ABC of Travelling

Quite happy!

Ok..this is coming from me...who has not been travelling overseas since my university days. And back then it was so easy since I only need a passport, my destination has always been Thailand and I didn't have the debit/credit card thingy. No money no talk no jalan2. Easy as that. Well life became more complicated when you get older. heheheh. Listed below, are the things that I learned from my Jakarta-Bandung Trip. Thank God I was with my Bro and his Indonesian friend, Adri.

The ever gila2 Adri and my Bro

Crucial 101 of overseas traveling for dummies/newbies :
1)Pack at least the night before you fly. So that, if you found sth missing, you still have time to get it done in the morning before your flight. Well..only if your flight's at noon or later. Morning flight??Pack TWO days before..then you'll have one 'emergency' day.

2)Activate your Debit/Credit card for overseas transaction. And have as much cash as you can, reasonable enough to pay the taxis, foods, small shoppings during your stay. Also, depending on the location. Well-developed countries accepts payments through cards even in sundry stores. But not for others.Everytime you draw out cash from ATM you'll be charged RM12. Don't waste your money for nothing.

3)Check your passport validities and Visa application(if needed). I don't know about other countries. But all I know is, Malaysian government only allow its passport holders to travel overseas ONLY IF the VALIDITY OF PASSPORT IS NO LESS THAN THE DATE OF EXPIRY. Full stop.

4)Make a list of target places to visit/shop or stuffs you need to get by day. So that, it won't divert your attention away. Its saves everything from money, energy and time.

5)Research your destination. Tourists usually depends on informations on the net, previous visitors reviews or pamphletes provided by the country of visit. However, it is also good for you to get extra informations, local digs through hotels concierge or people on the street(i.e cafes, your spa masseurs, local friends you found online). Don't be afraid to ask, but be cautious to follow. After all, its the whole point of travelling, getting to know the place.Aite?

6)Dress accordingly. You want to bargain at small shops or flea market, but you are wearing an original Hermes bag and Ralph Lauren shirts with an obvious logo on it and you speak with posh accent?? Duh..are you insane???Go figure.

7)Wear comfy shoes. When you travel you are bound to walk alot. And sometimes at the worst road conditions. Forget dressy slippers with very thin straps and sole. What's more kick ass boots and heels! Best bet, Crocs or any rubber sandals, enough cushion, wide straps, airy and light. Your feet will thank you for it.

8)Get acclimated with local flavours. As I said, research research research! Not just the locations but also local norms. Like their way of dressing, food, drinks, business hours, public holidays, land transportation, etc. Its crucial so that you can make your decisions and plannings better. And no upset tummies!

9)Check the destination airport tax for foreigners. Usually it is not included with your ticket. Airport tax can be costly. So no matter how crazy you are with the shopping, reserve enough money for the tax!

I think that's all so far. I hope the pointers will be beneficial for you. Good luck to future travellers. Enjoy!

Jakarta Recap 3

Day 5-17th August 09, Tuesday

Since we wasted the whole day yesterday, we woke up real early in the hope to squeeze everything during the last few hours of our stay. I tried to continue calling Ibu Tuti, a home-based tailor's number that my friend Ewa gave me. I've tried to call since Sunday but she didn't pick it up. So we made the last resort of lugging the heavy bag of fabrics to the places we were visiting, in the hope of finding a tailor. I kept cursing under my breath, condemning myself for not doing a reasonable enough research before I went to Jakarta. Maybe the thought of going..ermmh..'holiday'..clouded my better judgement...lol!

But according to Adri, who travelled frequently, the best things always showed up during the last minute. We found a tailor for Papa's Baju Melayu and shirt nearby our hotel. Both only cost us RM200!

