Sep 15 - Escaping Jakarta

This is another entry where I'm inserting a ton of pics so I'll TRY to cut down on the word count. :P

Two weeks ago before we parted ways with our awesome guide from Jakarta Good Guide, Pak Candha, after half a day touring the Old Town area (full story here), he informed us about this great deal Kereta Api Indonesia is having! One ticket is 70k for any destination of your choice to celebrate KAI's 70th birthday! (Only the routes they do cater to, obviously.) Pretty much right away, I remembered that Aunt Zippora had been telling me to take Luis on a day-tour to Cirebon which is accessible by train, but for the longest time I hadn't really been giving it too much thought since I was pretty sure my parents wouldn't take it very well. Just out of curiosity, the following day I started browsing for tickets and found an opening for Sep 15, today, which would've been perfect if we could do it. Already prepared to hear a big no, I decided to bump the idea up to Bapa anyway, and MUCH to my disbelief, he was unbelievably excited about it!!!!! Green light from Mama was tougher to get but, again, much to my disbelief, Bapa actually talked her into it! Un-frickin-believable. She said yes and I took no time at all to book the ticket. Bapa (and Abang) himself drove me to the ATM that midnight to purchase the ticket since it might have not been available anymore in the following morning. To say that we were anticipating this day to come would be an understatement because it was more intense than that, haha! Plus, that would be my first time going out of town by train, besides that one time our big family went to Bandung. I was probably 7.

Bapa and I picked up Luis around 5.10 and it only took us 15 mins to arrive at Gambir Station. We quickly popped into 7-Eleven to get breakfast-to-go and snacks (a chocolate bar for me, bananas for Luis, cause, duh :D) and went through the security/customs. Still barely awake, I was so happy the train was ready for us, and that the condition was muchhhhh better than what I had expected it to be! Seat was VERY comfortable (the adjustable seating came with a proper foot rest), the whole thing was squeaky clean and smelled great, and most importantly, the crew was amazing. Later on they would check on our tickets and actually tried to make conversations! Fantastic service. But the highlight of the 3-hour journey was..... the view. It was incredible. Departing the station exactly at 6 (nope, not even 6.01), we were there to watch the breath-taking, golden sunrise. Upon leaving Jakarta, we were welcomed by acres and acres of fields, mainly rice but other plants too. It was the harvesting season, there were so many colors before our eyes, from hues of green to hues of oranges and yellows, displaying a beautiful contrast to the dark brown ground and black spots they burnt to stop a parasite from growing, all under a clear blue sky and milky white, fluffy-looking clouds. I wish I were only romanticizing this part; I'm not, it was that magnificent.

We switched seats because Luis wanted the window one. I happily obliged, it's not something he sees everyday, or ever. We started having breakfast (including the delicious cakwe Ega hooked us up with from the Puncak trip yesterday) and did nothing much but cuddling and admiring the landscape view. It was so comfortable and lovely that I fell asleep a few times! The cheeky lad took the very rare opportunity (cause I'm one who can never sleep in a car) to snap a few candid photos of me sleeping! Ugh. Arriving in Cirebon, not only was I still sleepy, I also felt really cold (Luis let me wear his hoodie during the train ride), luckily they have a Starbucks at the central station! Hot chocolate, come to Mama! 

Looking back, it was kinda funny how we just started making itinerary when we were already in Cirebon. Owe you one, TripAdvisor! :) But we did, and knowing we only had 6 hours before our train home, we selected five places and one restaurant that was rumored to have the best empal gentong (Cirebon's signature dish) in town. We came up with a game plan, instead of taking multiple public transportation one place to another, let's just rent one with a local driver who knows the area much better than we are. Rental car and taxi would get us to places much faster, but as we were stepping out of the station, becak was everywhere so we had this crazy idea to just rent a becak. ONE becak! For the both of us. Hahahahaha, we thought it would be really fun and funny so we made a deal with a local becak driver (who couldn't take proper photos even if his life depended on it).

