Browsing Category

Culinary

Culinary Hidup di Belanda

Menikmati Summer di Belanda

10th May 2018 - 6 min read

Dua minggu belakangan ini cuaca di Belanda bagus banget. Cuaca bagus di Belanda artinya sunny, hangat (sekitar 25-27 derajat), dan tanpa campuran angin dingin yang biasanya datang dari utara. Enak banget rasanya dan yang paling penting mood semua orang mendadak menjadi super happy. Karena climate change, musim-musim di dunia agak lumayan terbolak balik beberapa tahun kemarin dan mulai kerasa dampaknya tahun lalu dan tahun ini. Baru kali ini winter masih kerasa sampai bulan April, dan salju masih turun di bulan Maret. Selain itu, cuaca bisa tiba-tiba berubah dari satu hari ke hari yang lain. Di dua minggu yang indah ini, ada 2-3 hari di antaranya dimana cuacanya berubah menjadi suasana Fall lengkap dengan angin dan rintik hujan. Keren yahhhh hhehe

Jadi memang cherish the moment of good weather adalah keputusan yang baik. Ah walaupun begitu, sebenernya orang-orang di Belanda memang cenderung selalu cherish the moment of ‘summer‘ karena generally cuaca di Belanda memang jarang banget panas. Jadi walaupun baru sunny dikit dengan temperatur nggak sampai 20 derajat celcius, orang-orang Belanda demen banget keluar duduk-duduk di teras dan lepas jaket. Sedangkan saya takut masuk angin.

Card from Amsterdam Shallow Man

Di beberapa hari cuaca yang bagus ini saya juga nggak absen untuk ikut menikmatinya. Tips cara mudah dan murah menikmati summer di Amsterdam dengan cara simply ke park, sendiri atau dengan teman. Must item yang harus dibawa ke park adalah picnic cloth (alas untuk piknik), saya juga biasanya bawa makanan dan minuman sendiri bisa beli di supermarket atau bawa di rumah. Karena kenapa? Kafe di dalam taman biasanya nggak punya pilihan yang banyak daripada mengeluarkan uang hanya karena lapar dan haus tapi nggak selera dengan makanannya, mending bawa sendiri kan dari rumah?. Kegiatan ini bisa dilakukan pulang kantor atau bahkan saat break jam makan. Ini adalah salah satu hal yang saya akan saya selalu ingat saya suatu hari nanti saya meninggalkan Belanda dan kembali ke Indonesia. Gimana orang-orang sangat mengapresiasi dan mensyukuri hari-hari seperti ini, hari-hari yang di belahan dunia lain terjadi setiap hari.

Summer in Amsterdam

My colleagues

Di cuaca seperti ini, salah satu cara yang terbaik untuk bertransportasi adalah dengan bersepeda. Saya punya sepeda yang saya jarang sekali pakai karena saya dapat kartu transportasi gratis dari kantor, jadi alasan saya bersepeda bukan karena keharusan melainkan saat saya memang ingin dan cuaca bagus. Bersepeda ini juga super hemat, karena bisa dengan puas menikmati cuaca mendapatkan sensasi angin sepoi-sepoi menuju ke taman atau daerah yang agak jauh tanpa bayar, plus sarana exercise yang baik. Cara lain untuk menikmati cuaca enak ini adalah ijin bekerja dari ‘rumah‘ dan pergi ke kafe dengan teras dan internet yang cepat sambil menikmati kopi dingin. Ceritanya merasakan menjadi Digital Nomad, except I am not a nomadic YET 🙂

Di satu weekend kemarin, 2 temen saya menginap di rumah demi mengisi kekosongan temannya ini yang sedang ditinggal suami business trip ke Indonesia. Karena saya sifatnya adalah tuan rumah, jadi saya juga ingin menjamu dan mengajak mereka berputar ke daerah tempat saya tinggal (Amsterdam Oost atau Amsterdam East). Kebetulan di dekat rumah saya ada jalan dimana banyak terdapat kafe, restoran dan lain-lainnya. Jalannya bernama Javastraat dan squarenya bernama Javaplein. Yes, saya memang tinggal di Indonesian neighborhood yang dimana nama-nama jalannya bernama kota-kota dan pulau di Indonesia. Saya sendiri tinggal di jalan Maluku / Molukkenstraat.

Kemudian kami ke restoran Thai Tiger yang menyajikan masakan Thailand yang direkomendasikan oleh temen kantor saya.  Very worth trying untuk yang ingin menikmati Amsterdam East. Sekali-sekali boleh lahhh.. Enak banget… Begini kira-kira suasana-nya:

Amsterdam East masih lumayan under-estimated untuk dikunjungi. Biasanya turis lebih suka menghabiskan waktu di tengah kota atau di daerah barat, taman Westperpark dan Vondelpark juga lebih ramai ketimbang Oosterpark dan Flevopark, tapi kelebihannya adalah taman-taman di East tidak seramai di daerah tengah dan barat. Begitu juga dengan tempat-tempat asik, banyak yang belum tahu tempat-tempat di East. Saya salah satunya.. Harus eksplor dan jalan kaki untuk menemukan harta-harta karun yang tersembunyi. Nanti di post selanjutnya saya akan bercerita lebih detil lagi daerah East yang seru untuk dieksplor 🙂 Who knows you’ll come around right? And I’d suggest to live in this area too, not too far from the crowd, but not crowded. 

