[Featured Post] Dinner at Toastina Sheraton Bandung

There was a wedding party held during our weekend getaway in Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers (this is a featured post, see disclaimer below). So Miss Isma who was responsible for the Towers Lounge, gave us two option: dinner at Samara or Towers Lounge. Samara is the lounge located at the lobby of Sheraton.

Then I asked Miss Isma, whether we could have dinner at Toastina, a cafe located outside the lobby of Sheraton. Miss Isma said it was ok, both of the lounge and also Toastina will serve food from Feast Restaurant, because of the wedding is held at Feast Restaurant.

I have read about Toastina Pastry and Coffee House over the internet, all the reviews mentioned how cozy this place is. The coffee and the affordable price are often mentioned as the highlights by the reviewers of Toastina.

Yup, indeed it is a cozy place

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[Featured Post] 10 Things Which Made Sheraton The Best Family Hotel in Bandung

I seldom give "excellent" rating for my tripadvisor review, my highest review score usually "very good". However, having stayed in Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers (this is a featured post, please see disclaimer below), I gave my tripadvisor review on Sheraton Bandung an "excellent" rating.

For our family, Sheraton Bandung succeeded to get the title of "The Best Family Hotel in Bandung". There are lot of things why this hotel deserve such a title. 

I listed 10 of them:

Super cool pool at the middle of the hotel

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[Featured Post] Towers Lounge Sheraton Bandung

Upon arrival at Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers (this is a featured post, please see disclaimer below), we were ushered from the hotel's lobby to the Towers Lounge by a hotel staff. "Let me walk with you to the Towers Lounge", she said. Wow, I didn't know that guests staying at the Towers Room have the privilege to check-in at the lounge as well as entitled to access the lounge for tea and coffee throughout the day:) 

The check-in was a breeze, Miss Isma, a very helpful and friendly staff of Towers Lounge reminds us before leaving the lounge, "Please join our evening cocktails starting 4 pm at the Towers Lounge". An evening cocktails from 4pm-7pm was also included in our room reservation. Yeay! 

Our room located only few meters away from the lounge, it was handy as we could go to the lounge anytime we like. We went to the Towers Lounge for our evening cocktails at 5 pm, there were only few people inside. 

The elegance Towers Lounge

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(Featured Post) Family Buffet Lunch at Feast Restaurant Sheraton Bandung

On our weekend getaway at Sheraton Hotel & Towers Bandung (this is a featured post, please see the disclaimer below), we arrived before lunch time and found the traffic jam had already started in Bandung. So was the Dago area, where Sheraton Bandung is located.

I guess it was because that Saturday was the last day of school for the first semester, where parents go to school to take the student's report. So we decided to stay at the hotel for our lunch.

We choose to eat at Feast Restaurant as it provides lunch buffet overlooking the pool area. When we entered the restaurant, we were amazed with the variety of food provided, there were so many food inside! Not only me and Rene who were surprised, our kiddos were happy to see the kids station serving ice cream, candies, cakes, marshmallow and a tower of lollipops! "I want ice cream", kiddos request even before we decided where to sit.

A Santa cake welcomes us

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Two Cents Coffee Bandung: A Cafe To Start Your Weekend

Two Cents Coffee is a nice small cafe around Jalan Riau (yes with all those Factory Outlets). To be precised, it is located on Jalan Cimanuk. If you are driving from Heritage Factory Outlet, turn left on the first road, then you will find Two Cents Coffee on your right.

As always, we arrived early on a Saturday morning in Bandung. We were looking for a place to have great coffee and I remember this place, a famous cafe that I knew from my twitter timeline. Oh yes, it opens at 7 am on Saturday! Great for morning people like us:p

A cafe with beautiful interior design

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Review of Aston Hotel Belitung

It was our second visit to Belitung, and we were so happy that now Aston Hotel is already opened. Having stayed at Lor Inn and Bahamas Hotel before, this time we wanted to stay at Aston. Yup the picture of the pool on their website looks very inviting.

