sendiri baru landing dari Geneva, Switzerland tanggal 3 Maret 2026 lalu. Alhamdulillah selama perjalanan, puasa Ramadan saya tetap terjaga, walaupun tentu saja sebagai musafir kita mendapat kemudahan untuk menggantikan puasa di lain waktu. Tapi saya pribadi merasa merugi jika kehilangan momen Ramadan ini. 

Di akhir February hingga awal Maret, saya menghadiri sidang sesi ke-61 Dewan HAM PBB bersama Pak Menlu dan rombongan. Alhamdulillah, selesai menjalankan tugas, saya mendapat kesempatan untuk transit di Jeddah, menujuh Mekah dan Madinah untuk melaksanakan ibadah umtoh umroh. Saya memang memiliki Visa on Arrival yang berlaku sejal Desember 2025, di mana saya bisa mengunjungi Saudi Arabia berkali - kali selama satu tahun hingga Desember 2026. Nanti saya cerita ya bagaimana mendapatkan VoA KSA untuk 1 tahun ini, yang bisa juga kita pakai untuk umroh.

Alhamdulillah... mendapat keempatan umroh di bulan suci Ramadan kali ini

Suasana Mekah di bulan suci Ramadan 1447H

Alhamdulillah ya Allah, ini perdana kalinya saya merasakan Ramadan di tanah suci. Sungguh istimewa dan membuat saya betul - betul craving untuk kembali lagi di Ramadan mendatang. Again, nanti saya cerita terpisah ya mengenai umroh singkat saya saat Ramadan 1447H lalu. Apalagi saat saya umroh, koflik antara Amerika Serikat, Israel dan Iran baru saja dimulai, ditandai dengan serangan AS ke Iran. Sungguh cobaan yang tiada henti.  

Tapi alhamdulillah, semuanya tidak mengurangi nikmatnya beribadah di bulan Ramadan di tanah Haram. Apalagi saya sempat mengunjungi Mekah dan Madinah, sebelum kembali ke tanah air. Saya stay satu hari penuh di Mekah, dari Subuh hingga Maghrib, lalu kembali ke Jeddah untuk bersiap terbang ke Madinah dini hari. 

menunggu waktu berbuka puasa di pelataran masjidil Haram, dengan paket berbuka gratis yang dibagikan

Kembali ke tanah air, kami semua menikmati  indahna Ramadan bersama, termasuk berbuka puasa, taraweh, serta ibadah lainnya bersama dengan keluarga di rumah. Undoubtedly, Ramadan selalu menjadi waktu spesial untuk kami dan keluarga.

Saya pernah share, kalau Ramadan akan selalu membawa kita pada titik di mana semua sujud, doa, dan permohonan ampun menjadi istimewa dan khusuk, meskipun kita tidak tau apak ini semua cukup untuk menghapus segala dosa kita. Betapa diri ini penuh dosa dan alpa, Ya Allah. Namun aku yakin, Rabb-ku adalah Sang Maha Segala, yang penuh ampunan dan limpahan rahmat kepada hamba-Nya yang terpilih. Semoga kita menjadi salah satu dari golongan yang beruntung itu.

Maafkan jika jiwa kami masih lemah dan sangat jauh dari sempurna ya Rabb. Semoga bulan baik-Mu ini dapat mengembalikan kami pada fitrah-Mu, menjadikan kami hamba-Mu yang bersyukur, taat, tunduk pada-Mu.

Semoga Allah SWT berkenan mempertemukan kami kembali dengan #ramadan mendatang ya Rabb dan semoga kami bisa terus menjadi hamba-Mu yang lebih baik lagi 🙏🙏

Bismillahirrahmanirrahiim 🙏

Have a solemn Ramadan, everyone..

Escapade to New Plymouth and Lake Taupo (Part 2)

Welcome back, everyone..

This is another super duper late post (the trip was made in 2023) but I'd love to share more of our experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand. How I miss our days there 😍!

So, let's continue our trip on this sweet escapade we have to New Plymouth and Lake Taupo.