Yup!

I wore this Batik dress Araz got me for my birthday. <3

We were soooooo right! We couldn't stop laughing on the way to the first place! It was REALLY snug on the becak! On top of that, Luis was much too tall for the becak so the driver had to lift the lid up and bent it to the back so Luis didn't have to hunch back during the ride. It was HOT as fruit but really hilarious too how everyone else on the road just stared at us in a total confusion. We are weird, get over it, people! :D

From this point forward, I'll just be listing the places we went to, jotting down random bits, and showing the photos. Information about the places can be found here.

1. At-Taqwa Mosque

I'm a huge fan of Istiqlal Mosque (went there last year), but At-Taqwa is much more artsy and cool and colorful and different! Highly recommend checking out this place and maybe requesting a private tour like we did at Istiqlal. Too bad on this day there was a wedding, so we couldn't go inside and tour around. To wait for the event to end wasn't an option since we were dealing with such strict schedule. Next time, I hope.

Photo of the day. Used it as my LINE profile picture for months when we got back.

2. Trusmi Batik Village

We were supposed to spend a little time here to look around, but we got carried away! They had literally everything a Batik fabric can be used to make and they sell it for reeeally low price. What was supposed to be a 15-minute look-around got extended to more than an hour of souvenir shopping, hahahaha, but I was so happy I could get Luis' family things I hope they'll love. We went to several different Batik houses but we made all of our purchase here at Batik Mahkota. They sold the most variants compared to other houses we visited, plus they had a real-time Batik drawing on the top floor (which is basically a rooftop garden)! So happy I got to show Luis how a Batik is made. The girls there were nice and showed us different techniques. Definitely coming back to this house. :)

Getting back to our becak with bags of stuff, our becak driver, Mang Untung, laughed cause we had said we were not gonna shop. Sadly he also told us it was now impossible to visit Gua Sunyaragi. I was looking forward to going but I saw his point, the place was the farthest among all, and to still go there would mean we would need to forego our three other destinations, which we weren't willing to do. It was also already lunch time and we were staaarving! We had told Mang Untung in the morning where we wanted to eat and he agreed it is indeed the best one in town. However, since the schedule was pretty much off, we then told him to just bring us to the nearest empal gentong restaurant, which was literally everywhere (read the next paragraph). He insisted to take us to that specific restaurant cause he himself really wanted us to have the ultimate empal gentong, hahaha, the guy was really sweet. It was getting even hotter, we both had started to burn, but Mang Untung had made up his mind. And so we obeyed. :D

3. Empal Gentong Bu Darma (previously named Empal Gentong Mang Darma)

Flashback a little, on the way to Trusmi, Luis and I noticed an odd thing: there were SOOO many "Empal Gentong Mang Darma" on the both sides of the road! But earlier we thought it was because the restaurant was very popular that they made a branch on every block, whatever. Turns out there's a story behind it! According to Mang Untung, who's lived in Cirebon all his life, there was once a guy named Mang Darma, he set up his own empal gentong restaurant. The food was really, really good that the restaurant just kept on getting more and more popular to a point that he had to name the place. That was the birth of Empal Gentong Mang Darma. However, it didn't take long till copycats arose and people started naming their restaurants Empal Gentong Mang Darma, despite having zero connection with the real Mang Darma. After he passed away, the wife and kids carried on with the business and changed the name into Empal Gentong Bu Darma.

And boy were they not joking. Four minutes was all what Luis and I needed to finish our food. While it might not be the most delicious-looking dish ever invented, everything about it made the dish quickly climbed up our most favorite food list (OUR --Luis included). Definitely up there with our comfort food! (Following this trip, Bapa has traveled to Cirebon twice and Mama once. Each time I made them a priority to bring home these for me. The house too went bananas over it!)