Compared to other two hotels that we had stayed before, this one is a very busy hotel. If you wish to stay in a peaceful area, this hotel is not the one you are looking for. 

We entered the huge lobby with a fishpond near the reception area. However, do not expect the same friendliness of the hotel staff as you might find in any other Aston Hotel. Something that Aston Belitung Management has to workout on.

The lobby of Aston Belitung

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Villa Sandy at North Kuta, For A Big Family Holiday in Bali

Are you looking for a place to stay with your family in Bali? Why not book a villa which consist of 3 bedrooms and a swimming pool via airbnb? 

I stumbled at the pictures of one of my friend's villa located at North Kuta. He advertised his villa through airbnb, with this link: 

https://www.airbnb.co.id/rooms/4392877

When I saw the villa for the first time, I fell in love with it. It's just perfect to stay there if we go to Bali with our parents. All the rooms are special with a view to the rice field, and one being only few steps away from the swimming pool. I guess, the room which connected to the pool will be suitable for our kiddos.

A luxurious villa, perfect for a family holiday in Bali (Photo by Sandy Permadi)

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On a Junk Boat from Yau Ma Tei to West Kowloon

To end our photo trip in Hong Kong that day, our friend Andi offered us to ride on a junk boat from Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter. "Is it the same Yau Ma Tei with Yee Shun Milk company?" I asked Andi because I remember on our itinerary we'd like to try the famous milk pudding in Yau Ma Tei area.

Andi looked at his watch, we were late for our lunch already. A tour to Stonecutters and Tsing Ma Bridge had made us skip our lunch. Maybe he thought I was asking the milk pudding because I was hungry:p "No, it's a different Yau Ma Tei" he answered. Then he continued, "Let's grab some fast lunch at MTR station and continued our journey to Yau Ma Tei".

We had a take away Sushi at the nearest MTR station, then took MTR to Olympic MTR Station. We followed Andi to the exit and walk about 10 minutes before we reach Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter. Then we saw the junk boats with an old man and a lady inside. "Look, those people live on the boat!" When I saw a plant on the top of the boat, I knew Andi was telling the truth.

An old junk boat with skyscrapers as the background

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A Photo Tour to Tsing Ma Bridge Hong Kong

Upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport, we took airport bus and sat on the second floor. It was early in the morning and we were amazed by the view of sunrise when we approached Tsing Ma Bridge, a bridge that connects two islands: Tsing Yi and Ma Wan.

Tsing Ma Bridge is the world's largest suspension bridge that carries both road and rails traffic. So when you take the airport bus from the airport to Hong Kong or Kowloon, you will be passing the bridge. But if you take the Airport Express Train, you will go through the tunnel under the Tsing Ma Bridge. It is how sophisticated this bridge is.

It was the first view we saw in Hong Kong after our midnight flight

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Getting Close to Stonecutters Bridge Hong Kong

We were lucky that we have friends in Hong Kong who were able to take us around while we spend our weekend getaway in Hong Kong. Deasy and Andi have been living there more than 5 years, with all of their knowledge about Hong Kong, still they were in doubt where to take us that morning.

I wanted to visit Repulse Bay and Shek O beach, but Andi suggest other thing: to see the view of Stonecutters Bridge. Then I remember passing that bridge and all the colorful container by airport bus. Suddenly the beaches sound less interesting, and I agreed to visit anti main stream tourist place: container in Hong Kong and the bridge.

Andi is a professional photographer, his amazing pictures could be seen in his website https://andreas-images.com/. So it was kind of a photo trip around Hong Kong that day with Andi and Deasy. A trip that my husband Rene enjoyed so much. 

