Amazing phenomenon that is always successfully taking my breath away.
No matter where it happens, in different parts of the world, it will always such a solemn moment for me.
Morning with Sunrise at Tanjung Benoa - Conrad Bali
Recently I visited Bali again and as I stayed in one of my favorite hotels here, Conrad Bali, I once again witnessed the breathtaking view of sunrise here. That happened to be the Earth Day as well. I was so blessed indeed.
Tanjung Benoa area has been famous for its sunrise. It has become the center of water sport as well. As my room is facing the beach side of the hotel, I can hear the happy scream from those enjoying parasailing and jet skies near here. I even noticed some dive center around the hotel, although unfortunately I haven't got a chance to take a dive trip myself. Not during my working visit. Nevertheless, I would be happy to go back for that.
love the Sunrise at Tanjung Benoa - Conrad Bali
Well, hope you enjoy this sunrise as well.
Stay safe, happy and healthy wherever you are. Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party.
Traveling during the Pandemic and Being Google Local Guides - Interview with SEA Morning Show
Hi everyone...
How's February so far? It has been a wonderful month full of readjustments, surprises and of course hard works. Office is as demanding as always while on my personal side, I have some self-development activities that I have committed to do, joining the national leadership training program.
Meanwhile, one day, one of my friends from the social media groups contacted me and requested me to be one of the hosts in SEA Morning Show, as part of SEA Today. SEA Today or South East Asia Today is a web-based streaming television broadcasted in South East Asia region. Owned by Telkom Indonesia, this TV show displays and broadcasts news and information relevant to the public in SEA region. Launched in 28 October 2020 by the Minister of State Enterprise of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Erick Tohir. SEA Morning Show is a daily program that broadcasts from 6 - 9 AM and distributed in 10 ASEAN Countries.
Getting ready for the Interview with SEA Morning Show
So on February 16, I got a chance to have the interview with SEA Morning Show hosts and discussed about being a travel blogger as well as Google Local Guides. It was fun indeed! We started the conversation with how fun it is to be travel blogger and how, in the first place, I become one. Frankly speaking, I have been traveling around with my parents since I was a kid and we even had trips with the big family for certain occasions. The fact that later on I join the MoFA and become a diplomat makes me get even more opportunity to travel around the world.
As it apparently runs in my blood, my hubby and I started traveling with my family even since my kids were babies! My son, Bo, travelled and flew from Melbourne to Jakarta since he was 40 days old! Of course considering that he and I were in great condition and fit to fly. Then my daughter Obi has similar experience, too. Since early days, I have taken her to go places. She was born in Geneva, Switzerland, traveling around Europe has been one of our cups of tea. I remember we went on a 7-day trip around Cinque Terre and Tuscany , including Pisa as well as Firenze area, in Italy with 4-year-old Bo and 5-month-old baby Obi. It took a lot of preparation but we love the trip. The kids have been super wonderful along the way!
My love for underwater world..
I also shared some places I have visited, those that have captured my heart and forever fondly remembered. Of the 57 countries (and counting!) I have traveled so far, every place is of course unique. It has been my dream to travel around my beloved INDONESIA. I have only explored 21 provinces in Indonesia, out of 34 provinces. Some of the provinces have cities which are incredible. My favorite is of course LAMPUNG, my homey hometown. This place never ceases to amaze me, as we have discovered more and more beautiful landscapes. For sure, more diving sites and snorkeling areas are there waiting for you to discover it. I sincerely hope I can get some times to add more ticked lists in my go-to map of Indonesia.
While abroad, I love visiting national parks as well as UNESCO World Heritage Lists. I also love landmarks which offer unique, one-of-a-kind experience. Places like Liberty Statue in New York City, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Quebec City, Old Havana, Vatican City, Antigua Naval Dockyard, Venice, Cairo, Marrakesh and way more have been visited as well. In Indonesia, Borobudur and Prambanan temples, as well as Bukit Barisan National Park, which is part of the tropical rainforest heritage in Sumatera, and
More importantly, I shared a lot about being Google Local Guides. How excited I am to be joining the this global network of local guides from different corners of the world. Although I have just joined Local Guides in New York City since 2017, I have learned and enjoyed a lot of benefits from joining it. I have expanded my networks obviously, learning more about Google maps and how to contribute to it properly and meaningfully, as well as more on AI and some beneficial technicalities. Even when the pandemic hit us, we even get more united as we use virtual platforms to stay connected and even share more. Through Google Local Guides, I learn how wonderful it is to contribute meaningfully to the communities as well, as we contribute there in voluntary basis. No wonder while Google Local Guides was established in 2015, it has so many people joining this platform.