Just in case the copycats ever change their names also to Empal Gentong Bu Darma, it's located on Jalan Diponegoro (initially was on Jalan Krucuk but they have moved and the old place now is used by another copycat restaurant that goes by the name, guess what, Empal Gentong Mang Darma). Do not be fooled! Although you are as starving as we were, be as persistent as Mang Untung. Hahaha!

Anyway, since we finished VERY QUICKLY, Mang Untung said now there was still a possibility to visit Gua Sunyaragi! Yay! But first, the three keratons.

4. Keraton Kasepuhan 

Had we had the time to go inside (which is a museum), this place would've been my favorite, I'm sure. Too bad we were in a rush! :( But fortunately the outside is still pretty.

This is the most popular kingdom area although currently not being populated anymore by the locals. So many people are just chilling there every day apparently! They socialize here, hang out and enjoy their snack, but not so much of a picnic. Anyway, one person from the crowd approached us to ask if he could take a picture with Luis. Of course he was only the first! Hahahaha, such pioneers. I didn't mind though.................. I mean I have eyes. :P :P :P (Baby, if you're reading, I'm pretty sure you're shaking your head now and saying, "This girl tho!!") The only concern now was that we might not make it to Gua Sunyaragi.

4. Keraton Kacirebonan

There was nothing particularly exciting about Keraton Kacirebonan, unless what you're after is to see how the locals live. We were interested in that too, of course, but given the little timing, we knew it was not on our plate. A quick tour around from the outside and we moved on to the next.

5. Keraton Kanomanan

This place, however, is worth visiting, even only from the outside! There are still unique statues that must convey interesting messages and portray rich history we would have loved to ask the guides. Again, till the next time.

Can we just talk about the kid photobombing this cool shot!!! :(

6. Miscellaneous: Toko Souvenir Daud, City Hall, and Old Locomotive Monument

Looking at the time, we were left to either hop into a taxi to take us Sunyaragi (with only such a super short time to sight-see and explore the place) or we give it up and go to different places to just enjoy the city more. It wasn't a tough call, really, so Mang Untung took us to this famous shop where they sell signature packed food and snacks of Cirebon. It was really great listening to stories Mang Untung has of the city too, he was both our becak driver and our tour guide, hihihi.

City hall was just okay but still pretty cool, so we made a quick stop and took a few pictures such as this one.

Finally, before Mang Untung drove us back to the station, we checked out this old locomotive as a symbol of the legendary train station of Cirebon.

Expectation: posing in front of the famous city icon. Reality: basking in the sun. :D

That was the end of our day tour in Cirebon! Short but really sweet. We said goodbye to Mang Untung who was honestly one of the key factors of this successful and memorable trip and could not resist to take one more selfie in front of the station. This one is per Bapa's request by the way.

Since we had about half an hour to kill before our train arrived, we went back to the Starbucks for a chocolate croissant, a smoked beef quiche, and two frappuccinos. Soooo happy of everything that happened during the day tour! 

The view on the train ride back was equally killer, and we chatted all the way to Jakarta, talking about the important stuff mostly. It was just an overall perfect trip.

The all day mood today!

Cutting the ride a little bit shorter by getting off at Jatinegara Station instead of Gambir (so happy the train made a stop here), we went to a noodle place near home for dinner. AND THAT'S WHEN THE HORROR HAPPENED:

If today was not unforgettable enough for my memory, it was for my skin! *dies burnt*

PS: You guys knew you shouldn't have taken my words for when I was saying I wanted to watch the word count! Hahahaha!

Sep 14 - Safari Day

Traumatized by the previous year, no more plans for Safari Night this year! Instead, we opted for the Daytime Safari.

LOL! Tempel Ban!

Luis is the best at taking photos. :'D

After religiously visiting each section, we wandered to the other side of the zoo to watch a few different shows. All interesting! Also to the amusement park area.

Look at me so beautiful and all!

I love this photo so much. Such wanderers!

Absolute fun!