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Staying at Apple Hostel Chungking Mansion

"Never stay at Chungking Mansion", "Please avoid this place", "You have to wait for the lift for half an hour"... I ran through the comments on tripadvisor from travelers who have stayed at Chungking Mansion. I was wondering, is this place really that bad? "The traveler" inside myself decided to try and experience it by myself. I would like to know, how bad is bad?  

"Is it ok if we stay at Chungking Mansion for our last night in Hong Kong? It's only HKD 300 per night for the two of us. The cheapest room I could get so far" I asked Rene, before clicking the reserve button in booking.com. Rene asked me how the review on tripadvisor was. I told him that many travellers complaint about Chungking Mansion, but the Apple Hostel I choose had positive reviews. He said ok, and I proceed the booking.

We spent our first night at Causewaybay Inn, a modern and affordable hostel located at Times Square Hong Kong. Because our itinerary was exploring Tsim Sha Tsui area on the second night, I had the idea to stay at Tsim Sha Tsui. Well in terms of location, Chungking Mansion is perfect. Just minutes away from Kowloon Mosque, MTR Station, and Star Ferry Terminal.  

The busy Chungking Mansion at night

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Central - Mid Levels Escalator Hong Kong

Mid Level Escalator Hong Kong was on my list on our first independent trip to Hong Kong, but it was raining every single day back then. We skipped the escalator, and visited 4 years afterwards. Time flies, really.

The Mid Levels Escalator at Central Hong Kong is claimed to be the longest outdoor covered escalator in the world. But it was not my reason to try the escalator, I was interested in the surrounding areas near the escalator. Let me take you to our journey exploring Central to Mid Levels using their famous escalator.

Local people are using the escalator which linked Queens Road (Central) with Conduit Road (Mid Levels)

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A Walking Tour in Central Hong Kong

As one of Asia's shopping paradise, Hong Kong has so many areas for shopping. Tsim Sha Tsui, Causewaybay and Central are the three major shopping complex, and probably my fave is Central. One of the reason is because there's a huge Marks and Spencer store located in Queen Street. Marks and Spencer's price in Hong Kong is way cheaper compared to their price in Indonesia.

To explore Central, Rene and me decided to explore the area by doing our own walking tour with GPS on our phone. We started our walking tour in Central by taking a tram from Western Market and alight at Pedder Street. The what so called "Ding-ding Tram" could only be found in Hong Kong island. You have to try this old tram to get "a real Hong Kong experience". Passangers get in from the rear door of the tram, and exit from the front door.

The colorful old tram in Central, Hong Kong

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West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade Hong Kong

One of the freespace area that you must visit in Hong Kong is the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, or also called the West Kowloon Cultural Park due to varieties of shows and festivals often held in this venue.

Located within 10 minutes from MTR Kowloon Station, the park offers picnic area with a million dollar view, cycling and jogging track, and of course some playgrounds. This place is perfect to spend your quality time with the whole family.

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Halal Food in Hong Kong : 27 Kebab House Turkish Restaurant

I finally made it to the famous SOHO area in Hong Kong! Yup, I have always wanted to visit SOHO, but there were always something that kept SOHO away from me. Somehow I made it on my 4th visit to Hong Kong:)

We walked from Queen Street and took the Mid Level Escalator. All of the sudden I wanted to exit the escalator. How lucky I was to find a halal certified Turkish restaurant between cafes and restaurant in SOHO. It is called the 27 Kebab House Turkish Restaurant.

Located among cafes and restaurant in SOHO area

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Review of Dusun Bambu Camping Ground

Have you ever imagined taking your family on a luxurious camping which has a bathroom in each tent with a hot shower? Indonesia has it! It is called Eagle Camp, a luxurious camping ground in Dusun Bambu, located in Lembang-Bandung.  

Having stayed in an executive camping ground near a beach in Tanjung Lesung, I'd like to take our kiddos to experience how it's like to camp in a cold area like Lembang. I brought jackets and long sleeve shirt for our kiddos, as I had no idea how cold Lembang would be these days.