Moreover, I am so blessed that I was chosen as one of the Google Guiding Stars in December 2020. Of all the Google Local Guides around the world, there are 50 Local Guides who were chosen in 5 different categories,- Helpful Hero, Inclusive Mapper, Creative Contributor, Community Builder, and Local Business Champion. I was part of the Creative Contributor here. Thank you, Google.
Thank you, Google ...
Finally, we were also discussing about staycation, one of the possible and relatively safe ways of traveling during the pandemic. Now that we have 5 M, which is the abbreviation of 5 things we need to do during the pandemic in bahasa Indonesia. 5M comprises of wearing mask, washing hands properly and frequently, keeping the physical distance, reducing mobility, and avoiding crowds. Staycation will give us the opportunity to see and explore our surroundings in a safer way as it does not involve lots of traveling or meeting many people. As long as we can ensure that the place we are heading to are applying the strict health protocol and CHSE principles,- Clean, Healthy, Safety and Environmentally Friendly. I believe many of the hotels in Indonesia have gotten CHSE certificate so that they can operate safely during this pandemic.
Here's the video I compiled, with the help of my brother Ajay, for the whole segment of my interview. You can watch the complete video in my YouTube channel HERE. Hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!
I really enjoyed the conversation and I sincerely hope what I have shared with be beneficial to others. I also hope you managed to watch the complete video and tell me what you think about traveling during the pandemic and being Google Local Guides if you have joined it!
I know that during this pandemic we all need to stay at home and implement 5M in bahasa Indonesia (no longer 3 M, guys), which are wearing mask, washing hands, keeping physical distance, avoiding crowd, and reducing mobility.
But anyway, I still have some stories from my traveling and we can definitely list it down in our itinerary once the pandemic is over or more manageable.
So, let's go to Lampung! My beloved hometown.
This time let's go to Puncak Mas, Lampung
I really love this spot... although I came here before the pandemic. We came here on the last month in 2019, not long before the pandemic. As you might have been aware of, my family and I love to go back to Lampung whenever we have time.
We came here just before sunset
So, the plan at that time was to catch sunset!
Yes, sunset in many parts of Lampung is awesome indeed.
We came here before sunset and although we didn't really get sunset view but with place looks lovely and dreamy in the evening. The twilights and blinking lights from the surrounding areas as well as Bandar Lampung city and Lampung Bay from afar looks amazing. It looks so romantic!
the lovely sky and the lights
There are many tree houses available there where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of Bandar Lampung city as well as the ocean view. I guess it's the Lampung Bay. the view from the heights is lovely, especially when you come at the right time.
We have to queue to ensure the tree house is not exceeding its capacity for the safety of us all. By the time we were there, as it was before the pandemic, the place was packed. Many of the visitors definitely want to climb up the tree houses and take pictures as well as enjoying the view from the top. I found some stairs are a bit steep and slippery for me but I still managed to climb up and go down carefully.
It has restaurants and food vendors as well, like nasi goreng, mie ayam, pempek and some instant noodles as well as beverages, including ice cream.
So all in all, it is a nice spot for family time or selfie for sure.
During the pandemic, I believe they have the arrangement for the implementation of strict health protocol. Body temperature less capacity and adjusted opening hours. It is best to check the latest updates to see the arrangement during COVID-19.
I hope you enjoy the palce as much as I do and see you on the next story!
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
Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the link party yo.
beautiful view welcoming us when we are traveling from Jakarta to Lampung
Hi, everyone.
2021 is here and I sincerely hope I can share more on my blog while I have better time management with the combination of work from home and work at the office. And looking back at 2020, I noticed that we only made trips back and forth to Lampung and Bali during the pandemic. Well, a short trip to Curug Nangka in Bogor was done once as well as Palembang South Sumatera due to the passing of my dearest Aunt.
Siger Lampung welcoming you at Bakauheni
And speaking about our trips to Lampung - Jakarta vice versa, I would like to share some details from our trips, especially the use of Executive ports in Bakauheni and Merak. Thanks to the current government, we now have better and faster transportation means and infrastructures to commute and explore around the country. And one of them is the highway toll from Bakauheni Port to Bandar Lampung City and even Palembang, the capital of South Sumatera province. Moreover, in addition to the already existing ports in Merak and Bakauheni, some of the busiest sea ports in Indonesia, we also have executive terminals in both ports.
the highway gate
And what much much better port indeed!
I am super proud to see the progress!