Don't miss the first part and you can read Escapade to New Plymouth and Lake Taupo (Part 1) too. You can see how fun and excited it was.

As we continued our trip to  Lake Taupo, we arrived in late afternoon at Taupo area, just in time to enjoy the lovely sunset by the Lake. We stayed at Cascade Lakefront Motel and took 2 big rooms,- more like apartment, for 13 of us. All the ladies and kids stayed together and the boys got their own room. 

The hotel is perfect because it has direct access to the lake. And Lake Taupo, famous for its sunset and lake-related activities, is not disappointing at all. I have to say we had excellent sunset here! You can see that in my YouTube video as well :). I was actually planning to try the pool and the hot tub but we were running out of time. 

That night, we had dinner in one of the restaurants in the nearest area. I forgot what’s the name of the place, will check it out on Google Maps and get back to you on that. For sure, we ordered Korean BBQ, sun dubu, japchae, and more (I hope I write them right). Kids really loved the restaurant and they really devoured their food.

I have shared the review of the Cascade Lakefront Motel on my Youtube Channel as well and feel free to see them in details.

We spent some times enjoying sunset here and the had dinner in the nearby restaurant. This time, we had some chickens and a lot of desserts. Well, kids love all the cakes and chocolates for sure. Really enjoyed the adventures here..

Of course, our adventures continue in Huka Falls and Three Sisters and the Elephant. Have you heard of these place before?

Three Sisters and the Elephant is the famous spot in New Plymouth where you can see the big rocks and unique formation that stand close to each other. We came at the right time, about to be sunset and the dramatic sky was dominating the area. It was magical! Tell me what you think about this place.. 

We stopped by at this place and parked our cars in the designated area. My husband got his drone ready as well while we walked to the Three sisters rocks. We really have to be careful because while it was low tide, we could walk closer to the rocks, yet we have to know when the high tide starts before we went back to the car.

We were lucky! We got to see the three sisters rocks as well as the elephant, although the elephant rock didn't look like an elephant with its distinct trunk anymore because of the erosion. Yet, the sunset gave us great sky and wonderful ambiance. 

We took tons of photos, videos and drone footage. After that, we cleaned up a bit and continued our journey to Wellington. It was a great journey indeed and I sincerely hope we can go back to Aotearoa New Zealand for more adventures.

See you on the next story!

Nga Mihi, Aotearoa

 736 days.

Two years and 6 days.

That's the time when us, the Frakarsas, stayed in Aoteroa, New Zealand. 

The land of long, white clouds is really leaving some long-lasting, wonderful memories for the four of us. 

Saying hello from Aotearoa..

Back then in November 2021, arriving in the middle of COVID-19 and lock-down, we certainly had to go through certain procedures that required a lot of preparation and coordination. By the time we landed in this land of Kiwi, we knew it was going to be another unforgettable chapter for us.

Then came along the orange setting and all the adjustment as well as protocol we all have to go through during the pandemic. I remember we all are required to have a pass to actually go out and scan the QR code to 'log in' wherever we go, including to the office and public places. I have to say New Zealand came slightly later when it comes to the obligation to wear mask whenever you are at the public places, while many countries like Indonesia has implemented that policy for quite some times. Even with all the prudent measures taken, we still got infected by COVID-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand. Well, I set the record of being positive with COVID-19 4 times,- twice in Indonesia and twice in New Zealand, together with Rudi and the kids. Not that I'm proud of it but looks like this is destined to be part of our journey here. Alhamdulillah everything went well and we all were in good condition with no further long term health concerns.

Well, back to our short journey in Aotearoa..

I say short because I am usually posted in countries longer than my designated assignments. Geneva and New York were the examples of that. Instead of 4 years,- my full terms, this time my family and I only stay for two years. Opportunity knocks and I was appointed as one of the new directors in my ministry. Originally, I was assigned until 2025 or even January 2026. But since the beginning of the procedures that I have to go through for this particular position, it has been a family decision. Well, we sat down with the kids and talk a lot about the decision and the implications if I got the job. And now, here we are.. back to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Cheers from the Frakarsas

TO BE CONTINUED

Happy Happy New Year

Hello, 2024!

