Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

11 Best Malls to Visit in Jakarta, Indonesia

As an expat for almost four years in Jakarta, Indonesia, my best form of relaxation was shopping. There’s no better place to do this than in Jakarta since the city is a home to more than 100 malls.

In my last year of teaching, my apartment was in the 6th floor of an apartment complex which was located right at the back of Baywalk mall. Five minutes of walking brings me to many restaurants and shops. As a matter of fact, I barely prepared my food when I was there since going to the mall was more convenient.

I am not even kidding, I have different malls for variety of purposes. If you are in the city of Jakarta for a limited period of time, this list might come in handy.

1. SENAYAN CITY MALL

This is conveniently located about 20-30 minutes from the house where I first lived. It has all the luxury brands that you could think of- LV, Chanel, Coach, Gucci and many others. This mall is special because I used to dine here with my former school director.

2. PLAZA SENAYAN

This is located near Senayan City and is overlooking the tranquil Senayan Golf Course. It has many of the known brands both local and international. There’s also an Asian dish and an amazing donut that I really love at the Food Court.

3. TAMAN ANGGREK MALL

This is probably my favorite mall and the most visited one. It has about 400 specialized stores located in its seven-story building. It has also residential buildings with access to the main lobby of the mall. I love looking for the best deals here because they practically have everything at affordable price.

4. PONDOK INDAH MALL

This is a very special mall because I have done a lot of shopping with David there. It is a huge shopping complex located in affluent Pondok Indah. It is referred by its acronym, “PIM”. It is comprised of three large malls- PIM1, PIM2 and the newer Street Gallery interconnected via two elevated multi-storey pedestrian walkways.

5. PLAZA INDONESIA

I did not do much shopping there but my favorite restaurants are located in this mall. Just like any other malls, it has all the famous International brands of shops and apparels.

6. CENTRAL PARK
This is one of my favorites. It has the largest Sogo in Indonesia and the second largest cinema blitzmegaplex which has 10 auditoriums. Central Park also presents the largest Gramedia Bookstore. Most of my visits in this mall were spent dining with my former co-teachers who live in the residential complex.

7. LIPPO MALL, PURI

This is one of the newest malls in Jakarta. The last months of my stay in Indonesia was actually spent a lot there because they offer free ride from the apartment where I used to live. It’s more convenient and it also so near and there are many restaurants that I really love.

8. GRAND INDONESIA
This is another mall which has a special place in my heart. David and I were dining there when it suddenly hit us that he was about to go back in the United States. We ended up in tears and people were staring at us. Whenever I go there, I used to see a lot of foreigners which could be attributed to the fact that the mall offers many known International brands.

9. BAYWALK MALL

Baywalk is the mall that is located right at the back of the apartment where I used to live on my last year in Jakarta. The location is not only convenient but it has the best Seafood restaurant. The restaurant has all the type of seafood that you could think of. You choose the live ones from the aquariums and decide how do you want them to be cooked. You couldn’t ask more for a fresher food!

10. MANGGA DUA

If you want to shop for affordable apparels, this is the place to go. There are so many shops to choose from and though they are cheap, the quality is actually good.

11. PURI INDAH MALL

This was the first mall that I have ever visited. It is about five minutes from the first apartment where I lived when I arrived in Jakarta. The mall has many beautiful memories because that’s where my friends and I used to spend a lot of time shopping and dining.

When I think of Jakarta, it is not just the malls that I remember. An array of memories always come to mind. My husband and I had our wedding there and we left so many good friends behind.

As always I am reminded, “Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.”

As an expat for almost four years in Jakarta, Indonesia, my best form of relaxation was shopping. There’s no better place to do this than in Jakarta since the city is a home to more than 100 malls.

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Tuesday, January 01, 2019

The Best of 2018

Just like that, 365 days of 2018 is over. The journey was both internal and external, finding the validation that life is indeed embarking in the unknown. Despite of my infallibility, I survived the challenges and the stark contrast of what I got so used to for many years- finding myself invariably failing over and over again. There were many moments that I questioned my worth and my confidence. Yet, my traverse is not defined solely by these deterrents. The trails of disappointments were long but the positivity is longer. Hence, let me reminisce the best memories to cap the year 2018.

1. Celebrated the Valentine’s Day at Grand Rapids

This trip allowed me to learn more about United States by visiting Gerald Ford Museum. The night stroll with my husband made it more memorable.

2. 3rd Anniversary Celebration at Chicago

We explored so many places together but we love the Adler Planetarium and the
Millennium Park.

3. Travel to New York

The sight of the Liberty State Park was so surreal. I could not believe that I finally saw it in person.

4. Met a Very Special Friend at Philadelphia

The highlight of my year. I have not seen her for almost seven years. Ours is an attestation that friendship will always be a special bond of two people who cared deeply about each other.

5. Birthday Celebration at Niagara Falls (Canada Side)

We were exhausted after several days of being on the road but the experience was amazing. Niagara Falls is beautiful beyond explanation!

6. River Tubing Adventure at Ludington State Park

What made this adventure special was not the tubing itself but swimming in the Big Lake with the waves higher than us. It was scary but at the same time an exciting experience.

7. Travel to the Most Beautiful Place in United States (Sleeping Bear Dunes)

I found the inner peace on this place. The place was nothing that I have seen in person. It was majestic and filled me with tranquility.

8. Fall Camping at Ludington State Park

The colors were beautiful and the company was special. We love the friendship and relationship made deeper by this trip. It was also my first time to stay in a camper!

9. Celebrated New Year with My Husband

New Year with my husband. He is the best gift that I could ever receive.

