Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Japanese City Scapes




Rainbow Bridge at night (20-Nov-2005)

Gw teringat cowok Jepang yang gw ketemu di Odaiba, Teluk Tokyo, setahun yang lalu di bulan November, musim gugur tahun 2005.  Waktu itu hari baru gelap, dan lampu-lampu di luar membuat suasana indah.  Gw berdiri menghadap Teluk Tokyo, memandang Rainbow Bridge yang dihiasi pencahayaan (lighting) yang indah.  Suasana hati juga jadi seneng, alhamdulillah.  Gw motret Rainbow Bridge dengan bersandar di pagar dermaga karena gw gak bawa tripod.  Tapi gw dan Ran mau foto berdua dengan latar belakan jembatan itu. Gimana ya...?

Di tengah kebingungan cari ide, tau-tau seorang cowok yang selama itu lagi motret di sana, datang menawarkan untuk motretin kita!  Dan bonusnya, cowok itu lumayan kakkoii! :)  Dia nggak bicara dalam bahasa Inggris, tapi bahasa Jepang.  Dia nawarin motret, dan kita langsung berbinar-binar karena ada orang yang ngerti bahwa kita pingin difoto, hehehe.....

Gw kasih kamera gw, dan dia pasangin di tripodnya.  Cheese!  Kita difoto deh.  Waktu kita bareng2 preview hasilnya di kamera, dia ngejelasin bahwa karena pake tripod, pemandangan jembatan kelihatan indah, dan orang yang difoto juga indah :)  Well, penjelasan dia bukan sesuatu yang inspiring buat gw, tapi walaupun gw waktu itu udah rada capek abis seharian jalan2 di Odaiba, rada kedinginan (udah malem, di luar, bulan November,... lumayan dingin) dan jelek (yup, I don't really like seeing myself in the photo) tapi gw seneng banget nemu stranger yang keren itu.  Anehnya, gw ngga ngajak dia ngobrol lebih banyak.  Argh!

Abis itu gw dan Ran langsung naik monorail Yurikamome dan kembali ke stasiun Tokyo.  Dari sana kita naik kereta ke Utsunomiya.  Gw inget rasanya.  Hari semakin malam dan udara semakin dingin.  Sepanjang perjalanan menjauh dari metropolitan Tokyo, kereta berhenti di stasiun-stasiun, dan kereta semakin kosong.  Setiap pintu terbuka pada waktu berhenti di stasiun, terasa udara dingin masuk ke dalam gerbong.  Apalagi kalau berhentinya lama, pintu dalam keadaan terbuka dalam waktu cukup lama.  Brrrrr.....  Lama-lama masinisnya nggak buka pintu lagi (wah tengkyu banget!).  Waktu berhenti di stasiun, pintu nggak dibuka dan hanya dibuka kalau ada yang mau turun atau  naik.  Most of the time kereta hanya berhenti menunggu.

* * *


Small Statue of Liberty with Rainbow Bridge atthe background (left); Fuji Television Building (right).

Enw, kembali mengingat suasana sore hingga malam di Odaiba, kelihatannya orang-orang Jepang itu memang punya kehidupan di luar kerja kok.  Banyak couples maupun keluarga jalan-jalan sepanjang dermaga di pinggir teluk, maupun duduk minum di cafe-cafe, atau jalan-jalan di dalam pertokoannya.Lalu waktu di Yokohama CosmoWorld, waktu gw dan Ran diajak Ken naik Ferris Wheel raksasa untuk melihat pemandangan kota Yokohama di malam hari, ternyata banyak yang main di amusement park kecil itu.  Couples and families. 


Yokohama CosmoWorld at night (19-Nov-2005)

Jadi inget artikel di majalah Newsweek bahwa  orang-orang Jepang udah mulai sadar dengan pentingnya kehidupan di luar kerja.  Dan pernah baca juga bahwa generasi muda di sana udah mulai mengubah budaya "workaholic" yang jadi stereotype orang Jepang. Mereka sekarang nggak mau jadi budak kerja (shigoto nin'gen = workaholic) walaupun ada yang masih terjebak dan sulit keluar dari kondisi itu.  Contohnya temanku Ken yang merasa dikondisikan untuk menghabiskan waktunya untuk pekerjaan, dan begitu ingin ambil cuti untuk jalan-jalan tapi belum kesampaian.


