Jawa Timur Trip - First Day Spent on the Road

We chose a long weekend in Indonesia to have our trip. It was such a no brainer at first: no need to take leave, everybody could join. However, after we bought our air ticket, we got some difficulties in booking the accommodation and transportation.

And the real difficulty was on the D-day. It was Thursday, the first day of the long weekend and we scheduled to travel straight to Batu from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya. It should have taken only 2 hours but apparently, it took us more than 5 hours to reach our first destination.

Wefie before getting trapped in the long weekend traffic

It was around 3pm and we could no more bear with the hunger, we asked the driver to recommend a lunch place and he brought us to Depot Soto Ayam Lombok. Soto is a traditional Indonesian spiced soup and usually has meat/chicken with cabbage/bean sprout in it. Maybe we were there quite late, we got mostly chicken skin in the soup. It was quite yucky even though the taste of the soup was quite okay.

The humble Soto hut

The men behind the scene

Finally we beat the hunger

We reached Museum Angkut (Transportation Museum) at 5 p.m. and we quickly collected our tickets that we had purchased online beforehand for IDR 80,000 (~SGD 8.5). The museum would be open until 8 p.m. only.

Museum Angkut has been in operation since 2014 and is the first transportation museum in Southeast Asia. It consists of ten zones, both indoor and outdoor,  showing the mode of transportation from time to time.

Wefie before we got started

By paying extra, one can try airplane simulation up there 

Let's get started

The first zone that we visited was a huge hangar with antique cars and carts. We did not read the notice board one by one as there would not be enough time to cover everything if we did so. We glanced quickly and of course took photos with the cars that we liked. I lost concentration a while after I entered because there were too much to look at!

One of the car from 1926

And this is the cart from Surakarta

We then moved upstairs to another zone that showcased the traditional mass transportation like rickshaw, bajaj, tuk tuk, bicycle, etc. I think this would be my favourite zone if the place is not so congested.

Bajaj? No?

Rickshaw uncle is a bit scary yeah 

The first steam bicycle

We then moved outdoor to Pecinan (Chinatown). In this street, we found the weather greeted us so well after the lack of oxygen inside. We enjoyed the replica of the old town with bicycle, trishaw, and street hawker cart.

To cycle through the town!

Crowded Chinatown, as it is supposed to be

A little role play: Valen the Satay Hawker

We then took a break by eating siomay (traditional steamed fish cake or Indonesian style siew mai with peanut sauce) and continued the journey after to another indoor exhibits of antique Japanese cars and motorbikes. This zone is more spacious and airy.

Cars!

We need mechanic! Preferably one with six packs and cute smile

My favourite photo! Thanks for the nice lady who helped :)

Moving outdoor again to a street called gangster town. In this zone, we found replica of an American town with cinema, theatre, hotel, jail, bar, etc.

First look of Gangster Town

Someone was arrested

Data verification in progress

Finally behind the bar

The next zone was European Zone with replica of Eiffel Tower, Venice, England Telephone Box, and a lot more. I love the vespas, yay!

Touring around Venice in Vespa 

Tour Eiffel

This time Valen the Fruit Seller

It was getting late and we move faster to the next zone of  Buckingham Palace replica (is it Buckingham?). We tooked photo at both outside and inside the palace.

Family portraiture

Interior

London Bus

The last zone was the Hollywood and Movie Star Studio. Quite a small zone I should say and I am not so impressed with the overall exhibits as compared to the rest of the place. But there is this giant Hulk made from cars and bikes' parts. It's awesome!

This is it!

Lounging around 

Batman's car, woohoo!

We were out at 8 p.m. and we continued with our plan. No time for being tired when you are on holiday!

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Next - Late Night Foodies in Batu

Jawa Timur Trip - Prologue

Indonesia has always been a country magnificent for travelling. The mountains, the hills, the beaches, the rivers, the cities, the villages, the people. Everything.

