Where To Stay in Seoul: Review of K-Guesthouse Premium Dongdaemun


If you are wondering where to stay in Seoul, most of you maybe thinking of staying in the center of the shopping area which is Myeongdong. But for this Korea trip, our trip organizer @tripirit has arranged a hotel located in Dongdaemun area.

Why Dongdaemun? Because the shops at the area closed around 3 pm, some of them opens 24 hours.  Who would go shopping at midnight? Well, beside our group of course, there were lots of people doing some midnight shopping. Lots of them! Although it was 1 am, the shopping malls were still busy.

Our hotel is called K-Guesthouse Premium, located 10 minutes away from the shopping area. It is a small hotel but cater our need: clean room and bathroom, free breakfast, kitchen with microwave, aircon in the room is working properly and could set as a warmer, and there's iron at the lobby area. So I could iron my scarf every single morning :D

The entrance to the hotel, a mini market is just next to the entrance

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Korea Trip with @tripirit Day 2: Visiting Namsangol Hanok Village And Shopping at Myeong Dong


This post is still on the same day: Day 2 of our Korea trip, after a half day well spent at the gorgeous Nami island. After our heavy lunch, we took a nap in the bus and woke up when we were already in Seoul.

We arrived around 2 pm at Namsangol Hanok Village, where Korean traditional houses have been restored to preserve the original atmosphere of the area. The location of the village was originally a resort called Jeonghakdong (the land of fairies). The area and its scenery is really impressive that I understand why it was called "the land of fairies".

This beautiful place is surrounded by skyscrapers of Seoul

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Korea Trip with @tripirit Day 2: Autumn in Nami Island


It has been on my bucketlist for years to visit Nami Island during autumn. I love to see huge and beautiful trees, especially with red, yellow and orange leaves. Most of the time when I travel, I could stop a while and stare on beautiful trees without knowing the name of the trees:D

Frankly speaking, for me Nami Island was the highlight of our 4D3N Mommies Day Out Trip  to Korea with @tripirit. I also found a beautiful coffeeshop covered by yellow leaves. How cool is that!

How did we go to Nami Island? We took a private bus for the 37 of us, we left our hostel at 7 am, and fall in a deep sleep on the bus. All I knew, it was freezing cold when we reach at Gapyeong Wharf around 08.30 am. I just couldn't imagine how cold it will be during winter.

Mayang, in front of the ferry to Nami Island
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4D3N Mommies Day Out Korea Trip With @tripirit - Day 1: Enjoying Seoul Under The Rain


Ok, so this is my first post and my first trip to Korea, to be exact to South Korea. I was so happy when @tripirit agreed to organized our Mommies Day Out Trip to Korea. I posted the plan on my Instagram and because of the request from the participants, we decided to make it a "Mommies Day Out Trip plus plus" with husbands and children.

Our group was up to 24 person, and combined with other group from @tripirit, in total there were 34 participants and 3 tour leaders from @tripirit. Why only 3 nights? As usual, I have to balance my office life, so 2 days leave (on Thu and Fri) was enough:D Our Garuda Indonesia flight was on Wednesday at 11.35 pm, and safely arrived at Incheon Airport at around 7 pm, on Thursday.

@tripirit had arranged an indoor activity for us on the first day, as the accuweather predicted that it was going to rain the whole day. Too bad for us, however we could have our shopping time earlier, including to shop the K-pop souvenirs at SM Town.

All of the pictures were taken by my purple Samsung S9+, unless stated otherwise.

Heaven for K-Pop Lovers

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One Day in Kobe: Strolling Around The Europian Style of Kobe Called Kitano to The Port of Kobe


This was our second time visiting Kobe, a city which is easily reached by train from Osaka. The first time we went to Kobe was only to eat the famous and expensive Kobe Beef. But the second time, we had one day until dark to spend at this beautiful city.

As we didn't have JR Pass, we went to Kobe by the limited express train on the Hankyu Kobe Line. It took us only 25 minutes from Umeda Station to Kobe-Sannomiya Station, and cost JPY320/adult. Hankyu Umeda station is located next to JR Osaka Station.

It was our first time ever to visit Hankyu Umeda Station, and we were amazed of the station. It is connected to a shopping mall, and once we entered the station, the atmosphere was totally different.