Searching the famous tailor at Wahid Hashim area. Adri: Ibu...prot pret prot pret...makasih ya...!

da tailor(apetah nama bapak ni??) Look at the old school sewing machine:)

Then..we got ourselves a taxi. Oh yes, when you are in Jakarta, get yourselves a Blue Bird Group taxis. The most trusted service. Btw, 99% of their taxis are Toyota VIOS cars, luxurious eh compared to our Proton Saga ones??This particular driver we hired was a real nice guy. The only one who has Aqua(mineral water) and sweets served freely for the passengers. He advised us to go to places where foreigners doesn't really know but gives better value than the famous ones. I'm so glad to have him on that day! The last stop with him driving was at Pasar Baru Jakarta again. We went there to find the tailor for my mom's and sis's dresses since Ibu Tuti didn't respond. Some of you must be wondering why did we send the stuffs at Jakarta?Why not locally?Because.. some of our friends told us that their charges are wayyy cheaper than in KL and their works are more intricate. But then, what we found at Pasar Baru that day was really surprising. Imagine..the tailor charged us Rp900,000=about RM350 for a simple baju kurung with simple beadworks at the sleeves ends and lining(Indonesians called it puring) underneath!! Adri almost fainted. My mouth went agape. And my bro frowned! Literally!Sorry ya bapak..if like that aku bisa buat di Malaysia aja!

We then rushed to Benhil. Another tailoring heaven. And we got the price of Rp200,000. Not THAT cheap eh???!

We decided to have our lunch first. It was already 1pm++ local time. While waiting for taxi...Adri bought us this:

Serabi!! that white thingy made of tepung beras, and the chocolate thing is Chocolate syrup.
Can also be eaten with sliced banana..nyummy!

We were totally exhausted mentally and physically. It was a hot day. The places we went were badly ventilated. There was always alot of people and we had to walk slowly..bumper to bumper...heart to heart...ass to ass!Hahahaha! After having lunch at a mall nearby the hotel..my phone buzzed. It was Ibu Tuti! Finally! And she agreed to meet us at our hotel room before we check out. Alhamdulillah. Memang rezeki! And she charged us REALLY cheaper than in KL:)Yeay!

Finally I met Ibu Tuti!

Jakarta Recap 2

Day 3-16th August 09, Sunday

The rented jazz car arrived at 8pm local time at the hotel lobby. We ran out of our cash. We couldn't draw out our money from the ATM of Indon's CIMB.WTF???I was cursing non-stop. What duh???My Maybank debit card and the ATM both had VISA sign. Even Bro tried his but to no avail. Last resort, we called Maybank Malaysia helpline. Only then we found out that we had to activate for overseas transaction. No wonder we couldn't swipe it during our Saturday shopping!Shitty to Maybank officer who attended to my questions pertaining the card usage. One more lesson learned!

The journey to Bandung was breezy at first. They have a nice highway which provide us with lots of photographic view. And we realized that they have alot of mosques nearby to each other. Logically Indonesian is a Muslim dominant country. But what differs from us was the fact we don't have that much of mosques in one place!

Nearing the toll of Bandung...the jam started. And after too! Adri said it is normal during weekend as Jakartarians and all over Indonesia usually comes at one time. I've been to Jakarta-Bandung when I was younger. So I was not excited at all to go to touristy spots like Tangkuban Perahu,etc. Pity my Bro who had never been there, since we had to make a U-Turn as the route to the top was taking to much of our time. Heading towards Pasar Baru Bandung, we had to go through another massive jam. I was already tired from sitting too long in the car. And my head was throbbing. What's more with crazy drivers..honking like nobody business. And most of them doesn't even give signals whenever they want to turn. Crazyyy!

True, Bandung is a shopping heaven. However it was too late for us to indulge it as we had so little time left before the shop closed. And due to our ATM card probs..we didn't have alot of cash in hand to spend on. We went back to Jakarta tired and frustrated again:(


Day 4-17th August 09, Monday

We planned to tackle some of our visit objectives such as wedding gifts buying, send off the fabrics we brought from Malaysia to Indonesian tailor and such on Monday. However all the shops were closed except the big ones with international brands such as Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia which was next to each other. It was Indonesian Independence Day. They really indulge their public holiday. Contradiction with Malaysian shops which never close except on Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year celebrations. Merdeka? So what???More reasons to shop aite?