I just hope that this kind of day will stay longer…. 

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

 ps. Ada website lucu dan menghibur soal kebiasaan-kebiasaan orang belanda. Check it out, kali ini membahas soal What to Wear in the Netherlands this Summer.

Culinary Hidup Minimalis Life Zero Waste Journey

Current Obsession – Teh jahe lemon

25th March 2018 - 2 min read

My current obsession nowadays adalah Ginger Lemon tea atau teh jahe lemon. Awalnya gara-gara liat salah satu blogger/vlogger/business woman favorit saya, Mimi Ikonn yang selalu minum Ginger Lemon tea. Jadi terinspirasi karena sebenarnya dua hal ini adalah dua hal yang selalu ada di rumah. Awalnya saya ngira minum teh ini setiap pagi hanya untuk menyegarkan diri. Super mudah untuk dipersiapkan, tetapi juga memberi banyak manfaat kesehatan. Dan begitu baca manfaatnya, saya lebih yakin lagi untuk mencoba dan menjadikannya rutin. Dan ternyata enakk.. Awalnya saya taruh jahenya pelit2 gitu, tapi ternyata jahenya kurang kerasa. Setelah saya ambil agak gedean plus digeprek, rasa jahenya lebih keluar dan enak banget di tenggorokan. Dan satu lagi saya tambahin madu..

Benefitnya*:

  • Meringankan gejala pilek dan flu. Semua bahan ini memiliki kualitas obat alami mereka sendiri dan ketika dikombinasikan akan menjadi teh yang menenangkan dan santai yang dapat meredakan gejala dan meningkatkan sistem kekebalan tubuh.
  • Jahe bisa membantu mencegah pembekuan darah dan mengurangi kolesterol. Ini dapat membantu melawan penyakit jantung, di mana pembuluh darah menjadi tersumbat dan menyebabkan stroke atau serangan jantung.
  • Jahe dapat membantu mencegah atau mengobati muntah dan mual. Ini juga digunakan untuk mengurangi rasa sakit yang terkait dengan perut. Bisa meringankan perut yang upset.
  • Ketika ditambahkan ke teh, jus lemon dapat memberikan banyak manfaat kesehatan. Jus lemon adalah sumber vitamin C yang baik, vitamin yang larut dalam air yang membantu menyembuhkan luka dan memperbaiki serta memelihara tulang dan gigi. Sebagai antioksidan, vitamin C membantu melawan molekul jahat yang disebut radikal bebas yang merusak DNA dan dapat berkontribusi pada pengembangan masalah kesehatan, termasuk kanker, arthritis dan penyakit jantung.
  • Untuk meningkatkan fungsi sistem kekebalan tubuh. Lemon mengandung bioflavonoid yang membantu mempertahankan kadar vitamin C yang cukup di setiap sel tubuh Anda.
  • Improves mood and concentration
  • Helps improve liver function
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-lemon-ginger-tea-for-skin-hair-and-health/#gref
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/health-benefits-ginger-lemon-honey-tea-10658.html
http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/beverage
Africa Culinary Morocco Travel

What to eat in Marrakech

8th December 2017 - 12 min read
What to eat in Marrakech

One of the great things in one’s place to try out is the culinary. It gives the sense of authenticity of a new place. Damar and I always take our time to taste the local food and adjust it with our taste bud. As we are from Indonesia and most of the food are rich in seasonings, Moroccan food are not at all hard to swallow. To be frankly speaking, its traditional local food is one of the things we remember the most.

There are things you should know before deciding to eat something in Marrakech. People can have very different opinions of the food in Morocco based on circumstance and the surroundings. Also, keep in mind that many of the best food in Marrakech, aren’t what you would think served in a “restaurants”.

These are our personal experience of food that we actually ate there along with the price and how we would rate it.

1.Terrace Cafe around Bab Doukkala

Good thing about Marrakech is that there are plenty of rooftops place to enjoy. We went to this place in our first day right after arriving. We ended up in this place due to hunger and somebody could not bear it anymore (read:me). This place was quite hidden from outside yet it had menu in the showcase with price so we knew what to expect.