The train was already waiting for us
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Trekking in Mount Hiei, Followed By Taking The Eizan Ropeway And Cable Car


After our visit to Enryakuji Temple, we continued our journey to go back to Kyoto. From our research, we had to take the Eizan Ropeway and Eizan Cable Car. But to get to the ropeway station, we had to walk through the forest of Mount Hiei.

We left the Enryakuji Temple complex after our visit to the training hall which is called Hokke So Ji-in. The first sign we saw was this, stating that we needed to walk 1.4 km to the Eizan Cable Car Station. Ok, let's start the trekking :)

Don't worry you can read the English part of the sign
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Day Trip From Kyoto Part 2: Visiting Enryakuji Temple at Mount Hieizan


Enryakuji temple is located at the eastern mountain range of Mount Hieizan, miles away to the northeast from Kyoto. It is a quite Buddhist temple, and one of the most important monasteries in Japanese history. Up to now, it is one of the largest and most important temple in Kyoto.

It was founded in 778 by Saicho, the monk who introduced Tendai Buddhism from China to Japan. It became a Unesco world's heritage site in 1994, and as a Japan Heritage site in 2015. This peaceful mountain complex is a great alternative to escape the crowded temples in Kyoto, especially during peak period.

The ticket to Enryakuji Hieizan, cost us JPY700/person

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Daytrip From Kyoto Part 1: Going to Mount Hiei - Enryakuji Temple, Using Sakamoto Cable Car


Visiting Kyoto in early summer time, made us think that it was a great idea to put a little bit of hiking also in our itinerary. Mr.husband proposed to do a trekking to Mount Hiei, and to visit the Enryakuji Temple.

I have never heard of Enryakuji temple before, but when I saw the place on the internet, I know that I would fall in love with this kind of serene temple with less crowd.

We decided to go to Mount Hiei from Kyoto using the Sakamoto cable car and our daytrip will be continued from Mount Hiei to Kibune, to try the Nagashi Somen. Our route was perfect as it will be ended at Eizan Line, the line which we should take to go to Kibune Station. But of course you can do it on the other way, starting from Eizan Line to Sakamoto Cable Car.


The Sakamoto Cable Car is in red color

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Coffee Trip in Hiroshima: Obscura Coffee Roasters, The Bluebird Coffee and Itsuki Coffee in Miyajima Isand


Japan is the place to visit coffeeshops. The beans might be brought from Indonesia, Ethiopia or else where, but the interior and exterior of the coffeeshops are so lovely.

It was our first visit to Hiroshima with two big plans which of course to experience the Miyajima Island and to see the Atomic Bomb memorial places. But apart from the two big plans, I made a list of recommended coffeeshops in Hiroshima.

We ended up visiting three coffeeshops in a day; the first one was Itsuki Coffee in Miyajima island, then after a half day trip to Miyajima, we walked from the ferry terminal to The Bluebird Coffee. Later on that day, at the heart of Hiroshima, we choose to visit the Obscura Coffee Roaster.

The second one was our favorite because the coffeeshop had a bunk bed! Never seen a bunk bed before in any coffeshop I had visited:p

We can drink our coffee on the bunk bed as well :)
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Coffee Trip in Osaka: Lilo Coffee Roasters, Millpour and Lappland Coffee Stand


When I was preparing our itinerary for the Japan Kansai trip, I had been searching for coffeeshops in Osaka, especially which is located at the heart of the city. We had visited Mel Coffee Roasters before, and wanted to visit some other coffeeshops.

The search led me to a cute coffeeshops called Lilo Coffee Roasters. This place is located at the heart of Shinsaibashi, so you can enjoy a good cup of coffee in between your shopping. Not too mention, the coffee came in a very cute cup too!

