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!

Enjoying Pulau Rinca, Komodo Dragon and Pink Beach

 

Kia ora!

Morena.. a very good morning from Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Here, we are now enjoying winter as June arrives. Short days with cold, windy weather are welcoming us almost everyday and as the famous meme said, winter is coming! How I long warm, tropical weather back home in Indonesia nowadays.

And looking at my photo albums, I have so many great adventures on my last visit to Indonesia, especially Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.

As I have shared on my previous posts, I have dived in many spots here in Labuan Bajo. Feel free to check it on Diving at Labuan Bajo - Photo Album .

Right after diving at Batu Bolong site, the last dive I did, we stopped by at Rinca Island. This is one of the islands where you can get to see komodo dragons on their natural habitat as well as the pink beach. On top of my diving trip, I added Rp 500K for this additional stops. 

By the time we landed at Rinca island, we walked from the pier to the entrance gate and ticketing office. As we have foreigner visitors, we have different tickets for the locals. It was a bit confusing for us as the officials were asking for the new tariff which is quite expensive. But we all know that the new tariff was still being heavily debated at that time so at the end of the day, our tour guide negotiated and we paid in accordance with the prevailing regulations.

Happy me arriving at Rinca island, ready to make a rendezvous with komodo

Long story short, we chose the short trail and being helped by one of the local guides here. He showed us the way and told us many interesting stories and facts as well. since the very beginning when we landed in this island, I have already read the sign saying that tis is the natural habitat for the komodo and we were basically walking alongside their trails. Cool, right! But surely we have to be careful as well. 

Nevertheless, after seeing the real komodo for the first time in the Komodo museum at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and seeing the giant lantern of komodo in Wellington lantern festival, you can imagine how excited I was to meet these magnificent creatures in their original homes.

So we went through the trail, the Loh Liang walking trails, listening attentively to our guide. I feel bad of not remembering his name! He spoke English well and patiently answered so many of our questions.

Check out these photos and you will see how cool this place is. Rest assure I took the photos from safe distance and under strict supervisor of our guide. And again, komodo dragons are magnificent creatures. 

Done enjoying the walking trails in Rinca island, we moved to the other side of the island and stopped at the pink beach. And it was totally AWESOME!

As I have seen in so many posts in various social medias, pink beack is just unique and stunningly beautiful. I enjoyed my time here although it was not that long. I was kust dipping my feet, so tempted to swim again and I was just tired from my 3-times dives. I prayed that I would go back here again soon with my hubby and the kids. 

I bet we will!

Welcome to the pink beach! Lovely isn't it?

Mini - me is super excited too

Hope we can go back soon 

So, have you visited East Nusa Tenggara, especially Labuan Bajo?

Did you visit Rinca island and manage to meet komodo dragons and have fun at the pink beach as well? 

Share your story here.

Diving at Labuan Bajo - Photo Album

chasing the manta...

It's diving time!

How excited I am sharing this story and as you have probably been aware of from my last posts here, I have just visited Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. Well, it was done in the middle of May and now it's June already!

You have seen a glimpse of Labuan Bajo's exquisite beauty, above and under, and now I will take you deeper to its astonishing underwater world. Let's dive with me! Are you ready?

Right after the successful commencement of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, I had one free day before heading back to Jakarta, then New Zealand. So, I instantly decided to go diving, as I haven't done so after leaving Indonesia to Aotearoa back in November 2021. Been a long time, right! As I joke with my hubby and my kids, God the Almight knew I haven't wet my gills for a long time and God has kindly gave me the chance to visit one of diving paradise, Labuan Bajo. Alhamdulillah.

So, long story short, I joined a diving tour with Blue Marlin operator and got a chance to dive at Penga kecil, Makassare Reef, and Batu Bolong sites. There were 13 of us, with 9 divers from China, one from Indonesia (yours truly :)) and 3 dive masters from NTT, Sweden and France. Quite a diverse group indeed. After that, I stopped by at Rinca Island to see the komodo dragon and pink beach. Lucky me, right!

Before I spill more beans, here are the photos I took.

the manta! So graceful..

giant cuttlefish...

clear visibility...

happy me :)

healthy and colorful reefs

more colorful reef

one spot at Makassar Reef

Don't forget to check my YouTube video as well here.

I was so blessed to be able to dive in Labuan Bajo and meet amazing sea creatures in these divine nature. Hopefully Labuan Bajo will stay beautiful, clean and well preserved till many years to come.

Do you like diving and/r snorkeling too? Where is your favorite spot and have you dived or snorkeled here in Labuan Bajo as well?