I booked 5 tents directly to the phone number provided in Dusun Bambu's website, yup I succeeded make other 4 families to join our glamping (glamour camping) this time. But too bad my friend @diniros cancelled so we ended up booking two single tents (IDR 1,700,000 for 2 person) and one double tents (IDR 2,750,000 for 4 person).  

Our single tent with an Indonesian flag :)

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Book Review & Giveaway: Under The Southern Stars

Saya mengenal Anida (@nidnod) dari twitter-nya, ketika ia bercerita mengenai "career break". Istilah baru untuk saya saat itu, namun saya langsung menyukai konsepnya: break satu tahun dari kerja rutin dan mendapatkan working and holiday visa di Australia. 

Ketika kemudian saya melihat Anida tweet pic buku barunya Under The Southern Stars, waaaah... saya langsung ke Gramedia dan seneng banget menemukan buku Under The Southern Stars ini. Covernya sangat syahdu namun eye catching. Terlihat 4 pejalan berada di bawah bintang, duduk di atas mobil yang membawa mereka dari Perth menuju Melbourne.

Menjadi teman perjalanan saya ke Cirebon

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Enjoying Sunset and BBQ Dinner at Dusun Bambu

I always wanted to see the sunset from the top of Dusun Bambu, a family leisure park located in Lembang which is 1 hour away from Bandung (without any heavy traffic). When we spent a night at Dusun Bambu's camping ground, we decided to splurge on our dinner. We went to Burangrang Cafe at around 4 pm, and stayed there waiting for the sunset.

The gazebo is still empty, and of course our kiddos -who are recently take the responsibility to pick the seats in any restaurants- choose to sit on it. They did not understand that it cost a minimum order of IDR 300,000 to sit at the gazebo. However, we agreed to pay, as it was the best seat to see the sunset.

Our kiddos, enjoying their gazebo overlooking Purbasari restaurant

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Miss Bee Providore: Family Friendly Restaurant in Bandung

So you are visiting Bandung and wondering where you can relax at a restaurant while the kids enjoying the playground? I would recommend you to visit Miss Bee Providore, yes this restaurant is a (very) family friendly restaurant, a kind of resto that our kiddos remember its name from our first visit.

I knew Miss Bee Providere when @LiburanAnak tweet about their visit to this famous resto in the northern part of Bandung. From the tweetpics, this place is really interesting, so I planned a visit to Miss Bee.

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Staying at The Pod: a Luxury Capsule Hotel in Singapore

It was my first experience to stay at a capsule hotel, and I was lucky that the first capsule hotel that my wife choose was a luxury one:D It was The Pod Boutique Capsule Hotel in Singapore.

Tesya came across The Pod when she was searching for a Singapore hotel in Agoda for me. Then we checked its website, and we both amazed by the pictures of the bed and also the price:p Anyway, we reserved one single pod for my night stay. We'd love to try how it's like to sleep in a luxury pod.  

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Bon Cafe : Where to Eat Steak in Surabaya

Where to eat delicious steak with affordable price in Surabaya? My friend introduced me to Bon Cafe, he said that the steak at Bon Cafe is recommended. I tried once, and now the resto is on the top list of "my must visit place" in Surabaya. 

Aside from the steak, I like the ambiance of the resto. Yes, including a very classic red and white table cloth. The last time, we visited their branch at Jalan Raya Kupang Indah for dinner. 

Hi there Mr.Chef :)

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Kastuba Resort: A Great Place for an Office Outing in Lembang

Although there are so many hotels in Lembang you can choose to conduct a meeting or an office outing, still it was confusing to choose the right one. I was surprised that my friends had chosen Kastuba Resort for our what so called "family day" this year.  

After spending a half day at Lembang Floating Market, we went to Kastuba Resort. It took about 20 minutes from Lembang Floating Market. We passed "The Ranch", and continued following the road guidance from "Waze".