Super cute cup for my collection :)

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Itinerary Liburan ke Jepang 7 Hari 6 Malam: Osaka, Hiroshima, Kobe dan Kyoto


Tulisan ini berat untuk dimulai karena akan membuat saya kangen dengan libur lebaran saya dan mr.husband ke daerah Kansai dan Hiroshima:D Tapi untuk membuat rekap, menuliskan memori, dan siapa tau bisa memberikan inspirasi untuk teman-teman yang sedang merencanakan liburan ke Jepang, mari kita mulai :)

Kami baru membeli tiket sekitar bulan Maret 2018, untuk libur lebaran bulan Juni 2018. Proses pembelian tiket juga dimulai dengan minta ijin kepada kedua Kiddos dan orangtua saya di Bandung yang akan dititipkan Kiddos selama mereka libur lebaran. Alhamdulillah ijin kami dapatkan, tapi dengan tambahan permintaan dari Kiddos: mereka kalau ke Jepang ingin main salju lagi! Iya, aamiin ya Nak.

Kami kemudian membeli tiket Air Asia dengan rute Bandung-Osaka PP via Kuala Lumpur, yang manurut kami harganya masih masuk akal. Harga tiketnya PP Rp 6,5 juta, sementara itu tiket SQ saya intip harganya PP sekitar Rp 15 juta, berangkat dengan Silk Air dari Bandung, transit di Changi. Harga tiket melambung tinggi, karena kami pergi malam hari, pada lebaran day one.

Pada hari H, kami menerima sms pemberitahuan dari Air Asia bahwa connecting flight kami dari Kuala Lumpur mengalami keterlambatan 2 jam. Sehingga kami yang awalnya transit hanya 2 jam menjadi total 4 jam. Yah, belum apa-apa udah drama.

Alhamdulillah safely landed at Kansai Airport

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Cycling in Osaka & Places We Visited


Finally we had a chance to explore Osaka on bikes. Yup, cycling in Osaka had been in our bucketlist and we were thrilled to cycle around the city two days in a row! By riding the bikes, we could go passing the lanes, street and area which may not be explored if we only utilized subway.

The highlight of the rides was of course the Osaka Castle. It was our first visit ever to the Osaka Castle (actually it was our very first visit to a castle in Japan), and we could make some loop through the park using our bikes.

Cycling in Osaka Castle

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Yokoso! Osaka Ticket: Tansportasi Murah Dari Bandara Kansai Ke Kota Termasuk One Day Subway Pass


Sebetulnya saya kurang suka dengan segala macam pass yang ada di Jepang, bikin pusing! Biasanya saya enggak mau repot, isi aja "pulsa" IC card (saya punya ICOCA), dan udah tinggal tap untuk masuk ke dalam stasiun kereta.

Namun kali ini berbeda, karena saya sudah berencana akan naik Limited Express Rapi:t dari Bandara Kansai ke Osaka, saya pun banyak membaca tentang kereta Rapi:t. Dan pada akhirnya google memberitahu saya tentang satu pass bernama Yokoso! Osaka Ticket. Ini dari sana namanya udah pakai tanda seru, jadi saya ikuti aja hehe..

Yokoso sendiri artinya "welcome", jadi Yokoso Osaka Ticket ini memang ditujukan untuk mereka yang datang ke Osaka, dan ingin menggunakan subway setelahnya. Tertarik dengan Yokoso Osaka Ticket? Saya bahas detail pada postingan kali ini ya.

Osaka One Day pass dan tiket Rapi:t


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Rumah Dharma Jogjakarta: Where To Stay Near The Borobudur Temple


The last time we visited Borobudur was when Kiddos#1 about 2 years old and I was expecting Kiddos#2. Almost ten years later, we took them once more to see the magnificent Borobudur temple.

Rumah Dharma Borobudur was chosen by mr.husband. The location was perfect, just minutes away from the entrance to Borobudur. Actually we could just walk, but it was super hot, so we went to the temple by car.

What I love most about Rumah Dharma Borobudur is the garden with swimming pool and beautiful view to the rice field. Somehow it felt like we were in Ubud :)

In the middle of the rice field
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A Daytrip From Hiroshima to Miyajima Island


Our Japan trip was supposed to be only covering Osaka and Kyoto as we wanted to do a coffeeshop hopping around the two cities. But one day, mr.husband told me his plan, "Let's include Hiroshima in our trip. There's an island called Miyajima, a really lovely place to visit!"

Then I remember surfing on the internet regarding the Miyajima Island and I fell in love with the place. Well, yes I am easy to fall in love with beautiful places with less crowd and great view.

