MERDEKA - HAPPY 78TH INDEPENDENCE DAY, INDONESIA

It was windy and cold, as we started assembling for the flag - raising ceremony this morning. 

Yet, our hearts were warm with pride as we saw Merah Putih, our national flag, was gallantly fluttering against Aotearoa’s blue sky. A beautiful, historic day! 

Pengalaman indah di bumi Aotearoa merayakan genap 78 tahun usia negeri tercinta, kebanggaan kita semua, Indonesia. #thefrakarsas beruntung bisa menjadi bagian dari cerita penuh warna tentang jalan panjang perjuangan, indahnya persatuan dan persaudaraan serta memaknai kemerdekaan. Alhamdulillah… merci ya Rabb 🇮🇩🙏.

Saya dan @bofrakarsa were proudly wearing our Tapis from beloved hometown, Lampung. A bit mix and match I know (apologies for that) but proud to wear my Siger and the set of West Lampung Tapis I got as my dowry (thanks sweet 💜 @frakarsa ).

Bo was wearing his Tapis and Kiket, the headrest for Lampungnese males, Manuk Mekhem or the sleeping bird (CMIIW please 🙏😇). Well, again happy and proud to wear them 🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩 

 These are only a tiny bit of fun photos I took today, so bear with me 🤗😉 

 Merdeka 🎉🎉

WW: River Trekking at Royal Pita Maha Ubud, Bali

River Trekking at Royal Pita Maha Ubud, Bali

I probably haven't shared the complete stories of our vacation in Bali as we had explored many parts of this beautiful island. One of the them is when we did  River Trekking at Royal Pita Maha Ubud, Bali.

Wanna see how was our river trekking in Ubud?

Check it out from these photos

let's go river trekking..

the door of the lift taking us downstairs

the river awaits you

the cliff at Ayung River

all the greeneries

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WW: Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong, Nusa Penida, Bali

Broken Beach and Angel's Billabong are some of the beautiful spots we visited during our trip to Nusa Penida, Bali. 

Read: The Amazing View of Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida, Bali

Just like many parts of Nusa Penida Island, Broken Beach as well as Angel's Billabong are indeed lovely and unique. Looking at its distinct geographical features, I guess the name 'broken beach' comes from that particular shapes of the rocks and corals surroundings the area. So does Angel's Billabong.

Compared to Kelingking beach and all the rigorous track we have to go through to reach it, visiting Broken beach and Angel's Billabong are like a walk in the park. 

Take a look at these photos and tell me what you think.

The Angel's Billabong.. look at that clear water!

we were enjoying the Angel's Billabong.. but we didn't swim there

Broken Beach ... look at the structure of the rock in the back

The Frakarsas at the Broken Beach

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WW: A Brief Visit to Bandung, West Java

One side of Bandung from above

We start traveling again these days with health protocol and new normal norms.

I had a working visit to Bandung, the capital city of West Java, for 3 days. Together with my hubby, we drove from Jakarta and it took us around 3 hours to arrive at Hilton Bandung, where we stayed. Well, this is the second time we stayed here as we really enjoyed this global-chained hotel. Too bad this time my kids didn't come along as we didn't really stay that long either.

Welcome to Hilton Bandung

Since I had meetings here, I didn’t really go out much but we did enjoy some culinary visit to some famous spots. Some of them are like our favorite places, so my hubby and I walked down the memory lane during our stay. We went to Batagor Kingsley, Se'i Sapi Lamalera, Iga Bakar si Jangkung and Kartika Sari Dago. Well I have to admit those are legendary places which have been famous for a long time.

Here are some of the photos I took while visiting them. Can you guess which one is which :)?

Se'i Sapi Lamalera

Se'i sapi is the traditional smoked beef plates from East Nusa Tenggara. You usually eat it with steam cassava leaves and hot chilli or sambal. Here in Bandung, they have a wide variety of sambal to eat together with the beef.