Cliché as it may seem, life is a journey. What happens along the way, the pains and disappointments, the gift of faith and hope, the crooked lines, the rocks and the mountains that blind you, they shape you and at the end and you will never be the same.

Cheers to the new year, fresh hope, more roads to traverse, and stronger FAITH.

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Beautiful Autumn in Michigan

"Autumn... the year's last, loveliest smile." - William Cullen Bryant

Autumn allows us to enjoy a day through a kaleidoscope of quaint foliage. The sceneries are adorned with vibrant yellows, red and auburn leaves. Michigan is one of the states that you should travel during this season. With miles and miles of picturesque vistas, Michigan was declared by Nikon, the camera company, as the best state to take pictures of Fall colors.

This photo essay enriched with quotes will give you a glimpse of the beauty of Michigan during Autumn.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

“Two sounds of autumn are unmistakable…the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street…by a gusty wind, and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese.”

-Hal Borland-

“And the sun took a step back, the leaves lulled themselves to sleep and autumn was awakened.” -Raquel Franco-

"I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves." -Ann Drake-

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all." - Stanley Horowitz

"How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.” -John Burroughs-

“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift.”

“The heart of autumn must have broken here, and poured its treasure upon the leaves.”-Charlotte Bates-

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

- Albert Camus

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

- George Eliot

“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour." Victoria Erickson-

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days."

- John Burroughs

“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” -Samuel Butler-

"Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

- Lauren Destefano-

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."- F. Scott Fitzgerald-

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."
- Emily Brontë-

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Ludington State Park Fall Camping

Rainer Maria Rilke said that, “At no other time than autumn does the earth itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is in no way inferior to the smell of the sea, bitter where it borders on taste, and more honey-sweet where you feel it touching the first sounds. Containing depth within itself...”

The other side of the dam.

Fall is the perfect season to camp if you want to see the beautiful colors around you.

It was a travel defined by being immersed in the glorious beauty of October when the verdure alternates between being crisply golden and fiery red. Valleys are aflame and trees adorned the transient beauty of everything around it.

We are blessed to have kind neighbors, Mark and Stacey, who allowed us to use their camper. The luxury of comfortable bed, complete amenities such as water, electricity and furnace was beyond what our grateful heart could express.

We are sincerely appreciative of Zack, Samantha and their kind family for allowing us to join their group. Of course, for the gift of friendship that Heather and Randy shared with us. The time spent with them was the best ever filled with love and laughter. Certainly, camping is a relaxing vacation if you are in the right place and with the right people.

Clear water and colorful trees are everywhere.

Fishing is one of the activities that you can do and this is a famous place for salmon, lake trout, steelhead, and brown trout.

The Campground
Ludington State Park encompasses nearly 5,300 acres featuring lighthouse, forests, sand dunes, dam, and miles of clean water. Midwest Living magazine voted this state park as the Number one state park in the Midwest.

There are three modern campgrounds- Pines, Cedar and Beechwood- with a combined total of 355 campsites including three mini cabins. We Stayed at Cedar Lot 162 which is right beside the restrooms. All the sites have electricity and modern bathroom facilities.

The park has only remote tent sites but they don’t have electricity and toilet facilities are rustic.

Our first morning was spent biking in trails and visiting the dam.

"The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry of bugles going by. And my lonely spirit thrills to see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills." -Bliss Carman-

One of the best features of the park is its trail system. There are eight separately marked foot trails that wind for 21.5 miles throughout woods and over the dunes. A paved biking and hiking trails runs along the Big Sable River linking the campgrounds to Lake Michigan, Hamlin Lake day use areas, and the amphitheater.

Bicycles are allowed on park roads and the non-paved Lighthouse Road,
but not on any foot trails or cross-country ski trails.

My husband with Sam's dog, Rosie. Pets are allowed but must be kept on a leash and they are not allowed on the beach.

PARK INFORMATION:
Recreation passport: Just 11$ when purchased with your license plate registration renewal. $16 at State Parks.

Beautiful colors, clear water.

Invasive insects and diseases have killed millions of trees in Michigan.

CAMPING RATES:
20/30 AMP Modern Campsite $33 per night
50 AMP Modern Campsite $37 per night
Mini Cabin $52 per night

Check their official website for updated rate.

One of the picturesque sceneries you will see while hiking on the trail

There are 21.5 miles of hiking trail, 10 miles of cross-country ski trails, a 2-mile bicycle trail and a 4-mile canoe trail.

Hiking trails are generally very well marked but a map from the park rangers' station will come in handy.

Beautiful views of dunes and water that never get boring.

Father and daughter. Thank you, Sam for allowing us to join your group.

One of the most romantic places you will ever find.

Transporting firewood is not allowed because of the fear of invasive insects and diseases. You need to purchase on the premises or from nearby vendors who sell USDA-certified firewood.

The Ludington State Park dam.

Big Sable Point Lighthouse was honored as 2013 Featured Lighthouse of the Year for the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival.

The black-and-white striped, 112 foot lighthouse at the Ludington State Park stands proudly on the shores of Lake Michigan and remains a testament to lighthouse keepers of the past.

You can purchase a Trex board that will be used in the new walkway around Big Sable Point Lighthouse. Each engraved board costs $100 and allows 25 characters on one line.

SANITATION STATION: The station is located two miles south of the Big Sable River at the Camper Registration station. My husband was not aware of this so we drove directly to the campground and needed to go back and register. This is where you also fill your camper tank with water which we failed to do since it was our first time.

Thank you, Mark and Stacey for the camper!

RESERVATIONS: Advance camping reservations can be made up to six months in advance. My husband’s daughter, Samantha, made our reservation three months prior since this is known to be a really busy place. Reservations can be made by visiting this website.