Miyajima Island was suddenly on our itinerary as a daytrip from Hiroshima. We bought an overnight bus ticket from Kobe to Hiroshima for this special visit to Miyajima. And if I have the chance to explore Hiroshima all over again, there will be a second visit to Miyajima Island for sure :)

The Great Torii, icon of Miyajima Island
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Visiting Kyoto in Summer? Let's Try The Nagashi Somen at Hirobun Restaurant in Kibune


Just few days before our departure to Osaka, I saw on youtube people having what so called "Nagashi Somen". "Somen" is very thin noodle, made from wheat flour, serves as a cold noodle in summer. While "Nagashi" means "flowing".

I searched on google that the most famous restaurant serving Nagashi Somen is Hirobun in Kibuneguchi. We visited Kibune previously in winter (you may want to check my post in this link), and this time we had a chance to visit Kibune in summer.

Nagashi Somen is served between May to September, and we decided to have it a try during our summer trip to Kyoto.

The Hirobun restaurant at Kibune
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4D3N Mommies Day Out Trip Jepang Dengan @Tripirit Day 3: Shop 'Till Drop Di Shinsaibashi


Setelah menempuh perjalanan dengan bus dari kota Takayama ke Osaka selama kurang lebih 5,5 jam, kami pun tiba di depan Osaka Station. Bus berhenti beberapa kali di tempat istirahat, kami selalu menyempatkan turun untuk toilet break, ataupun membeli snack dan minuman. Sehingga perjalanan panjang itu tidak terasa melelahkan.

Buktinya, tiba di Osaka sekitar jam 7 malam, kami ber-17 langsung merasa fresh kembali, tidak lain adalah karena it was about time for shopping! Yeay!! Rombongan terpisah menjadi beberapa group kecil, tapi kebanyakan memang melanjutkan belanja di Shinsaibashi.

Walau kecewa karena Anello Flagship Store di Shinsaibashi sudah tutup dan kehabisan Pablo cheesecake, namun acara belanja tetap seru, diselingi dengan foto di Glico Man dan dinner takoyaki.

Gerai Takoyaki yang tidak jauh dari Starbucks Tsutaya

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4D3N Mommies Day Out Trip Jepang Dengan @Tripirit: Day 3 Menikmati Keindahan Desa Salju Shirakawago


Akhirnya, tulisan mengenai Mommies Day Out Trip ke Jepang dengan @tripirit saya lanjutkan. Teman-teman sudah baca kan tulisan pertama dan kedua sebelumnya? Entah mengapa saya berhenti di tulisan kedua, padahal tulisan ketiga ini bisa dikatakan highlight dari perjalanan kami.

Bagaimana tidak, kami akhirnya melihat salju di salah satu tempat terindah di Jepang, yaitu sebuah desa bernama Shirakawago. Perjalanan panjang dengan bus dari Kyoto ke Takayama, dan pengalaman menarik koper dari stasiun ke J-Hoppers Hostel melewati jalanan bersalju di malam hari, terbayar lunas saat kami melihat hamparan salju begitu indah di Shirakawago.

A morning view at Shirakawago
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Weekend Getaway: Island Hopping & Staying at Fairfield by Marriott Belitung


After a while, we went back to Belitung for a weekend birthday trip. Although we only stayed one night, but the island hopping was unforgettable. This time, we had to experience a heavy rain on the boat, it was very scary but our Kiddos said they will never forget the moment:D

We only visited Pulau Kepayang and Pulau Pasir Gosong, it was because our flight was rescheduled from 06.30am to 09.30am. We arrived approaching lunch at Hanandjoeddin airport. However we managed to snorkel at two spots, and played at the beautiful beaches.

A midday playing session at Pulau Kepayang
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Artotel Jogjakarta Review: Hotel With A Slide


If you are looking for a family friendly hotel in Jogjakarta, you can have a look at Artotel Jogjakarta. I found this hotel through Traveloka, and when I saw the slide in their lobby, I thought it will be an awesome experience for our Kiddos. And so it was, we took the slide from M level to the lobby over and over again.

The hotel's concept is very unique, it collaborates with local artist to display their art at the hotel. From the lobby to the room, you can enjoy beautiful paintings on the wall. And all of them made the hotel looks really attractive.