When we arrived at Kastuba Resort, a hotel staff approached our car, took our luggage and asked whether we would take the shuttle or just walk to the resort. Knowing that they only has one Toyota Avanza for their shuttle, we choose to walk. The greenery welcomed us. And that moment I knew we were going to love this resort.

Our kiddos at the resort

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Durian Party at Ucok Durian Medan

It was the first time in Medan that my friend took me to a place for a durian party called Ucok Durian. I don't like durian that much, but I really enjoyed the ambiance at Ucok Durian. It's an outdoor place where you can hangout with your friends enjoying tons of durian!  

I was amazed by how hectic Ucok Durian was that night. "When it is too crowded, Bang Ucok will open another place" my friend told me while pointing to a shophouse located just across the street. Well, Bang Ucok is really good in doing his business.

Bang Ucok with his durians

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Warung Lela (Wale) Bandung

I have several posts on tesyasblog regarding my fave place to eat Bandung's noodle which is called "Mie Baso" and "Yamin Baso". My fave so far is Mie Baso Panghegar, but I have heard about the famous place called Warung Lela or Wale located at Dago area from many years ago. 

I've never had the chance to visit Warung Lela, until our cousin had a wedding party at Jalan Tubagus Ismail Dago. Before we started the party around 3 pm, I and Rene went to Warung Lela.

It is located at a housing area called Rancakendal. The road heading to Warung Lela was not easy. It was small road only for two cars, with so many steep road to pass. Make sure you are good at driving if you plan to visit this place:p 

We arrived at 11.30 am and found Warung Lela was not yet so crowded. When I got in, I suddenly fell in love with this place. The woods made this place so homey, and the fresh air at Dago is a perfect match with a hot noodle soup.

Warung Lela has this amazing place

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[Hotel Review] Anoi Itam Resort - Weh Island

Where to stay in Weh Island (Pulau Weh) of Aceh? I have reviewed several places previously, and it was a surprise for me to find another great place called Anoi Itam Resort, recommended by a friend of mine, Pak Hermawan. He said that Anoi Itam is the best place for sunrise lovers in Weh Island. 

I started to search on google how the resort looks like (because I took my friends to Weh and I didn't want to disappoint them), when I found out that the icon of the resort was the gazebo near the beach area. The hotel looks like really nice, and I decided to book one night at Anoi Itam Resort.

A really relaxing place at Anoi Itam

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Grab & Go Chicken Pop Corn ITC BSD

Do you love snacking? I do, and I love to try those new snacks in town:) When my friend @zkhairi opened his first outlet of Grab & Go in ITC BSD, I was really happy to become one of the tester. I love chicken pop corn!

Grab & Go provides chicken pop corn with french fries in a cute box. A box which will remind you to Chinese Food delivery in American movie. I think beside the taste of chicken pop corn and french fries, the box is also the selling point of Grab & Go.

Chicken pop corn and french fries in mayonnaise sauce

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Train (Railink) From Medan to Kualanamu Airport

Finally I got the chance to try a train or railink in Indonesia that connects airport to the city and vice versa, yes for the first time! At the moment, only Kualanamu airport in Medan which has airport train (or in Bahasa Indonesia it is called KA Bandara). So when I visited Medan for my business trip, I really wanted to use the train. My friends in Medan only let me try one way, from Medan Station in the heart of the city to Kualanamu Airport.

We were picked up at the hotel in the morning, and my friends took me to have breakfast at Bihun Bebek Kumango which is located just 5 minutes away from Medan Station. The previous night my friend said, "You don't eat breakfast at the hotel when you are in Medan" I couldn't agree more.  

My flight schedule was at 9.40 am, from Medan to Banda Aceh. We took the train to Kualanamu airport at 7.30 am.  When I stepped inside Medan Station for the first time, I was amazed by how clean and convenient the station was.