Yokohama Bay at night (19-Nov-2005)

Suasana di Odaiba dan Yokohama Bay area / Minato Mirai itu memang enak dan terasa aman dan nyaman walaupun kita jalan kaki di luar.  Walaupun di toko apa2 mahal kalau dihitung dengan kantong gw yang standardnya Rupiah, tapi menikmati suasana kayak gitu aja udah cukup mahal harganya buat gw.  Toh gw lebih suka jalan2 dan sightseeing daripada belanja.  Jadi uang gw habis buat transportasi dan tiket masuk ke tempat2 yang pingin gw liat, daripada buat belanja dan makan (hehe... gw kalo lagi jalan2 makannya gak bener).




Yokohama CosmoWorld as seen from Landmark Tower

Di siang hari, suasananya juga enak.  Apalagi musim itu udaranya enak -
ngga panas, dan belum terlalu dingin.  Di Yokohama, Ken ngajak kita ke
Minato Mirai, kawasan komersial di daerah teluk Yokohama.  Di kawasan
itu ada gedung tertinggi yaitu Landmark Tower, tingginya ... m (nyusul
ya).  Kita ke lantai 74 dengan lift yang cepat tapi gerakannya halus
dan ngga berasa kayak diangkut dengan kecepatan tinggi ke atas.  Dari
lantai itu kita bisa lihat pemandangan 360 derajat ke kota Yokohama di
bawah.


Yokohama Bay as seen from Landmark Tower


Akihabara, Tokyo

Monday, August 28, 2006

I didn't explore much in this visit. After the class I went mainly for dinner. Friday, we just walked around the area, to Raffles Hotel. One place of interest in Singapore. A very expensive hotel with British colonial architecture.

















But on weekends I went to places like the Bird Park, and last weekend the zoo. It's an interesting
place. They have polar bears and also penguins. I saw kangaroos and lemurs. I touched and stroke a lemur, it was cute, and its fur was soft.

We spent the day there walking. Had lunch there and continued the walk because there were still animals we hadn't seen. I was surprised to see penguins in Singapore - first at Jurong Bird Park, and then at the zoo. I thought only the Japanese who brought and keep penguins in Osaka Aquarium are the crazy ones...

I wanted to go to WOMAD the evening, but we left the zoo tired and still had to move our bags to another hotel (yes, it was again on personal account). I might be crazy to be thinking of dragging our stuff and going by MRT. So maybe it was a good thing that the concierge who helped us with the bags just carried them outside to a taxi. He expected a tip, which I found unusual in Singapore.

So we checked in at Robertson Quay Hotel, a budget hotel just beside the Singapore River, not far from Clarke Quay. It was our second time staying there. The room is small and the shower room is too small but since the hotel rate is relatively cheap, that's what we got. (Sadly, if we convert the rate to our currency we could afford a 4- or 5-star hotel in Bandung.)
We ended up not going to WOMAD. Since the ticket was not cheap for us, it was not worth going when we had only a little energy left. I'm not likely to go to night events in Jakarta. Traffic and safety/security issues if going home very late at night, especially by public transportation. Too bad, because I like arts events. &&@#^!@%*# In Singapore I feel free to go almost anywhere anytime with convenient public transport and safety/security in most places. Now back to real life with many limitations. We went back to Jakarta Sunday afternoon. And today I've been in a terrible traffic jam again, as if this city was saying "Welcome back!" to me. I don't smile nor swear - there's no use.















Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Our airplane arrived at Changi Airport at about 1am - so it was already Saturday, August 19. And as we had already booked in advance, which was really difficult to get a budget hotel for the 2 nights, we took a ride to the budget hotel in Geylang area. I know, it's a red light district. I wasn't so worried since I don't feel unsafe.

I was excited when were entering the street: first I saw a lady-boy, then a few women, all of them with distracting makeup and clothes that obviously showed everybody who or what they were. I felt like taking my camera right then to take some shots of them, but I was tired and I wasn't sure if it was OK for them.
So when the car had stopped we just got our bags, paid for the ride, and went to the hotel's reception counter. It was Hotel 81 Geylang. We saw the no-smoking notification there saying that smoking was prohibited in the hotel premises. When we entered our room, it smelled smoke! I was too sleepy to complain and move to another room.