I have been traveling back and forth to Jakarta - Lampung and happy to see how developed the system is. We used to line up for quite a long time and it can be quite messy. Now we have better system and choices for those who are willing to pay a bit more but get better and faster service.
ferizy.com
Instead of using the traditional way of lining up for tickets, which can be very frustrating and unsurprisingly long, we use online platform www.ferizy.com to buy the ticket. Just like its slogan, We Bridge the Nation, ferizy helps you book and pay tickets the trip through and from Bakauheni, Merak, Gilimanuk, Ketapang, and other ports. For Rp588.000,- (or 591.000,- if you pay through mobile banking) you can use executive ferry services from Bakauheni - Merak or vice versa for cars/SUV and alike. The tickets are also sold for passengers only or those riding bike, motorcycles or other types of vehicles. There are other ways of paying the tickets, including through ATM, bank transfer, e-money, and some designated outlets such as Indomaret and Alfamart.
waiting for our ferry
There are so far 4 ferries that we have tried: Portlink, Sebuku, Batu Mandi dan Jatra III. All these ferries have better facilities, cleaner and more importantly, faster. My family and I love the trip because it is comfy. It also has better and cleaner seats. During the pandemic, wearing mask all the time except while eating and drinking is an obligation and many hand washing stations are provided. Physical distancing is also imposed.
It takes around 1.5 - 2 hours from unloading to arriving at the next port. It used to take at least 3 hours (can be up to 4 hours) for one trip from Jakarta - Lampung vice versa. Not to mention during big holidays like lebaran or tahun baru or new year!
Besides the ferry, we have malls in both Bakauheni and Merak executive ports. The mall at the executive port has shops, restaurants and food & beverages vendors, clean toilets, and mushola or praying room. It has balcony for you who like to enjoy smoking or simply enjoying the view.
the mall from outside
The mall at the executive port has shops, restaurants and food & beverages vendors, clean toilets, and mushola or praying room. It has balcony for you who like to enjoy sunset or sunrise there.The port is open 24 hours and I guess, from our own experience, we have less officers during midnight trip but the service is still provided accordingly.
Again as I said, it is very helpful! Hope the service is much much better again in the future.
Hi everyone... Ready to enjoy a lovely weekend with The Frakarsas? Join us then!
Nothing brings me more joy than going out to the sea and enjoy its beautiful underwater world. Well, although I don't always have the luxury of going diving with my club in Lampung, I always try to sneak a snorkelling trip whenever we visit Lampung.
We took our first trip in 2021 to Lampung on the second week of January.
The trip was quite smooth as it was no longer the holiday season.
Let's go to Taman Nemo, Pahawang Island, Lampung
During the weekend, we were back to the sea we love so much again. As we have tried many snorkelling spots around Lampung Bay, this time I ask my boatman to take us to different corner to see other places and hope for better, healthier corals with more fish, I know that pollution, climate change and crowded environment due to irresponsible tourism activities, have driven the fish away and killed many soft corals around the area.
It was a beautiful day
I remember hopping on et off in the same place like 5-6 years a go and the fish is so abundant. That is why I hope we can still save this beautiful place on earth and preserve its amazing nature.
Do you see school of yellow fish roamong around the corals?
So long story short, after a 40-minute boat ride, we arrived at Taman Nemo, Pahawang Island, Lampung. It was the 9 of us that day so it was quite a crowd. As usual, we brought our own gear, food, drink and stuff we need. I brought my underwater camera and my hubby brought his drone. We definitely had so much fun with them!
happy to spend some times with them :)
Without further ado, my family and I started our snorkelling session and explored the area. It's good to see some corals and anemones are healthily intact on their natural habitat. But still I expect to see more fish although in reality we saw some but not too many. Nevertheless, I was happy to see big puffer fish, a school of angel fish, muray eel, clownfish et others. My boatman even saw a sea turtle. And the clear blue sky made the trip even more beautiful. Here are some photos I took during out trip.
Kelagian island from above..
Us and our boat..
it is still preserved
it's a bit crowded down here..
they look familiar :)
Do you like snorkelling as well? What do you like to see during snorkelling? Where do you usually snorkel?
Ready to join a virtual tour with me and the Frakarsas? Jump in!
Kali ini kita akan share cerita perjalanan kita menjelajahi Nusa Penida, salah satu pulau di Bali yang terkenal dengan keindahan alamnya. Walaupun memang hanya setengah hari dan kami memutuskan tidak menginap, namun banyak keseruan yang kita nikmati di pulau cantik ini! Let's start with Kelingking Beach.
So, have you been or seen Kelingking Beach before? Perhaps many of you have seen the viral pictures of this unique shape rock and cliff over a stunningly beautiful beach in many Instagram account. You can also see it on my account LOL.
During our last family trip to Bali in the beginning of December, we decided to take the tour to Nusa Penida island, operated by Idola Fast Boat and chose the full-day West side tour. We visited Kelingking Beach, Broken Beach, Angel's Billabong and Crystal Bay. We had private tour with local car and guide as well. It was lovely indeed!