In recent years, Jawa Timur (East Java) has become one of the most popular tourist destinations with the followings as the highlights:
1. Gunung Bromo (Mount Bromo)
2. Kawah Ijen (Ijen Crater)

3. Surabaya
4. Malang & Batu

I have had my chance to visit Mount Bromo and watched the sun emerging from the horizon. However, I have yet to experience the other three,

So, this time round, we decided to have a city trip to Surabaya, Malang and Batu.

Surabaya, Malang and Batu

Surabaya is the capital of the province of Jawa Timur (East Java). It is located at the northern part of the province facing Madura Strait. Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia with population of approximately 3 million inhabitants.

Surabaya is known as the city of heroes due to the Battle of Surabaya on 10 November 1945. The battle was the biggest battle against the foreigners after the proclamation of the independence of Indonesia on 17 August 1945. It cost the lives of more than 6,000 Indonesian for fighting continuously for weeks until Surabaya was defeated by the British. Until now, 10 November is known as the day of heroes afterwards.

Malang is located approximately 100km south of Surabaya and can be reached with 2-hour drive from Surabaya. Malang was the capital of Singosari Empire in the past before it was transferred to the Dutch colony. Malang is well known for the mild climate and the production of green apples.

Batu is about 20km west of Malang and has similar climate and topography. Batu was previously a part of Malang before it became a town by itself in 2001. The Dutch called this town the little Switzerland in Java Island. Since long long time ago, Batu was a recreation and relaxation place for the royal and now Batu is one of the most visited tourist destination in Indonesia.

So we are following the hype. 9 girls from different cities finally gather for a fun trip in East Java.

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Next - First Day Spent on the Road

Europe Trip - Epilogue

Today is exactly two months from our departure to Paris. It is a dream-comes-true to me. I have been dreaming about going far and finally I got the chance.

It's a difficult task to me to decide which country I love most. Each place that we visited has its own uniqueness and beauty. It can't be compared that easy.

Paris is like an elegant old lady. Every part of the city is still glowing with beauty and maturity. Even though the city is bustling with people, the atmosphere gives the feeling that is dark and full of secrets. It is a bit unsettling walking along the city especially when witnessing many people getting high along the roads and in the metro station. No mater what, this lady is still the prettiest.

Rome is like a strong warrior. With its historical background and humongous structures in the city, it is really portraying the strongest warrior ever, Even though Roman Empire has been long gone, Rome is still holding that power and I love the feel.

Tuscany is like a loving grandmother that always gives and provides to the grandchildren. The olive trees, the vineyards, the woods, the skyline, the warmth: they are all the gifts from this grandmother. We are the grandchildren. Tuscany makes me feel loved and want to love even more.

Lucerne is like a patient teacher. It teaches the visitors to relax and enjoy the time: close the shop by 4:00 pm, drink some wine, sit and look at the swans playing at the lake, drink some more after that. It also teaches us that the top of the world can be reached and it is great to be up there. So, my sincere gratitude to this teacher of mine.

Amsterdam is like growing-up teenager. The vibrancy that the city offers really makes me feel great. One part of the city is so open with things that are considered taboo somewhere else while another part is still holding the values of the old customary. And with the colorful brick buildings, I am thinking LEGO.

So, there is no favoritism. I love all of them all the same. And I wish I can explore unexplored parts of Europe soon enough.

This trip has given me more insight of life.

I am grateful.

Thank you, Universe

Europe Trip - fin

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Europe Trip - The Fishing Village Volendam

The last day finally came. We walked out of the hotel, having the high hope of our last destination before heading back to Singapore and Indonesia. We went to Amsterdam Centraal Station and bought Waterland bus tickets that covered the whole journey to Volendam and neighborhood villages. It cost EUR 10 (~SGD 15) for unlimited bus rides from Amsterdam Centraal to Waterland, between villages in Waterland, and the return journey to Amsterdam. The details can be found here.

Waterland consists of several picturesque fishing villages located away from Amsterdam. The most touristy is of course Volendam with many shops, restaurants, bars, and skyline overlooking Zuider Zee. Edam is a small village nearby Ye River that specializes in cheese products. Marken is at the other side of Zuider Zee with green wooden houses. Other villages include Monickendam, Broek, Purmerend, Middenbeemster, and Graft-De Rijp.