Dinner at a cute restaurant to end the fantastic day. Owe it so, so, so much to Dimas, Ega, and Uty. Forever indebted.

Shout out to the cutest little girl who sat on the table next to ours and couldn't stop asking for Luis' attention. We so wanna adopt that munchkin! :3

Sep 13 (2) - Fulfillment: For the Body and the Soul

Spoiler alert: Luis and I don't drink.

We both thought this would be Luis' first plate but nope, this is his first Indian-only plate. Hahahaha, I scored so much, he loves the food as much as I do! For the sake of aesthetics, let me just summarize our dining experience: we ransacked the place till we couldn't even finish our ice creams, hahahahahaha! It was an utter craze, we were partly hurting from the amount of food and partly laughing from the silliness of us two. And the stuffed animals they gave us were too adorable!

Embarrassment-aside, to this dinner I wore a dress I had been saving to show Luis. I initially bought it for our Valentine's dinner earlier this year since I was supposed to graduate last semester; however, I didn't, so the dress had to wait, When tonight came and I got to wear this, although there's nothing really special or fancy about it, I couldn't stop smiling. It's truly an amazing feeling when you finally get to do things you've been dreaming of for so long, in my case half a year. I was right, Luis loved my dress so much and I was so proud of the impression I created. ;)

`

But seriously, who am I kidding? Luis himself looked SO handsome that night. He smelled amazing as always. He was very attentive to me during this special night of ours. He never once laid his eyes on anyone else but me, and when he did look into my eyes, it was a look of adoration, of love, of caring, of understanding, of acceptance, of trust, of hope. Without any words at all, he reminded me that I was the lucky one in this relationship. Prefaced by a wonderful day, this was one of the best nights I've ever had, both with and without him. 

PS: Special thanks to the super sweet Hotel Mulia's The Cafe manager who ushered us into this exclusive section only for this photo-taking. :)

Sep 13 (1) - Hypnotized by History

During the private Jakarta Walking Tour we did last week, our tour guide Pak Candha invited us to their monthly free walking tour for the coming Sunday (today), this time to Passer Baroe area which we hadn't been, too bad we already had made plans to go to Bogor although we had pretty much seen last year what the city has to offer. So when Galuh bailed on us last night, Luis and I texted Pak Candha that we were so participating today!

Armed with stroopwafel and Dutch Koetjes Reep for Pak Candha unlike the last time (hehehe), we arrived at Juanda Train Station as the meeting point for the large group. By large, I mean around 75 members and at least 5 guides! After briefly talking to Pak Candha, they assigned a tour guide for each small group and luckily we were the first ones to arrive (read: on time, since most of them were late) so they put us into the first group. The guide's name was Mas Farid, younger than Pak Candha but equally easy going and knowledgeable! Point-wise he took us to Philately Museum, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, Passer Baroe, and Gereja Ayam, but the tour was much more than that! We visited street kiosks that still sell unique post stamps, bumped into Balinese dancers having just done their performance at GKJ, learned a history lesson of Passer Baroe's origins and the development of it on an equally historical bridge, visited a photo exhibition of the replicas of never-before-seen war photos (owned by Dutch museums), listened to a story of Toko Kompak inside Passer Baroe complex, explored an old Buddhist temple with its super nice chief, and took pictures with the church's rooster on the background, before ending the tour by a free lunch at Bakmi Gang Kelinci sponsored by Chevrolet. The group itself was so much fun and after mingling with a few different people within the route, we clicked the most with a Malaysian, a Pakistani, and a Filipino. 

Isn't she so lovely?

Filipino - Indonesian - Dutch/Spanish - Malaysian - Pakistani

Just like last week, the tour came to an end at midday. We said goodbye to the group and Mas Farid, and headed back home for an exciting night: we had a dinner reservation at The Cafe, Mulia Hotel, as a proper celebration of our second anniversary! This is my favorite buffet in Jakarta especially for the Indian station and I was beyond excited to share the dining experience with Luis, since he's just as crazy as I am about Indian food. After a nice, cold shower and a nap (at our separate places, of course, duh, LOL), he would pick me up at home and we would take a taxi to the hotel. On to the Part 2 post!