The front desk area at Artotel Jogjakarta
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Catatan Umroh April 2018: 4 Hari 3 Malam di Makkah


Tulisan ini merupakan rangkaian catatan mengenai perjalanan Umroh yang saya lakukan bersama mr.husband pada pertengahan April 2018. Teman-teman silahkan lihat di highlight instagram storeis @tesyasblog dimana kami juga sudah sharing hashtag #CatatanUmroh. Tulisan di posting ini adalah tambahan dari apa yang sudah kami share via instagram.

Semoga catatan random ini bisa memberikan gambaran khususnya untuk teman-teman Muslim yang belum pernah pergi ke Tanah Suci. Dan untuk teman-teman yang sudah pergi ke sana dan ingin mencurahkan rasa kangennya, saya tunggu di kolom komentar ya :)


Suatu pagi di pelataran Masjidil Haram

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Jali Resort: Why It Is A Recommended Place To Stay at Gili Trawangan


Clueless of where we should stay in Gili Trawangan for our very first family holiday to the island, I opted reading the travellers' review on tripadvisor. It led me to Jali Resort, one of the choice having many positive reviews.

I reserved the room via booking dot com, after a phone call I made to Jali Resort asking whether we could stay with our Kiddos in one room. The owner explained via phone that they will provide an extra bed with no additional cost, and that the price we paid will be including breakfast for four person. Yeay! 

I reserved the room accordingly and really happy with our stay at Jali Resort.

The pool in front of our room

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Chilling Out at 180 Coffee & Music Bandung


The 180 Coffee & Music which is around the area of Jalan Dago Bandung, is famous for its chilling pool. The pool is located at the half open space area of the cafe. Been eyeing this place sometime, and finally we made a visit.

It was Sunday morning and we had to queue to get into the cafe. The pool was only open after 11 am, so we choose to sit inside. Few kids were outside playing around the pool, so I guess our table which was just next to the pool was just perfect. And so was the hot cup of Picollo.

His Picollo and my V60 brewed coffee

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5 Pilihan Penginapan Untuk Liburan Keluarga di Yogyakarta


Saat merencanakan liburan bersama keluarga, kegiatan yang paling saya suka adalah memilih penginapan. Apalagi untuk kota wisata seperti Yogyakarta, yang dalam hitungan bulan banyak sekali akomodasi baru yang muncul.

Jika sudah terlalu banyak pilihan, dua hal utama yang menjadi pertimbangan saya dalam memilih penginapan adalah lokasi dan bujet liburan. Kota Yogyakarta seperti teman-teman ketahui memiliki berbagai atraksi wisata menarik, tempat ngopi asyik, dan beragam kuliner dengan harga terjangkau. Namun kendalanya adalah jarak dan kemacetan di Kota Yogyakarta, terutama saat musim liburan.

Untuk itu, saya akan merangkum dan menulis review singkat mengenai beberapa akomodasi pilihan kami, dari hotel di tengah kota hingga villa yang berada di luar Yogyakarta.


Omah Kemala, sebuah villa di Wonosari, Gunung Kidul
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4D3N Mommies Day Out Trip Jepang Dengan @Tripirit: Day 2 Jalan-Jalan Cantik Dengan Kimono di Arashiyama


Saya masih ingat waktu Cicha, tour leader kami dari @Tripirit mengirimkan pesan WhatsApp kepada saya, "Mba Tes, nanti kami sewain kimono, jangan bilang-bilang yang lain ya biar surprise!" Waaah tentu saja saya senang karena beberapa kali ke Jepang tidak pernah sewa kimono. Ehm... ya kali sewa kimono ama mr.husband dan apalagi sama Kiddos sih, lupakan saja!

Rencana ini akhirnya disampaikan oleh Cicha di group WhatsApp, karena kami kan harus persiapan membawa jilbab polos dengan warna yang sesuai. Cicha juga menyampaikan bahwa sewa kimono akan dilakukan saat kami di Arashiyama dari jam 10 hingga jam 3 sore. 

Awalnya kami pikir kok lama sekali ya, kan cuma mau foto-foto. Namun ternyata jadwal "cuma mau foto-foto" ini memang paling banyak makan waktu:D Hari itu 16 ladies mengenakan kimono (dan menjadi perhatian banyak orang, ih GR!), jalan kaki keliling Tenryuji Temple, Bambo Grove hingga Togetsukyo Bridge.

