Menikmati Ciwidey dan Mencoba Kasturi Cottage and Glamping

welcome to Ka

Assalammualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
How's the start of 2026? Hope all is well ya teman - teman. Di liburan awal tahun ini, seperti biasa kami The Frakarsas mencoba untuk menghabiskan waktu bersama. Ceritanya liburan bareng, mumpung Abang Bo lagi pulang ke Indonesia. Well, it becomes quite a tradition for us to spend some times together, whenever it's possible. Karena cuaca yang kurang bersahabat awal tahun 2026 dan juga waktu cuti kami yang tidak banyak, akhirnya kita memutuskan untuk pergi ke tempat yang tidak terlalu jauh dari Jakarta. Kami mencoba rute Jakarta - Palabuhan Ratu - Ciwidey - Jakarta. Lumayan untuk 4 hari di jalan dengan cuaca yang masih kurang menentu. Padahal biasanya di awal tahun, kami memiliki kebiasaan untuk liburan bersama dengan anak-anak, terutama karena di awal tahun Abang Bo biasanya masih ada di Indonesia sebelum kembali pulang ke Wellington, Selandia Baru. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, kami pun berangkat di hari Rabu siang menjelang sore. Cuaca sudah mendung - mendung hujan dan kelabu memang. Kami sudah bersiap dengan kondisi ini karena memang waktu yang terbatas membuat kami tidak punya banyak pilihan untuk menunda waktu liburan ini.

Dengan cuaca hujan, kami menempuh perjalanan kurang lebih 6 jam dari Jakarta ke daerah Pelabuhan Ratu. Nanti kita share cerita yang bagian itu, karena saya mau fast forward ke tempat menginap kita di Ciwidey. Boleeeh yaaa...

Welcome to Kasturi Cottage Ciwidey

Kasturi Cottage Ciwidey adalah salah satu resort yang kami coba di area Ciwidey. Ini kali pertama saya datang ke Ciwidey bersama The Frakarsas. Biasanya suami yang bolak - balik ke daerah sini karena sering trip dengan group MTB atau down hill-nya.

Penginapan ini menerapkan prinsip syariah dan menawarkan berbagai tipe penginapan. Saya mendapat 1 kamar tidur cottage yang bisa menampung 4 orang, tipe Rose 2. Ada beberapa tipe kamar lainnya yang juga bisa menampung lebih banyak orang.

Kamar yang kami dapatkan seharga Rp 1.500.000 per malam. Lumayan juga untuk ukuran glamping dan sebenarnya fasilitas kamarnya juga biasa saja. Mungkin karena sedang libur panjang ya sehingga high demand dan banyak yang mencari kamar di tanggal serupa.

the reception area..

Kamarnya sendiri terdiri dari satu ruangan dengan 2 tempat tidur ukuran queen yang bisa menampung 2 orang per tempat tidur. Kasurnya busa dan buat yang memiliki masalah dengan punggung, kasur ini tidak nyaman, karena tidak ada penyangganya. At least that's what my hubby and I felt. Bantal, linen dan selimut tersedia, cukup bersih dan sepertinya masih terbilang baru. Selain kamar dan tempat tidur, kamu juga menikmati TV ukuran 32 inch sepertinya dengan saluran TV lokal yang tidak banyak. Selain itu, terdapat juga rak TV dan rak kecil di antara tempat tidur, serta dispenser dengan fungsi air panas dan air dingin. Saat kami datang dispenser belum ada galon airnya.

Ada kamar mandi ukuran sedang dengan WC duduk dan pemanas air. Air ditampung dengan bak plastik yg ukurannya disesuaikan dengan ruangan. Air dari keran agak berwarna kecoklatan, jadi seperti kurang bersih. Waktu buka air hangat, terasa sekali bau besi atau metal, jadi kurang nyaman dan tidak sehat untuk dipakai sikat gigi, cuci muka atau bahkan mandi. Saya sempat membuka keran cukup lama untuk mencoba menghilangkan bau besi ini tapi tidak begitu terbantu walaupun memang agak berkurang baunya. Tidak ada kopi, teh, atau gula gratis di kamar. Handuk juga belum tersedia saat kami datang. Saat saya minta untuk 4 orang sesuai kapasitas kamar, kami hanya mendapat 2 handuk. Untuk sarapan, kami hanya dapat 2 juga, bukan 4 paket. Sarapan diantar ke kamar masing - masing. Saya sempat WA ke admin agar bisa mendapat sarapan agak awal karena kami harus berangkat lebih pagi juga.

