Indonesia, Negeri Impianku Selalu dan Selamanya

Kalau ditanya apa negeri impian saya, maka jawabannya adalah Indonesia.

My wonderful Indonesia.

Hari ke-13 dari #BPN30dayChallenge2018 diisi pertanyaan tenanting mengenai negara atau kota atau tempat impian. 

Sejak awal jawaban saya sudah jelas.

Indonesia!
Dan ada begitu banyak kota cantik di negeri ini yang ingin saya kunjungi.

Saya cinta negara yang cantik luar biasa ini.

Rasanya makin jauh saya bertualang, bertemu dengan orang dari berbagai negara, dan mengunjungi tempat-tempat cantik yang terkenal, makin mengkukuhkan cinta saya pada tanah dan bumi Nusantara. 

Lately I have been looking at some photos that I have taken on various trips in Indonesia. I'm just an amateur but it won't take long to see why I'm so in love with my homeland and it will forever stay in my heart.

Let me now take you to Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Bali and Nusa Tenggara as well as Maluku and Papua. I have visited all of those wonderful islands but not all the cities famous for landmarks and unique destinations.

Kalau bisa, rasanya #myitchyfeet ingin saya ajak keliling menyaksikan karya-Nya yang luar biasa. Dan kali ini anak-anak pun sudah besar, sudar waktunya saya tulari dengan kecintaan luar biasa pada tanah air mereka. Yuk, kita ikutan tur pendek di Negeri impianku ini.

Sulawesi

I have been to Manado, North Sulawesi, several times but I know that other parts of this exotic Island of Sulawesi are waiting. I can’t wait to visit Toraja, Wakatobi, and Gorontalo (again)

It  is the perfect place to those who love and seek underwater adventures.

Divers and snorklers, here's THE spot for you as Sulawesi offers endless choices of underwater experience, starting from Bunaken, Wakatobi, Gorontalo and more.

Swimming with turtles, manta rays, or even whale sharks?

You got it!

My encounter with la rascasse, the scorpion fish, in Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi

Kalimantan

The dragon at Tri Dharma Bumi Raya temple in Singkawang

Kalimantan or Borneo is famous for being one of the the lungs of world alone with the Amazon, it is indeed packed with oxygen-rich tropical jungles. 

It is also home of some of endangered, rare species like orang utan. Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, in this case, has been famously known as the one of the natural wonders with Orang Utan as the most known animals roaming in this area.

The city of Singkawang in West Kalimantan, boasts the beautiful combination of Chinese and local tradition of the Dayak people. Visiting the majestic temple of Tri Dharma Bumi Raya  is quite an experience and a short visit to Pasir Panjang beach will certainly refresh our weary souls.

Pasir Panjang Beaceh, Singkawang, West Kalimantan.

Bali and Nusa Tenggara

Sunset at Kuta Beach..

No need for further introduction to the island of the gods and goddesses, Bali, as well as Nusa Tenggara, which has been stealing travellers' attention - if not capturing their hearts,- with their incredible nature. 

The morning offerings at Kuta Beach, Bali

Magical sunrise and sunset, breathtaking view of cliffs, mountains and the sea, and pristine beaches are only a start! Amazing local cuisines, traditions, rituals, natural landscapes and again, friendly people will surely complete your trip here.

Rinjani, West Nusa Tenggara. Pic: Pixabay

praying time

Tirta Gangga Water Palace

Maluku and Papua

These Eastern parts of Indonesia are truly captivating.

Maluku, or Molluccas, with the capital city of Ambon, has captured my heart since I first arrived in this historical part of my country. The Land of spices, one of the reasons why Indonesia was sought and conquered by many in the past, is the nick name of Maluku. 

Liang Beach, Ambon, Maluku

Surrounded by beautiful islands and white, powdery coastline, the city of  Ambon is a perfect destination for those enjoying a tranquil day on the beach and venturing on local cuisine such as nasi kuning, or the yellow rice, and rujak, or fresh fruit with peanut sauce and chilli dipping. Banda island, Halmahera, and Seram Island are some of the exotic places you should not miss.

smoked tuna, everyone? Great delicacy from Maluku.

Papua and Papua Barat provinces have been dominating many of travelers' top list for its incomparable beauty of nature. Raja Ampat (I bet many of you have heard about it) is the world's top diving sites. Heaven on earth can be appropriately associated to the land of Cendrawasih, the bird of paradise, known to be the indigenous fauna of Papua.