We both wanted to taste Tagine (meal cooked in earthenware pot, which is named after) in our first day. So here what they look like. The waitress already took off the authentic cone-shaped lid.What to eat in Marrakech

It is chicken with vegetables with mild saffron spices sauce that tasted slightly like curry. It’s basically a mild curry. Damar expected more from this one (Price: 80 dirham, verdict: 6 of 10)

What to eat in Marrakech

It is called Kefta tagine which is minced meatballs with tomato sauce and eggs that were cracked right in the tagine itself. This one was pretty good. I like it more than Damar’s. (Price: 70 dirham, verdict: 7.5 of 10)

 2. Random Street food in Bab Doukkala

Our hostel keeper suggested to get food in Bab Doukkala area, because it’s not touristy hence worth the value. But then again, the risk is language barrier and scam. In this case, just use your instinct and be confident.

Fried fishes in Bab Doukkala street. Some bloggers I read do not recommend to get fishes or seafood because of its quality. Marrakech is land locked so it takes some effort to get seafood there. However, because we were curious, hungry and have certain budget, we bought anyway. It smelled so great. These street vendors were standing next to each other and only locals ate there.

If you really want to get it, take a small peek to the oils. If it’s very black, just walk away and do not risk it. I myself did not think about it to anticipate. The taste is like fried fish, nothing special, but I like fishes so my verdict might be bias. It was even better with the drip of lemon juice. Fresh! For the value, it is super cheap. You will get a full paper sack with different type of fishes and fried aubergine. (Price: 20 dirham, verdict: 6.5 out of 10)

Shish Kebab in a tiny hidden stall in Bab Doukkala street. We were lucky that it turned out good, the seller was nice honest man which love what he’s doing (seems like). The bread is round bread (typical moroccan bread – khobz) filled with seasoned minced meat grilled in a metal stick, amazing fresh homemade tomato sauce, and chilli sauce. (Price: 10 dirham, verdict: 7.5 out of 10)

3. Pastry from local Pattiserie or more like Boulangerie

Pastry was okay, quite sweet for my taste. However, it is safer to get to one of the ‘real’ place than carts in the square. The cookies and sweets look divine in the cart, but you will never know the ingredients quality (Price: 2 dirham/each, verdict: 5.5 out of 10).

4. A restaurant in Ouarzazate (chosen by the tour)

I had couscous and Damar had mix grilled plate. It was definitely overpriced than the value which we kind of expected it. The couscous was in plate with vegetables and very tender beef/lamb with saffron seasoning (Price: 80 dirham, verdict: 7 out of 10).

What to eat in Marrakech (3)Damar’s mixed grill (Price: 80 dirham, verdict: 5 out of 10)

5. Dinner in the desert (prepared by the tour)

We had another tagine, a bit similar with what Damar had in the first day but tasted better and richer in the filling. So I guess, it is worth to know where to eat this meal to avoid any disappointment. I bet it could be super good.

(Price: Included in the tour, verdict: 7 out of 10)

6. Breakfast (prepared by the tour)

Breakfast in Morocco is simple and easy. Pancake usually was the go to and also some pastry. That is what we had during this breakfast. No complain, to get plates were already one thing to be grateful for considering limited sources in the middle of the desert.

7. Lunch (chosen by the tour)

This time I also went for grilled meat. Again, Damar ordered chicken and I ordered the minced meat. It is almost like burger patty except it is much smaller.

What to eat in Marrakech (4) (Price: 80, verdict: 6 out of 10)

What to eat in Marrakech (5)

(Price: 80, verdict: 6 out of 10)

8. Mechoui Alley

Mechoui or Moroccan roasted lamb is a whole lamb roasted in deep pits with smoldering araar wood for 3-4 hours. There is a popular alley with 3 or 4 tiny restaurants that sell this amazing lamb. The seasonings I tasted in this lamb was mainly cumin and salt, yet it was very very good. The meat was incredibly tender. The best food I had I must say. We ate them with moroccan bread (khobz) and had moroccan tea as the drink. It was so greasy, we could not help to get orange juice in Jemaa El-Fna to get some get fresh intake afterwards.

The next day I woke up with headache, the lamb and oil successfully increased my blood pressure 😀 but it is totally worth trying. For the people who do not eat lamb because of the fishiness of the taste, do not worry because this meat is very long  in the process that all the lamb taste are gone.

What to eat in Morocco

(Price: 75 dirham, verdict: 8 out of 10)

9. Roti d’or

This restaurant is trendy, modern, cozy, affordable, and good quality. I would rate 5 starts for this place. Damar really enjoyed his grilled chicken. I ordered the chicken patty which I could taste the homemade-ness. Both came in bunch with many side vegetables, bread, french fries and different type of sauce. I heard they have an amazing vegan burger!

What to eat in Marrakech

The grilled chicken Damar really enjoyed, it’s his favourite of all food we tried in Marrakech (Price: 40, verdict: 9 out of 10).