The weekend began. Went to Little India, ate at Tekka Center - we only had very little Singapore currency, and was surprised that we spent less than S$10 total for our meal for two. Out of curiosity I converted it with our currency and unfortunately it's still considered expensive IF we compare eating at the same kind of place/traditional market bldg in our city. We went to Mustafa Center to get something.

We visited Jurong Bird Park and watched the falcon show (wow, those birds were so great). We also saw flamingos, pelicans,...

We were so tired then, and we had an appointment for the dinner with D's boss (oh). So I didn't know until later that we missed the nocturnal birds area where they make the day dark as night so the birds are awake and we can see them flying, hunting for food, and hear them making sounds.

It was a relief that after 2 nights in the small hotel room in a red light district, and dragging our luggage to the MRT station, down and up the stairs, we finally arrived at a much better hotel. Spacious room with soft fragrance we smelled as we entered the room. Of course this is because starting Sunday I'm on company account so I'm staying at this hotel. What a relief.

Our room window faces Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, and we can also see the Merlion statue further away. It's especially nice at night. We always leave the curtains open. It's very beautiful when the curtains are open and we turn off all lights in the room.


Swissotel the Stamford. Direct access to Raffles City mall, and just above the City Hall MRT station - an interchange station so it's even a double convenience. The downside is, we have to pay extra S$20 per person per day to use the gym and spa. Silly. So we didn't use the gym/spa.

Monday (Aug 21)
Had dinner at Bugis Junction, then saw a movie, The Breakup, starting 9.20pm. Back at the hotel around 11.30pm, met up with my cousin from KL who was here just to pick up his sister in law at the airport then would ride back to KL.


Tuesday (Aug 22)

Dinner with D's ex-colleagues. They're now working in Singapore. There were 8 of us plus a 3-year-old boy. Had fun chit-chatting.


Wednesday (today - Aug 23)

Dinner with James & Elaine at Newton Circus/Food Centre. It's a place with many food counters with many seafood and some Malay, Indian, etc. It's an open place with many tables outside (not under the roof). Nice place, but so many people. Always difficult to find a place to sit at meal times in Singapore. Back from there we (me & D) just stopped by at Ben&Jerry's to enjoy a little ice cream while watching the water fountain...

Monday, January 02, 2006

My Favourite of My Favourite Vacation

I'm so thankful! I got the chance to experience a beautiful unforgettable vacation in Japan last November 2005. I was there for a month, seeing my sister and her family, making new friends, travelling to a few cities and places.

Saat-saat favorit gw adalah tgl. 7-8 November. Gue naik kereta meninggalkan Tokyo, sampe Ootsuki, kota kecil di arah barat dari Tokyo. Turun di stasiun langsung berasa beda banget. Dari stasiun Tokyo yang geda' dan ruamenya minta ampun, tau2 gw ada di stasiun kecil di kota kecil yang sepi. Pemandangan di sekitar adalah gunung2 dengan pohon2 b'daun ijo & warna-warni. Oh I love autumn!

Karena Rani & Hide blm nyampe, gw & Didi makan siang dulu di restoran di depan stasiun. Didi makan beef curry, gw makan beef stew (gw rada bosen juga cukup sering makan kare sejak cabut dari Utsunomiya ke Tokyo). Tumben juga hari itu daun2an saladnya gw makan dengan lahapnya. Apa emang enak (stewnya sih lumayan), atau gw lagi laper banget ya?

Pas gw & Didi selesai makan, Rani dan Hide udah sampe di Ootsuki. Mereka naik mobil dari Utsunomiya. Kita lanjutin perjalanan ber-4, Hide yang nyetir, menuju Yamanaka-ko di Fuji Five Lakes (Fujigoko) area. Pemandangan kota kecil, dg gunung2 di sekitar. So beautiful... made me feel happy. Alhamdulillah.

Kita jalan naik mobil Corolla-nya Okasan, dibantu GPS menuju hotel kita di Yamanaka-ko. Di tengah perjalanan, udah di Fuji Five Lakes Area, kita ngeliat ada rumah atap rumbia gitu deh, & di sekitarnya pohon2 dg daun2 merah! Kita ngga keburu2, ngga dikejar apa2, jadi kita mampir deh... Ternyata itu taman dari Fujiyoshida Museum of Local History. Tamannya bagus banget krn daun2 maple udah muerrraaahhh....!!! Subhanallah, it was so beautiful.

