Bali, the weekend getaway

If you are looking for a beach & sun weekend getaway, Bali is the answer. It is just 1.5 hrs away by flight from Jakarta. So what can you do in Bali? One can visit the local temples, eat great food, play water activities (snorkeling, diving, para-sailing, etc.), sunbath or even enjoy the night life. If you want to fully enjoy Bali, a weekend getaway is not enough. There's just so many thing that you can do there. It is the perfect place to go with your friends, family and/or your loved ones. 

I visited Bali 3 times in 3 months (once a month?!) and I still couldn't get enough of the island. The combination of the sun, beaches & friendly people will make you fall in love with the island. 

Here are some of the places/things to do in Bali that I highly recommend:

Recreation:

- Water Rafting 

- Water Sports (Para-sailing, banana boat, jet ski, etc.)

- Snorkeling & Diving 

- Hike in rice padi fields

- Visit Temples (Uluwatu Temple, Monkey Forest, Tanah LotTemple)

(at the Monkey Forest Temple. Notice that I did not wear sunglasses/umbrella. This is because the monkeys in the temple will snatch those from you!)

(view of Tanah Lot Temple, you can actually get wet during high tide)

Beaches:

There are beaches all around Bali that serve to different purposes. I prefer a quiet and secluded beaches and these 2 beaches provide such peace & tranquility. These are two of my favorite beaches in Bali. 

1. Padang Padang Beach (Another clean beach with many Caucasians sunbathing)

(view of Padang Padang Beach)

(Padang Padang Beach)

2. Karma Beach (there is an entrance fee for this. I think about 130,000 IDR, but you get to use that to purchase food/drink. It is a private beach, therefore it is really clean and not many people go there)

(view of Karma Beach from the top)

(Karma Beach, a small & private beach)

(the clear water at Karma beach)

Food:

- Naughty Nuri's (serves really awesome pork ribs)

- Mamasan (Asian Fusion Restaurant and you will need to make reservations ahead of time)

- Jimbaran (Menega Cafe) (a MUST go for dinner. They serve seafood by the beach, literally!)

- El Kabron Cafe (Mexican restaurant that is on top of the cliff. So you can imagine how beautiful the scenery is)

Lounge/Cafes:

- Potato Head Garage (a good place to chill and relax with your friends. Get the sofabed if possible. So you can actually lie on it while hanging out with your friends. They serve good drinks & food with good music)

- Ayana Rock Bar (best place to watch sunset. Start coming in at about 4pm if you want to watch the sunset. Otherwise, the line to get into the bar can get really long and you will miss the sunset)

- Kudeta (My least favorite lounge as it is situated too close to the beach. But it is still a good place to hangout.)

- SkyGarden (this is more like a nightclub with beach attires. It is a 5 storeys club house with different gendre of music at every level. A lot of Caucasians like to go here) 

Bali is also the new hotspot for many Indonesians to get married. If you want to avoid inviting over a thousand guests to your wedding, Bali is the answer. Couples who get married in Bali will invite about 250 people to their wedding. However, the cost of Bali wedding with 250 guests is equivalent to Jakarta's wedding with over a thousand guests. 

(a good's friend wedding at Banyan Tree, Bali)

(Pretty decorations)

 (the bride & groom the night before the wedding)

So there you go! I hope you will visit the beautiful Bali. And of course if you are an Indonesian, IT IS A MUST that you visit the island. :) 

With lots of love,

Claraaaa <3

Singapore

Spent most of my life in Singapore - from 7 to 17 years old. That being said, I grew up thinking, behaving, speaking like a Singaporean. Like I said in my first post, I was the geekiest kid on the block, but surrounded with many wonderful friends. In fact, I've made friends with some of the most wonderful people and I'm glad that we are still in touch. So let me write a little bit about the wonderful Singapore~ 

TRANSPORTATION
Visited Singapore 6 times in the span of 7 months. Yes, I am definitely having a monthly affair with it. Singapore is a totally different city than I used to know 7 years back - there's just WAY more people & everything is SO pricey. Nonetheless, I would say that it is one of the cleanest and well-organized countries in Southeast Asia. Singapore's public transportation is AWESOME! You can get to almost anywhere and everywhere with the buses or the train (MRT). MRT maps are easy to read and they are all in English! To travel by MRT, you will need to purchase the EZ-Link card at the ticket office or ticket machines in the train stations. Single trip ranges from about SGD$1.10 to SGD$2.80. MRT & buses can get REALLY packed during the peak hours. 