The chicken patty (Price: 40, verdict: 7.5 out of 10)

What to eat in Marrakech

10. Snails soup in Jemaa El-Fna

When I first saw this, I knew I got to try for the sake of experience. It was chewy and tasted earthy. In the ingredients, I could taste a bit of ginger and pepper, while apparently it is flavoured by 15 different spices. Pluck the snails from their shells first with a toothpick and then slurp the soup. Moroccans believe the broth is good for digestion and fever.

What to eat in Marrakech

(Price: 5, verdict: 5 out of 10)

11. Stalls in Jemaa El-Fna

It has an exciting atmosphere and something to experience. The key is to look for the ones that have many Moroccan (families) eating. Some bloggers suggested to stick with grilled food, this place is not for tagine or couscous if you do not want to get disappointed. I think the government does a good job in organising this main square. It has hand washing stations and standard stalls-seating. Prepare to not get crazy in the stalls. The vendors will completely drag you and push you to their stalls. Be firm, smile and say ‘maybe tomorrow’ or ‘I just ate, I am full’, then they will ‘kind of’ understand.

We went to the grilled food place in stall 31 and we were not disappointed. We ate with locals and felt blended 🙂 They threw papers as a placemat. For me, the special part is the sauce. It is fresh tomato that I do not know what they put in it, it’s just so good and fresh. Also the moroccan bread (khobz) to scoop up the sauce and the side dish. Note that the sauce and bread was not included in the price. And you could see the olives in the picture below, they just served it without us ordering, also some different type of grilled veggies. Don’t think that it is a complimentary. They will add up in the end. What to eat in Marrakech

I ordered the sausage (Price: 30 dirham, verdict: 8 out of 10)

What to eat in Marrakech

Damar ordered, as usual, grilled chicken skewers (Price: 40 dirham, verdict: 7 out of 10)

What to eat in Marrakech

Good to know some french… Chicken: Poulet, Beef: du boeuf

Places that I really wanted to try but did not get the chance was

CAFE CLOCK which is famous with its camel burger and date smoothies

CAFE NOMAD which is famous with its lamb burger and vegetarian menu

Happy culinary!

 

Other Morocco series

Common scams in Marrakech

Things to know before travelling to Morocco

 

Culinary Europe Italy

2 Days 1 Night in Florence

20th August 2017 - 6 min read

 Damar and I went merely for 2 days as a part of our Italy Backpacking trip which you can get the tips here. And surely 2 days are not enough if you want to take your time and enjoy its full beauty. Therefore, we went to get a quick look for the full experience. A must do if you only have short time!

By the way, Florence is one of the most walking friendly city. Everything is a walking distance so we did not spend any thing for transportation. YES!

Some of these tips I received from my Italian colleague, who used to study in Florence for a few months. Thus the place surely is pocket friendly (Indonesian: ramah kantong hahah) yet has been approved by local.

We arrived in the evening, we initially wanted to make it to the Hill (Piazzale Michelangelo) for the sunset but we were too late because we also wanted to go to the famous bridge. Well I guess, one has to choose. If you have extra days, it would be perfect.

Place to eat:

  • Go to the San Lorenzo market – a food market where they sell great Italian products and there are also a couple of places where you can have lunch. Just randomly visit, it’s cheap and nice.
  •  Trattoria Mario near San Lorenzo – according to my Italian friend is also a fantastic place for lunch. You share the table with the other guests and it’s very simple but food is really really good. Apparently the Dutch queen liked it too and she had lunch there when she went to Florence. I do not think she shares table though.
  • Near S. Lorenzo (via S. Antonio) there’s another place called Bistrot la Capannina. It is a very good place for lunch, especially if you want a good pasta. We went here for dinner, I took the gnocchi which is so good. Their portion is huge. It’s a good value of money.
  • Near S. Margherita church there is a tiny place called Da’ Vinattieri. They have good wine and good food. They have only one table with stools but it’s nice to get a glass of wine and stand outside with all the locals.
  • According to my Italian friend, the best Italian gelato is from Perche’ No in via de’ Tavolini and she is true! Totally recommended! Take anything classics, it’s heaven!Florence Italy Trip Tips

Place to go:

  • Ponte Vecchio, the name sounds strange but all of you must know this one. It’s the famous bridge of Florence. It’s within walking distance with the center. You should go there during the day and before sunset as we talk about different experience. You will feel the romance of the city by the jazz/blues music played by the locals in that bridge. If you want some extra cheesiness, people sell red roses are also known in there, buy one for your loved one 😉
  • Florence Italy Trip Tips Florence Italy Trip Tips
  • Piazalle Michelangelo, you will see a perfect panoramic view of Florence from this hill. It’s quite a hike, but super worth it. During a hot day, you don’t want to forget a bottle of water, sunscreen and sunnies. It was 25 degree in April when we were there. It maybe cliche tourist stop but it never fails to catch the heart of those who walk the path to the top. Prepare your camera and best smile. Florence Italy Trip Tips
  • Go to Piazza della Signoria late at night when all the tourist are gone. It’s empty and majestic. Such an incredible place when it’s empty. This is the L-shaped main square in Florence. It’s in the city and nearby Ponte Vecchio. Florence is a distance friendly city. So don’t worry, you will not miss it..
  • Another must see according to my collegaue is the Boboli Garden if the weather is nice. Too bad we did not have enough time to make. But next time, we definitely will.
  • Duomo di Firenze, you’ll be captivated with this gothic-styled cathedral that was built in 1296. It’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • San Lorenzo Market this is where you can find leather markets from all qualities. Be careful in choosing the real good leather. I will post a tips in choosing real leather from this market. This is sort of a traditional market, yet in general Florence is the place of a good leather product. Don’t hesitate to stop to one of the stores in the center. They are usually cheaper than retail store in other countries.