Playnemo, Raja Ampat, Papua. Pic: Pixabay

While Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province, offers breathtaking views of Sentani Lake and beautiful city seen from above. This is also the place where I tastes the best, freshest fried fish with papeda and sayur kuning, the local cuisine of Papuans. 

Don't miss to visit the famous tribes in Papua, Asmat and Dani, and be part of their daily life to see the indigenous way of life as well as their amazing artistic works. 

Wish me luck and health for the grand plan of traveling around Indonesia with my family, The Frakarsa. 

How about you?

What's your dream place?

Cheers from Jayapura, Papua

WW: Liang Beach, Ambon, Maluku

Welcome to Liang Beach, Ambon, Maluku.

Nothing else to say but enjooooy.

ready to swim

Let's swim!

Wanna join me?

Liang Beach is so beautiful and serene.
Besides the clear turquoise water and lovely beach, you can also enjoy traditional delicacies here, like rujak buah or fresh cut fruits with chilli and peanut sauce. Super delicious!

 And here's a little video I took from Liang Beach, Ambon, Maluku

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun enjoying links party!

Kisses from Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia

Kisses from Ambon, Maluku, Indonesia!

I AM SUPER HAPPY!
And blessed, obviously!
I finally got a chance to visit one of the amazing spots in my beloved Indonesia.
The city of Ambon, the capital of Maluku, or famously know as Moluccas, has been on top of my bucket list. 
I know I will be traveling around once I'm home as it's part of my job as well.
Nevertheless, when I found out that I will be visiting Ambon for a 3-day-2-night working visit, I dance like a kitty cat getting its favorite fish crackers!
Well, in short, I'm super happy.

Cheers from Liang Beach, Ambon

So I left Jakarta on Wednesday morning with Garuda Indonesia direct flight there.
We have a few option in terms of flight, including the ones with transit.
But this time, I chose the direct flight because it took more than 3 hours already and we need to prepare for the meeting.

Martha Tiahahu

Flying at 8.15 AM, we landed safely at 2 PM local time.
It was a smooth trip and the view from above is breathtaking!
We passed some flocks of islands and they look so inviting from above.
I don't know exactly which islands they are but looking at the map, I saw the famous Wakatobi islands as well as Tailabu and Buru islands.

One of the islands we passed otw to Ambon

Ambon, Maluku, is 2 hour earlier than Jakarta. 
Once we landed, we went to our hotel, Santika Premier Ambon, and checked in first.
It's a lovely hotel and just recently opened.
Love the room and the food here, although the pool is unfortunately not yet ready.
It has wonderful view of Ambon from above as well.

View of Ambon city from Santika Premier Hotel Ambon

Once we're done with check-in, we just realised how hungry we were all.
Since Ambon is famous for its nasi kuning or the yellow rice, we went to one of the the famous local restaurants serving this yummy delicacies.

I have perkedel kenning or potato fritters and mung beans stew

 We went to Restrain Ibu Nanik which serve traditional Ambonese nasi kuning with various main dishes like fish, meat, chicken, shrimps, vegetable fritters, and sayer kacang hijau or mung beans stew! That one is new for me and I like it!

This is yum!

Later that day, we went to another cafe to see the famous sunset!
So we went to Wailela Cafe at Rumah Tiga, Ambon.

We just chilled out and enjoyed the sceneries during the sunset time.
The cafe was packed with visitors and those enjoying the sunset like us.
It was beautiful for sure.

Sunset at Wailela Cafe, Ambon

I managed to record a live video on my YouTube account as well during the sunset in Wailela Cafe, Ambon. Feel free to check it out!

And here is some photos I took during my stay in Ambon.
We went to Liang and Natsepa Beaches as well.
Nothing else I can say but those beaches are drop dead gorgeous!

I am writing it as I'm boarding to Jogjakarta so, I don't really have much time! 
For sure, more stories are coming but meanwhile, enjoy the beauty of Ambon with these photos!

Smoked tuna! super yuuum

Galala Port, Ambon, where we buy the smoked tuna

Rujak time!

My favorite! Clear blue sky and turquoise water!

shall we take a (banana) boat ride? Liang beach, Ambon

Happy me at Liang beach, Ambon

Liang beach, Ambon

Lots of love from me and mini me!

Cheers!

Enjoy your weekend!

And see you on the next story and adventures.