Kelingking Beach has dominated the social media posts from those visiting Nusa Penida, one of the islands in Bali Tiga Nusa or Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. Its unique landscape (some say it looks like T-rex head, some say whales), incredible view, turquoise water, crashing waves and white powdery sandy beach are some of the tempting elements that have captivated people's attention. Being here myself, I have to say it's just breathtakingly AMAZING!
We went here during the pandemic. There is a blessing in disguise when you travel around during the pandemic as it is not as crowded as it used to. I know it's not good for local business but you have to admit you do enjoy having more peaceful time at the tourists' popular spot with less people. The areas are way cleaner as well and you can actually enjoy the place fully, without having to struggle to take pictures here and there just because there are too many people flocking around.
It was good that we came rather early to the Sanur Beach and Port where we were boarding to Nusa Penida. It was not too packed, although as it got closer to the departure time we had more and more people coming. Well, for a popular spot like Nusa Penida, I guess it was quite packed even during the pandemic. I didn't how it was before the pandemic but I guess it was way busier and more crowded. Once we arrived, we went to the designated desk, got our tickets and ID cards to board the ship. Once the boat was ready, they called all the passengers of Idola Fast boat and we 'climbed' up to the boat. We needed to take our shoes or sandals, bring our bags and climb up to the boat which was mored slightly away from the beach. Here in Sanur port, there is no jetties or floating ramp for passengers.
getting off the boat..
We took around 40 minutes trip before arriving at Nusa Penida Island. The view along the ride is lovely indeed. At Nusa Penida Island, we get off on the jetty at the island. I guess the harbour is called Buyuk. Once we arrived, we were welcomed by Bli Gede, our private tour guide as well as our driver with his car. And our private tour began. First stop: Kelingking Beach.
the view along the way..
It took us around 45 minutes to reach Kelingking. The road was a bit rough but we saw the beauty of the island as well. When we arrived, we stopped at the parking lot which was already packed with cars. Apparently this popular spot always has its fans. And I know exacty why. The view is simply BREATHTAKING!
so what do you think about the view?
We saw the Kelingking beach way from above. To reach the beach, we have to take the stairs down. Steep stairs indeed and a bit slippery I have to say. The stairs are not that wise and everyone who wants to go down and up again take the same stairs as it's the only way. But again, as the view is magnificent, it worth all the sweat and pain I believe LOL.
However, we were a bit worried in the first place. People did wear mask but physical distance is a bit problematic as the area is not that spacious and the stairs you use to go down and up are steep and quite small. We took turns with people so that everyone can enjoy every spot Kelingking Beach can offer.
Again, the stairs are steep.. I don't know how many they are but they are tough for those who are not accustomed to. It's also high and you have to be careful. It is safe enough as long as you are paying attention to your steps. The place is surrounded by cliffs with nothing hindering it. That's what makes it beautiful.
You can go down to the beach but again the set of stairs you have to take is a lot. Going down might be manageable but going up is too problematic to me LOL. So make sure you wear the most comfortable shoes and clothes.
There are many cafes and restaurant nearby with nice food & drinks as well as clean toilets. The parking lot is big but I guess it can packed during peak season. The entrance ticket is Rp 5000,- per person for locals. The fee for our trip is Rp 350.000,- per person, all inclusive the return ticket for Nusa Penida - Sanur, 4 spots, private car & guide/driver, as well as lunch. So I guess, I will have to go back with more stories about our visit to Broken Beach, Angel’s Billabong and Crystal Bay.
Don't miss this place when you are coming to Bali!
And Nusa Penida, thank you so much for all this unforgettable trip ♥️.
One of the must-see attractions in Ubud is the Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
This sacred place offers not only the quirky up-close-and-personal encounter with the smart monkeys in their loving home, but also plush tropical jungle and ceremonious temples.
My family and I arrived here before lunch and we spent around 1.5 hours trekking the wooden path and meeting those cute monkeys. We bought the ticket at the entrance gate which costs us 60K Rupiah per adult and 30K Rupiah for kids under 12.
my daughter Obi was so curious about these monkeys
Well, at first we thought it might be a bit scary to be that close with the monkeys. And we are not talking about 1,2, or 3 monkeys, but lots of lots of them although you don't always see them. Nevertheless, if we follow all the rules and regulations, we can definitely enjoy this sacred ground. For sure, you should not feed the monkey and don't look them in the eyes as that is the sign of aggression.
Here are a few photos we took on the visit.
Relaxing time at Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
so many of them..
The main temple at The Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
The Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Every monkey seems busy with their own business :)
I was fascinated to see the monkeys against the backdrop of beautiful forest. Yet we were heading back to Jakarta that day and we needed to catch the flight. I really recommend this place and hope you will get a chance to visit it.