Gimana enggak jadi perhatian, kalau kami foto bareng, temple aja langsung tertutup:D
Foto milik Disty (@distyjulian)


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4D3N Mommies Day Out Trip Jepang Dengan @Tripirit: Day 1 Tiba di Osaka dan Kyoto


Berawal dari group whatssapp Mommies Day Out Trip Bangkok, yang sengaja tidak pernah dibubarkan (modus banget!), kami melanjutkan rencana jalan-jalan seru ke Osaka dan Kyoto. Yeay finally Japan! Awalnya dipilih saat periode cherry blossom, namun karena jadwal yang tidak memungkinkan, saya propose bulan Februari saat libur Chinese New Year dengan iming-iming, "Kan kita bisa lihat salju!" *wink

Semua pun setuju (atau terpaksa ya?), bahwa kami akan pergi saat musim dingin. In total ada 16 mommies yang mendaftar lalu mendekati hari H, Citra yang paling muda di antara kami bergabung. Sehingga rombongan kami 18 ladies termasuk tour leader. Trip organizer kami yaitu  @tripirit, menyarankan agar kami tidak hanya ke Osaka dan Kyoto, namun sekalian melihat salju di Shirakawago. If it's going to be the first snow experience for the majority of our group member, it has to be the best!  

Tapi sebentar... pergi ke Shirakawago itu butuh perjuangan, apalagi dengan jadwal kami yang pendek. Kami terbagi menjadi tiga group, yaitu: group 13 (mereka yang berangkat tgl 13 Februari), group Valentine dan group "Hamish". Saya tentu saja tergabung dalam group Hamish ini ("Hamish" = hari kamish). Selain karena nge-fans sama Babang Hamish, juga karena hanya bisa ijin satu hari (pada hari Kamis), sebelum libur Imlek Jumat 16 Februari 2018. Semua group kembali hari Minggu tanggal 18 Februari 2018.

Kok pendek amat liburan ke Jepangnya? Nah itulah Mommies Day Out Trip. Kami kan tidak bisa meninggalkan suami, anak dan kantor terlalu lama. Dan saya salut dengan stamina para mommies ini. Dengan jadwal super padat dan harus pindah hotel setiap hari di kota berbeda, mereka tetap semangat belanja hingga dini hari!

Baca cerita lengkapnya ya :)

Sebagian peserta Mommies Day Out Trip With @Tripirit di Piece Hostel Kyoto



Group Hamish, The Last Team To Join The Group

Posting ini akan saya mulai dengan kepergian group Hamish yang berangkat Kamis dini hari menggunakan Cathay Pacific. Kami tiba jam 9 malam di bandara Soeta untuk bertemu staff dari Java Mifi. Semua group atas rekomendasi Alisa, yang tergabung di group Valentine, memesan pocket wifi dari Java Mifi.

Sungguh berat sekali menjadi group yang terakhir berangkat. Saat meeting di kantor, whatsapp group dibanjiri foto makanan dari Nungky dan Bu Yeni group 13, yang jalan-jalan ke Kuromon Fish Market di Osaka. Hmmm, makasih loh Nungky & Bu Yeni!:D 

Terbang dengan Cathay Pacific selalu menyenangkan, jadi ingat saat Mommies Day Out Trip PP ke Hong Kong. Dalam perjalanan Jakarta ke Osaka ini, kami transit dua jam saja di HKIA. Sempat sih berniat untuk mandi karena ada fasilitas shower gratis. Tapi mengingat dinginnya udara jam 5 subuh di bandara HKIA, langsung hati saya ciut. Yang penting kan udah niat:D 


Lumayan ini, untuk yang flight ke HK malam, sebelum ke kota bisa mandi 

Paling bener deh Nova, bekal tumbler Starbucks
Enggak keliatan kan ya, saya udah enggak mandi dua hari:D


Cara transit di bandara HKIA Hong Kong:
1. Keluar dari pesawat, lihat di layar TV nomor gate untuk connecting flight.
2. Jalan kaki mengikuti petunjuk "Transit Area"
3. Masuk ke security check untuk penumpang transit. Di area ini, semua barang akan diperiksa melalui x-ray. Pembatasan cairan yang dibawa pun diberlakukan. Jadi kalau mau isi air minum, setelah melewati area ini saja ya.
4. Jalan kaki ke gate keberangkatan.