breakfast for 2 - Nasi kuning dengan lauk telur, bihun dan tempe manis

Di sini ada kolam renang. Kami memutuskan untuk tidak berenang karena airnya terlihat kurang bersih. Saya tidak bisa melihat dasar kolam renangnya. Padahal kolam renangnya besar, bagus dan ada perosotan untuk anak - anak. Ada tempat ganti dan toilet juga. Tidak ada informasi berapa meter dalamnya kolam. Semoga next time bisa ditambahkan oleh pihak manajemen untuk alasan keamanan. Saya tidak melihat counter untuk meminta handuk berenang. Mungkin ada tapi saya tidak melihat. Ada beberapa kegiatan yang bisa dilakukan seperti memanah, berkuda, ATR dan sepeda air. Semuanya dengan biaya tambahan lagi ya dan ada beberapa pilihan. Untuk berkuda misalnya, yang sifatnya fun ride atau hanya 3 putaran biayanya hanya Rp50.000,- Saya juga lihat ada taman kelinci, di mana anak - anak bisa bermain langsung dengan kelincinya. Saya tidak tau apakah harus bayar extra untuk itu atau tidak. Ada juga petik sendiri strawberries. Tapi saat kami melihat pot - pot strawberries-nya, isinya hampir kosong, kecil - kecil dan agak pucat atau mungkin baru dipanen sehingga tidak banyak. Di sekitar area ini, tersedia lahan parkir yang cukup banyak.

Beberapa tempat aksesibel tapi beberapa kamar ada steps atau tangga yang harus dilalui sehingga tidak nyaman untuk pengguna kursi roda. Semoga next time ada ramps yang membantu pengguna kursi roda untuk mengakses tempat ini. Well, that's a little story I have for Kasturi Cottage and Glamping in Ciwidey. Hope to see you around on the next adventures. Wassalammualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarakatuh

WW: Culinary Adventures in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia

Welcome back...

Let's continue our adventure. This time, I would like to kindly invite you to join me in my Culinary Adventures in Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia. 

As I have shared previously (READ:  Kanoman Palace, Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia dan Sunyaragi Cave, Cirebon, West Java) , Cirebon is indeed a special place for me and my family as my late grandpa from my late father was originally coming from Cirebon. While we are here in Indonesia, we take some times to visit this city again and again as we still have many relatives to meet plus lovely attractions that I would like to introduce to my kids as well. That includes the culinary experience here.

Cirebon has ben well known for its delicious cuisine. Empal gentong, empal asem, tahu gejrot and nasi lengko are only few examples of this culinary heaven.  Not to mention the munchies, like ketan gurih, rengginang rebon and emping manis. The list can go on and on.

Empal gentong is the traditional beef stew from Cirebon, cooked with coconut milk and a mixture of Idonesian spices such as kemiri or bitter nut, sereh or lemon grass, laos/lengkuas or galangal, and daun salam or bay leaves. While empal asem is similar, but it is cooked withouth coconut milk. Instead, it uses tamarind water and belimbing wuluh, a special starfruit with has unique sour taste.  Both stew are served with fried onion and slices of fresh spring onion and celery. Tahu gejrot is a special mixture of fried tofu with a sauce made of garlic, chili, tamarind, palm sugar, and sweet soy sauce. My late dad loved tis so much and we cherish this special dish wholeheartedly. We sometimes cook it at home as well. Then nasi lengko is Cirebonese plate of rice with fried tofu and tempe, sprinkled with generous fresh cut cucumber, steamed bean sprout, fried onion, kucai  or chives, with spicy (or not) peanut sauce. Oh my, even as I write this, I am drooling and suddenly hungry.

I might need to write more details about more Cirebonese food at later stage but now, let's see some of those scrumptious palates. Tell me whether it brings out your appetite instantly.

So, what do you think? 

Which one is your fave? 

Have you tried some of them?

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday (click HERE) and have fun with the link party

WW: Kanoman Palace, Cirebon, Indonesia

Welcome to Kanoman Palace, Cirebon, West Java, Indonesia.

It was another trip to Cirebon, the hometown of my grandfather from my late dad's side. We made it together with my cousins too. It was an enjoyable trip and it was a memorable walk down the lane. My aunties were born and raised here and they loved looking at the places where they spent their childhood. 