Video

Culinary Europe Poland Travel

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

15th March 2017 - 9 min read

1. Visit Auschwitz, Birkenau, (and Salt Mine)

These are the main reason why we visit Krakow in the first place. It is such a historical place that witnessed the suffering of millions of innocent soul during World War II. It will teach you one or two things about life. You will leave that place with so much more gratitude about your life that your small complains are nothing to what the genocide victims had to go through. This place is what makes Poland very special. Try to imagine how painful and damaged the places and people back then, but it has managed to be re-built into a beautiful country. Let’s gain some new perspectives!

The Salt Mine is located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland. It was opened in the 13th century, the mine produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world’s oldest salt mines in operation. It is amazing too how genius people worked back then already!

Tips: We went with a tour just because we wanted to save some stress with transportation, tickets and history guide. The tour we chose was Krakow Direct. Check out the link here. It includes pick up transportation, tickets and english tour guide for Auschwitz, Birkenau and Salt Mine. The fee was PLN250/ person (or around EUR58), which is quite expensive (especially when you think in Zloty way) and some people prefer not to go with group tour like that as the transportation is considerably easy. It’s a matter of preference.

Auschwitz

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

Birkenau – 20x bigger than Auschwitz

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

Salt Mine

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

2. Walk and sip coffee/chocolate in the old town during the day and especially at night

Both time will give you different ambiance. We prefer the night better as the lights from the buildings, the street and church/cathedral will give such a magical feeling. There will be a jazz/blues music performance in the square playing passionately by street musicians. During the day you will see more people walk, but you will see the beautiful pastel colors of the buildings around the square more clearly as well as the horse carriage. You really can sit any cafe around the square, but we sat in Cafe LOZA which was quite nice.

In the mid day, very half an hour there’s a beautiful trumpet sounds coming out from the main church. It will last for 5 minutes and blown through 4 different sides of the highest window. You can wait this to happen while wandering and checking the flower market just in front of the church or get a thick hot chocolate from the place in the corner  Krakowska Manufaktura Czekolady. Take the pure one!

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

3. Try the local culinary

One of many things that are special about Poland are its FOOD! My second favorite cuisine in Europe after Italian. If you ask locals about what to eat in Krakow, first typical thing you would hear is Pierogi! It is a Polish dumpling, some legends say that pierogi have come from China through Italy via Marco Polo expeditions. The best would be the ones with spinach, cheese, or mushroom feelings (and FRIED). It will be served with onion-butter sauted sauce. I personally like to dip it a little with sour cream that they usually have ready (or you can always ask).

You should also try goulash that is served in bread! The delicateness of beef meat and its thick tasteful sauce blends really well and fit with the plain Polish bread. I think I like it very much because the taste suits my asian tongues. Polish food uses garlic/onion, simple ingredients that most of the times Dutch tend to forget to use (heheh!), and some rich spices (cumin, clove, etc). Desserts such as pancake (sweet or savory), cheesecake (don’t imagine American cheesecake!, Polish is a bit dry but nice) and hot chocolates are also worth to taste.

Restaurant Czarna Kaczka/ Black Duck: Recommended, food is amazing, service is great, price is okay

Address: Poselska 22, 31-002 Kraków, Polen

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

Restaurant Chata: Situated in the old town – Highly recommended, food is great, service is great, ambiance and music is great, price is cheap

Address: Krowoderska 21/2, 31-141 Kraków, Polen

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

Cheder Cafe: Situated in the Jewish Quarter. Nice ambience and apple tea!

Address: Józefa 36, 31-056 Kraków, Polen

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

4. Breakfast in the Milkbar (Polish: bar mleczny ) Tomasza

Milkbar Tomasza
Milkbar is supposed to be a canteen that was used to be a place that the food is cheap (subsidied by government), nutritious and where workers had their breakfast. It dates from the communist era, but many bar mleczny are now sought-after providers of great value, locally-sourced meals. It is for easy quick breakfast. It is no longer acted as it was these days, but this place is quite special. Try the savory (spinach-feta cheese) pancake, fried dumplings, and omellete. Everything was so good in that place including the coffee and juice. This place is just 5 mins walking from the main square. Price is fairly cheap just as other food in Poland. Five stars for the taste!