Wishing everyone a wonderful year of 2024, filled with blessings, endless joy. health and happiness!

Cheers for brighter days ahead. Semoga kita semua selalu dikaruniai yang terbaik dari Sang Maha Segala. 

Cheers from the Frakarsas

It's been an unforgettable 2023 for #thefrakarsas, as we enjoyed our last year in Aotearoa, New Zealand, before moving back to Indonesia.  So many things have happened and for sure, many places visited and wonderful people,- those who became parts of our family,- we met along the way. Pertinent decisions were made in 2023 as well, including those that will change and heavily impact the course of our lives.

2023 has taught us many things as well, including how we, the Frakarsas, all depend on one another, while at the same time supporting each and everyone of us. 

one of our wonderful trips at the South Island, New Zealand

We made many important decisions this year, especially those related to the future of the kids. We have arrived at the point when we will be physically separated in order to pursue our dreams. Bo and Obi are growing up and my husband and I have to definitely work on next phase of our lives. 

will certainly miss my boy..

The plan is for Bo to continue his study in Aotearoa New Zealand and Obi for the the time being will stay with us in Indonesia. Obviously, with the help of technology and all the facilities we can utilize nowadays, space and distance won't be problems anymore. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, insya Allah semoga semua jalan dilancarkan dan mohon doanya ya teman - teman. 

first time touching the Llama :)

I have been blessed with so many great things that I might not be able to dwell on one by one. For sure, we started 2023 at that time with a great vibe and unforgettable trip to the Northern part of New Zealand. 

Then along the year, I managed to visit 9 countries, without me realizing it. I managed to visit, among others, Samoa (for the very first time!), came back to Cooks Islands, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Turkey, Switzerland and of course, Indonesia! Not to mention many parts of beautiful Aotearoa, New Zealand.

At the same year, I also have to move to 3 houses! One of the records during my existence and career. And for the first time ever, I travelled back home with my mom and my son with 17 luggages as the same time! Hah... never have I thought it would happen to me ever!  For the first time, the Frakarsas went on 6-hour hiking and tracking. For the first time as well, we cooked layers cake or lapis legit, and it didn't work well LOL. Well, so many 'first time' that we experienced here in New Zealand and beyond. Well, so many 'first time' that we experienced here in New Zealand and beyond.

So, that's a little story I have in the beginning of 2024.

I will certainly share more about all those experiences and hope to see you around on the next post!

ASEAN Matters - The 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta

 And I'm back!

Pheew.. it felt like ages since the last time I post here on my blog.

So, happy to be back and I sincerely hope everyone is fine, wherever one is.

These couple of months have been super crazy for me. Starting from August the September, we have series of meetings hosted by the Government of Indonesia. As you are probably aware of, we are holding the chairmanship for ASEAN this year so I was assigned to go to Jakarta together with my Ambassador. The Prime Minister of the Cook islands as well as the Foreign Minister of New Zealand were joining us at the 43rd ASEAN Summit and its related meetings. 

It was indeed a special event as this year, Cook Islands is the chair for Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and  PM Mark Brown, together with his team, came to Indonesia for the very first time. 

The signing of MoU between ASEAN Secretariat and PIF as well as IORA Secretariats

So you can imagine how excited we were welcoming this delegation and showcasing the best. of Indonesia, as well as ASEAN hospitality. Prime Minister Brown has been scheduled to join many important meetings and engagement during his stay in Indonesia.

So, as you can see, we have a week packed with meetings, signing ceremonies,  lunches and dinners, as well as side events. Many of them were specifically conducted between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, like the US, Canada, Plus 3 and all. So you can imagine how busy that week was! 

My Ambassador and I managed to come and join some of the meetings, including the opening and the closing of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which was attended by the ASEAN Leaders and all the Guests of the Chair, President Joko Widodo. 

The opening session was great, with live music from Purwacaraka. It was fantastic ensemble for sure. 