Sep 12 - Ready, Aim, Fire!

Walking to our usual meeting point this morning was not easy at all, realizing today was our last Saturday together. We go out on a date everyday, not only on Saturdays, but it was a loud alarm to yet another inevitable farewell. :(

My best friend Tegar is a busy man. It's literally impossible to arrange a meeting with him on most days, but as soon as he knew Luis was in town, he texted me saying he'd love to catch up! Luis and I had things to do in Senayan and Tegar was in the mood for Batak food, so we agreed on this legendary place, arguably the best in Jakarta. After the frustration to find the location since the navigation was so off and neither I nor our taxi driver knew where this restaurant is, we arrived and shortly after Tegar did too. He was as sweet as he has always been! It was so much fun filling in each other on updates, all the while pigging out on the food, hahaha, pun intended. It was Luis' first time having Batak's signature pork dishes, but under Tegar's guidance (I'm not a fan of pork unless it's in a form of bacon, sausage, schnitzel, and wonton), Luis grew to love it! Haha, I'm happy, he'll fit right in. Well, hopefully, at least. :D Too bad time flew by so quickly and it was already nearing 1 pm and we had to leave in a taxi. But it was really nice seeing Tegar!

The first out of two activities we planned for the day was archery practice. Luis loves archery so much, that was one of the first things he told me when we started talking, so I thought it was only perfect that I booked this two-hour session with the help of my good friend Sam (Thanks, Bro, if you're reading!). We practiced with a bunch of other people, but the instructors were attentive to each one of us and as soon as we picked up the bow and arrow, it was game on!

Luis is a result-oriented kinda guy. Proof is in the next picture. Oh but can we just take a look at that arm? :P

Luis' group's target as compared to the next group

My group was bad too but I got a few bulls-eye! Luis was so proud of me.

Luis was so, so good, especially seeing how his techniques are not according to the guide books. It was so clear that although I did fire on-point shots, I was nowhere near his accuracy level! But even so, throughout the practice, he never ceased encouraging me, giving me compliments, and overall being a good sport he is. This man can seriously do no wrong when it comes to sports and games in general. And also a lot of other things. *insert an obnoxious dreamy face here* :P

The session was up and we took another taxi to our second and last appointment of the day, also a surprise I had planned for him. It's a shooting range! Luis had absolutely no idea at first but as soon as he heard gunshots, he got excited. So now I got excited as well, hahaha. We walked into this building which is also the national training place and were led to an office where we could re-register our names and were given a ballot as a queuing system as well as targets for our scoring later. I thought since I booked for 3.30 pm, we could practice directly, but fine, we went with it and waited on the first floor watching other people on their sessions. They used the normal short caliber guns to shoot a parallel target that is held by a stand on the outdoor section of the field. It was fun at first to watch others played, but the minutes shortly turned into a full hour and the waiting game became less fun. As I went back upstairs to report this, the chief overheard my complaint, came up to me to apologize, and asked us to follow him. He led us to a room on the second floor with a sign "Athletes-Only" and the two of us just exchanged looks. When we stepped into the almost empty room, we discovered an indoor shooting range with weapons that were much, MUCH cooler than what they had downstairs! Here the targets are also pinned to a special machine that is automated to pull the target sheet back up to us as soon as one round was down. This was nothing like we expected. Blessing in disguise!

Obsessed with this photo! Thanks to our private instructor.

We took one photo holding these weapons with serious faces but it made us look too much like terrorists so here's the smiling one. :D

It was the last Saturdate, but it was the best Saturdate................. at least that's what Luis thought before I dragged him to have dinner at A&W near home. Hahahahahahaha, can't have it all, Baby!