IMG_3527 IMG_3528

Address: Świętego Tomasza 24, 33-332 Kraków, Polen

5. Sip coffee at night in the main square

A way to rest for the day activity and enjoy your night after a very well-spent dinner. Take a sit and relax, just in any place really! Make sure you sit outside to have the full experience enjoyment!

IMG_3458

6. Walk along Wawel Castle and Vistula River

Such a peaceful place to look at the beauty of architecture with a little touch of gothic. Walk around it to enjoy the castle life and walk down the river side. Have a sit in one of the benches, read a book if you are alone or talk with your travel buddy, enjoy the water flow/ the swans that most of the times park there.

7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland 7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland 7 Top things to do in Krakow, Poland

7. Talk to Locals

They are very warm and polite, you will find relatively no struggle to speak English as most of the people are willing to learn. In fact, I encountered a couple of people who started a conversation with me because they wanted to improve their English. Amazing spirit!

ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

Culinary Hidup di Belanda Netherlands

The best ramen in town – SAPPORO SORA AMSTERDAM

13th March 2017 - 3 min read

Ahh rasanya saya harus banget ngebahas ini diblog..

Ramen ini bener-bener enakkk banget! Sebenernya saya belum pernah ke Jepang sih dan nggak paham rasa ramen harusnya gimana, tapi rasa ramen ini parah banget enaknya menurut lidah saya. Temen-temen Asia yang bermukim di Amsterdam semua punya pendapat yang sama soal tempat ini. Orang Jepang dan Korea yang lidahnya memang sudah terbiasa dengan ramen juga bilang ramen ini sangat sangat autentik. Selain itu, harganya juga cocok di kantong.

The best ramen in town Sapporo Sora Amsterdam

Ini dia link-nya, bisa cek menu juga disitu. Kalau bisa,  pilihlah menu in advance, karena pilihannya sangat banyak! Dan pas waktunya ramai banget (lunch dan dinner), orang akan antre dan kalau saya pribadi merasa nggak nyaman ditungguin orang. Jadi dengan memilih  menu sebelumnya akan mempercepat proses makan.

Di menu-nya diceritakan asal usul dari ramen dan Sapporo Ramen. Sapporo ternyata sebuah daerah di Jepang (ibukota dari Hokkaido) yang terkenal dengan ramen miso-nya.

The best ramen in town Sapporo Sora Amsterdam

Halal atau nggak?

Nggak ada sign yang menunjukkan kalau makanan di warung Sapporo Sora ini halal tapi dia menyajikan menu vegetarian juga.

Menu lain?

Ada juga dan semuanya enak. Saya menikmati sekali takoyaki dari warung ini, juga chicken donburi dan gyoza-nya. Super enak! apalagi dengan ditemani segelas teh hijau  asli Jepang.

The best ramen in town Sapporo Sora Amsterdam The best ramen in town Sapporo Sora Amsterdam

Selamat mencoba!!!

Asia Culinary Hongkong

Hongkong Transit 8hours part 2 (day to night)

12th August 2016 - 7 min read

This is going to be a very late post about our transit in Hongkong for 8 hours. This time will be the continuity after previously explained about Part 1 a few months back. I still believe in the saying, “better late than never” 😛

So on our way back to Amsterdam, we had to stop over in Hongkong again as part of the ticket deal that was long awaited. This time, we landed in the late afternoon, around 14.20 pm which actually allowed us to do something we could not experience in our first visit. This time we wanted to have the different ambience in the city of Hongkong, saw the big buildings which I found much similar with Jakarta, and went to the harbour to stare the city from another point of view.

The following will show more or less our itinerary in the short time in Hongkong. Our priority was to try the culinary, take ferry and enjoy the sunset/night view of Hongkong. First thing first, we set our alarm to leave wherever we are at 21.00 to be at the airport at 22.00. Our flight was at 00.15 am, it was a quite long buffer as it was actually an easy access to go back to the airport. We needed to assure we did not let the time fly by like that haha so we had to enjoy every second, but also limited ourselves without forgetting the time (thanks to alarm!).

WhatsApp Image 2016-08-08 at 22.13.23

Just like explained in the other post about transiting in Hongkong, first thing to do was queuing the immigration and drop off the luggage in the ‘locker’. After finishing the drop off, we went to toilet, freshened up, and changed. Felt like a new person with a new spirit once cleaned. It is a must do before start exploring the city. This time we withdrew HK$700 for 2 person, which at the end, remained a lot. I still have more than HK$100 in my purse until now :/

In this second trip, we did not take the bus, but the metro instead. I must say, it’s more convenient, smooth, and faster than the bus. We headed to the city (Kowloon). The price was around HK$180 and it took 21 minutes to get into the city.