We stopped at Kanoman Palace, on of the palaces in Cirebon. Different from our previous visit to Cirebon (Read: Family Trip to Cirebon, West Java), this time we saw the place where my grandfather was the direct descendant of the Kanoman Palace, from his grandmother's side. It was exciting to see this place although we have to admit that it has its days . It must be expensive to take care of this huge palace. 

The unique thing is this palace is built in an area surrounded by the market. I read from the book that the Sultan or the King loved his people so much he allowed the people to build markets, gather, and do a lot of public activities in the area. So when we want to visit the Palace now, we have to go through the traditional Kanoman market.

The palace was built back in 1678 by Prince Kertawijaya or Mohammad Badridin. He was also known as Sultan Anom I and the Palace as well as the Royal Family living there have been closely tied to the spread of Islam in West Java and the surrounding areas, particularly by Sunan Kalijaga or Syarif Hidayatullah. 

In many of the saung or the building in this 6-hectare complex, you will see various original ceramics from Tiongkok or  China. I remember seeing some as well in Keraton Kasepuhan Cirebon and Sunyaragi Cave (Read: WW: Sunyaragi Cave, Cirebon, West Java)

Enjoy some of the photos I took during the trip with some stories about it.

Here are some photos from inside the complex of the Palace

As we entered the complex, we would see many saung or the building with high ceiling and open space as well as bale, the similar architecture. You will see the big hall in gold, green, and baby blue ambience where events and gatherings take place and guests are entertained.

In the back of the complex, we will see big space or lapangan which can accommodate more people when the palace is open for the commoners, usually for the celebration of Islamic calendar like Syawalan or a week after Eid-ul Fitr. We also saw the rocky shapes depicting rocky mountain similar to the ones in Sunyaragi cave.

Here are some pictures of the details of the main complex. I think the building is called Siti Hinggil. Many of the furnitures and details accents are made of teak wood, with laced-like carvings and ornate patterns. Some of them stand the test of time, some of them have started to deteriorated unfortunately, mostly due to the humid weather in Indonesia, particularly Cirebon. The rest of the hall can be observed through series of photos here.

So, that's out little trip to Kanoman Palace, Cirebon, Indonesia. 

What do you think about the palace? Do you like it? Which one is your favorite place? 

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday (click HERE to join) and have fun with he link party.

WW: Enchanting Cirebon - Kasepuhan Palace

C.I.R.E.B.O.N

Have you been to Cirebon before?

This is the hometown of my grandfather from my father's side.

We have been visiting this city since I was a kid but it's been quite sometimes that we haven't visited this place nor meet our relatives here.

So last December 2019, my family together with my mom, my aunts and my brother and sister in law went to Cirebon and have a little flashback. Playing tourist in my grandpa's hometown. It was fun indeed!

WW: Dago Highland Resort, West Java

We are welcoming ourselves back to Bandung.
As you have probably been aware of, my sister-in-law just got married a week ago and we are now taking her to Bandung to meet her new family.

It was my hubby's family who are traveling from Lampung, stop by in Jakarta for one night then travel together to Bandung. It was the 9 of us in total. Good thing we didn't experience traffic except by the time we reached Pasteur toll gateway, the entrance of Bandung. In less than 3 hours, we have arrived in this Paris van Java city.

Welcome to Dago Highland Resort

This time, we decided t stay in Dago Highland Resort.
We visited the house of our sister-in-law new family house in Dago and therefore we chose this area to stay the night.

The view from the cafe near the lobby

The resort is located at the top hill of Dago Pakar.
As you can imagine, the resort is okay, just average unfortunately, but the view is amazing.
The joy of listening to the sound of birds chirping, inhaling fresh air, and enjoying wonderful vista is priceless!
Here are some photos I took during our 2-day stay in this place.

Swimming session by the hill..

Fresh flower for you all..

Good morning..

Let's just relax here..

My kids and their cousin enjoying the pool..

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Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls, and Friends

Another week and I had a blast last weekend joining an outbound program with our Senior Diplomatic Training class, Sesparlu Batch 64.

clear blue sky and plush paddy field welcomed us at Purwakarta

When I said senior, most of us are indeed more than 40 years old and have been posted abroad twice. It also means that we have worked at least around 15 years in the ministries. In my case it’s 18 years. That's quite some period.

So we had an outbound activities, aiming at getting to know one another and building our team work. We had it in Purwakarta, West Java, and it was fun indeed. We had all those silly  yet competitive games, challenges and group tasks. then we had bonfire as well as archeries plus archeries battle. Long story short, we had a blast.

Now, let me invite you to our weekly link party with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girl and friends. 

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