Catatan mengenai transit di bandara HKIA Hong Kong:
Duh..jarak dari satu gate ke gate lain sangat jauh. Jadi pastikan teman-teman mengalokasikan waktu dengan baik, apalagi jika hanya memiliki waktu transit 2 jam seperti kami. Lupakan belanja deh, hanya cukup untuk toilet break dan foto-foto di sekitar gate.

Tiba di Bandara KIX Osaka

Kami tiba di Osaka sekitar jam 12.30. Setelah turun pesawat, kami naik kereta menuju imigrasi. Semua penumpang bergegas naik kereta, karena semakin terlambat naik kereta, antrean imigrasi pun akan semakin panjang.

Di dalam kereta yang penuh sesak, bagaikan naik busway
Sebelum antre untuk proses imigrasi


Sesuai estimasi, antrean imigrasinya panjang banget (: Team Hamish terdiri dari 4 orang, yang mana 2 diantaranya (Uniek dan Nova) terkena random check di imigrasi. Jadi lumayan lama mereka keluar, sementara saya dan Ira, lolos random check.

Teman-teman catat ya: cetak dokumen seperti tiket pesawat, bukti pemesanan hotel dan itinerary sebelum berangkat. Jangan dianggap remeh dengan menyiapkan screenshoot di handphone. Call me old fashioned, namun percayalah.. saat panik, lebih baik kita siap dengan dokumen yang sudah dicetak. 

Kita sebagai visitor memang diwajibkan untuk membuktikan bahwa kita hanya akan berlibur di Jepang. Adapun pihak imigrasi mempunyai hak untuk menerima atau menolak kunjungan kita. Dan udah tau kan ya kalau pemeriksaan imigrasi masuk Jepang sekarang sangat ketat. Apalagi untuk teman-teman yang belum pernah mengunjungi Jepang. So, just be prepared! 


Setelah kami berkumpul kembali dengan perasaan lega, tiba saatnya makan siang. Udon halal yang berlokasi di lantai 2 bandara KIX pun kami pilih dan Alhamdulillah, enak banget! 


Sambil menyeruput kuah udon yang hangat, kami membahas apa saja yang ditanyakan saat random check di imgrasi. Ternyata petugas bertanya kepada Uniek dan Nova, mereka pergi dengan siapa saja. Mungkin kalau saya dan Ira masih di antrean, kami pun ikut dipanggil. Lalu setelah Nova dan Uniek mengeluarkan print dokumen perjalanan, pemeriksaan pun berakhir.


Akhirnya nyoba juga makan disini. Catat lokasinya: Lantai 2 bandara Osaka

Agak mirip dengan Marugame Udon ya, tapi sungguh ini di bandara Osaka:D
Ini kisaran harga udon nya



Saya meninggalkan teman-teman terlebih dulu di restoran udon untuk membeli tiket kereta JR Haruka dari bandara KIX Osaka ke Kyoto, di JR Ticket Office. Cara naik JR Haruka ke Tokyo sudah saya tulis disini, yang belum baca sila mampir.

Antrean JR Ticket Office siang itu lumayan pendek, sehingga kami berhasil tepat waktu antre untuk JR Haruka jam 14.30. Saya selalu bahagia bisa kembali ke kota favorit saya di Jepang: Kyoto.


Welcome to Kyoto, team Hamish!



Menyimpan Koper di Kyoto Station

Hal pertama yang kami lakukan saat tiba di Kyoto Station adalah menyimpan koper di coin lockers. Karena waktu yang terbatas, kami disarankan Cicha, tour leader kami dari @tripirit untuk menyimpan koper dan langsung menyusul group lain ke Fushimi Inari.

Bicara tentang koper, satu hari sebelum berangkat saya memutuskan menggunakan koper dengan ukuran terbesar yang ada di rumah. Hahaha.. Alhasil di setiap foto bersama koper, si ungu berbalut tulisan London milik saya terlihat sangat eye catching:D

Ini bukan kali pertama saya ke Jepang, tapi biasanya urusan menyimpan koper di locker dikerjakan oleh mr.husband. Sekarang saatnya kami mandiri, walaupun awalnya bingung, namun tombol ajaib bertuliskan "English" membuat hidup lebih mudah. Harga satu locker besar adalah JPY700 untuk disimpan selama 24 jam.