Untitled

We went through a building to another building and another building trying to search for the very famous dimsum restaurant called Tim Ho Wan Dim Sum Specialist, it’s a Michelin Restaurant. We expected, it was supposed to be good and very authentic. But we got lost at some point and could not find the place any more. At some point, in our disorientation, we passed through the Stanley Street where a lot of restaurants located and we also saw a restaurant that was recommended everywhere in the internet, also Michelin star. It is specialized in the roasted goose. The name is Yat Lok Roast Goose. It was pure satisfaction tasting the delicate crispness with meat and fat sinking into the juicy roast goose drum stick. YUMMY! But the turnover of the customers was so quick, thus we were there just to eat then we had to leave immediately otherwise the waitresses would look at us with an expelling eyes. Anyway, in spite of the un-coziness, the food was absolutely 5 stars.

WhatsApp Image 2016-08-08 at 22.13.24 WhatsApp Image 2016-08-08 at 22.11.04 indonesian-woman-hongkong-city-beautiful-transit-8-hours indonesian-woman-transit-hongkong-city-8-hours stopover-indonesian-maurilla-woman-transit-8-hoursindonesian-hongkong-woman-transit-walk-8-hours

street-hongkong-indonesian-woman-transit

After fuelling our stomach, we continued walking, this time to the direction of the harbour to take Ferry. We wanted to go to the other side to catch the view on my featured image. They said, this wonderful panorama is best experienced from the water on board a Hong Kong evening harbour cruise. And they are right!

One tip: check the weather forecast. We somewhat know that it would be raining but we had no umbrella with us. Lesson learn: always bring small umbrella with you in your bag. 

We took the ferry (forgot the price!) to go to the other side. We got to see the view from TST (Tsim Sha Tsui). Every night at 8pm, we can see the Symphony of Light, where light and laser features more than 40 buildings and skyscrapers on both sides of the harbour. A lot of articles advises that this should be taking our breath away, but we did not feel it at all to be honestly saying, we barely were able to spot the lights :/ Anyway, it’s nice to get the chance experiencing it. The rain poured a little bit, so we decided to leave during the show and stopped in the small street ice cream vendors before heading back to Airport. Nice to see the kind of Asian ice cream like green tea, black bean, red bean, as I always like them. In Netherlands, those kind can only be bought in Oriental supermarket or Asian restaurants. Not common at all.

It was a nice short trip which actually was considered as our mini honeymoon 😛

I recommended if you have the chance to do the stop over to enjoy the city a little bit.

Asia Culinary Hongkong

Hongkong Transit 8hours part 1 (morning to day)

13th June 2016 - 7 min read

Saya dan Damar memutuskan untuk beli tiket Cathay Airlines, dengan alasan yang tidak lain dan tidak bukan karena harga yang sangat terjangkau dibanding airlines lain pada saat itu. Biasanya saya selalu pergi dengan Emirates ke Indonesia. Tapi kemarin saat tiba waktunya kami harus beli tiket, harganya menjulang ke langit banget, sekitar 1000 euro. Sedangkan Cathay +-500 euro, hampir setengahnya. Sebenernya ada maskapai lain yang harganya sekitar itu, tapi kelebihan dari Cathay Airlines adalah stopover-nya di Hongkong, daerah yang kami belum pernah datangi dan nggak bersyarat visa bagi kami. Wah, itu nilai-nya plus sekali untuk bikin keputusan dengan maskapai apa kami pergi. Juga, Cathay menawarkan penerbangan direct ke Surabaya, tempat tujuan kami. Lagian selama ini kami berdua belum pernah terbang dengan Cathay, yang rumornya pernah jadi maskapai nomor 1 di dunia itu. Jadilah kami beli tiketnya.

Waktu transit di Hongkong adalah 8 jam. Begitu juga dengan perjalanan pulangnya dari Surabaya-Amsterdam. Jadi total kami punya 16 jam untuk mengeksplor kota metropolitan yang padat itu.

Amsterdam-Surabaya

Kami tiba di Hongkong pukul 05.30 pagi. Yang pertama kali kami lakukan adalah antre imigrasi. Di Imigrasi kami perlu menyerahkan form keimigrasian yang diberi diudara oleh pramugari. Jadi kami cuma perlu antre dan menyiapkan paspor. Karena masih pagi, antrenya nggak terlalu panjang dan kami salah satu yang sampai paling awal. Begitu lolos dari imigrasi, kami ke toilet untuk sikat gigi, bebersih, dan ganti baju yang lebih rapih. Seragam wajibku di pesawat adalah jumper, jogger pants/trainer, dan kacamata minus saya, nggak banget deh kalau buat jalan-jalan haha