Map of Waterland (Source:localbus.nl)

It took us about half an hour to reach Volendam. The bus stopped at the main road so we walked a bit towards the sea side. After 10 minute walk, we were greeted by a row of commercial establishment. Tourists were all over the place and there were notices everywhere saying, "Beware of Pickpockets".

It was almost noon so we decided to have our lunch in one of the seafood restaurants with tripadvisor logo. It's never a fault to have a meal in restaurants with tripadvisor endorsement. It was the best meal I had in Netherlands. We ordered fish, prawns, mussels, pasta, potatoes. All were delicious I still think about them in this very moment.

We walked through the small alley from the bus stop

Volendam, taa daa

The restaurants

Our feast

We continued to explore the area. Amongst places that we visited in Netherlands, Volendam was considered having the least wow factor in it. It's just a fishing village facing the sea with shops and many people. Whoever market this area to be a Holland tourist attraction was very clever. Other than eating, drinking, shopping and taking family pictures in Holland traditional costume, there is nothing more here.

The sails were not up yet

Chilling

Boats

Another clog experience

Continue to stroll and stroll

We then took our family portrait in Holland traditional costume. It's so called 'a-must' when visiting Volendam. The price is determined based on the number of people taking picture but the print out that you get will be either 1 or 2 copies. Additional copy or soft copy will be charged extra. We spent EUR 30 (~SGD 45) for the 10-minute session.

Actually, the people that served us were not so friendly. They rushed us through things even though there were no people queueing behind us. I did not really like the service there.

Behind the scene

After taking the pictures, we continued to stroll for a while to the end of the road, took some pictures, bought some poffertjes and got back to the shop to collect the print outs. Feeling a bit disappointed with Volendam, we decided not to visit the neighboring villages. We headed back to Amsterdam Centraal with the intention to find Nine Streets Shopping Area.

Pretty birds

A yatch, wow

Across the sea

Picture time

Yummy poffertjes, in Indonesia it is called Kue Pukis or Kue Cubit

We took a tram from Amsterdam Centraal in order to find Nine Streets Shopping Area or De Negen Straatjes. This shopping area is supposed to be a major shopping area in Amsterdam. Located nearby Centraal, this shopping area covers a matrix of 9 streets. From vintage shops to boutiques, you are supposed to find everything that you want.

We were kind of having difficulties in finding these streets. We walked through quiet streets before finally managed to find a street full of shops. The day was getting dark already so we did not do much shopping.

We had a simple dinner and got back to the hotel to pack.

Bye, Amsterdam. Till we meet again.

Next - Epilogue

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Europe Trip - Joordan, the Beauty in the City

We intended to visit Joordan for the rest of the day. We took the train back to Centraal and took another tram ride to Westermarkt. We alighted in front of Westerkerk. Our first stop was Anne Frank House, where the legendary Anne Frank and her Jewish family hid during German occupation. In the house, Anne Frank wrote her diary. In that diary she talked about her days in hiding and all the bitterness of being born as a Jew from a perspective of a child. After a few years of hiding, the Nazis found and captured them. They were brought to concentration camp. Anne, her sister, and her mother died while the father survived. Her diary was then published by the father. Now the house is a museum.

A short walk to Anne Frank House, but what a shock we had, the queue was enormous and estimated waiting time was more than an hour. We did not book the ticket online because there was no such a scheme when I was doing my planning. However, a notice was pasted on the glass door and it said that online booking was already available. Oh, damn.

So, after much consideration, we decided to turn down this in our schedule. I personally wanted to visit very much but considering the time and how Indonesian were not museum people, we just continued to stroll.

Westerkerk, the view when alighting from the tram

After we turned down Anne Frank, we walked to the other side

Walking through the aisle

Westerkerk from afar

On top of Woonbootmuseum 

We walked past a boat that was turned into a houseboat museum. We did not visit but basically the museum let the visitors see how the boatman lived during the sail. The entrance cost EUR 8 (~SGD 13) and you just paid the entrance fee to the owner who sat near the entrance.