Nothing much happened. I didn't spend much except rm150 for my undies and dress to go back to Malaysia the next day. If u ask me whether things are cheaper in Indonesia? I would answer yes, if you are looking for traditional/non supermarket stuffs. Other than that, its almost the same as in Malaysia. Just that sometimes you'll find a new brand or unique styles. Again, money speaks. And don't underestimate Jakarta income bracket based on the volume of Indonesian people that comes to work in Malaysia. Guess what, they have the biggest Louis Vuitton in South East Asia in Plaza Indonesia which has the Gardens@Midvalley or Pavillion vibe. Go figure! And you can see polished, elite Indonesians just by looking at their styles and skin. Believe it or not, most elite caste, are usually fairer skinned. Wierd huh??!

Jakarta Prelude

I tot i could write and write on Wednesday. It turns out I was so busy unpacking, running some errands, went back to my parents house, send my lil 'Mini' to workshop for servicing and satisfying my craving for sushi. I missed alot of things while I'm in Jakarta:
1. Forgot to wish my KMPP friend, Faiz on his engagement last Saturday.
2. I missed sushi(oops this is not Malaysian but it was so rare in Jakarta)
3. I missed teh tarik.
4. I missed nasik lemak.
5. I missed iced nescafe.
6. My ex boss was caught by police. He's a con. He still owes rm5k of my salary. Who? Fariz Kassim, the guy who con people about MINDEF project. The story was in papers since last Saturday. I prayed he got convicted. Tipu2 hidup takkan senang! Sometimes I wonder why and how did Allah decided to send me to him and work for him for almost a year. Back then, I did feel something was off. But I couldn't comprehend. The last straw was when he didn't pay up my salary for two months in a row! The company never registered the staffs in SOCSO/EPF and paid us properly through banking, instead, we always received cash, always late,..macam buruh kasar kan??! He kept on promising us to do so and delayed it till the end.

And yesterday, I was busy communicating with my card designer from Jakarta. Turns out I forgot to bring the actual files of map, wordings, etc for her to incorporate into the card. So luckily I still have the files and its not too big to be sent through emails.If not, I'm fucked up!

Its gonna be puasa tomorrow. I love Ramadhan. But my eyes will always felt sleepy during the fasting month. And my manja tummy will feel sad. However its all that I have to bear to get alot of pahala for all the good deeds, much more from the other Muslim months. After all, Ramadhan is a month of opportunities. So, to my Muslim readers, happy Ramadhan n I pray that it will bring alot of barakah to each n everyone of us. AAAminnnnnnn!

A Colourful Journey

Hey ya my avid readers...

Am totally sorry for the late updates..which I promised to do so every night while I am here in Jakarta-Bandung. The thing is...by the time I reach the room or kamar according to Indonesian language, my eyes n my body keeps begging for a rest...yes.. most of the nights ends around 12pm++.

At the moment, I'm enjoying my breakfast at the hotel's Blueberry Pancake House. But I havn't got the chance to taste its pancake. Will do before I leave tonight to Malaysia.heheh.

There's a lot of good and bad stories along the journey. The best thing ever was the foods! The worst was my hiccups with my Maybank debit card. That really takes away my shopping pleasure. And yes, I will find a way to come back and do a real big shopping.

So for those trying to get stuffs at Jakarta or Bandung for wedding, I'm gonna give a real good advice. But u just have to wait for my next entries..within this week. And also some good advice for non seasoned overseas travellers like me. Travelling ABCs. Just wait.heheh:)

Till then people. Am going to hit the stores one last time before my flight tonight. Hopefully it won't get delayed like my flight from KL..I waited alone for full 3 hours!!!With shitty airport WiFi, and nobody talk to...except thick accented Indonesians, hrmhh...huge bummer!

ciao!