Jangan lupa untuk mengambil uang dengan Hongkong currency dari ATM! Perlu dicatat, pecahan dari mesin ATM adalah besar. Kami berdua ke bakery di dalam airport demi memecah uang untuk bayar bus (tempatnya semacam Bread Talk gitu kalau di Indonesia) dan beli roti goreng kari ayam. Aduhhh! enakanyaaa! Di Belanda adanya bakery model pastry atau cake, kalaupun jual roti, isinya pasti nggak macem-macem kaya di Asia. Roti terbungkus, kami pun jalan ke Terminal 2 Level 3, untuk luggage drop off. Rate per jam-nya adalah HK$12. Disitu kami sudah harus memberi estimasi berapa lama kira-kira kami akan menitip barang cabin kami itu, sesuai pengalaman kami, 6 jam adalah waktu yang pas. Nggak perlu even consider untuk membawa barang cabin kalian, jalan dengan membawa barang itu nggak nyaman. Daripada cemas dan ribet akan barang bawaan, mending menikmati pemandangan kota. Setelah beres, kami jalan keluar airport. Publik transportasi ada di sekitar situ semua, bahkan kereta Expressnya malah ada di dalam bandara. Serba gampang dan nyaman. Tiket busnya per orang HK$3.5. Note: Di Hongkong, supir Bus tidak menyediakan kembalian. Untung kami sudah memecah uang, jadi kami cuma rugi HK$3. Hitung-hitung sedekah….

Hongkong mengingatkan saya dengan padatnya Ibu kota Jakarta. Gedung-gedung tinggi dan besar ada dimana-mana, kawasan perindustrian yang dimana-dimana sedang dikonstruksi. Polusi juga banyak.. Bedanya, aturannya lebih jelas, orang-orangnya terlihat lebih disiplin juga kendaraan bermotor. Padat iya, tapi nggak sampai macet karena moda transportasinya variatif, aman nyaman dan terjangkau.

Jadi kira-kira gini perjalanan kami..

Pukul 07.30: Kami tiba di Tong Chung station (25 menit dari airport, naik bus S1). Kami berdua duduk di toko kopi di square situ, memperhatikan orang-orang Tionghoa lalu lalang dengan sibuknya, karena itu hari kerja. Disitu banyak juga toko roti, yang harganya lebih murah dari di airport. Disitu kami duduk-duduk untuk nunggu cable car Ngong Ping 360 buka. Bukanya pukul 10.00.

Pukul 09.00: Kami jalan kaki ke arah cable car dan duduk-duduk di sekitar situ. Nggak beberapa lama kemudian, antrean udah mulai panjang. Datang awal memang diperlukan sebelum turis-turis lain mulai berdatangan dan ramai.

Pukul 10.00: Naik cable car

Pukul 10.25: Sampai ke Lantau Island, dimana Big Buddha (Tian Tan) berada. Disitu kami menyusuri desa-nya, naik tangga 268 steps untuk melihat Big Buddha dari dekat. Di arah berlawanan patung Buddha, ada Lin Monastery Po yang katanya merupakan salah satu sanctums Buddha yang paling penting dan dijuluki ‘The Buddhist World in the South’’. Biara ini kaya dengan manifestasi warna-warni dari ikonografi Buddha dan taman dengan dengan kicau burung dan aroma bunga. Ada restoran vegetarian yang populer di dekat situ, sayangnya saya dan Damar harus kembali ke airport karena takut kenapa-kenapa di jalan dan ketinggalan pesawat.

Pukul 12.00: Ke cable car dan turun. Lalu ambil bus yang sama untuk kembali ke airport.

Estimasi Pengeluaran /orang = HK$400

Drop off luggage HK$72

Beli snack + kopi HK$50

Bus HK$7

Cable Car HK$255

Tips penting: Gimana caranya, usahakan tidur di pesawat walaupun waktu Belanda masih siang. Karena begitu sampai di Hongkong udah hari baru (di Belanda tengah malam), bakal capek banget rasanya kalau di pesawat nggak istirahat. Saya dan Damar nggak bisa tidur, jadi begitu kami kelar jalan-jalan dan balik ke bandara, kami langsung terlelap tidur di ruang tunggu.

Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset Processed with VSCO with hb1 preset

Semoga bermanfaat…

Culinary

PLUK

23rd January 2016 - 2 min read

I always like to explore new things and new place. As for the place, it is not only new country or city, but also new hangout place. New place always works to refresh my mind, especially in Amsterdam where there are a lot of cool hipster place, it is just a waste to miss it 🙂 🙂

This one is kind of a throwback when the sun was still up highly. And it was one of my Tommy time where we could just go out wherever we want because the office is located in the center and when we could take a break quite long 😛 😛

My colleague/friend accompanied me because we both are passionate about healthy raw food. We had been wanting to go visit and hang out in this place. Super organic and cozy. All the details in the place are instagram-able haha

We ordered a healthy organic carrot cake to share and the smoothies. Taste was okay, nothing special but still it’s worth the try.

IMG_1488

IMG_1490IMG_1481 IMG_1483 IMG_1486