The closing session was beautiful as well. I missed the viral dinner, as it was only for limited invitations. But we saw the fireworks on the street, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to be precise.

After the closing session, on the day when PM of Cook Islands and the delegation was scheduled to leave Jakarta, we took some times to stroll around Anjungan Halte Trans Jakarta and took some mini tours as well as photos. I was lucky that by the time this place was cleared and temporarily closed by Paspampres, my mom and I were already there so we could take great photos here with the crowds.

I took him there and showed him the Selamat Datang statue as well as a little bit of history of Hotel Indonesia. Wearing his fresh teal Pacific shirt, PM Brown seemed to enjoy the scenery and took lots of photos as well! All in all, it was a successful visit.

I left New Zealand at the end of the August and stayed in Jakarta until the second week of September. I got a surprise so to speak while staying in Jakarta, as I was appointed as Director for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at Kemlu. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, wish me luck for this new position ya.  I guess I have to get everything ready before moving back to Jakarta from Aotearoa New Zealand.
Will keep you all posted!

Welcome to Whakapapa - It’s Snow Time at Aotearoa New Zealand

It’s Snow Time at Aotearoa New Zealand 

 

Kia Ora,

Apa kabar semua? 

Welcome back to indahnuria.com and let’s continue our adventure here in New Zealand. This time, I have a little story about how us, the Frakarsas, enjoys winter time in the land of the long clouds.

This year is the second winter we have here in the Kiwi land. Yet, last year’s winter was a but fuzzy and blurry as we had so many things going on in July- September 2022. I somehow remembered cold, wet winter days last year, which is not too different from now. However, this year we manage to drive up North to see the snow and enjoy a bit of fun out there.

On our way to Ruapehu and Tongariro National Park

So on one long weekend, we drove to Tongariro National Park and went to Whakapapa, a ski area in this beautiful place.It took us 4 hours to drive there and we decided not to stay over night in Ruapehu, the nearby village. After that long drive, welcome to Whakapapa - it's snow time at Aotearoa New Zealand !

We got our ticket for 1-hour sledding in Happy Valley, Whakapapa. The ticket for the 4 of us cost NZD 89.54, including taxes and surcharges.

Got our ticket and we were ready!

Obi and Bo were excited, as the last time we played in the snow was back in New York City. When we arrived, it was foggy and rainy, yet we managed to enjoy riding our sled and go up with the magic carpet ride. Bo actually wanted to try the snowboarding but we were a bit late due to the traffic up to the Whakapapa ski station. Well, fog and rain are not helping.

Bo posing with his sledding board

Yet, we arrived and directly got our ticket at the machine. After that, we went down to the Happy Valley (What a perfect name for the place :) ) and lined up to get to the area for sledding

There were three lanes we could use and it was again fun to play in the snow, screaming around and hitting the snow piles. One hour flew fast and although we wanted to continue, it was too cold and freezing already. So, we called it a day and just wrapped it up the same time as the Happy Valley was about to close.

FIFA Women World Cup in Wellington

Do you like football?

I do! Although I don’t fully understand the regulations and the latest updates from the field but I always enjoy the festivities and the vibes during big matches and competitions.

This year, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia are co-hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup.  Can you imagine the excitement we have here!

the match between New Zealand and the Philippines

Poneke Wellington is also selected as one of the cities in Aotearoa New Zealand which will be hosting the matches, besides Auckland, Hamilton, and Dunedin.

Obviously, the Frakarsas won’t miss the chance to see the matches! We got the tickets for the match between New Zealand and the Philippines, which was held on Tuesday, 25th of July, 2023. The match was held in Wellington Regional Stadium.  It was quite a match and we were supporting the Philippines as part of the ASEAN Sisterhood, but we also hoped New Zealand would play well on this match.

What a game indeed! For the first time, the Philippines won and beat the host New Zealand 1 - 0. There was an offside goal made by New Zealand so unfortunately it didn’t change the scores. New Zealand team was very aggressive and offensive, sent many shots on goal but the Philippines’ goal keeper or goalie is so good! No wonder she became the player of the day! 