Serious Stuff- H1N1!!!

I love being ignorant on serious issues. Coz serious issues wrecked my brains and my warm heart. And I believe, it makes the lines on your face became more apparent after the wrinkles when hearing sad, worrying things.

But I think, as a matured adult, this blissful ways, never last long. And one of the current serious issues of concern is regarding the current health epidemic-Influenza A a.k.a H1N1 or locally known as Selsema Babi.(famous betul binatang bernama babi..siput babi,pink cam babi, dsbnya..hehehe)

And today, when I stepped myself into the building lobby, I saw a Chinese guy wearing a mask. Ignorant as I was, I went into the lift with a building maintenance guy, wearing it too. Owh okay. Then, when i frantically walking into the office as I was 15 minutes late, my colleagu told me a harrowing story-" Yesterday, a girl was picked up by ambulance after she colllapsed in her office at the 10th flr. She died this morning, caused by H1N1! And all the maintenance team started to wear the face mask!" Demmit! Its surreal! And suddenly the cleaner walked out from the Management Wing, wearing the hideous mask. Shits. I felt my body prickled.Shit Shit Shit....Its not happening.Cool down..Its just at 10th Floor rite??rite?rite???!

WRONG!

Another girl from a different floor is being quarantined since yesterday. She was ill. Suspected H1N1 infected too.

And what the hell r we still working today in this building???!!

Hopefully it all goes fine today and I stay healthy and my flu goes away pronto!
Am going to Jakarta...no matter what.
I'm departing tomorrow.
Totally psyched but I think I need to get vaccinated before I leave.
Can my office's medical card pays for that? How much does it cost eh???Wergh!!!

i MUST b HEALTHY

Yes...before my departure date to Jakarta, which is this Friday.

Yesterday was Sunday.
Mr Flu made a comeback..
I didn't invite him because I HATE him.
But HE LIKES me.
Damn alot!

Today, I felt better.
But my eyes..keeps dripping tears.
I'm not sad.
But my eyes felt itchy+burning.

Yesterday, Mummy and I sat down and update my wedding budgetary.
And yes, we are almost there..what?? the Limit.
hahahahaha...
Something must be done.
A little business during Ramadhan+Raya.
heeheheheh:)

The Kajang house is still far done. But I'm loving our new porch.
It makes the house looks bigger.
My room's bathroom was torned down to replace the tiles.
Its gonna be a pinky room.

Why the hell am I loving PINKS lately?
Its disturbing.
I'm always a blue girl.
Howcome pink manage to sneak in?
I wonder...

Hrmh...Its MONDAY.
Where is my boss?
Is he coming??
Maybe not.
Then I can entertain myself.
:)

Indonesian Trip Reminder

Indonesian Trip!

Bapak2...Ibuk2...
Am going to Jakarta-Bandung between 14th-18th August 2009. During my 5D4N stay there, its gonna be a helluva of shopping madness. Yes, of course, mainly about my wedding. Am going to hit the fabrics, tailors, cards, gifts, food stores and of course..ermhh...hahahha... hehehhe...OTHER stores lah...ala...u know...side shopping....:))
So, if anyone, you, or your family, sedaras, friends, boss, company, etc needs sth from there, do buzz me.

Perhaps,
stuffs for Raya, weddings, gifts for Ramadhan & Raya, kain batik jawa, traditional foods, telekungs, house deco, etc.
I will charge just a little portion to cover the transportation+logistic.

Kalau ada, pls let me know ASAP before my departure date and explain to me about your
budget, ideas, colours, options etc in detail
(yg plg penting your budget).

I will bring my lappie to update on my findings while I'm there. So u can still keep in touch with me over the net.

Ingat ya kawan2...
before 14 hb Ogos 2009.