Happy new year 2019! Wow, it’s been such a long time since I blog here. I know that I rarely update my blog in 2018. Life happened… I got a full time job and requires my time and energy (to get that money). I did travel a bit in 2018 and it is still better than nothing. The next reason why I don’t post often is also because I don’t have any content to post because I don’t travel. I realised I’ve become more and more picky with my pictures for this blog. I can’t even pass my own standard lol. Anyway, that’s why I want to share to you my 2018 travel in pictures as a recap.
Penang, Malaysia
I celebrated my birthday in 2018 by doing what I love the most, solo traveling. I wanted to give myself a gift that I can remember forever. So I bought a round-trip ticket to Penang and booked Airbnb in George Town. Four days in Penang and wandering aimlessly was the greatest gift I ever gave to myself. First time solo traveling in Southeast Asia and Penang is definitely a great destination to do it. As a small, Asian girl, I highly recommend anyone who want to do solo traveling because it’s very chill and most of the locals are friendly (and speak English).
Why Penang out of all the cities in Malaysia? This is my first time stepping into Malaysia and I chose Penang because I want to do photo hunting too. I have this thought of Kuala Lumpur might be similar with the other city in Asia. I made my decision went I found out that George Town in Penang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Penang is also famous for their cuisines due to their melting-pot cultures.
Bandung, Indonesia
Bandung is always been a designated, short getaway for the capital city of Indonesia. I went to Bandung several times when I was little and went again last time to do Glamping in Legok Kondang. My method of getting to Bandung was always by car, a.k.a. my dad driving all the way from Jakarta. My cousin and I will never make it to Bandung if it’s only the two of us driving. As an alternative, we traveled by train and it is actually more relaxing than sacrificing someone to drive 160km. I recommend everyone, especially if you’re not from Indonesia or don’t have anyone in Indonesia, to travel by train if you want to go to Bandung.
I spent five days in Bandung with my cousin, doing nothing but eat, eat, eat, shop and take great pictures for Instagram (and blog). Most of the time we spent it in our hotel to just chill and catch up (and edit those pics for Instagram). Despite the traffic in Bandung, I had a great time in Bandung because I was doing a chill travel. I don’t want to expect anything from this trip (because if I expect, it will lead to disappointment if I don’t meet the expectation). Some of the place we tried and recommend in Bandung are: Gormeteria, Byron Selective, and Sejiwa. Another classic must-do in Bandung and the reason why I chose Bandung is Prima Rasa’s Brownies. It is the best brownies I’ve ever had, been eating it since I was a kid. I thought the taste will be different as time goes by, but boy I was wrong and shoulda have faith. IT TASTE EXACTLY THE SAME! Funny how Prima Rasa’s Brownies used to taste chocolate-y and sweet and now it tastes like childhood to me.
Bromo Tengger Semeru, Indonesia
Bromo Tengger Semeru is definitely one of my highlights from 2018. I’ve been putting Bromo in my travel bucket list for the longest time. Postponing it mainly because it seems like a foreign place for me. How will I get there? Where will I stay? Do I have to camp out in Bromo? How’s the weather there? I was lucky and joined my company to Bromo for work matter. Although I have to go there for work, the sceneries are still just as beautiful.
Bromo Tengger Semeru only works during golden hours, sunset, sunrise and midnight till dawn. Literally anytime but not when the sun is rising above you. The takeaway from my Bromo travel is “Damn I’m so lucky to be Indonesian, my country is so goddamn beautiful”. I was once again reminded that I live in an unpolished treasure, waiting to be discovered and waiting to be loved by the world <3
Goku
Meet Goku, another highlight and it is my best highlight of 2018. I finally have a dog! He is not as small as the picture above, and so much heavier. No brainer that most of my time, money and energy are going to this doggo. It’s even harder to travel because I don’t want to leave him. But since he is older now (about 6 months old) and he can be annoying and clingy sometimes, it is safe to say that I’ll be traveling again in 2019. Btw, you can follow his sassy life at @frenchie.goku
Since I’m not based in Europe anymore and traveling to another country with Indonesian passport is quite irritating because I have to apply and pay for visa, I’ll figure out how to keep this travel blog alive. Traveling doesn’t have to be to another country. It’s hard to find something interesting in a metropolitan city, for a nature and scenery lover. 2019 in this travel blog will be more about tips and throwbacks (I guess…). I hate writing about tips because “who am I in the first place to give you tips?”. I’m not full time traveler nor I’ve been to a lot of place in this world. But in order to keep this travel blog alive (and for content sake), Imma throw some tips and tricks every now and then.
Photography is also something that I can do without traveling often and I’ve been sharpening my skill and videography as well. I will be sharing the results of what I learn here. Dunno why I like it here better than the Instagram… But Instagram cool tho. It’s just I can see pictures in big full screen and it is not enough to do it with phone.
So that’s what you’ll expect from this lazy travel blogger, who’s now a full time mom (as in Goku’s mom). Thank you for being patience with my procrastination. <3
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