Welcome to Medan Station

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Budget Hotel in Seminyak: Review of Fave Hotel Seminyak

When I am looking for a budget hotel in any big cities in Indonesia, I always check whether there's a Fave Hotel in that city. What I like about Fave Hotel (other than its cheap price) are: premium location, comfortable bed and clean room. And of course swimming pool availability in some locations.

I choose Fave Seminyak when I extended my business trip in Bali with 11 friends of mine. I have stayed at Fave Bypass Kuta on my previous visit, but I wanted to stay around Seminyak. My alternatives were Fave Seminyak or Fave Umalas. As always, money talks:p I got a promo rate at Fave Seminyak for IDR 350,000 per room including breakfast. The reservation was made via booking.com.

The lobby of Fave Seminyak

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Waiting for Sunset at La Perouse Sydney

My husband Rene wanted to see the sunset at La Perouse Sydney back in December 2012, when we visited Sydney during summer time. We didn't get the chance, so we went there on what so called our Sydney Autumn honeymoon.

I didn't have any idea at all what La Perouse is, so I just followed Rene taking the bus to La Perouse. Unfortunately it was a cloudy afternoon. But for the sake of our curiosity of this place, we still went there.

A very romantic place, if only we could see the sunset

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Bonchon Chicken Wing at Ciputra Mall Cibubur

Here comes another post on Korean Chicken Wing adding to my previous posts of 4 Fingers Chicken at Cilandak Town Square and Kyochon Pacific Place: Bonchon Chicken Wing. The first time I tried Bonchon was when I visited Gandaria City. Since the opening of Bonchon Express at Ciputra Mall Cibubur, it becomes my fave Bonchon's outlet as it's only minutes away from home.

It's not because of the location that made Bonchon is my fave among 4 Fingers and Kyochon. It tastes real good, tasty to the bones! The spicy one is too hot for me, so my fave is the original chicken wing.

Bonchon Chicken Wing Anatomy

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Air Asia: From Zero to Hero

Seperti biasa pada Hari Raya Idul Fitri, aku berkumpul bersama keluarga besar sambil menyantap hidangan khas lebaran.  Ironisnya di hari lebaran sebagian jiwaku kosong, aku merindukan my late brother: Rezha Refiadi. Dan sejujurnya, kerinduan semakin menjadi pada hari ini, saat seharusnya dia ada di antara keluarga besarku.

Aku memanggilnya Aa, my eldest brother, yang sudah kembali ke pangkuan Allah SWT 4 tahun yang lalu. Sejak kembali dari Bermuda, untuk mengikuti program pertukaran pelajar dari Rotary Club, Aa divonis dokter menderita diabetes. Gaya hidupnya yang kurang terjaga selama di Bermuda memberikannya penyakit diabetes pada usia 17 tahun.

Dan selama 17 tahun pula, Aa berjuang melawan diabetes yang perlahan terus menggerogoti fisiknya. Dari mata, kaki, dan terakhir fungsi ginjalnya, sebelum akhirnya Aa dipanggil Yang Kuasa.

He is the light of my life, bahkan hingga saat ini.

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Public Transport From & To Sydney Airport: One of The Cheapest Option

What is the cheapest public transport option from Sydney Airport to the city? It was my question even on my second visit to Sydney. The first time, we needed a public transport from Sydney airport to Anzac Parade bus stop. We were informed by our friend to take bus 400 from Sydney International Airport.

On our second visit, we asked the staff of City Hotel Sydney how to get to Sydney CBD from the airport. The staff recommend us to take the Airport Train and alight at Town Hall Station, which is only 10 minutes walk to the hotel. Of course it was not our option as Sydney Airport Link cost AUD 17.20 per person one way! 

After browsing on the internet, we decided to combine bus 400 from international terminal and airport train from Mascot Station, thus avoiding the 'gatepass charge'. Train station at Sydney Airport is privately owned, a station access fee of AUD 12.60 per person (one way) applies at Domestic and International Airport. Taking the airport train from Mascot to Town Hall Station cost only AUD 3.8 per person one way. 