Berhasil!



Menikmati Fushimi Inari Hingga Malam Tiba

Saya mengajak ketiga teman di team Hamish untuk naik JR menuju Fushimi Inari. Hanya membutuhkan waktu kurang dari 20 menit, kami sudah tiba di gerbang Fushimi Inari yang megah. Walaupun bukan kunjungan pertama, saya tetap sangat excited.

By the way, tulisan pertama saya tentang Fushimi Inari, bisa dibaca di link ini.

Kereta menuju Fushimi Inari sudah menunggu di Kyoto St.
Suasana sore itu cukup sepi
It was good to be back



Saat itu kami mencari group lain yang juga sudah berada di Fushimi Inari, dan kami pun bertemu mereka di food stall yang berada dekat di gerbang Fushimi Inari. Karena hari mulai gelap, kami pun masuk ke Fushimi Inari, setelah sebelumnya membersihkan diri.

Ini kue beras dibakar. Tolong jangan salah fokus!

Sebelum masuk kuil kami membersihan diri
Jangan salah minum, airnya dari pancuran kecil ya



Ini kali pertama kami semua bertemu, sebelumnya kami heboh di WhatsApp group. Dari mulai persiapan baju musim dingin, hingga team Valentine yang nyaris ketinggalan pesawat karena jalanan yang super macet ke bandara Soeta. 

Alhamdulillah semuanya sehat dan bisa berkumpul di Fushimi Inari. Walaupun kami harus foto-foto di kegelapana malam, kami tidak takut karena ada Note 8 milik Padmi yang membuat foto kami tetap paripurna :)


The mommies at Fushimi Inari, picture was taken by Cicha from @tripirit



Menginap di Piece Hostel Kyoto

Dari Fushimi Inari, kami kembali ke Kyoto Station dan belanja di Aeon Mall yang berada di seberang Kyoto Station. Setelah mampir ke beberapa toko di antaranya Uniqlo, Toys R Us dan belanja tumbler Starbucks, kami jalan kaki ke Piece Hostel Kyoto.

Berlokasi di gang kecil, membuat Piece Hostel Kyoto tempat yang sepi dan menyenangkan


Hal yang pertama saya lakukan setelah membeli tiket pesawat adalah memesan kamar di Piece Hostel Kyoto. Hostel incaran saya sejak lama, yang mana sangat sulit memesan kamar disini karena selalu fully booked. Apalagi harus memesan kamar untuk 18 orang. Kami hanya berhasil mendapatkan satu kamar untuk empat orang, sisanya adalah kamar untuk dua orang.


Our lovely room


Tersedia slippers dan bantal di depan lift setiap lantai. "If you don't like the pillow on your bed, you can choose other pillow provided on every floor" kata petugas hotel saat kami check-in.


Bantal cadangan yang ada di depan kamar kami


Kamar mandi (shower) terletak di lantai 1 terpisah untuk Male dan Female, namun di setiap lantai ada toilet. Ada juga satu kamar untuk bath tub alias onsen yang terletak tidak jauh dari shower rooms.

Pokoknya urusan mandi walaupun shared bathroom, membuat kami bahagia. Bahkan Rona dari team Valentine menyatakan bahwa ia bersedia mandi tiga kali sehari selama menginap di Piece Hostel Kyoto. Hahaha!

Bersih banget :)



Common area yang terdiri dari lobi dan dapur pun sangat menyenangkan. Dan yang tidak kalah keren adalah adanya library di area lobi hostel.


Bagian belakang adalah dapur dar meja makan

Library with the purple sofa


Pagi hari berikutnya, tersedia sarapan yang lumayan lengkap, gratis untuk tamu Piece Hostel. Namun kami tidak sempat sarapan karena pagi itu kami mampir ke Kurasu Kyoto sebelum meneruskan perjalanan ke Arashiyama. 

This Piece Hostel Kyoto is really recommended! 






To be continued.


***



Our trip was arranged and organized by @tripirit. Visit their instagram account for their open trip, of if you wish to have a customized trip like ours.





Written on March 1, 2018

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