I hope we can watch more games as the matches continue till mid August. It’s time to get more tickets. 

The three of us after the game..

Me holding the scarf of the match of the day, between NZ and the Philippines

Do you like watching football as well? How about women’s football? 

Do you like watching it directly at the stadium if you get the chance or you prefer watching it on TV? Share your experience here on the comments and see you on the next adventures!

Sensational Lunch at La Cecile Komodo Labuan Bajo

ready for Sensational Lunch at La Cecile Labuan Bajo? join me

"Let's see more of Labuan Bajo from above", said my dear friend and mentor, Mba Ani.

"More place to explore? we have enough time before our flight?" I asked with extra excitement as we got to our car after finishing our trip at Batu Cermin cave. Day 7 at Labuan bajo and we just finally had some time to explore after the successful conduct of the 42nd ASEAN Summit. We were heading back to Jakarta and our flight would be later that afternoon.

"Yes, we do, and we can even have our lunch here. Let's go to La Cecile then," Mba Ani asked our driver to take us to La Cecile straight away. 

And after a short drive, we arrived at the designated area and once again, I was blown away by Labuan Bajo's beauty, especially from above.

welcome to La Cecile

Well, welcome back and I hope you are not bored yet with my stories from awesome Labuan bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Another place where I stopped by is La Cecile Hotel. Located in Jl. Goro, Silatey, Labuan Bajo, this hotel offers luxurious and comfortable stay with a breathtaking view of the city from above. It is also famous for its unique design, cutting-edge cafe and restaurant plus delicious Indonesian as well as international food. Perfect spot to enjoy Labuan Bajo!

A bird's eye view of Labuan bajo from la Cecile

During the series of meetings of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, this hotel has been used as one of the meeting venues as well. I just got a chance to actually stop by here after the Summit was concluded.

We came here for lunch and as we were super hungry after our adventure in Batu Cermin cave, we ordered a lot. No surprise LOL. Luckily we managed to get the table for the three of us, - me, mba Ani and mba Tika, both my darling seniors at the office. 

La Cecile restaurant

So we ordered kangkung plecing, cumi bakar or grilled octopus, sup ikan or fish soup, chicken wings, and telur dadar or  fu yung hai, complete with steamed rice and various sambals, including sambal kecap, sambal terasi, and sambal matah. Everything was super good! Kangkung plecing was fresh and spicy, as we like it. The grilled octopus was tasty, so rich in spices and perfectly grilled. The soup was freshly made and also very authentic, and for the fu yng hai or the omelet, it's always been our comfort food at home so it can never go wrong. I have to say we ate all of them! We were certainly starving LOL.

In terms of the price, it's still reasonable and manageable, considering that we are dining in a beautiful ambience.

Some of the food we ordered! Delicious..

I couldn't concentrate on taking pictures of the food anymore as I was starving!

can't wait to eat them all!

While waiting for the food, mba Ani was patient and kind enough to stroll around the hotel ground to take some pictures. As always, mini me was enjoying a pose or two at this lovely place. 

It was one sunny day!

There are specific spots you can go to while enjoying the vista, including the pool, the cafe, and the mini chapel (I guess it looks like one) here in La Cecile.

Here are some photos I took.

posing at the bell and the cross at la Cecile Komodo Labuan Bajo

Mba Ani and I..

Cheeers..

Once we were done with the photo session, the food was ready and without further a do, we started our feast. What a lovely meal! 

my drink that day...I forget the name but it was fresh!

And the fact that we were having our tasty lunch and enjoying the view, I have to say we really have a sensational lunch at La Cecile Labuan Bajo. With happy tummy and huge smiles, we left the hotel and headed to the airport. But wait.. not without shopping for more souvenirs here at La Cecile! Yup.. we bought t-shirts, Labuan Bajo coffee and bolu gulung istimewa. I have to say those are lovely merchandises from Labuan Bajo.

So, that's my little story of exploring Labuan Bajo and enjoying sensational lunch at La Cecile Komodo.

Hope you can get a chance to visit this place one day and see you on another adventure!