I took loads of pictures there. Never enough. The view was so beautiful. I really loved it. Rani & Hide jadi model favorit deh, hehehe...

Pas hari udah mulai menggelap, lampu2 di bawah di sepanjang jalan yg diapit pohon maple itu dinyalain. Indah!

Kita lanjutin perjalanan ke Yamanaka-ko. Akhirnya sampe lah di hotel kita, ファミリーロッジ・旅籠屋・山中湖 (Family Lodge Hatagoya, Yamanaka-ko). Tempat parkirnya aja udah di bawah pohon2 berdaun kuning. Autumn memang indah! Tempatnya bukan hotel sih, tipenya bed&breakfast lah. Suasana di lobby/lounge-nya hangat gitu, kayak di living room rumahan, ada teddy bearnya segala :) Kamarnya luas, ada TV, AC, meja rias, meja tambahan yg dilipat ke tembok, sofa bed buat extra bed gratis, pojok gantungan baju, shower room, ruang bertapa (alias tempat e*'). Teh panas gratis bisa diambil di lounge. Abis bersih2 kita keluar cari makan. Makin malem udara di luar makin dingin, waktu itu di luar udah 7 derajat Celcius. Kita naik mobil ngelilingin Danau Yamanaka cari tempat makan mur-mer, ngga dapet. Yg ada mahal2 (keliatan dari bentuk restorannya, ataupun papan menu yg ditaro di luar), ato tutup. Well, maklum we were on a tight budget, hehehe... Eh sempet nemu restoran kare (Japanese curry), gw & Didi turun utk ngecek (keluar dari mobil buru2 masuk resto...dingin bow) apa makanannya mengandung babi. Di sana mereka biasanya ngga berani main2, krn ada org yg alergi babi. Kalo terjadi apa2 sama org yg makan di sana, mereka bisa dituntut. Ternyata mereka dg jujur bilang makanannya mengandung babi. Ngga jadi deh kita makan di sana... Akhirnya kita ke Seven Eleven beli makanan jadi yg tinggal dipanasin pake microwave. Enaknya di Jepang, di supermarket maupun kombini (convenience store) pasti jualan makanan2 jadi yg tinggal dipanasin. Praktis.

Thank God malem itu kita tidur nyenyak. Kamarnya anget walopun di luar udara dingin buanget. Paginya kita sarapan di lounge, roti dkk dan teh/kopi. Trus kita beres, check out, dan langsung cabut ke Danau Yamanaka utk ngeliat pemandangan Gunung Fuji......

OH SO BEAUTIFUL..... Subhanallah.... Taun 2002 waktu gw ke Jepang, gw cuma liat Gn.Fuji dari Shinkansen dan dari jendela di apartemen Tomoko di Tokyo--kecil. Tapi di Yamanaka-ko inilah pertama kalinya gw ngeliat Gn.Fuji begitu gede di depan mata gw. Indah & mengerikan at the same time. Sementarai di sekitar Danau Yamanaka, daun2 berwarna-warni. Subhanallah, it was so very beautiful. And the fact that I was there with some of the people I love, it makes it even more beautiful. I was very happy then. Alhamdulillah... Segala puji bagi Allah. I wish mom, dad 'n Eggs had been there too.

Trus kita lanjut ke Danau Kawaguchi. Pemandangan G.Fuji dari sana nggak seindah di Danau Yamanaka. Di D.Kawaguchi, banyak gunung2 lainnya, jadi kurang OK gitu lho... Tapi pemandangan di sekitar danau sih tetep aja indaaaah.... :)

Abis itu kita makan siang. Udah mulai buru2 deh, krn perjalanan panjang--gw & Didi lanjut ke Kyoto, sedangkan Rani & Hide balik ke Utsunomiya. So, abis makan di resto di pinggir Danau Kawaguchi, Rani & Hide nge-drop gw & Didi di stasiun Ootsuki lagi. Gw & Didi naik kereta ke Shin Yokohama dulu, trus naik Shinkansen ke Kyoto. Rani & Hide kena macet pulang, baru sampe rumah jam 11 malem :( Sedangkan, gw & Didi nyampe Kyoto malem itu, capek, tapi... ada pengalaman tak terlupakan tentang penginapan. Kita menyusurin Kyoto di malam hari cari tempat nginep yg lain... hehehe.

Yah itu deh cerita pengalaman favorit gw di liburan kemarin. Alhamdulillah... :)