Taking the airport link from Mascot Station

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Things To Do in Blue Mountain: The Prince Henry Cliff Walk

I let my husband, Rene, made our itinerary for our Vivid Sydney trip. He asked me, "Are you sure?" And I answered a big YES! Our itinerary turned out to be a very healthy one. After a 6 km coastal walk from Coogee to Bondi beach, Rene put another 6 km walk in Blue Mountain called The Prince Henry Cliff Walk. 

It was our second visit to Blue Mountain, our first visit could be read in this link. We would like to do something which is cheap, and the bush walk was one of the option. And the view during our 6 km walk was really worth it.

Isn't it gorgeous?

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Halal Food in Sydney : Chinese Noodle Bar & Kungfu Ramen Haymarket

As we moved to Big Hostel on our last night in Sydney, we wanted to try the famous halal Chinese Noodle Bar, about 10 minutes walking distance from our hostel. It was already closed when we got there, so we tried the next morning to have our brunch. From what we heard, this place is crowded during lunch or dinner, so we came earlier.

The Chinese Noodle Bar is located on George Street, near Central Station. You can find many hostels, travel agents and internet cafes around the restaurant. 

One restaurant you must visit if
you are looking for halal food in Sydney

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The Coastal Walk in Sydney : From Coogee to Bondi

There are many ways to enjoy Sydney on the cheap, one of the thing is to do the famous coastal walk. Rene, who made the itinerary for our Sydney Autumn trip had planned to walk from Coogee beach to Bondi beach. The walk is about 6 km long (OMG!) and normally without too many stops, it could be done within 2 hours.

In our case, we made several stops to take pictures of course, we just loved all the beaches we had passed during this coastal walk :)

A healthy and cheap way to enjoy Sydney:
Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk

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The Amazing Vivid Sydney Festival

I was informed regarding the Vivid Sydney Lights, Music and Idea festival from @TravelJunkieID and @travelingprecils last year. After seeing their posts on Vivid Sydney, I told Rene that someday I would like to visit Sydney to see the Vivid Sydney festival. 

Never thought that my dream would come true this year, we got a promo ticket from Air Asia, and there were two holidays in the last week of May 2014. Holidays during the week and a promo ticket is a perfect match! By only 2 days of our office leave, we could go on holiday for the whole week. 

Be ready to see how beautiful Sydney is from the pictures we would love to share in this post :)

Sydney Harbour Bridge During the Vivid Sydney, seen from McMahons Point

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Book Review & Give Away: 3 Wanita Menjejak Dunia

Saya mengetahui bahwa Febbie dari @jalan2liburan atau yang biasa saya panggil Kak Feb sedang menulis sebuah buku ketika saya dan lima traveler mommies tengah menyusun buku #keckeckeldu. Kala itu Kak Feb hanya menjelaskan secara singkat bahwa ia tengah menggarap buku traveling bersama Mindy (@mindoel). Later on ketika bukunya sudah terbit, baru saya tau bahwa buku ini ditulis bertiga dengan Luci (@luciana707). 

Ketika saya tanya buku traveling tentang apa, Kak Feb menjawab "Buku inspirasi traveling, kami cerita tentang tempat yang sudah kami singgah" Saya pun tertarik, mengingat tempat yang dikunjungi Kak Feb memang selalu fenomenal. Begitu yang saya lihat di instagram jalan2liburan, ataupun di blog nya.

Waktu berlalu, ternyata buku 3 Wanita Menjejak Dunia terbit lebih dulu daripada buku #keckeckeldu. Saya langsung membeli bukunya, dan dari covernya aja saya udah suka banget. Feminin karena pinky, ada tiga gambar wanita, dan sub-judulnya donk.. "Catatan Perjalanan dari Peru sampai Kashmir, Dari Venesia Sampai Istanbul".