Or if you are not into public transportations, taxis are easily available, but they can get ridiculously expensive during peak hours. Peak hours are 7AM-9.30AM & 5PM-8PM for monday thru fridays. That being said, peak surcharges is 35% add-on to the metered rate, a call booking is $3.50  and $2.50 after 11pm. Midnight surcharge is 50% of the metered fare. So you can imagine how expensive taxi fares can get. A normal fare from airport to Orchard area would be about SGD$22. 

THINGS TO DO

So as a tourist, there's a lot of things that you can do in Singapore! Especially if you love the sun and beach. 
#1 Gardens by the Bay: There's 3 areas that you can visit here - Flower Dome, Cloud Forest & Supertree Grove. If it is your first time in Singapore, Gardens by the bay is one place you should visit. Go around 4 or 5 pm and wait until the sun sets. The view gets prettier by night time. :) 

 (Inside the cloud forest)

(flower dome)

#2 Sentosa 
There's a lot activities that you can do in Sentosa. There is a SGD$5 fee to take the Sentosa Express train from VivoCity to Sentosa. There are 4 stations. 

Sentosa Station - is where you board the train from Vivocity.
Waterfront Station - this is where you can Adventure Cove Water Park, S.E.A Aquarium, Casino & Universal Studio Singapore. I have never been to the Adventure Cove, so I cant really say much about it. As for S.E.A Aquarium, it is the world's largest aquarium. Tickets are SGD$38 per adult. You can get a discount if you are a foreigner and have your passport with you. It is home to more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species. You will enjoy here if you are a marine lover. As for the casino, they say that the one in Marina Bay Sands is better. Universal Studio is really small as compared to the one in LA, but they have many one-of-a-kind rides. 
Imbiah Station - has the big Merlion for you to take picture with.
Beach Station - is where all the 3 man-made beaches are located. 

 (in one of the beaches in Sentosa)

 (Imbiah Station)

(USS)

(S.E.A Aquarium - really pretty ;))

Those will be the places that first timers should visit. Most Indonesians would just go to Singapore to eat local food/fine dining food and shop in Orchard. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing that we shop and stay indoor (aren't we doing that already in Indonesia?!) However, I think they should be more adventurous & be less afraid of the sun to hang out in the beach or at least be out in the sun! Enjoy the clear sky and fresh air that we don't get in Jakarta (okay I don't like the humidity part too).  Nonetheless, I love my people :D 

I personally LOVE the sun & beaches. But my mum would nag if I go to Bali or just stay too long under the sun. Apparently, being tanned isn't a good thing for us. But hey, a little bit of sun WON'T kill you... One of the things that I have yet to do since I'm back is to go cycling in my favorite park - East Coast Park. I will get that done, eventually! 

With lots of love,

Claraaaa <3

Past Trips

As I mentioned in my first post. I've been traveling in the past 7 months. So I will be writing brief summaries on 7 trips. Will be skipping Singapore & Bali because I've been going there way too often, so that will be a separate post. 

#1 Sangkalaki, Kepulauan Derawan, Indonesia

Visited in March 2014 

One does not need to travel far to Maldives to experience the clear water and blue sky. Indonesians can take a 3 hours flight from Jakarta to Tarakan and hop on a boat for another 2 hours to see this beautiful island - Sangkalaki. Not to mention that this island is  the "hatching center" of the endangered sea turtles! Spent 2 nights in the small island snorkeling, playing in the beach and letting baby sea turtles into the water! 

(did not even filter these pictures...)

(clear clear waters)

(breathtaking view of the sunset)

#2 Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Japan

Visited in March 2014

Japan is known for its cherry blossom festival and that was the reason why we visited the country! Being my first visit to Japan, I was in awed by Japanese perfectionism & friendliness. I don't think anyone can hate Japan, except maybe for those who still feel hatred because of WW2. Everything is just so awesome! BUT, it is an EXPENSIVE country to travel. This is because you just want splurge on everything that you see. 

(as you can see, the cost of this white/pink strawberries is about USD$47!)

#3 Seoul & Busan, South Korea 

Visited in April 2014 

Visited South Korea for a good friend's wedding. We were reliving the REAL korean drama lives. If you are not a fan of korean dramas/artists/cosmetics, I don't think South Korea will interest you. Food tasted good but not as memorable as Japan's. That would be because korean food in Koreantown, Los Angeles taste as good as the ones in Korea. I used to eat kfood at least once a week back when I was in LA. (yupp, i loveeee koreaaaans ^^) 

(felt like as if this is straight out of a korean drama)

 (attended Oppa's wedding with my favorites)

(wannabe koreans)

#4 Yogjakarta, Indonesia

Visited in April 2014

People would recognize the famous Borobudur & Prambanan Temple in Yogjakarta. I was blessed to be given a second chance to visit these temples. (the last time was back when I was 5/6 yrs old?!) Just make sure that you bring hat, umbrella & enough sunblock if you don't want to get baked under the sun! 