Se'i sapi for you..

the cute mural

the menus

my fave.. with sambal Kecombrang

Batagor Kingsley

This bakso tahu goreng or fried tofu and fish cake is my fave. Whenever I go to Bandung I always ttry to eat here. We even have them take away to Jakarta as well. 

Batagor Kingsley Bandung with the soup... super yuuum

Fried Batagor Kingsley Bandung with spicy peanut sauce

Morenos Ice Cream at Kartika Sari Dago

I can't get enough!

Iga Bakar si Jangkung

These grilled ribs, marinated in Indonesian herbs and sauces, are the best!

I tried the soup as well..

A cup of hot tea after a plate of grilled ribs

Hilton Bandung

One of my favorite hotels in the city, not far from the train station and so many interesting spots in the area. I really enjoyed our spacious room and lovely view of the city from my room.

our comfy room at Hilton Bandung

breakfast at the hotel

the amenities are  Verbena & Lavender series from Crabtree & Evelyn


Can’t wait to go back to Bandung again soon and explore more. I sincerely hope next time coming here I will be able to meet my dearest blogger friends from Bandung as well. Meanwhile, stay safe, happy and healthy yaaa

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WW: Pulau Pisang, Pesisir Barat, Lampung at a Glimpse

Selamat datang di Pulau Pisang, Pesisir Barat, Lampung.

Banana Island, West Coast, Lampung.

Such an amazing place indeed!

Straight across Indian Ocean, on the western coast of Lampung, Banana Island or Pulau Pisang is offering endless beauty.

Perjalanan panjang dari Bandar Lampung menuju Krui dan perjalanan di laut dengan jukung yang seru benar - benar terbayar kontan. Cantik banget dan 

We have been blessed to be traveling to different parts of the world and we can’t miss the beauty of #lampung #thetreasureofsumatra ♥️♥️♥️. 

Sejak pandangan pertama melihat pulau seluas 2.310 hektar ini, kami sekeluarga terpukau dengan pantai pasir putihnya, air toska bening, samudera tak berujung dan deru ombak yang menghanyutkan. Aaah... makin cinta aku dengan Lampung yang kereeen ♥️♥️♥️ .

Cerita lengkapnya aku cicil di blog dan youtube yaaaa ♥️♥️♥️

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WW: Souvenirs from Bali

BALI

How I miss this beautiful land.

Dubbed as the land of Gods and Goddesses, Bali is worldwide famous for its natural landscape, rich tradition, and amazing cultures. For us, Indonesian, Bali is and will always be paradise.

As we are not allowed to travel around these days up until God knows when, we try to entertain ourselves with photos and videos took prior to COVID-19. And I have many taken in Bali. Due to my works, there are times when I came and visited Bali 4-5 times a year. Staying in Kuta and Nusa Dua, where most of my meetings were conducted, I always tried to enjoy this place once the works were concluded. As you know, Bali is indeed dotted with plush hotels and 

One thing I wouldn't miss is getting some souvenirs from the fantastic land.

No matter how many times we I have visited Bali, I always try to stop at some souvenir centers around Denpasar, Kuta, or Nusa Dua to get my favorites.

Some of my favorites are the local munchies such as kacang Koro, kacang disco (coated peanuts with various flavors), chips with local spices, brem, and more. 

What I like more is the traditional fabrics, endek and tenun Bali. They are very intricate and detailed plus colorful. As you probably know before, I am a big fan of wastra nusantara. Indonesian traditional fabrics are super cool. I have many collection of them and also the ready-to-wear ones, plus accessories. I always bring them wherever I go and most of the time, make them as souvenirs for my dear friends. Banyak banget temen - temen aku di PBB yang suka juga melihat wastra nusantara yang aku pakai.

READ: 7 Barang Etnik yang Membuat Perjalanan Makin Mengesankan.

Oh..and the paintings! I love Balinese painting, traditional as well as modern ones. 

Here are some of the souvenirs I managed to see and bring home (some of them only).

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