From the Woonbootmuseum, we walked along the canal and got mesmerized by the beauty of the place. I found that it was so different from Red Light District area even though both areas were hugging the canal.

This place, Joordan, is more like an elegant lady while Red Light District is portraying herself like a naughty teenager. So, yeah, two sides of beauty, but all the same, they have beauty.

The canal in Joordan area

Continue to stroll

More beauty

My favorite spot

We went into Cheese museum and some shops during the stroll. Actually, our ultimate destination is the most famous apple pie in Amsterdam offered by Winkel43 cafe.

Winkel43 Cafe is located nearby Norderkerk at the corner of Westerstraat. Just walk towards Centraal Station from Westermarkt and sooner or later you'll find this place. We reached Winkel43 Cafe at around 5:30 pm and the cafe was still full with people even though it was neither lunch nor dinner time.

We chose a high table outside the cafe facing Norderkerk. Bro and I walked into the cafe and looked for the menu. There was not drink menu available. While looking at the food menu, I asked the waitress, "What is your recommendation?" and she positively replied me, "I think you know what you are coming for."

So, we ordered the famous apple pie and fried meatball. I also ordered a flat white. The apple pie was not overrated for sure, it really tasted heaven. And the coffee was bitter, suit my taste so much.

Happy face with the apple pie

Don't judge the pie from the look

The outdoor seating

We then continued to walk to Centraal Station and had dinner nearby Centraal Station before calling it a day. It was a wonderful day, indeed.

Another canal

Can you see the buildings are tilting?

Great dinner

Next - Fishing Village Volendam

Love is in the air,
Little Feet

Europe Trip - The Windmill of Amsterdam

Zaanse Schans is a historical traditional Dutch village located in Zaandam, very near to Amsterdam. In 1961, all the buildings from across the region of Zaan were brought to this location and voila, there came Zannse Schans, scones in Zaan.

Zaan was an industrial area in the seventeenth century with approximately 600 windmills in operation producing linseed oil, paints, papers, wood products, etc. During the eighty year war when the Dutch revolted against the Spanish, it was believe that there were 13 sconces in the region.

Only after World War II, the wooden buildings were brought together as they were threatened to extinction. It was the right thing to do since Zaanse Schans now has become a major tourist attraction. The wooden buildings now became museums, cafes, and gift shops. A few windmills are still in operation too.

It is easy to reach Zaanse Schans, just take the train to Koog Zandijk Station and walk alongside other tourists to reach the village. The admission is free but each museum/windmill will charge you for visiting. If you are so enthusiastic about the village and want to visit every single museum here, you can buy Zaanse Schans card for EUR 15 at the information centre. If you are the holder of Iamsterdam card, just dash into the museum, no one will dare to stop you.

Zaanse Schanse, after crossing this bridge (it can be lifted to allow for the boats to pass!)

View of Zaanse Schans from the bridge

Flowers everywhere

The main road of the village

Albert Heijn, the first grocery store in Amsterdam

Let's take a walk, Baby

We strolled along the village amidst the strong wind. Our destination was the end of the road where a platform looking direct to the active windmills was there. We stopped by a few shops and museums just to keep ourselves warm for a while. The wind made the journey difficult, but also because of the wind, we bought nice apple pie, gingerbread cake, and speculaas biscuit.

Miffy in one of the gift shops

A house with an attached tiny windmill

Cute village house I wish I have

The mechanism of the windmill

Speculaas!!!

The windmill finally

We had difficulty taking picture here. First, the wind was terrible at the platform. It was a completely open area and the wind just attacked us without mercy. Second, we met a bunch of Chinese tourists there. We were taking pictures and they just emerged into the frame and did what they wanted. We tried to talk to them but they scolded us in Mandarin without knowing that we understood. So, yeah, I answered their curse.

The wind, oh gosh!

The windmill from behind

Playing milkman

Apple pie yeah

Wish I have a house like this

We had a chinese food nearby before we got back to Amsterdam to continue our exploration.

Next - Joordan, the Beauty in the City

Love is in the air,
Little Feet