#5 Macau 

Visited in May 2014

I don't gamble & the only reason I visited Macau is because my grandparents live there. But hey, since I'm there why not enjoy it? Macau is the Asian Vegas, except that people are more hardcore in the gambling than in Vegas. All I did in Macau was just eat, visit touristy areas & quality time with gramps. 

 (the famous portugese eggtarts)

#6 Sapporo, Furano & Tokyo, Japan

Visited in July 2014

2nd visit to Japan, but this time to see the Lavender fields in the outskirts of Sapporo. We were literally in the small village named Furano. Took us 2 airplanes & 1 train ride before we reached our final destination. I think it's worth the scenery but I wouldn't go back for the second time. 

#7 Italy, France & Netherlands, Europe

Visited in July 2014 
Fell in love with Italy, except that you have to be careful with pickpockets We visited Vatican City, Rome, Pisa, Venice & Milan in the span of 10 days. And of course, visited all the important landmarks. :) The prettiest city would be Venice. I would definitely come back Italy. And as for France, we only visited Paris to see the famous Eiffel tower and Musem Louvre. Our last country is the Netherlands. Amsterdam was having their Annual Gay Parade when we arrive. Time was not on our side and we did not manage to watch the parade. But we did go to the Red Light District.

(The Colloseum, Rome)

(Tower of Pisa, Pisa)

(Venice)

(Eiffel Tower, France)

(Voldendam, The Netherlands)

I am still trying to figure out the layout for this blog. People has been telling me that I should have a brighter background color. So please forgive me if I keep changing the layout & colors! 

With lots of love, 

Claraaaa <3

Story of my life

HELLO! :)

This will be my first ever travel blog. So please bear the simple layout and stories that I am gonna be sharing. And I apologize if my grammars/vocabulary sucks... 

I guess the best way to start is to introduce myself and my background. 

So here it goes ... 

People call me Clara or Lala. I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia 1991 to parents who loveeee traveling. I have three other wonderful siblings, me being the third child. Despite being an Indonesian, I spent most of my life outside. Back when I was 7 years old, there was a riot in Jakarta attacking the Chinese Indonesians. Our parents flew us to Singapore and that's where I spent the next 10 years. Went through puberty, elementary and high schools in the small country. I was a TOTAL nerd back then. Trust me, you WILL NOT recognize me with my chubby cheeks, geeky glasses and braces. Growing up in a competitive country like Singapore taught me discipline & self-motivation to achieve better results in everything. Even though I was only living with my siblings and 2 domestic helpers, I was very surprised that I did not turn out to be a wild kid (Imagine being 12 yr old kid without having any curfews/restrictions, things could have turned out otherwise for some people). Parents would visit once or twice a month. Our family bonded through traveling together. Ever since I dont know when, we would always go on a family vacation once a year. This is where we try to catch things up. 

Once high school was completed, I moved to San Francisco to pursue my bachelor's degree. Why SF? That's because two of my older siblings were already there. Spent 3.5 years going through college and achieved my degree in Accounting from San Francisco State University. I was 20 and I was definitely not ready to dive into the working world. Mum agreed and so I continued to get my MBA in Finance & Management in the city of Angels in Loyola Marymount University. Moving to Los Angeles was one of the best choice I've ever made in my life. All these while, I was either living with my elder siblings or domestic helpers. When I moved to LA, I became the elder sibling to my brother and I had total control and a whole lot of responsibilities. At the beginning, it was quite stressful because I had to figure everything & also take care of my brother. But nevertheless, this is the period where I learn that you only live once (YOLO) and a whole new perspective of the world opened up. I was blessed to live under one roof with my best friend and that was the start of our adventures. We both LOVE doing everything together and that opened up our eyes. To cut things short, we had the best time ever and I graduated with MBA at the age of 21. Yes, I am extremely proud of my achievements because not many people could say that. There wasn't any more excuses for me to not get a job, unless I get a PHD, so I started finding job.

Found my first job and it turned out wonderful. My time in the States finally came to an end when the H-1 didn't go as planned. So in March 2014, I moved back to Jakarta. It's been close to 7 months since I've moved back but I have yet to feel home here. 

This is where my travel blog starts. Traveling runs in the family and in the 7 months that I've been back, I have only been "staying/working" in Jakarta for 3 months. Went to about 14 trips (which I will be sharing about it in the later posts) in the past 7 months and I've never been happier. Traveling is my sweet escape. Since I've been traveling so much, why not document these adventures? I will be sharing all of my adventures and I hope you will enjoy reading as much I do!

With lots of love,

Claraaaa <3