Penampakan di salah satu toko buku:
buku kami bersanding dengan buku Kak Feb:)

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The Big Hostel Sydney : Where to Stay Near Central Station

I was looking for a private room in a hostel near Central Station of Sydney when I came across The Big Hostel on booking.com. Although we are backpackers, when it comes to choose whether to stay at dorm or private room, I always choose the private room, despite of the price. I did it once staying separately: Rene at a mixed dorm and I stayed in a female dorm. Ended up we had to share the toiletries, and worried will we be able to wake up on time the next morning?

There are several hostels near Central Station: YHA Railway, YHA Central, Bounce Sydney, Woke Up Hostel, and many more. But I choose the Big Hostel because they had a private room available for AUD 110 per night.

The reception of  Big  Hostel

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Having Lunch at Sydney Fish Market

We didn't have the chance to go to Sydney Fish Market on our first visit to Sydney, therefore on our second visit, it was on the top of our itinerary. 

We took light rail from Paddy's Market and alight at the Fish Market. We followed the sign from the light rail station to the fish market. It was only about 5 minutes walking from the station to the market.

The first thing we saw was the parking area and some seafood shops and restaurants. We were not sure which restaurant to choose, so we just walked approaching the blue building with the sign of "Sydney Fish Market".

Welcome to Sydney Fish Market

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Review of City Hotel Sydney (Now: BreakFree On Clarence Sydney)

It was indeed a challenge to look for a hotel with maximum AUD 100 per night at Sydney CBD, especially during the Vivid Sydney festival. As always, I searched for a hotel via booking.com where I came across a budget hotel called City Hotel Sydney. At the moment, the hotel is changed to Breakfree on Clarence Sydney.

When I further read the review on tripadvisor, I was very sure that this hotel was "the one". 5 minutes to Queen Victoria Building which is linked with the Town Hall train station, 5 minutes to Darling Harbour (from Market Street), and it has an en suite bathroom. Other than that, the room price is AUD 109 per night, with a "pay later and free cancellation" option.

Located on CBD, this hotel is recommended

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Berapa Biaya Liburan ke Sydney?

Posting ini saya tulis untuk pembaca tesyasblog yang menempatkan Sydney sebagai lima besar dari travel bucketlist-nya. Sydney yang ketika mendengar namanya terkesan "mahal" (eh, bukan kesan aja sih, emang mahal!) dan mewah, ternyata bisa dinikmati dengan cara backpacking juga loh! 

It was a bright day at Darling Harbour:)

Tiket Pesawat Jakarta ke Sydney

Ini hal utama yang harus didapatkan jika merencanakan backpacking ke Sydney: tiket pesawat yang murah. Kami membeli tiket pada saat Air Asia X Sale bulan Oktober 2013, seharga Rp 8,7 juta untuk dua orang PP. Pas banget sih waktu kami lihat tanggal kalender, pada bulan Mei 2014 ada dua hari libur dalam satu minggu. Dan pada tanggal tersebut, ada Lights and Music Festival Vivid Sydney.

Desember 2012 ketika kami liburan ke Sydney untuk pertama kali, kami mendapatkan tiket Rp 6,5 juta pp per orang menggunakan Garuda Indonesia. Sekarang harga Garuda enggak pernah semurah itu lagi. Jadi walaupun harus lebih lama terbang dan transit di KL, kami rela deh:p

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Asiatique Night Market - Bangkok

I love night market. All the lights and colors of the market give me the energy even if I have spent a whole day exploring the city. When I heard that Bangkok has a night market called Asiatique - one place which has not been exist yet on my previous visit - I put it in my itinerary.

This place remind me a lot to "the old Clarke Quay" in Singapore. Both are located at the riverside, has many shoppes and very happening. Now Clarke Quay filled up with many cafes and bars, while Asiatique is a touristy place with its ferris wheel, shoppes, cafe and restaurants.

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